Category: Smart Tech

The future of cardiac care — how are smart devices getting integrated into everyday health management

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden is increasing globally. According to Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), between 1990 and 2019, the number of individuals afflicted by CVDs surged from 271 million to 523 million. Coming to the Indian context, it is estimated that about 5-6 lakh people die every year due to sudden cardiac death (SCD), and a good proportion of them are under the age of 50.

Stroke is the second most common cause of death in India. About 1,85,000 stroke cases are reported every year in India with nearly one stroke every 40 seconds and one stroke death every 4 minutes. In light of these alarming trends, the imperative focus shifts towards enhancing monitoring, early detection, and prevention strategies for cardiac-related ailments.

Recent technological advancements are fundamentally transforming our approach to cardiac care. With the advent of smart devices, the landscape of cardiac care is evolving, offering new avenues for everyday health management. These innovations not only empower patients to actively participate in their healthcare journey but also provide healthcare providers with invaluable tools for monitoring and managing cardiac conditions more effectively. 

Smart Watches and ECG Patches

Smart watches equipped with advanced sensors allow individuals to monitor vital signs such as heart rate, activity and sleep patterns. This continuous monitoring capability facilitates early detection of irregularities and enables proactive intervention, ultimately improving cardiac health outcomes. While they are beneficial for achieving a healthy lifestyle, to accurately monitor heart conditions a continuous ECG monitoring for long term is needed.

The ECG traces the electrical activity of the heart and is used by clinicians and cardiologists for accurate diagnosis of heart conditions.  Many smartwatches give a 30-second snapshot of ECG and are only capable of capturing permanent heart conditions. Many cardiac conditions are transient and don’t produce symptoms, which cannot be captured by a 30-second ECG. Moreover, clinicians would like to know the exact amount of time a cardiac condition is present to provide personalised treatment plans.

Innovative technologies such as ECG patches are revolutionising cardiac monitoring and management. These discreet, skin-mounted devices offer a non-invasive way to track vital signs and detect cardiac arrhythmias. An ECG patch monitors the complete electrical activity of the heart, monitoring every single heartbeat for days to weeks. It provides a detailed and accurate heart electrical activity report that can detect several cardiac conditions, which may not show any symptoms or might last only for a short time.

Early detection of cardiac conditions, such as rhythm disorders, leads to immediate treatment, avoiding the occurrence of life-threatening conditions. For example, the risk of getting stroke is 5 times higher when a patient has a heart rhythm problem. With ECG patch monitoring, the problem can be detected accurately, and treatment can be initiated early, which significantly reduces the risk of stroke or other serious health conditions. 

Live 24×7 ECG

Live 24×7 ECG and vitals monitoring is a game changer for immediate patient care. When patients in hospital wards, emergency departments and recovering from home after surgeries are live monitored, doctors can immediately identify patients having issues and initiate treatment changes. A multiple lead ECG is a must to ensure clinical quality for accurate diagnosis. It entails the clinical supervision of cardiologists/clinicians for a deeper insight into one’s cardiac health in order to provide a precise, timely diagnosis and management of cardiac problems. By transmitting patient data to the cloud for instant review by healthcare providers, these smart patches facilitate timely intervention and personalised treatment strategies. 

Combining multiple vitals with cardiac monitoring also allows to cover adjacent health challenges. Over 80% of patients with abnormal cardiac rhythms have obstructive sleep apnea. With multi vital and ECG patch monitoring, earlier diagnosis of sleep apnea, heart failure and other chronic conditions is feasible.

Looking ahead, the integration of population specific AI models, sensor and computing technologies promises to further enhance the capabilities of wearable devices in cardiac care. Future iterations of smart devices are expected to offer more sophisticated functions, enabling comprehensive cardiovascular monitoring and management. As patients become more engaged in their healthcare journey, the future of cardiac care will undoubtedly be shaped by the seamless integration of smart devices into everyday health management practices.

