Hurotics, a South Korean start-up, is making waves in the world of wearable tech. At the CES 2025 Global Media Meetup held from December 9 to 13 at AVING News MIK Base Camp in Seoul, CEO Giuk Lee showcased the company’s innovative range of customizable robotic suits designed to enhance rehabilitation, daily mobility, and sports performance. Founded in 2022, Hurotics focuses on creating lightweight, user-friendly exosuits that significantly improve on traditional robotic exoskeletons, which are often cumbersome and costly. Their solutions cater to a wide array of applications, including medical rehabilitation and athletic training, setting a new standard in wearable technology. Robotic Suits One of Hurotics’ standout products, the H-Flex soft robotic suit, garnered international acclaim by winning the Innovation Award in the Robotics category at a prominent global event earlier this year. This recognition underscores the product’s innovative design and performance capabilities. In addition to accolades, Hurotics successfully exported its first passive model, the H-Band, to prestigious institutions like the University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University, paving the way for expanded partnerships. In its home country of South Korea, Hurotics has been recognized for its achievements with the K-R&D Award for two consecutive years (2023-2024) and has secured several intellectual property rights. The company recently raised KRW 3.5 billion (approximately USD 2.5 million) in pre-Series A funding from notable venture capital firms, indicating strong investor confidence in its vision. During the Global Media Meetup, Lee discussed how Hurotics aims to address the global challenge of aging populations with its advanced wearable technology. The H-Medi and H-Flex robotic suits offer flexibility and support for users, whether they’re undergoing rehabilitation or engaging in everyday activities. Lee’s academic background from Seoul National University and Harvard and CTO Seungtae Yang’s expertise in wearable robotics fuels the company’s commitment to biomimetic designs that mirror natural tendon structures for maximum user comfort and minimal side effects. The tech Hurotics has developed five types of wearable robotic technologies, focusing on two main models: the H-Medi rehabilitation robot and the H-Flex mobility assistance robot. These devices balance user comfort with effectiveness, addressing feedback from rehabilitation professionals who noted that traditional robotic solutions were often heavy and impractical for patients. The H-Medi weighs only 15 kg, and the H-Flex modules are remarkably lightweight at just 0.6 kg each. The company is currently conducting tests at multiple medical facilities in South Korea. For example, trials with patients suffering from sarcopenia at Chung-Ang University Hospital have shown promising results, with improvements in exercise duration and walking posture. Hurotics is also seeking to apply this technology to early-stage Parkinson’s disease patients, with plans to finalize GMP and medical certifications by May 2024, paving the way for market launch. In addition to rehabilitation, Hurotics is making strides in sports technology. Their H-Fit training robot has been shown to enhance athletic performance, helping users reduce their 200-meter sprint time by three seconds and increasing golf swing distance by seven percent. This technology boosts performance and promotes better posture during physical activities. Hurotics plans to feature both H-Medi and H-Fit models at the Global Media Meetup, with H-Fit attracting interest from elite athletes, including a national track coach from Italy looking for innovative ways to enhance athlete performance. As Hurotics continues to develop and refine its groundbreaking technology, the company is setting itself apart as a leader in wearable robotics, promising exciting possibilities for rehabilitation and sports performance enhancement.Oscar Fairs from Benfleet, Essex, was diagnosed with a rare 7cm ependymoma brain tumour in August 2023 and underwent seven surgeries, one round of chemotherapy and one round of radiotherapy to be told palliative care was the only option. A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family raise £100,000 towards a treatment trial in France. It is with deep and profound sadness that West Ham United confirm the tragic passing of our U15s Academy goalkeeper Oscar Fairs, following his brave battle with cancer. Rest in peace, brave Oscar. — West Ham United (@WestHam) December 13, 2024 West Ham footballers donated £27,000, chairman David Sullivan donated £10,000 and Arsenal footballer and former West Ham star Declan Rice gave £5,000, according to Ms Fairs. On Friday, West Ham announced that the 15-year-old had died. Sporting director Mark Noble said: “Oscar was adored by everyone at the Academy – not only was he a great goalkeeper, he was a true Hammer and a fantastic young person, who will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure to know him. “I have wonderful memories of Oscar playing in my garden – (my son) Lenny and his teammates all loved him. “He was a friendly, happy, well-mannered and polite young man, who had such a bright future ahead of him, and it is just so unimaginably devastating that he has been taken from his family and friends at this age. “The thoughts and sincere condolences of everyone at the Club are with Oscar’s parents, Natalie and Russell, and his brother Harry, and we kindly ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this extremely difficult time.” All scheduled Academy fixtures over the weekend have been postponed as a mark of respect.
