Crab-inspired artificial vision system works on land and underwater

There had been many previous attempts to develop cameras that mimic the eyes of insects, fish and other living creatures. However, development of artificial vision systems that can see both underwater and on land has apparently been pretty limited. Further, biomimetic cameras are usually restricted by their 180-degree field-of-view. Now, a team of scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) and Seoul National University in Korea have developed a new artificial vision system with a 360-degree field-of-view that can work on amphibious machines.

The team was inspired by the semi-terrestrial fiddler crab, which has a 3D omnidirectional field-of-view. They evolved to be able to look at almost everything at once on land and underwater to avoid attacks and to see communicate with fellow fiddler crabs. Scientists have apparently been having issues finding a way to sustain a camera’s focusing capability when the environment changes, which is why this team has decided to take a closer look at the fiddler crab. 

The resulting artificial eye is a nondescript black ball that combines various materials and lenses. Its configuration allows light rays from multiple sources to converge at the same spot regardless of the refractive index of its surrounding — in other words, whether the device is underwater or not. The team tested the technology by conducting in-air and in-water experiments: To be specific, they projected “cutesy” objects in the shape of a dolphin, an airplane, a submarine, a fish and a ship at different distances and in various angles onto the artificial vision system. The result? They found that their camera was successfully able to see the objects whether they were or weren’t submerged in water.

Young Min Song, professor of electrical engineering and computer Science at GIST, said:

“Our system could be of use in the development of unconventional applications, like panoramic motion detection and obstacle avoidance in continuously changing environments, as well as augmented and virtual reality.”

Other potential applications Song didn’t mention include population surveillance and environmental monitoring, which could make the technology an invaluable tool for keeping a close eye on endangered, vulnerable and threatened species. You can check out the scientists’ paper with more details about the new vision system in Nature.

SoundCloud is laying off up to 20 percent of its workforce

SoundCloud is joining the depressingly long list of companies in the tech industry that are letting personnel go due to the economic downturn. According to Billboard and Variety, company CEO Michael Weissman told employees in an email that it’s “making reductions” to its global team that will impact up to 20 percent of SoundCloud. Weissman said the move is necessary “given the challenging economic climate and financial market headwinds.” Further, the layoffs and the prudent financial decisions the company had recently made apparently put it on the path to sustained profitability.

A spokesperson has confirmed the job cuts to Billboard, adding that SoundCloud is providing support to employees who have to exit the company. The online audio distribution platform last laid off a significant chunk of its workforce — 40 percent in all — back in 2017, when it was struggling financially. As Billboard notes, SoundCloud has secured hundreds of millions of investments and has announced its first profitable quarter in 2020 since then. 

In 2021, the company introduced a listener-based royalties model that could lead to better pay for indie artists, since subscribers’ payments go straight to the artists they listen to. Warner Music Group recently adopted the model, becoming the first major label to do so. SoundCloud also purchased an AI music curation company called Musiio in May to help users find hidden gems before they make it big. Musiio’s technology listens to songs, tags them and then inserts them into appropriate playlists. 

SoundCloud’s LinkedIn profile says it has 1,707 employees, but that doesn’t always reflect the real number of workers in a company. Weissman told staff members in his email that the layoffs will affect employees in the US and the UK, who will be notified in the coming days.

Update 08/04/22: Clarified that the layoffs could added “up to” 20 percent of the company’s workforce.

US Attorneys General will take legal action against telecom providers enabling robocalls

The Attorneys General of all 50 states have joined forces in hopes of giving teeth to the seemingly never-ending fight against robocalls. North Carolina AG Josh Stein, Indiana AG Todd Rokita and Ohio AG Dave Yost are leading the formation of the new Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force. In Stein’s announcement, he said the group will focus on taking legal action against telecoms, particularly gateway providers, allowing or turning a blind eye to foreign robocalls made to US numbers.

He explained that gateway providers routing foreign phone calls into the US telephone network have the responsibility under the law to ensure the traffic they’re bringing in is legal. Stein said that they mostly aren’t taking any action to keep robocalls out of the US phone network, though, and they’re even intentionally allowing robocall traffic through in return for steady revenue in many cases. 

Stein said in a statement:

“We’re… going to take action against phone companies that violate state and federal laws. I’m proud to create this nationwide task force to hold companies accountable when they turn a blind eye to the robocallers they’re letting on to their networks so they can make more money. I’ve already brought one pathbreaking lawsuit against an out-of-state gateway provider, and I won’t hesitate to take legal action against others who break our laws and bombard North Carolinians with these harmful, unlawful calls.”

The Attorney General referenced data from the National Consumer Law Center, which previously reported that American phone numbers get more than 33 million scam robocalls a day. Those include Social Security scams targeting seniors and gift card scams, wherein bad actors pretend they’re from the IRS. In that report, the center warned that consumers will keep on getting robocalls as long as phone providers are earning from them. 