—The author, Srinivasan Murali, is Founder and CEO at SmartCardia, a medtech player,  which developed a revolutionary AI platform and other novel devices for cardiology and remote patient monitoring.  The views expressed are personal.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Cloud and DevOps jobs bucking 2024 appraisal trends — what’s in for non-coders 

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The business landscape is evolving at a break-neck pace and frequent innovations across the board have made tech adoption indispensable. Professionals across businesses and geographies are working on integrated cloud systems to design, build and execute product-led services. This transformation has sparked a global demand for Cloud and DevOps professionals, who possess the unique ability to tackle the challenges plaguing software development and IT operations. 

According to industry reports, over 50% of enterprises are projected to adopt industry Cloud platforms by 2028 to expedite their business endeavours, highlighting Cloud’s evolution from technology disruption to business indispensability. However, over 19% of recruiters are struggling to find experienced DevOps professionals. It is also interesting to note, that organisations practising DevOps, as per reports, deploy code 46 times more frequently and have a 96% higher success rate when compared to traditional development methods.

The growing demand for skilled talent and the existing shortfall have started attracting even non-techies and non-coders with corporate experience of 5-7 years who are looking for a career switch. It also means that the talent must understand cloud platform knowledge to code and hone critical soft skills for navigating industrial challenges. 

Let’s look at some key power and technical skills that can help professionals with or without a prior coding background break into the world of technology.

Cloud Platform Proficiency

Mastering cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform is essential for Cloud DevOps Engineers. This expertise encompasses a thorough understanding of cloud architecture, services, and security features. Engineers must excel at deploying and managing cloud-based systems that are scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant. Proficiency in this domain enables Cloud DevOps Engineers to leverage the full range of cloud resources, improving application performance and reliability.

Collaboration and Communication

Yes, that’s correct — to be able to collaborate and communicate is crucial for Tech professionals. Cloud DevOps Engineers must excel in these power skills to effectively engage with development, operations, and other stakeholders. They need to articulate technical issues clearly, share knowledge, and promote a culture of continuous improvement. Strong interpersonal skills are essential for facilitating smooth information flow and driving collaborative efforts essential for successful DevOps practices.

Culture of Continuous Learning and Innovation

In the contemporary professional landscape, employers are actively scouting for agile and adaptable talent. This necessitates Cloud and DevOps professionals to engage in a perpetual cycle of unlearning and relearning, enabling them to proficiently navigate and leverage emerging tools and technologies. Embracing a culture of continuous learning not only fuels personal growth but also fosters ongoing improvement and innovation within organisations.

DevOps Engineer for Catalysing Org Transformation

The role of a DevOps Engineer is pivotal in spearheading the shift towards a robust DevOps culture, assuming responsibility for driving transformative initiatives within the organisational framework. These professionals adeptly navigate the intricate intersections of software development, operations, and testing teams, seamlessly aligning with existing network infrastructures to orchestrate efficient design, planning, and testing processes. As versatile experts, DevOps Engineers seamlessly transition between multiple roles throughout the application lifecycle, ensuring streamlined operations and accelerated innovation.

Automation Architect for Orchestrating Efficiency 

The Automation Architect plays a critical role within a DevOps team by spearheading the automation of systems, a core principle of DevOps. Tasked with developing processes that streamline operations and diminish manual interventions, they focus on enhancing efficiency by identifying and integrating appropriate automation tools into the DevOps framework. Their primary responsibilities entail designing and executing strategies to automate manual tasks and discerning the most suitable DevOps tools tailored to various operational needs.

Cloud Engineers

A Cloud Engineer is accountable for designing, building, and maintaining cloud-based systems and services. They work in collaboration with other engineers and developers to ensure that these systems are reliable and scalable. Cloud engineers must have a thorough understanding of cloud computing concepts and technologies. They must be able to design and implement cloud-based solutions that are aligned with the needs of the organisation. They must also be able to diagnose and fix issues that arise with these systems.

Security & Compliance Engineer 

Modern-day applications are bound to have security vulnerabilities. Traditionally treated as an afterthought, security is now a primary concern for DevOps teams aiming to avert costly mishaps. The role of the Security & Compliance Engineer is pivotal. In smaller projects, this role may merge with that of a DevOps engineer, ensuring security practices are woven into the project’s fabric from inception. However, in larger teams, dedicated compliance engineers collaborate closely with developers throughout the product lifecycle. Their mission? To fortify code and infrastructure, ensuring robust security measures and regulatory compliance are upheld at every turn.