Curt Cignetti's Bold Prediction Resurfaces Before Indiana-Ohio State MatchupCheck out more of the year's best tech in our PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024 coverage. If there's one thing that stands out about 2024, at least as far as gaming monitors are concerned, it's that this year has without a doubt been the year of the OLED monitor. We've been hit with them left, right, and centre. And sure, these monitors mostly feature the same 32-inch Samsung or LG panels, but those are great panels. Whether we're talking about the MSI MPG 321URX , LG UltraGear 32GS95UE , or any number of other 2024 OLED releases, you're getting a high refresh rate, low latency, and stunning 4K visuals. But while we've seen a bunch of these entering the market, none of them are cheap. We've also seen some manufacturers start to experiment with Mini LED tech. This technology uses backlighting arrays and could eventually be an alternative to OLED tech that offers brighter screens with less text fringing and no risk of burn-in. Unfortunately, though, there are still problems with Mini LED tech, as we discovered when we looked at the BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX , for instance. At the other end of the pricing scale, 2024 has shown us what can really be achieved for a more moderate number of pennies. The Xiaomi G27i , for instance, showed just how high of a refresh rate and how low latency you can get for a mainstream price these days. Speaking of refresh rates, one trend we saw this year was the introduction of dual-mode refresh rate technology. We first saw this with the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE which had its debut at CES. This tech allows for an ultra-high refresh rate at 1080p and then a lower (but still high) refresh rate at 4K, thanks to pixel doubling. We already saw it in laptops in 2023 such as the Razer Blade 16 , but the tech is now officially featuring in standalone monitors. Best gaming monitor 2024: the nominees MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED The MPG 321URX kind of encapsulates what 2024 had to offer in terms of both price and performance/quality. That's because it uses the same 4K, 240 Hz, 0.03 ms response OLED panel as many of the others that launched this year but retails for a lot cheaper. We're talking hundreds of dollars less than similar competition for a gorgeous glossy panel with great and vibrant colour reproduction plus some very deep blacks. Read our MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED review . LG UltraGear 32GS95UE While the MPG 321URX encapsulates what 2024 offered in terms of a balance between performance, quality, and price, the UltraGear 32GS95UE shows what it had to offer in terms of sheer high-end quality and performance, pricing be damned. First off, it's a dual-mode monitor, so you get the benefit of the 480 Hz refresh rate at 1080p if that's your jam. And if not, well, there's 240 Hz at 4K, and who can argue with that? Apart from that, though, it's an OLED panel that's actually slightly better than the others we saw this year, mainly because it's a little brighter and has a more neutral colour profile. It's got a matte finish, but it's glossier than most matte finishes so the colours still pop. The downside to all this lovely tech, however, is the very steep price tag. Read our LG UltraGear 32GS95UE review . Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS This monitor showed what 2024 tech was capable of when put to the task of delivering in the mainstream monitor market—none of this $1,000 4K OLED malarkey. The ROG Strix XG27ACS features a 1440p IPS panel and comes in at $299, which is more expensive than some 1440P IPS panels you can get, but it's worth that extra cost. That's because it goes up to 180 Hz and has a 1 ms grey-to-grey response time, which makes it much snappier than most similar panels. Its colour reproduction is also incredibly well-calibrated straight out of the box, even when viewing SDR content in HDR mode. Read our Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS review . The winner of the Best Gaming Monitor 2024 PC Gamer Hardware Award will be announced on New Year's Eve. So keep your eyes peeled for our pick of the best panel for this year. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
