Devin Coldewey
Writer & Photographer
The Latest from Devin Coldewey
Baraja’s unique and ingenious take on lidar shines in a crowded industry
It seems like every company making lidar has a new and clever approach, but Baraja takes the cake. Its method is not only elegant and powerful, but fundamentally avoids many issues that nag other lida
SpinLaunch spins up a $35M round to continue building its space catapult
SpinLaunch, a company that aims to turn the launch industry on its head with a wild new concept for getting to orbit, has raised a $35M round B to continue its quest. The team has yet to demonstrate t
‘PigeonBot’ brings flying robots closer to real birds
Try as they might, even the most advanced roboticists on Earth struggle to recreate the effortless elegance and efficiency with which birds fly through the air. The "PigeonBot" from Stanford researche
Loliware’s kelp-based plastic alternatives snag $6M seed round from eco-conscious investors
The last few years have seen many cities ban plastic bags, plastic straws, and other common forms of waste, giving environmentally conscious alternatives a huge boost — among them Loliware, purveyor
Allen Institute for AI’s Incubator expands with $10M fund from high-profile VCs
The Allen Institute for AI (AI2) started its incubator two years ago, helping launch companies like Xnor.ai, Blue Canoe and WellSaidLabs. Their success has attracted funding from not just local Seattl
Apple buys edge-based AI startup Xnor.ai for a reported $200M
Xnor.ai, spun off in 2017 from the nonprofit Allen Institute for AI, has reportedly been acquired by Apple for about $200 million. A source close to the company corroborated a report this morning from
Kids with lazy eye can be treated just by letting them watch TV on this special screen
Amblyopia, commonly called lazy eye, is a medical condition that adversely affects the eyesight of millions, but if caught early can be cured altogether — unfortunately this usually means months of
YouTube starts limiting ad targeting and data collection on kids content
YouTube now officially limits the amount of data it and creators can collect on content intended for children, following promises made in November and a costly $170 million FTC fine in September. Cons
Echodyne steers its high-tech radar beam on autonomous cars with EchoDrive
Echodyne set the radar industry on its ear when it debuted its pocket-sized yet hyper-capable radar unit for drones and aircraft. But these days all the action is in autonomous vehicles — so they re
Maxar’s space robotics head Lucy Condakchian is coming to TC Sessions: Robotics+AI
TC Sessions: Robotics+AI is creeping closer by the day, and the agenda is packed. Today we’re announcing that Lucy Condakchian, general manager of robotics at Maxar Technologies, will be joining
This particle accelerator fits on the head of a pin
If you know nothing else about particle accelerators, you probably know that they're big — sometimes miles long. But a new approach from Stanford researchers has led to an accelerator shorter from e
The California Consumer Privacy Act officially takes effect today
California's much-debated privacy law officially takes effect today, a year and a half after it was passed and signed — but it'll be six more months before you see the hammer drop on any scofflaw te
TRACED Act signed into law, putting robocallers on notice
The Pallone-Thune TRACED Act, a bipartisan bit of legislation that should make life harder for the villains behind robocalls, was signed into law today by the president. It’s still possible to g
Animated, interactive digital books may help kids learn better
Digital books may have a few advantages over ordinary ones when it comes to kids remembering their contents, according to a new study. Animations, especially ones keyed to verbal interactions, can sig
The four corners of the new space economy
It’s gotten to the point now where a handful of angel investors can put a space company on the map. But the same changes that have made the industry accessible have made it increasingly complex
Russia starts testing its own internal internet
Russia has begun testing a national internet system that would function as an alternative to the broader web, according to local news reports. Exactly what stage the country has reached is unclear, bu
Pyka and its autonomous, electric crop-spraying drone land $11M seed round
Modern agriculture involves fields of mind-boggling size, and spraying them efficiently is a serious operational challenge. Pyka is taking on the largely human-powered spray business with an autonomou
Micro-angelo? This 3D-printed ‘David’ is just one millimeter tall
3D printing has proven itself useful in so many industries that it’s no longer necessary to show off, but some people just can’t help themselves. Case in point: this millimeter-tall rendit
DJI patents an off-road rover with a stabilized camera on top
DJI is easily the leading brand when it comes to camera drones, but few companies have even attempted a ground-based mobile camera platform. The company may be moving in that direction, though, if thi
Luminance and Omnius are bringing AI to legacy industries
Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, but it’s not a magic wand. Applying the technology requires thought and dedication, especially with legacy industries like law and insurance, which ar