Additionally, the demand for Remote Engineers has also surged, reflecting the global shift towards remote work arrangements. For instance, a global survey highlighted that remote work has seen a 159% increase since 2005 in the United States alone. Even the Indian IT-BPM industry as per reports, witnessed a rapid transition to remote work during the pandemic, with nearly 90% of the workforce operating remotely.

This trend is echoed worldwide, with companies in Europe, Asia, and other regions embracing remote work to enhance flexibility and productivity. Major tech companies are switching to long-term remote work policies, highlighting the enduring importance of Remote Engineers in maintaining robust digital infrastructures. This shift towards remote work has also accelerated the need for such Engineers who specialise in cybersecurity, cloud integration, and virtual collaboration platforms, underscoring their pivotal role in ensuring operational continuity and security in today’s distributed work environments.

All these emerging roles are highly sought-after, well-paying positions. For those looking to take the next step in their career – either freshers or seasoned professionals coming out of Tech or Non-Tech domains, mastering key technical and soft skills is paramount for success in these transformative roles. It also provides a competitive edge to professionals and makes them specialists in the landscape of generalists.

—The author, Mayank Kumar, is Co-founder and MD, upGrad. The views expressed are personal.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Cyber criminals divert Rs 50 lakh from Delhi-based director’s account through missed calls

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Cybercrooks fraudulently diverted Rs 50 lakh from the account of a top executive of a Delhi-based security services firm by repeatedly giving him missed calls on his mobile phone. They didn’t ask for a one-time password (OTP).

The victim, a director at the company, received several calls in a span of less than two hours between 7 pm and 8.45 pm a few days ago. He answered a few calls but since no one was responding on the other side, he avoided other calls. However, he received messages of RTGS (instant fund transfer) transactions worth nearly half a crore, The Times of India reported.

Preliminary investigations suggested that the first Rs 12 lakh was transferred to one particular account belonging to a Bhaskar Mandal. Another Rs 4.6 lakh was transferred to the account of one Avijit Giri. Two other accounts received Rs 10 lakh each. Other transactions of smaller amounts were also carried out.

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Investigations further suggested that the masterminds of the cyberattack may be based out of the tribal district of Jharkhand, Jamtara. It is also being reported that the recipients could just be the account holders who have given their accounts on rent to the crooks in return for a commission.

The police believe that the fraudsters may have pulled the heist by using the ‘SIM swap’ technique. In SIM swap, fraudsters take over the account of a person by targeting a loophole in the two-factor authentication or two-step verification where the second step is either a text message or call placed to a mobile phone.

Fraudsters also call the mobile phone carriers and trick them into activating a SIM card, thereby taking control of the phone, The Times of India quoted an officer as saying.

The police are also investigating other angles such as a phone hijack, the report said.

In January this year, a businessman from Ahmedabad received a missed call and his SIM cards were deactivated. He later discovered that Rs 46 lakh had been stolen from his bank account, News18 reported.

In a similar incident in 2020, a Mumbai-based businessman lost Rs 1.86 crore after getting six missed calls at night, Gadgets Now reported.

ALSO READ: Smuggled gold seizures hit 3-year high at 3,083 kg, Kerala accounts for maximum cases

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Explained: What are the controversies surrounding Elon Musk’s brain chip experiments?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Billionaire Elon Musk said his health tech start-up Neuralink will soon be able to implant a chip in the human brain that would let the blind see and paralysed person walk again. Musk said Neuralink will begin human trials in the next six months. The world’s richest man also intends to get one of the chips himself.

“We’ve submitted I think most of our paperwork to the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) and we think probably in about six months we should be able to have our first Neuralink in a human,” AFP quoted Musk as saying in a company presentation.

Even though he said the company wanted to be “extremely careful and certain that it will work” before the human trials, several experts have said there were certain threats linked to the experiment and advised that they be done with non-invasive methods.

Earlier, the prototypes were implanted in the brains of monkeys and according to some experts, public records have documented how the animals suffered from them.