Stein already has experience sparring with shady gateway providers. Back in January, he sued Articul8 for routing more than 65 million calls to phone numbers in North Carolina and inundating residents with up to 200 fraudulent telemarketing calls every single day. He previously urged the FCC to implement measures designed to put a stop to illegal foreign calls made through providers like Articul8, as well. And in 2019, Stein became instrumental in the development of an agreement between the US Attorneys General and 12 carriers in the country to use the STIR/SHAKEN call-blocking technology.

Solana ‘hot’ wallets are being drained in multi-million dollar attack

An unknown actor has drained over 8,000 internet-connected wallets in an ongoing attack on the Solana blockchain ecosystem. According to Blockchain auditor OtterSec, the attacks were still ongoing when it posted an update in the evening of August 2nd and that they had affected multiple wallets, including Phantom, Slope, Solflare and TrustWallet, across a wide variety of platforms. 

As TechCrunch notes, the bad actor seems to have stolen both Solana tokens and USDC stablecoins, with the estimated losses so far amounting to around $8 million. OtterSec is now encouraging users to move all their assets to a hardware wallet, and the Solana Status Twitter account echoed that advice, adding that there’s no evidence “cold” wallets have been impacted.

The Solana Status account has also revealed that an exploit allowed a malicious actor to drain funds from the compromised wallets and that it seems to have affected both their mobile versions and extensions. Engineers from multiple ecosystems have already banded together to work with security researchers to identify the root cause of the exploit, which is yet to be discovered. 

People in the crypto industry have several theories, though, with some believing that the bad actors got access to private keys through a supply chain attack, because the attacker was able to sign, or initiate and approve, transactions on behalf of the victims. Others warning that the exploit has caused the widespread compromise of private keys and that revoking wallet approvals won’t help at all. 

Porsche’s new companies are all about electric bikes

In the future, you may come across a lot more two-wheeled Porsches on the streets. The luxury automaker has launched two new joint ventures with Dutch company Ponooc Investment B.V., and they’re both all about electric bikes. Porsche eBike Performance GmbH is based in Ottobrunn near Munich and will develop components, including motors and batteries. Anything it creates will then be used by P2 eBike GmbH, the second joint venture based in Stuttgart, to manufacture Porsche-branded e-bikes for consumers that the company plyans to launch starting in the middle of the decade. 

Porsche is far from a newcomer in the e-bike space. In 2021, it debuted two electric bikes inspired by the Taycan and were made to complement the Cross Turismo, which has a rear carrier. Those bikes, however, along with their motors and gear shifting systems, were manufactured by Japanese bicycle industry giant Shimano. With one company developing parts and another working on the consumer bikes themselves, the upcoming products the joint ventures will release will be all (or at least mostly) Porsche.

The components business will use the e-bike drive systems develop by Fazua, a company Porsche recently acquired, as noted by Electrek. However, it will also develop e-bike systems under the Porsche brand name — it will even sell the technology it designs to other brands. As with anything Porsche, the bikes under the new ventures will most likely not come cheap: Its Taycan-inspired bikes, for instance, set buyers back at least $8,500 at launch, with the sports model selling for prices that start at $10,700.

New York regulators slap Robinhood’s crypto business with $30 million fine

In the latest in what seems to be a string of challenges the company has to grapple with, Robinhood’s crypto division has been slapped with a $30 million fine by the New York State Department of Financial Services. It’s the first crypto-focused enforcement action by the regulator, which has issued the multimillion dollar penalty against Robinhood for what it says are violations against the state’s anti-money laundering and cybersecurity regulations. In its announcement, the Financial Services Department said it found significant deficiencies in the company’s compliance programs following a supervisory examination.

Apparently, there weren’t enough people working in Robinhood’s money laundering compliance program. The company also failed to transition from a manual monitoring system, which is no longer sufficient now that it’s much larger than when it started. In addition, the department found that policies within Robinhood’s cybersecurity program aren’t in full compliance with official cybersecurity and virtual currency regulations. 

The New York regulator also mentioned that Robinhood improperly certified compliance with the Department’s Transaction Monitoring Regulation and Cybersecurity Regulation. Since it wasn’t fully compliant with the state’s cybersecurity rules, Robinhood violated the law by claiming compliance. Finally, the regulator said Robinhood failed to adhere to consumer protection requirements by not maintaining a separate phone number (and displaying it on its website) specifically for consumer complaints. 

Superintendent of Financial Services, Adrienne A. Harris, said in a statement:

“As its business grew, Robinhood Crypto failed to invest the proper resources and attention to develop and maintain a culture of compliance—a failure that resulted in significant violations of the Department’s anti-money laundering and cybersecurity regulations. All virtual currency companies licensed in New York State are subject to the same anti-money laundering, consumer protection, and cybersecurity regulations as traditional financial services companies. DFS will continue to investigate and take action when any licensee violates the law or the Department’s regulations, which are critical to protecting consumers and ensuring the safety and soundness of the institutions.”

Aside from having to pay $30 million, Robinhood must retain an independent consultant who will evaluate if it has taken the appropriate actions to address its violations and deficiencies under the settlement.

