MATLAB and Simulink in the World: Emerging Companies on a Mission
Biology-guided radiotherapy, broadband supertowers, intelligent electric scooters, augmented reality visors ... Combining novel technologies with bold vision, engineers at emerging companies are on a mission to improve the lives of individuals and entire communities.
“Using biology to guide radiotherapy, we hope to have the means to turn cancer on itself.”
RefleXion Medical is developing the first-ever biology-guided radiotherapy system for cancer treatment. The system combines a PET scanner and a radiotherapy/radiosurgery machine in a novel way. By means of PET tracers, tumors continuously signal their location in real time during treatment. This capability could one day revolutionize cancer care by enabling clinicians to treat multiple tumors in a single session.1
1 The RefleXion machine requires 510(k) clearance and is not yet commercially available.
“Our hope is that by accelerating the rollout of rural telecom infrastructure, we can help bring underserved communities online for the first time.”
Altaeros plans to turn tethered blimps, or aerostats, into autonomous telecommunication SuperTowers that deliver high-speed broadband to the 4 billion people worldwide without access to the internet. One SuperTower could service an area that would require up to 20 conventional cell phone towers. Altaeros has completed pilot tests and is working with the FCC and the FAA to meet all US federal requirements to operate the super tower commercially.
“The ways we have been interacting with machines up until now have been artificial because these machines haven’t been able to hear us. The natural way to communicate with something is to talk to it.”
Using a hearing aid, smart home appliance, or other speech-recognition device in a noisy environment such as a party is challenging because the microphone has difficulty distinguishing one voice from all the others. Yobe’s Voice Identification System for User Profile Retrieval (VISPR) combines artificial intelligence (AI) and signal processing to identify a signal’s biometric characteristics, identify individual speakers, and distinguish speech from noise.
“We set out to change the way people perceive electric vehicles ... In the last five years, we have not only built the scooter but an ecosystem for an electric vehicle future.”
Ather Energy’s 450 electric scooter is the first of its kind in India. Designed for city driving, the Ather 450 can autonomously navigate tight parking spots, complicated street systems, and stop-and-go traffic. It is powered by a high-capacity li-ion battery pack, and has a charging range of 46 m and a top speed of 50 mph.
Riding the Wave of Industry 4.0
Industrial plants are gathering increasing amounts of data as they move toward full interconnectivity and automation. Until now, this data could only be accessed on a desktop or tablet. GlassUpF4 augmented reality (AR) visors enable machine operators to access the data on the shop floor—and without stopping work. The visors include a video camera, an LED lighting system, voice control, and Bluetooth®, as well as a gyroscope, compass, and accelerometer. A remote-control dashboard allows the user to share their point of view with any paired visor for on-the-job training and remote maintenance.
Published 2019