ALSO READ:  Tech This Week: AIIMS hack, Twitter data leak, Musk vs Apple and more

What is the Neuralink chip?

Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink has developed an artificial intelligence-powered microchip with the power to read and record brain activity. The chip could make computer control possible for people with paralysis even outside a lab setting. Musk had said in 2016 that the chip would allow a person with paralysis “use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using their thumbs”.

How does it work?

The Neuralink chip is attached to tiny flexible threads stitched into the brain by a robot. The thread-like electrodes are connected to certain areas of the brain. According to Musk, the process of implanting the chip will take just 30 minutes and will not even require general anaesthesia. The electrodes of the Neuralink chip will be able to read the signals produced by special cells called neurons in the brain. Neurons transmit signals to other cells in the body, like our muscles and nerves, which read the signals and translate it into motor controls. A small wireless inductive charger will charge the battery of the implant from outside the body, Daily Mail reported.

What are the controversies surrounding this?

These experiments on monkeys led to chronic infections in them. They also suffered seizures, paralysis, internal bleeding, and declining psychological health before their death, the Mint quoted the Physicians Committee for ResponsibleMedicine as saying.

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Researchers have published case studies of the sufferings of eight monkeys due to the experiments. One such case showed that a 10-year-old female macaque had to go through a six-hour surgery for the implant. Following the surgery, the implants became infected and her “skin was eroded”. She died after another invasive surgery.

In another incident, the adhesive in one monkey led to internal bleeding. This caused her to vomit so much that she developed open sores in her oesophagus.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Redington India shares surge to a 52-week high; up 25% this year

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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[wealthdesk shortname=”Redington” isinid=”INE891D01026″ bseid=”532805″ nseid=”REDINGTON” sector=”Computers – Hardware” exchange=”nse”]

Rallying for a second straight day, shares of Redington Ltd., which is the country’s largest reseller of Apple products, hit a 52-week high in morning trade on Friday.

The stock opened higher at Rs 177.50 and later hit its 52-week peak of Rs 182.90 due to heavy demand from investors after analysts recommended a ‘buy’ for the company.

Trading volume soared around 1.35 times as 6.79 lakh shares changed hands on the BSE. On the NSE, the stock hit its 52-week peak of Rs 183 as 76 lakh shares were traded on the exchange.

Technical analyst Mehul Kothari recently recommended the Buy call on Redington (India) with a price target of Rs 210.

Redington reported a 26 percent jump in consolidated profit to Rs 387 crore in the September quarter from Rs 307.2 crore in the same period a year ago.

Its revenue soared by 25 percent, which was its best-ever revenue growth for the first half period. Apple remains the company’s largest vendor, contributing to 27 percent of its revenue.

Of its total revenue, 74 percent was from the IT segment while mobility contributed 25 percent of the revenue. Singapore, India, and South Asia contributed 48 percent of the revenue.

The Redington stock is currently trading at Rs 178.60, up 1.36 percent.

Also Read: Redington India shares gain most since August on best half year revenue growth

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

AI-powered drones to save people from drowning at sea

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Researchers at the Centre for Aerospace Research (CASR) of the Anna University are planning to develop artificial intelligence-powered drones to help in rescue operations at sea, especially in drowning cases, said a report

The high-tech drones, equipped with cameras, will be able to detect people drowning and drop a folded flotation device near the victim to save him.

At least 10 drones will be manufactured and supplied by the Tamil Nadu Drone Corporation to the state police department to be inducted into the ‘Marina Beach Life Guard Unit’, New Indian Express reported. The unit was launched by the police on Saturday.

The CASR has provided one drone on a pilot basis to the Life Guard Unit, which was showcased during the launch ceremony.

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As these devices require an operator, four police officials were trained by CASR in flying drones and also provided DGCA licences. These officials only need to initiate the take-off as the drone will be able to navigate on its own when it is 20 metres into the sea.

The AI-powered drone will come with a lifebuoy, which will be dropped when the drone identifies a victim. However, CASR wants to introduce a canister that will automatically inflate once it touches the water instead of a lifebuoy, New Indian Express quoted K Senthil Kumar, director of CASR, as saying. One adult will be able to use the inflatable canister, Senthil Kumar said.

