University of Michigan
CMU’s Matt Johnson-Roberson and MIT’s Daniela Rus will talk higher education at TC Sessions: Robotics 2022
Robotics technology, currently a $45.5 billion global market, has had an enormous impact on countless industries, including agtech, automotive, healthcare, labor, warehousing and logistics. Thanks to advances in AI, IoT…
Communication software startup Channels takes on event management with text workflow
Three University of Michigan students are building Channels Inc., a communication software tailored for physical workers, and already racking up some big customers in the event management industry.
Experts from Toyota, Ford and Hyundai will discuss automotive robotics at TC Sessions: Mobility
The events of the past year have only served to accelerate interest in all things robotics and automation. It’s a phenomenon we’ve seen across a broad range of categories, and…
Autonomous vehicle pioneers Karl Iagnemma and Chris Urmson are coming to TC Sessions: Mobility 2021
Long before the multimillion-dollar acquisitions and funding rounds pushed autonomous vehicles to the top of the hype cycle, Karl Iagnemma and Chris Urmson were researching and, later, developing the foundations…
Verizon and Honda want to use 5G and edge computing to make driving safer
Honda and Verizon are researching how 5G and mobile edge computing might improve safety for today’s connected vehicles and the future’s autonomous ones. The two companies, which announced the partnership…
Closing on $103M, MaC VC is changing the face of venture capital
The partners at MaC Venture Capital, the Los Angeles-based investment firm that has just closed on $103 million for its inaugural fund, have spent the bulk of their careers breaking…
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Talking robots with Ford
Before we get too far into this week’s roundup, I want to kick things off with an interview we haven’t published anywhere else. Earlier this week, we noted that Ford will be deploying some 100 researchers and engineers to the new $75 million facility at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The automaker told TechCrunch…
Google launches the Open Usage Commons, a new organization for managing open-source trademarks
Google, in collaboration with a number of academic leaders and its consulting partner SADA Systems, today announced the launch of the Open Usage Commons, a new organization that aims to…
The FAA has warned against equipping your drone with weapons such as flamethrowers and handguns. But can a nail gun really be considered a weapon — that is, outside of…
Researchers look into keeping autonomous vehicles from becoming mobile vomitoriums
If you’re like me, and I’m just going to assume most of you are, motion sickness is a serious consideration on any car trip where you’re not driving. So what…
Most EU cookie ‘consent’ notices are meaningless or manipulative, study finds
New research into how European consumers interact with the cookie consent mechanisms which have proliferated since a major update to the bloc’s online privacy rules last year casts an unflattering…
Why AI needs more social workers, with Columbia University’s Desmond Patton
Sometimes it does seem the entire tech industry could use someone to talk to, like a good therapist or social worker. That might sound like an insult, but I mean…
This new autonomous startup has designed its delivery robot to conquer winter
Refraction, a new autonomous delivery robot company that came out of stealth Wednesday at TC Sessions: Mobility, sees opportunity in areas most AV startups are avoiding: regions with the worst…
When it comes to public universities, the old adage “you get what you pay for” clearly does not apply. Leading public research universities have a track record of turning out…
Flying taxis could be more efficient than gas and electric cars on long-distance trips
Flying cars definitely sound cool, but whether they’re actually a good idea is up for debate. Fortunately they do seem to have some surefire benefits, among which you can now…
Moka raises $27M led by Hillhouse to make hiring more data-driven in China
Moka, a startup that wants to make talent acquisition a little more data-driven for China-based companies that range from smartphone giant Xiaomi to Burger King’s local business, announced Monday that…
Vision system for autonomous vehicles watches not just where pedestrians walk, but how
The University of Michigan, well known for its efforts in self-driving car tech, has been working on an improved algorithm for predicting the movements of pedestrians that takes into account…
Get ready for TC Sessions: Robotics + AI with highlights from last year’s event
As we get ready for TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics + AI on April 18 at UC Berkeley, we can’t help but look back at last year’s robotics event. With more than 1,000…
May Mobility puts autonomous shuttles on the streets of Columbus, Ohio
This December a set of autonomous vehicles will start roaming the streets of Columbus, Ohio, in an effort to turn this bustling Midwestern community into the first smart city. The…
Clinc is building a voice AI system to replace humans in drive-through restaurants
Clinc is expanding its focus on fintech into new verticals that could take advantage of its conversational artificial intelligence. The Ann Arbor-based company recently took the wraps off its new…
Robots are coming. Are they overlords or friendly companions designed to help us perform the mundane tasks of our respective days? Perhaps it’s both. Whatever the purpose, they’re no longer…
Under a millimeter wide and powered by light, these tiny cameras could hide almost anywhere
As if there weren’t already cameras enough in this world, researchers created a new type that is both microscopic and self-powered, making it possible to embed just about anywhere and…
University of Michigan opens up its M-Air UAV testing facility to students
If you wanted to test a drone at the University of Michigan, your options were extremely limited — think “at night in a deserted lecture hall.” Not anymore: the school…
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Tradewind BioScience attacks the physiology of tumors to treat cancer
Cancer remains the one counterpoint to the march of medical progress that has scored human history over the last 200 years. Last year 600,920 people in the U.S. died from cancer, and another 1.7 million received an initial diagnosis of the disease. Globally, one in six people die from cancer, according to the World Health Organization.…
Coursera teams with 5 universities to expand its full masters and bachelors degree programs
With traditional university programs getting more expensive and competitive, we’re seeing a boom in the number of alternative programs that are taking advantage of the internet and more flexible teaching…
Crunch Report | Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Resigns
The CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick, resigns from the company, Tesla gets a new lead, Andrej Karpathy, for their autopilot program, University of Michigan students get driverless shuttles and Snapchat…
Yesterday I wrote about a poll conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan that found people were interested in flying cars if they were autonomous, shared and electric. As…
Neurable nets $2 million to build brain-controlled software for AR and VR
As consumers get their first taste of voice-controlled home robots and motion-based virtual realities, a quiet swath of technologists are thinking big picture about what comes after that. The answer…
ForcePhone adds pressure sensitivity to any phone using ultrasonics
Force touch may be a feature exclusive to the latest iPhones, but something like it is now possible on pretty much any phone out there, thanks to research from engineers…
Google.org announces $250,000 in grants for the Flint, Michigan water crisis
Google’s charitable arm is today announcing several grants and donations aimed at helping the residents of Flint, Michigan respond to their ongoing water crisis. With a total amount of $250,000,…