( MENAFN - PENTA PRESS) The Innopolis Foundation (hereafter “INNOPOLIS”) has announced the successful conclusion of the 2024 Korean Science Park (K-STP) Program, aimed at global science park (STP) stakeholders and technology commercialization experts. Originating in 1973 as INNOPOLIS Daedeok, South Korea’s R&D special zones have become hubs of collaborative networks integrating industry, academia, research, and support institutions. These zones have greatly contributed to the country’s position as a global leader in science and technology. Now encompassing five major zones—Daedeok, Gwangju, Daegu, Busan, and Jeonbuk—and 14 smaller zones, the R&D special zones drive regional innovation and economic growth. The INNOPOLIS, a public institution under the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea, has been hosting the K-STP program since 2008. This program invites researchers and public officials from developing nations in Southeast Asia, Africa, and other regions to learn from the success of INNOPOLIS Daedeok. Over the past 16 years, 538 participants from 79 countries have completed the program, using their insights to enhance their home countries' innovation ecosystems. This year, in addition to the K-STP training program, the INNOPOLIS introduced the K-STP Technology Commercialization Program, targeting international experts in technology commercialization. The K-STP training program, held over 10 days in late July, brought together 14 participants from countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Thailand, the Philippines, Ghana, Serbia, and Kuwait. They explored Korea’s science park management models and innovation cluster strategies. Following this, the inaugural K-STP Technology Commercialization Program in September focused on building a global network for technology commercialization. Participants from regions including North America, Europe, and Asia—representing countries like the U.S., U.K., Poland, Brazil, Mexico, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia—engaged in networking events and explored potential collaborations with Korean innovation institutions and enterprises within the special zones. A highlight of this year’s program was its integration with “INNOPOLIS Demoday,” which showcased the technologies and products of 18 startups from the special zones. This synergy provided participants with practical opportunities to engage with early-stage enterprises and assess the demand for their innovations in global markets, helping them refine their strategies for international expansion. The program also offered Korean companies selected for the Foundation’s global technology commercialization initiative opportunities to directly connect with international stakeholders. For instance, BlueSignal and VS PharmTech actively engaged with global attendees during presentations and Q&A sessions, fostering discussions on potential partnerships. Alexander George Balderstone, CEO of Kaiku and a U.K. technology commercialization expert, remarked, “Many venture capital firms in the U.K. are keenly interested in Korean startups. This program has laid the groundwork for continued networking with companies from the special zones.” The INNOPOLIS’s efforts through the 2024 K-STP Program demonstrate its commitment to advancing global technology commercialization and strengthening South Korea’s position as a leader in science park development. MENAFN13122024005268011826ID1108992199 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
‘Into the New World’: the K-pop song that became South Korea’s protest anthem
SoundHound AI 's ( SOUN -0.93% ) shares surged by nearly 875% in 2024 mainly due to record third-quarter revenue performance and increasing adoption of the company's conversational AI solutions by major brands across industries. The stock also benefited significantly from a bullish report from Wedbush analyst Dan Ives , who raised the company's target price from $10 to $22. Palantir Technologies ' ( PLTR 2.09% ) stock posted remarkable gains of almost 385% in 2024, driven by unprecedented demand for its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), strong financial performance, lucrative partnerships, and inclusion in the benchmark S&P 500 index. While SoundHound AI recorded a much stronger share price performance than Palantir, is it a better or even a comparable investment on a risk-adjusted basis? Let's find out. Reduced customer concentration risk SoundHound AI dramatically reduced its overreliance on a small customer base. While the largest customer accounted for 72% of revenue in 2023, the revenue exposure was reduced to only 12% in the third quarter of 2024. Furthermore, the top five customers now account for less than 33% of the company's revenue, far lower than the 90% revenue exposure in 2023. SoundHound is seeing increasing momentum in the automotive sector, especially in the electric vehicle (EV) space. The company signed contracts with four new EV players in the third quarter, two of which are using conversational intelligence solutions in real time. SoundHound expanded its contract with Stellantis across multiple markets, with seven of the latter's brands using its generative AI-enhanced digital assistant, SoundHound Chat AI. SoundHound AI is also making its presence felt in the Chinese market through partnerships with DayinTec and a major Chinese multinational technology company. Being the largest EV market