Last month, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation in Andhra Pradesh said it would introduce a battery-operated robotic boat called Lifebuoy that would aid in rescuing people drowning at sea.

ALSO READ:  India will lead in 6G as many tech patents available with Indian developers, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

The robotic boat would be able to cover a distance of 30 metres in 5 to 6 seconds, IANS reported.

Earlier this year, a drone lifeguard service was able to rescue a 14-year-old boy from drowning in the sea in Spain’s Valencia. The drone dropped a life vest as the boy struggled amid the powerful tides. A physical lifeguard team later saved the boy from the spot, Indian Express reported.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Indoor air quality monitoring products — why buying them may not be such a good idea

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Indoor air quality monitoring products that do not specify their accuracy and reliability, expected product lifetime and how to use them properly should be treated as scams, according to a blog on halestrom.net.

Only a few designers realise that it is difficult to make WiFi-connected devices that provide more information than measuring temperature with an error of 5°C, humidity error of 50 per cent and pressure error of equivalent to 1 km in altitude, according to the writer of the blog.

An indoor air quality monitor is a gadget that gathers data on the particulate suspension, gases, and chemicals present in the air. The purpose is to identify trends and spot problem areas, and make adjustments accordingly.

Technicians, building owners and facility managers use indoor air quality monitoring systems to check airborne disease risk, identify areas that are not good for the occupant’s wellbeing, and detect anomalies such as mould growth.

According to the halestrom.net blog post, a device measuring temperature, humidity and pressure can be easily made by using an off-the-shelf sensor component and a PCB with a microcontroller or chipset that has wifi. While these individual sensor chips are cheap and can be found easily, they are seldom used correctly.

To ensure that the temperature measurement of a room’s air is a valid measurement, it needs to be kept far away from any other power-using electronics on the board. This is because even the smallest amount of heating from a main micro + WiFi chipset will impact the temperature of the nearby sensor. It is difficult to calibrate this error out as even a gentle breeze can vary it arbitrarily.

A change in temperature will also modify the relative humidity which is represented as a percentage of the maximum water capacity of air at its current temperature. As a few degrees change in the temperature will change how much water can be stored in the air, the percentage of humidity will read incorrectly, the blog said.

In order to use a temperature, pressure, and humidity chip correctly, one needs to put it far away from the rest of the chips on the board, ensure that the product is labelled with an arrow showing which way to mount it, and not have any copper fill near the chip.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Flipkart Big Billion Days 2022: Unmissable deals on smart wearables

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The seven-day Big Billion Days Sale of Flipkart is set to begin from September 23. The e-commerce giant has revealed a slew of offers on various products. There will be a discount of up to 80 percent on smart wearables.

Here’s a look at the top smart wearable deals to grab during the Big Billion Days.

Noise ColorFit Vision 2 Buzz Smartwatch

The smartwatch from Noise is available at a price of Rs 3,499 instead of Rs 7,999 after a discount of 56 percent. Customers with Flipkart Axis Bank card can get an additional cashback of up to 5 percent. The watch comes with Bluetooth calling facility, in-built microphone, a 1.78-inch AMOLED Always on Display with several sports modes and health tracking.

Fire-Boltt Ninja Calling Pro

The smartwatch from Fire-Boltt comes at a price of Rs 2,499 instead of Rs 7,999 after as discount of 68 percent. Customers with Flipkart Axis Bank card can get an additional cashback of up to 5 percent. The smartwatch comes with bluetooth calling facility, 120 sports modes, IP67 water resistance technology and 1.69HD display with 2.5D curved glass.

DIZO Watch R Talk by Realme

The DIZO Watch R Talk comes at a price of Rs 4,999 instead of Rs 6,999 after a discount of 28 percent. Customers with Flipkart Axis Bank card can get an additional cashback of up to 5 percent. It comes with advanced calling feature with voice assistant and noise cancellation, a 1.3’ultra-sharp amoled display with 550 nitsbrightness and up-to 10 days battery (takes 2 hours to full charge).

