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Austin-based ocean data company Terradepth has found their unmanned submarine is able to collect and analyze data completely autonomously after completing its Phase I trial.
After a dip in Lake Travis, the company said in a statement that the submarine can collect and analyze its own data completely on its own, something that could help them map the entire ocean in the future.
As the world's first deep ocean data-as-a-service business, Terradepth's goal is to make ocean data cheaper and easier to access. Because no human operator is needed, this study is a step in the right direction, says Joe Wolfel, Terradepth co-founder.
"The success of our first trial is an important first step towards democratizing ocean data, and is another important step toward our goal of sharing information that can help to conserve and protect 98.5% of Earth's livable space—the ocean," Wolfel said.
Here's what the Lake Travis study found:
- Using an algorithm, the submarine can detect objects of interest on its own
- The machine can prepare and process sonar data
- The submarine takes out human intervention from interpreting data with an autonomous "onboard data processing pipeline"
- The pipeline can send "snippets" of information to humans when finding objects of interest to ensure the data is accurate
- The submarine's findings line up with known objects of interest within Lake Travis
With the submarine, Terradepth can soon start "draining the ocean of ignorance," as its website reads.
Terradepth was founded in 2018 by former Navy SEALs who saw that much of the ocean—and as much as 65% of the world—is still unmapped. Through ocean exploration, co-CEO Judson Kauffman attests that mysteries about what's both under and above the waters will be uncovered.
"Deep ocean data promises to enlighten and advance us on everything from the understanding of flora and fauna to weather to how the world works," Kauffman said.
That new knowledge goes hand-in-hand with ocean conservation. According to Terradepth's website, the technology can provide uncharted data on climate change and more to companies with ecological responsibility.
After completing more testing phases, Terradepth hopes to use its fleets of autonomous submarines to tackle Earth's final frontier and help humans understand the Earth better than ever before.
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(Pexels)
Austin parents and grocery store shelves are feeling the effects of a nationwide baby formula shortage.
Caused mostly by a February recall due to contamination issues, followed by the Abbott Nutrition factory closure in Michigan, the shortage has left Austin shelves barren. However, earlier this week, U.S. officials announced a plan with the facility to restart production.
In the meantime, local parents in crisis have turned toward the Mother’s Milk Bank to keep their babies fed.
HEB on East 7th has been picked clean of formula and is limiting purchases. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
The milk bank—which takes donations from lactating mothers and dispenses milk to babies in the NICU—has been helping feed upwards of 30 families in need as the formula supply tightens.
According to the bank’s executive director Kim Updegrove, Mother’s Milk Bank has seen an uptick in calls from parents with healthy babies in need of help since the shortage began.
“We aren't used to hearing from families with healthy infants,” Updegrove said. “They're typically very upset, angry, frustrated, sobbing—it's scary to not be able to feed your infants. So in the past few weeks, those calls have been significantly increasing.”
Mothers are only able to donate if they are within a year postpartum, so Updegrove said they are constantly bringing on and retiring donors. While donors had been on a 30% decline leftover from 2021 when the shortage began, Updegrove said the shortage has led to mass community interest and more than 90 prospective donors in just the past few days.
“We and other milk banks are experiencing significant interest from the community—becoming milk donors and helping to turn around this crisis,” Updegrove said. “Every infant needs to be fed, every one of us can relate to that need, and we need to make sure as a community that it happens.”
Whole Foods downtown was also cleaned out of typical formula. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
While you may still be able to find formula at places like Whole Foods—which currently has goat milk, soy and plant-based formula in stock—Updegrove said it might not be what a baby needs.
Updegrove said it is best to buy types that say “infant formula,” as they are FDA approved and will provide the nutrients, vitamins and minerals a baby needs. Plant-based, homemade, non-cow's milk or diluting formula may not provide the same nutritional value.
As the community navigates the shortage, Updegrove said the most important way to help out is to not panic buy or stockpile.
“This is a crisis for families,” Updegrove said. “This is the time for the community to gather together and figure out what everyone can do to help families with young infants.”
(Argo AI)
Next time you’re sitting at a red light in Austin, you may look over and see a car without a person at the driver’s wheel.
Autonomous vehicle tech company Argo AI has brought driverless operations to Austin and Miami, starting out with only company employees using the service. Later on, tests with Lyft and Walmart will carry out ride-sharing and grocery delivery services, with the help of a human safety operator. The company has already made moves on this front in Miami Beach where some Lyft passengers have used its autonomous vehicles with a human operator.
While its platform is designed for integration with multiple vehicle types, the test fleet uses the Ford Escape Hybrid and VW's all-electric ID.Buzz.
The Pittsburgh-based company says this progress on its autonomy platform has been more than five years in the making and boasted about reaching this milestone before others.
"Argo is first to go driverless in two major American cities, safely operating amongst heavy traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists in the busiest of neighborhoods," said Bryan Salesky, Founder and CEO of Argo AI.
Expect to see the autonomous cars on the road during daytime business hours as the tech aims to learn from a diversity of road infrastructure and driving behaviors.
The company, which is testing in eight cities in the U.S. and Europe, has brought its tech to Austin as the company looks to expand in densely-populated cities. In particular, Argo is looking at ridesharing, delivery and logistics companies for integrating its autonomous vehicles into their digital services.
Argo anticipates its service availability to someday cover more than 15 million people in Austin, Miami and Washington D.C.
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