Today’s stories include a TWU graduate student who was able to learn using robot technology, a new female-only ride-sharing app may launch in Dallas, and TI announces a new STEM education series in partnership with an NFL player.
A Texas Woman’s University graduate student couldn’t make it to class in person, so she sent a robot instead. The Double Robotics Telepresence Robot technology uses an iPad to allow users to feel present in places where they cannot be physically. Margie Crow has a full-time job and two children in Rosser, Texas, so taking the American Sign Language course in Denton wasn’t feasible. With the success of Crow’s class, TWU will feature the robot technology in the Future Classroom Laboratory opening in August.
A new ride-sharing app may launch in Dallas this fall. Yes, we already have others such as Uber, and Lyft. Then there’s Bubbl, which employs off-duty police officers as drivers. She Drives Me promises to add a layer of safety for female customers who may feel less comfortable with male drivers, according to CBSDFW. The app will employ only women drivers to give women passengers peace of mind. It’s not alone in the female-only ride-share field. SafeHer, formerly Chariot for Women, plans to expand nationwide this fall.
Can’t get your child interested in science, technology, engineering, and math? Dallas-based Texas Instruments is hoping Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel can help. TI recently announced a partnership with the NFL player, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for a new educational series called STEM Behind Sports. In the series’ first activity, “Field Goal for the Win!” students can learn the science and math that go into executing a field goal. “Math isn’t just about solving problems in the classroom, it’s an exercise in training to help students solve the problems we face in life,” Urschel said in a release. “The connection between STEM and sports is a powerful one, and understanding this connection will help students succeed on the field and off of it.” See what other sports will be examined in the series.
Heather Noel contributed to this report.
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R E A D N E X T
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The inaugural October 8th Texas Blockchain Summit could be a watershed event for making Texas "the jurisdiction of choice" for Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Lee Bratcher, president of the Texas Blockchain Council, will host a wide array of speakers including Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis.
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Nonprofit BUiLT is hosting the event to highlight the success and possibilities of Black tech talent in the region. “There is no talent pipeline problem,” says Peter Beasley, co-founder of the Blacks United in Leading Technology International. “Black tech talent is widely available, especially in North Texas.”
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"It’s just cool that a Texas-based AI and robotics company can help a Texas-based burrito company expand in ways we could only imagine just a few years ago," says Alex Eagle, Chief Executive Officer for Freebirds World Burrito.
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![Pudu offers many commercial service robots. Free 1-week trials of the PuduBot food delivery robot (far right above) are being offered to Dallas restaurants for a limited time. [Image: Pudu Robotics]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Pudu-Robotics-970x464.jpg)
The free, one-week trial of the company's PuduBot food delivery robot is open to Dallas restaurants, cafes, hotels, offices, hospitals, and other catering operators for a limited time. The robot navigates around tables with 3D obstacle avoidance technology and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). Oh, and it can sing "Happy Birthday," too.
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The North Texas nonprofit will receive a half-million dollars from the Toyota USA Foundation to help increase the number of girls entering into a college-level STEM degree program.