Ambrane Wise-Eon

The Ambrane Wise-Eon comes at a price of Rs 1,499 instead of Rs 4,999 after a discount of 70 percent. Customers with Flipkart Axis Bank card can get an additional cashback of up to 5 percent. It comes with bluetooth calling with inbuilt mic, inbuilt speaker, and dialer. It features a 1.69-inch full touch screen with square lucid display, 450 nits brightness, and 2.5d curved glass.

Boult Cosmic

The Boult Cosmic smartwatch comes at a price of Rs 1,799 instead of Rs 5,999 after a discount of 70 percent. Customers with Flipkart Axis Bank card can get an additional cashback of up to 5 percent. Customers can also get an extra 10 percent off (price inclusive of cashback/coupon).

It comes with 1.69″ TFT LCD HD screen, 475 nits peak brightness display, smart notification, 10 days battery life and it full charges in 2.5 hrs.

Also read: Older iPhones get massive cuts on Amazon and Flipkart: Check revised prices

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Raksha Bandhan 2022: Best tech gifts for your sibling

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Google unveils 10-shade ‘Monk Skin Tone Scale’ to improve inclusivity

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Google has adopted a 10-grade skin tone scale that shows the spectrum of real-world skin tones to improve the representation of various skin tones across its products. The scale is called the Monk Skin Tone Scale, which has been developed in collaboration with Harvard professor and sociologist Dr Ellis Monk.

Dr Monk has been studying the effects of skin tone and colourism on people’s lives for more than a decade now. Google announced that the MST scale will be soon implemented across its AI infrastructure in all Google products.

What is the Monk Skin Tone scale?

The Monk Skin Tone scale is named after Dr Ellis Monk, who is a Harvard University professor and sociologist. He has spent decades researching colorism’s impact on the lives of Black people in the US. He created the scale in 2019 and has been working with Google engineers and researchers to incorporate it into the company’s product development.

However, the MST Scale does not encompass all possible skin tones, but as per Google, it is far more representative than that of the current tech industry standard.

Tech companies have been using the Fitzpatrick scale to classify skin tones for their computer vision algorithms. The scale was designed for dermatologists in the 1970s and had only six skin tones. This possibly contributed to the AI’s well-documented failures in identifying people of colour. Racist soap dispensers and autonomous driving systems labelling people with dark skin as less reliable are a few examples of the pitfalls of computer vision algorithms. One such failure of Google was a photo categorization feature of Google photos that labelled pictures of black people as gorillas.

Google’s team and Dr Monk surveyed thousands of adults in the US to learn if people felt more represented by the MST Scale compared to other scales used in both the machine learning and beauty industries.

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“Across the board, people felt better represented by the MST Scale than the Fitzpatrick Scale and this was especially true for less represented demographic groups,” says Xango Eyeé, a product manager working on Responsible AI in Google’s blog.

How will the MST help in better representation?

As per Google, using the MST scale can help AI better understand representation in imagery so that it can be sure that a product or feature works well across a range of skin tones. This is particularly important to computer vision algorithms.

“The MST Scale will help us and the tech industry at large build more representative datasets so we can train and evaluate AI models for fairness, resulting in features and products that work better for everyone of all skin tones” the company wrote in its blog.

Google aims to use the MST scale to better provide skin tone representation in Google Search results. For instance, if someone searches for makeup-related queries, they would be able to refine results to show images by skin tone.

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Google Photos will also be integrated with the MST Scale. Last year, the company added a new way to improve its auto-enhance feature with its Real Tone filters for the pixel that is designed to work well across skin tones and now they will be evaluated using the MST Scale. Google has worked with a diverse range of renowned image-makers like Kennedi Carter and Joshua Kissi, who are celebrated for beautiful and accurate depictions of their subjects, to evaluate, test, and build these filters.

Real Tone filters will also be released on Google Photos across Android, iOS, and the Web in the coming weeks.

Google has also released the MST scale for anyone to use to improve products and provide feedback to further develop the system. Google is further continuing work to improve the Monk Skin Tone scale in places like Brazil, India, Mexico, and Nigeria, as per a WIRED report.

ALSO READ: Google Cloud to set up new office in Pune this year; hiring on

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow