Top European investors Atomico and Index Ventures have separately made bets on two US electric scooter startups, hoping to win big on the buzzy trend before it takes off globally. Atomico has invested an undisclosed amount in Lime, while Index Ventures led Bird's $100 million Series B round earlier this year. Bird and Lime are both...
Every day can be Bring Your Child to Work day at co-working spaces designed specifically for the working mom in mind. The cultural conversation about equality in the workplace has pushed the issue of childcare to the forefront, and these brands are responding by creating work environments where women can pursue their careers knowing their...
If you're the type of person who spends weekends fixing and repairing things around the house, you know what it's like when you're missing a couple screws that are critical to getting a job done. Amazon's iPhone app has a feature called "Part Finder," that lets you take a picture of the item you need and then search for it on the site. Maybe...
Foodora delivery partnered with Amazon so you can order food delivery without the pesky inconvenience of having to open a phone app. To do this, you enable the skill on an Alexa device like Echo or EchoDot. Link your account with foodora, and order what you want. Without lifting a finger. While this may seem like going backwards (in the past we...
Marriott International is testing facial recognition check-in in China with the goal of global rollout across Marriott International’s properties. With the adoption of facial recognition technology, the check-in process can be completed in less than a minute. Chinese guests simply need to scan their IDs, take a photo and input contact details...
Alibaba Group debuted its first “FashionAI” concept store, demonstrating a way to shop with the help of artificial intelligence. The pilot store at Hong Kong Polytechnic University showcases Guess apparel through innovations such as “smart mirrors,” which display product information on a nearby screen when shoppers are touching or picking up a...
Tiny Homes have become an ever more popular notion for those looking for a small but perfectly formed house. But what if you’re more of a water dwelling person? Well, you’re in luck because Canadian workshop Daigno have just announced Le Koroc, their very own Tiny Boat House. Whilst house boats are, of course, nothing new, chances are you won’t...
Hold still while Vincent van Bot paints your portrait. The RobotArt gallery has amassed an impressive collection to show what the world’s most creative androids and algorithms (and their creators) have come up with. The teams used a number of different approaches, showing that there are a hell of a lot of ways to interpret “artwork created by...
While American cities are starting to ban plastic straws for ecological reasons, companies like McDonald's and Starbucks are proactively making changes to paper straws and other technologies. Starbucks has promised to end its use of plastic straws by 2020. The franchise will replace the straws with a new type of lid described as a “sippy cup”...
A roadside system that detects if a mobile phone is in use in a passing vehicle is being piloted in the UK. It is hoped it will act as a deterrent to people making calls behind the wheel. The technology picks up the phone signal in the vehicle and activates a roadside warning sign of a mobile with a red line through it. Using a directional...