Robinhood also recently announced that it’s laying off 23 percent of its workforce due to record inflation and the cryptocurrency crash. It’s the company’s second round of job cuts this year and will affect employees across divisions. That revelation came after Robinhood published its earnings for the second quarter of 2022, wherein it posted a net loss of $295 million and announced a decrease of 1.9 million in monthly active users. 

Sheryl Sandberg officially steps down as COO of Meta

It’s the end of an era at the company formerly known as Facebook. Sheryl Sandberg has officially stepped down as Chief Operating Officer on August 1st, as revealed by a SEC filing noticed by TechCrunch. In the filing, Meta said Javier Olivan is now the company’s COO and that Sandberg will only remain an employe until September 30th. After that and going forward, Sandberg will serve as a member of Meta’s Board and will receive compensation as a non-employee director. 

Sandberg first announced that she was leaving her role as COO of Meta after 14 years in early June. Mark Zuckerberg revealed at the time that Olivan will take on the COO role, but that his responsibilities will be different from Sandberg’s. Olivan will have a “more traditional COO role where [he] will be focused internally and operationally, building on his strong track record of making our execution more efficient and rigorous,” the company CEO said. 

As The Wall Street Journal noted in a piece about Sandberg back in June, she joined Facebook in 2008 and led the business side of the company, allowing Zuckerberg to focus on engineering work. In more recent years, she became the face of the social network when it comes to leading public response to controversies, such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Before Sandberg announced her departure, The Journal reported that the Meta COO used company resources to help kill negative reporting about Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who she was dating at the time. In mid-June, the publication also reported that Meta’s lawyers are investigating Sandberg’s use of the company’s resources and employees for her foundation and to promote her book Option B. 

Sandberg is leaving the company just as it has started preparing for “serious times.” In a meeting with employees, Zuckerberg revealed that Meta is experiencing “one of the worst downturns [it has seen] in recent history.” As a result, Meta had to slash its target number for new engineers this year. In addition, company leadership reportedly told managers to identify poor performers and to “move to exit” them if they can’t get back on track. 

Amazon offers same-day Prime delivery for select retail chains

Amazon is giving some Prime members access to another perk they can take advantage of if they’d like to buy from a store nearby but can’t be bothered to put on outside clothes. The e-commerce giant has announced that Prime subscribers in more than 10 metro areas in the US will now be able to shop from select local brick-and-mortar stores through Amazon and then have the items delivered to their home on the same day. At the moment participating retailers include apparel brands PacSun, Superdry and Diesel, as well as popular vitamin retailer GNC. 

To order from the participating retail stores, customers can browse their curated selections on the Amazon app or website and then choose same-day delivery upon checkout. Amazon will forward the order to the customer’s local store to be fulfilled by associates. An Amazon delivery partner will then pick up the order from the retail location and deliver it to the customer. Delivery is free for purchases above $25, but will set customers back $3 for orders below that amount. That said, buyers can also choose to buy and pay online but pick up their orders in person, which sounds like a great option if they just don’t want to browse in-store and line up to pay. 

As TechCrunch notes, this is the e-commerce giant’s latest move to keep up with rival services that offer same-day deliveries, such as Instacart. It also ensures it’s not falling behind competitors in any way: Walmart, for instance launched a same-day delivery service for local retailers last year. The new Prime perk is now available in a handful of US cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Seattle and Washington D.C. Amazon says it will expand it to more cities, as well as introduce new retailers into the service, including Sur La Table and 100% Pure, in the coming months. 

Apple Watch Series 7 drops to $280 at Amazon

This is your chance to get an Apple Watch Series 7 if you’ve been looking to grab one at a discount. The 41mm version of the smartwatch with green aluminum case and the clover sport band is currently on sale for $280 on Amazon. That’s $119 less than its retail price and is just a dollar more than what the device sold for on Prime Day. The Watch Series 7’s screen is larger than its predecessors’, and Apple even used a refractive edge to make it seem like the display curves along the sides of the case. By doing that, tech giant made the screen appear roomier, which makes a huge difference for a device that generally comes with a smaller display.

Buy Apple Watch Series 7 at Amazon – $280

To take advantage of the larger real estate, Apple shipped the Series 7 with a larger user interface that has larger fonts and a stretched-out keyboard that’s much easier to type on. As we mentioned in our review, it’s easier to hit the right keys in this model, as well as to read the time and measurements, such as your heart rate, than in the older ones. The tech giant also rolled out watch faces with more information to make use of the watch’s bigger screen. 

While the watch’s display is its largest upgrade, it also charges faster than previous models. It got to 100 percent in an hour during our tests, whereas the Apple Watch SE only got to about 60 percent. Apple promises the same battery life as previous models, as well, but the Series 7 lasted longer during our tests. Although the only option that’s available for $280 is the green Series 7, you can also get the red and the blue watches at a discount. Either color option will set you back $330 when their discounts are applied at checkout.

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