Julie R Butler

The Covid-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics are finally underway in Tokyo; and thanks to Olympics technology innovations ranging from light show drones to athletic performance biometrics and sports training wearables to 3D and other immersive broadcasting enhancements, the Tokyo Games are delivering all the pageantry and drama that’s expected of the world’s premier sporting event in vivid detail. Here, we highlight some of the technologies that are making the Tokyo Summer Olympics one of the most high-tech sporting events to date.

AI is having a huge impact on our society. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, Artificial Intelligence has the potential to create an additional thirteen trillion dollars in worldwide economic activity by 2030, which adds up to an additional 1.2 percent in GDP growth per year. But as more and more tasks are being performed by AI algorithms, we are discovering the degree to which AI can magnify both our most illuminating insights as well as our most pernicious prejudices. To achieve th...

Through the integration of three essential technology systems – real-time data collected by sensors and cameras; ubiquitous connectivity; and open, transparent, and accessible data platforms – smart cities aim to become more efficient and responsive to the needs of their constituents in every domain of urban life, from environmental quality and health to timesaving and safety. But with anxiety about crime being a major concern for residents of many cities, very often it’s the issue of public ...

There’s been a great deal of buzz over the last few years about smart cities, which can be broadly defined as cities that are using data-driven technologies to meet the challenges faced by today’s rapidly growing urban communities.

With over 50% of the world population now living in urban settings and 68% projected to be residing in urban centers by 2050 , it’s imperative that cities across the globe find innovative solutions to relieve the strains on resources, infrastructure, and public ser...

Most Americans are in debt, according to the average U.S. debt portfolio from Comet. And the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has found that the average U.S. household debt continues to rise. Both housing debt and non-housing debt, such as student loans, credit cards, and auto loans, have been surging to new highs. A number of factors contribute to this rise in loans, including labor market conditions, the inflation rate, and interest rates. One factor that attracts much attention is the emer...

What’s in the air you’re breathing? Government agencies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the European Environment Agency monitor air quality by measuring the level of pollutants like ozone, nitrous oxides, and small particles. However, the results displayed depend on where air quality monitors are placed and thus represent an average across the district rather than the specific air quality right outside your house. Furthermore, these monitors may not be placed in ...

The field of nanotechnologies, which studies phenomena at the nanometer scale, 1 to 100 nanometers, is today in full expansion and finds applications in medicine, electronics and the development of new materials. Contrary to what one might think, the power of nanotechnology objects comes less from their size, on the order of a millionth of a millimeter, than from the quantum effects associated with the nanoscale, which lead to particular properties that we can exploit for new applications. At...

In April 2018, Ford Motor Co.’s CEO, Jim Hacket, announced plans to reduce spending by $25.5 billion over the next four years, raising concerns among Ford staff about how the pending cuts will impact R&D investments. Soon thereafter, DowDuPont Inc.’s CEO, Ed Breen, announced the elimination of R&D spending on “moonshots” in order to focus on smaller projects that cost less than $30 million to complete and carry a lower risk profile. From one perspective, this is just part of the news cycle, a...

Chinese companies are using helmets with electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors for their employees, raising both profits and privacy concerns. The South China Morning Post reported that employees working in Chinese factories, public transport, and the military are being given helmets equipped to monitor their emotional states.

Since the program was implemented in 2014, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power (SGZEP) has boosted its profits by about 2 billion yuan (US $315 million). They claim that th...

Food packaging plays an integral role in maintaining food quality and assuring food safety for the duration of its shelf life, and plastic packages have been very useful in achieving the purposes of food packaging. However, in the last decade, the world has witnessed the debilitating effects of the use of plastic packages on our planet. And now, portions of the water we drink are contaminated with microplastics. According to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, if industries do not swi...