The start-ups using artificial intelligence to solve everyday tasks
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The start-ups using artificial intelligence to solve everyday tasks
By: Matthew Roberts
Senior Consultant, Data Exploitation
5th July 2017
I recently attended the inaugural Cambridge Wireless Artificial Intelligence & Mobility Conference. The event focussed on artificial intelligence (AI), the business use cases enabled by AI, innovative start-up companies, and how start-up companies can gain funding. Unlike the technical conferences that I am used to attending, this event was much more about the business-side of AI.
Like many engineers, I usually like to look at the technical aspects of things, but this event gave me a different, and somewhat refreshing, perspective on the use of AI. I enjoy hearing about how companies, like DeepMind, are using AI to play video games and diagnose medical conditions, but perhaps I don’t pay enough attention to the companies that are using AI to solve everyday tasks. The Cambridge-based event gave start-ups the opportunity to talk and exhibit and gave people like me the chance to learn more about them.
You have probably heard of the driverless car technology being developed by organisations like Google and Uber, but what you might not know about are the driverless cars in the UK. Three driverless car projects were awarded funding by the UK government, and members of the public were given the opportunity ride in driverless cars.
Oxbotica, an Oxford University spinout, was involved in two of the projects. Oxbotica’s Selenium software formed the brains of the vehicles used in both projects. The software almost certainly uses AI to perform two key tasks: understanding the wealth of sensor data that is used to observe the car’s environment and controlling the car.
Another company that is working on self-driving cars is FiveAI. At the event, Stan Boland, CEO of FiveAI, spoke of how FiveAI is aiming to become a customer to large organisations instead of a supplier. FiveAI intends to do this by competing with the likes of Uber, but with self-driving cars. The company is currently part of a consortium that plans to test such cars on public roads in London, and AI will be a key part of making that a success.
Hoxton Analytics is using AI to solve a completely different kind of perception task. It is using cameras combined with AI to measure footfall. The cameras are mounted at ground level in order to avoid privacy concerns. Not only can it be used by shops to determine how many people it can attract, but it can also be used to infer the types of shoppers. This information can be used to help determine which demographics are being lured into shops and at what times. Solving such a task manually can be very labour-intensive.
Another example of the use of AI to solve everyday tasks is the 3D sensor that has been created by Titan Reality. Titan Reality’s sensor can be used in a wide variety of perception and control tasks, from sorting objects to pouring the correct drink based on what kind of glass is placed on the sensor.
This is just a tiny set of examples of where small companies have embraced AI to provide high-tech solutions to everyday tasks that would traditionally be performed by people. It is not just large companies like Google and Netflix that are using AI to make a big impact.
I recently attended the inaugural Cambridge Wireless Artificial Intelligence & Mobility Conference. The event focussed on artificial intelligence (AI), the business use cases enabled by AI, innovative start-up companies, and how start-up companies can gain funding. Unlike the technical conferences that I am used to attending, this event was much more about the business-side of AI.
Like many engineers, I usually like to look at the technical aspects of things, but this event gave me a different, and somewhat refreshing, perspective on the use of AI. I enjoy hearing about how companies, like DeepMind, are using AI to play video games and diagnose medical conditions, but perhaps I don’t pay enough attention to the companies that are using AI to solve everyday tasks. The Cambridge-based event gave start-ups the opportunity to talk and exhibit and gave people like me the chance to learn more about them.
You have probably heard of the driverless car technology being developed by organisations like Google and Uber, but what you might not know about are the driverless cars in the UK. Three driverless car projects were awarded funding by the UK government, and members of the public were given the opportunity ride in driverless cars.
Oxbotica, an Oxford University spinout, was involved in two of the projects. Oxbotica’s Selenium software formed the brains of the vehicles used in both projects. The software almost certainly uses AI to perform two key tasks: understanding the wealth of sensor data that is used to observe the car’s environment and controlling the car.
Another company that is working on self-driving cars is FiveAI. At the event, Stan Boland, CEO of FiveAI, spoke of how FiveAI is aiming to become a customer to large organisations instead of a supplier. FiveAI intends to do this by competing with the likes of Uber, but with self-driving cars. The company is currently part of a consortium that plans to test such cars on public roads in London, and AI will be a key part of making that a success.
Hoxton Analytics is using AI to solve a completely different kind of perception task. It is using cameras combined with AI to measure footfall. The cameras are mounted at ground level in order to avoid privacy concerns. Not only can it be used by shops to determine how many people it can attract, but it can also be used to infer the types of shoppers. This information can be used to help determine which demographics are being lured into shops and at what times. Solving such a task manually can be very labour-intensive.
Another example of the use of AI to solve everyday tasks is the 3D sensor that has been created by Titan Reality. Titan Reality’s sensor can be used in a wide variety of perception and control tasks, from sorting objects to pouring the correct drink based on what kind of glass is placed on the sensor.
This is just a tiny set of examples of where small companies have embraced AI to provide high-tech solutions to everyday tasks that would traditionally be performed by people. It is not just large companies like Google and Netflix that are using AI to make a big impact.
