Innovative KY companies to split $900,000 research fund
$900,000 in grants, part of the commonwealth’s nationally recognized Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Funds Program, will go to seven Kentucky companies to further the state’s tech industry. The funds, in part, will match $8.71 million in federal grants the businesses will collectively receive. The recipient companies are 3P Biotechnologies Inc., Aviation Safety Resources Inc., CreoSalus Inc., Gen Nine Inc., Invictus Informatics LLC, ORB Technologies LLC, and Pascal Tags, Inc.
UofL Health first in state to use robotic arm in surgery
The team at UofL Health is the first in the state to use a robotic exoscope as part of its surgical care. The robot, which is a high-def camera that is attached to a robotic arm, works to help surgeons plan and visualize their movements with their instruments much more accurately.
GE announces Top Load 900 series
And to think that a little over a century ago people used to wash their clothes in a tub down by the river! GE Profile has integrated Alexa into its latest laundry machine, the Top Load 900 series. The built-in Alexa lets owners check the weather and set their clean cycles to specific care instructions or stain removals. Using thousands of verbal combinations, Alexa can recognize specific fabrics and identify types of stains. The machine also makes use of adaptive technology: When connected to home Wi-Fi through the free SmartHQ app, customers can receive alerts, manage their laundry loads remotely, and receive software updates that allow the technology to get better over time. Now if we can just get a laundry folder.
Institute to address waste issues
With waste issues growing, addressing the economic and security issues posed by waste is more important than ever before. Lexington’s Rubicon Technologies announced a mission to create the Rubicon Institute, which will “advance innovative, market-based policy solutions to address the environmental and national security threats posed by waste.” Rubicon provides waste and recycling software-based solutions for businesses and governments worldwide.
Launch Blue Demo Day
Nine local startups pitched at this year’s Launch Blue Demo Day. Among those companies were Pav*r, a time management and Google calendar export; Neocycl, which is pioneering green sustainable metals for the circular economy; Moolathon, a social fundraising platform and fitness tracker; Fair Chance Works, a technology platform designed to instruct and provide guidance in the employment of individuals in recovery and those with a criminal past; XpressRun, which leverages predictive analytics to help brands place inventory; RSET, a software application and online ecosystem that turns any 3D scan into an immersive and customizable synthetic training scenario; Melanated Healthcare, a digital health platform that connects Black and people of color to culturally congruent health professionals; Cellie Coping Company, which makes tools that help sick kids learn coping strategies; and Learnhall, a platform whereby educators can teach motivated Nigerian students job and business skills.