Wimbledon’s new automated line-calling system glitched during a tennis match Sunday, just days after it replaced the tournament’s human line judges for the first time.  The system, called Hawk-Eye, uses a network of cameras equipped with computer vision to track tennis balls in real-time. If the ball lands out, a pre-recorded voice loudly says, “Out.” If the ball is in, there’s no call and play continues. However, the software temporarily went dark during a women’s singles match between Brit Sonay Kartal and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Centre Court.  At 4-4 in the opening set, Pavlyuchenkova reached game point when Kartal…

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Tech startup Kuva Space is working with the Finnish Environmental Institute (Skye) to analyse the health of the Nordic country’s waters with a specialised satellite.  The pilot test will harness Kuva’s hyperspectral sensors, which can analyse a wider light spectrum than traditional sensors. From space, the company’s probe can read the spectral signatures of almost any material on Earth — including toxic cyanobacteria. Also known as blue-green algae, these tiny organisms proliferate in Finland’s lakes and seas during summer. In high concentrations, they can be harmful and even fatal to humans and other animals.  However, cyanobacteria are visually indistinguishable from…

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French software firm LumApps is set to merge with Swiss counterpart Beekeeper in a deal that will create a new business valued at over $1bn. LumApps, which calls itself an “intranet super app,” offers a platform that helps staff at large firms manage internal communications and workforce apps.  Meanwhile, Beekeeper provides a mobile platform that helps companies engage with their frontline workers via tools such as messaging, shift scheduling, and workflow automation.  Combined, the two firms plan to create an “employee hub” covering a broad spectrum of job roles, from doctors and truck drivers to customer service agents.  Once merged,…

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Swedish startup Lovable is in talks to raise $150mn at a valuation just shy of $2bn, the Financial Times reports.  The Stockholm-based business has built a generative AI platform that allows non-technical users to build apps or websites based on simple text prompts.  “I decided what we needed to do is build for the 99% who do not create software,” Anton Osika, Lovable’s co-founder, told TNW in April.  Osika founded Lovable alongside Fabian Hedin in 2023. Last week, Osika said the company had generated $75mn in annual recurring revenue (ARR) within seven months of launching the platform, making it one…

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The Dutch government has approved the first electric scooter for public roads and bike lanes, marking a cautious yet significant shift in the country’s tough stance on micromobility. Dubbed Selana Alpha and developed by the startup Selana, the vehicle was recently approved for use on Dutch roads by the national transport authority (RDW). In the process, the e-scooter earned its first blue license plate, which means it’s now legally allowed to be driven as a light motor vehicle.   For co-founders Chingiskhan Kazakhstan and Max Schalow, the plate marks the end of a long regulatory slog to legalise their scooter. “After…

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