with an estimated size of $376.4 billion in 2024, the Chinese EV market can be a major growth catalyst for SoundHound AI in the coming years. SoundHound is a market leader for phone ordering solutions in the restaurant industry. The company's phone ordering solutions handled over 100 million customer interactions. Multiple prominent brands are adopting SoundHound's drive-thru and phone ordering system. Finally, SoundHound's AI agent customer service solutions found a solid footing across industries like financial services, healthcare, insurance, and retail. This business segment accounts for over half of the company's revenue. Polaris model SoundHound AI built its multimodal, multilingual Polaris foundation model and trained it on billions of real conversations and over 1 million hours of audio across multiple languages. The model has helped improve accuracy and reduce hosting costs -- a solid competitive advantage for a conversational artificial intelligence company. Polaris is already powering almost one-third of all AI interactions for the company's restaurant customers. This trend is expected to strengthen in the coming quarters. Financial strength SoundHound AI's financial numbers speak volumes about its improving business momentum. The company expects its 2024 revenue to be between $82 million and $85 million and 2025 revenue to be in the range of $155 million to $175 million. The company expects to be adjusted EBITDA profitable by the end of fiscal 2025. SoundHound AI also boasts a strong balance sheet with $136 million in cash and $43.8 million in debt at the end of the third quarter. Can SoundHound AI be the next Palantir? Although SoundHound is an exceptional AI-powered company, its financial strength and target addressable markets differ significantly from Palantir's. SoundHound's revenue jumped by 89% year over year to $25.1 million, while Palantir's revenue was up by 30% year over year to $726 million. While the top-line growth rate of the former is higher, revenue is also much smaller on an absolute basis. Hence, it is obvious that SoundHound is a company experiencing early growth, while Palantir has entered a more stable and mature growth phase. SoundHound is not yet profitable and reported a generally accepted accounting principles ( GAAP ) operating loss of $33.7 million in the third quarter. On the other hand, Palantir is profitable and posted a GAAP operating income of $113.1 million in the third quarter. From an operational perspective, government agencies and large commercial organizations deploy Palantir's advanced data analytics and mining offerings mainly for complicated and mission-critical applications. Subsequently, these solutions are deeply entrenched in the client's operations, making it difficult to switch to the competition. The sticky customer base is a major competitive edge for Palantir. Contrarily, SoundHound's voice AI and conversational intelligence applications are used for cases such as restaurant ordering, automotive interface, and customer support. Although important, these are not integral to the functioning of the business. Hence, some clients can opt for competitors such as Amazon 's Alexa, Alphabet 's Google Assistant, Apple 's Siri, and Microsoft 's Cortana. While there is huge growth potential for SoundHound AI, it may not be able to replace Palantir in a smart investor's portfolio anytime soon.Mohamed Salah’s landmark goal pulls Liverpool clear in Champions LeagueNeurocrine Biosciences Announces FDA Approval of CRENESSITYTM (crinecerfont), a First-in-Class Treatment for Children and Adults With Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Walmart Completes Purchase of TV Tech Company Vizio
ASX stocks have been strong performers in 2024. The good news is that Bell Potter still sees opportunities at this side of the market for investors in 2025. The broker notes that it has a "positive or constructive view on the outlook for the technology and gaming sector." This is due to "the generally strong or above average forecast revenue and/or earnings growth" and "the easing interest rate environment which is expected to commence in Australia next year." But given that large cap tech stocks have rallied this year, the broker suspects that the cuts "could have a more positive impact on small to mid cap tech and gaming stocks." With that in mind, let's look at three mid cap ASX tech stocks that are its best buys for the year ahead: ( ) This location technology company's shares are a best buy according to Bell Potter. It likes the ASX tech stock due to its huge growth opportunity, which is being underpinned by the monetisation of its massive user base. It explains: The [Life360] app is used globally by over 75 million people and, of these, there are around 7 million paying subscribers. The penetration rate, therefore, is around 10% and the company has a stated long term target of 30% so there is the potential for the paying subscriber base to triple from here. Life360 is also adding new verticals – like advertising, pet and elderly tracking – which provide additional areas of growth. The next potential catalysts are when Life360 releases its Q4/2024 result in February – we expect a strong result towards the upper end of the guidance ranges – and the S&P/ASX index rebalance in March where we see a good chance Life360 will be added to the Top 100. Bell Potter has a buy rating and $26.75 price target on its shares. ( ) Another ASX tech stock that gets the thumbs up from the broker is gaming technology company Light & Wonder. Bell Potter believes that recent weakness has created an opportunity for investors to buy into a high quality company. It said: Light & Wonder is a leading cross-platform games company that develops and manufactures slot machines, creates free-to-play social casino games for mobile platforms, and produces online real-money gaming content for online casinos. [...] We anticipate 8-11% annual EBITDA growth rates over CY24-26, driven by further R&D investment that enhances game performance and results in market share gains across the North American premium leased market, global outright game sales markets, and online gaming markets. Additionally, we view the recent turmoil surrounding the Dragon Train preliminary injunction as an attractive entry point. Bell Potter has a buy rating and $180.00 price target on its shares. ( ) A final ASX tech stock that makes the list is Gentrack. It provides billing, CRM, and utilities software. An example of its software that many readers will have seen is the arrivals/departures board at Sydney Airport. The broker believes that the company is well-positioned to deliver strong earnings growth in the coming years. It said: Gentrack develops, provisions, and integrates its billing/CRM platform into energy and water utilities, generating up-front project revenue (from deployments/integrations) that transitions into SaaS-type recurring revenue and embeds GTK within utility tech stacks long-term due to high switching costs. Demand for modern-day utilities billing solutions is growing rapidly due to dual tailwinds in (1) an evolving energy grid generating significant amounts of data and complexity in billing and customer management, and (2) legacy tech debt incurred from historical underinvestment in the utility billing stack. GTK has a track record of upgrading and beating guidance, with the interim result in May likely to be the next catalyst potentially from lumpy, large contract wins in Southeast Asia. GTK appears expensive at ~90x/~56x FY25e/26e P/E however the valuation reflects high earnings leverage emerging, noting PEG ratios of ~1.2x and ~0.9x respectively. Bell Potter has a buy rating and $13.90 price target on its sharesRakovina Therapeutics Announces Closing of Oversubscribed $3M Private PlacementTexas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies, who no longer have nearly half their 2022 signees. The list of 2022 recruits now with playoff contenders elsewhere includes Mississippi defensive lineman Walter Nolen, Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart, Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton, SMU offensive tackle PJ Williams and injured Boise State receiver Chris Marshall. Texas A&M has done all right without them, going 8-4 as transfers filled about half the starting roles. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal. “It used to be you lost 20 seniors, you signed 20 incoming freshmen,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “You just had your numbers right. Now you might lose 20 seniors, but you might lose 20 underclassmen. You just don’t know.” Coaches emphasize that high school recruiting remains critical, but recent results suggest it isn’t as vital as before. The last two College Football Playoff runners-up – TCU in 2022 and Washington in 2023 – didn’t sign a single top-15 class in any of the four years leading up their postseason runs, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. This year’s contenders have shown there’s more than one way to build a championship-caliber roster. About half of No. 1 Oregon’s usual starters began their college careers elsewhere. No. 5 Georgia, which annually signs one of the nation’s top high school classes, has only a few transfers making major contributions. Colorado’s rise under Deion Sanders exemplifies how a team can win without elite high school recruiting. None of Colorado’s last four classes have ranked higher than 30th in the 247Sports Composite. Three ranked 47th or lower. “If anybody ever did the homework and the statistics of these young men – people have a class that they say is the No. 1 class in the nation – then five of those guys play, or four of those guys play, then the rest go through the spring and then they jump in the portal,” Sanders said. “Don’t give me the number of where you rank (in recruiting standings), because it’s like an NFL team," he added. "You always say who won the draft, then the team gets killed all year (and) you don’t say nothing else about it. Who won the draft last year in the NFL? Nobody cares right now, right?” Star quarterback Shedeur Sanders followed his father from Jackson State to Colorado in 2023, and Heisman Trophy front-runner Travis Hunter accompanied them. According to Colorado, this year’s Buffaloes team has 50 transfer newcomers, trailing only North Texas’ 54 among Bowl Subdivision programs. Relying on transfers comes with caveats. Consider Florida State's rise and fall. Florida State posted an unbeaten regular-season record last year with transfers playing leading roles. When those transfers departed and Florida State's portal additions this year didn't work out, the Seminoles went 2-10. “There has to be some type of balance between the transfer portal and high school recruiting,” said Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting for 247Sports. “I compare it to the NFL. The players from the transfer portal are your free agents and high school recruiting is your NFL draft picks.” A look at the composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports for the 2020-22 classes shows at least 40 of the top 100 prospects each of those years ended up leaving their original school. Coaches must decide which positions they’re better off building with high school prospects and which spots might be easier to fill through the portal. “The ones that have a ton of learning to do - tight end, quarterback, interior offensive line, inside linebacker, safety, where they are the communicators - they are the guys that are processing a lot of information,” Florida’s Billy Napier said. “Those are the ones in a perfect world you have around for a while. “It’s easier to play defensive line, edge, corner, receiver, running back, tackle, specialists. Those are a little bit more plug-and-play I’d say, in my opinion," Napier said. "Either way, it’s not necessarily about that. It’s just about we need a certain number at each spot, and we do the best we can to fill those roles.” Power Four programs aren’t the only ones facing a balancing act between recruiting high schools and mining the transfer portal. Group of Five schools encounter similar challenges. “We’re recruiting every position and bringing in a high school class,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said. “That’s not going to be maybe 24 scholarship guys like it used to be. It might be more like 16. It’s not four d-linemen necessarily, right? It might be three. It might not be three receivers. It might be two. And it might not be five offensive linemen. It’s two to three.” The extra hurdle Group of Five schools face is the possibility their top performers might leave for a power-conference program with more lucrative name, image and likeness financial opportunities. They sometimes don’t know which players they’ll lose. “We know who they’re trying to steal,” Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin quipped. “We just don’t know who they’re going to steal.” The obstacles facing coaches are only getting steeper as FBS teams prepare for a 105-man roster limit as part of the fallout from a pending $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement. While having 105 players on scholarship seems like an upgrade from the current 85-man scholarship limit, many rosters have about 125 players once walk-ons are included. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said last week his program would probably end up with about 30-50 players in the portal due to the new roster restrictions. All the added dimensions to roster construction in the college game have drawn parallels to the NFL, but Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck believes those comparisons are misleading. “When people talk about college football right now, they’re saying, ‘Oh, we have an NFL model,’ or it’s kind of moving toward the NFL,” Fleck said. “First of all, it’s nothing like the NFL. There’s a collective bargaining agreement (in the NFL). There’s a true salary cap for everybody. It’s designed for all 32 fan bases to win the Super Bowl maybe once every 32 years – and I know other people are winning that a lot more than others – but that’s how it’s designed. In college football, it’s not that way.” There does seem to be a bit more competitive balance than before. The emergence of TCU and Washington the last couple of postseasons indicates this new era of college football has produced more unpredictability. Yet it’s also created many more challenges as coaches try to figure out how to put together their rosters. “It’s difficult because we’re just kind of inventing it on the fly, right?” Diaz said.
