AM signals: Gunshot detection, robotic psychotherapists, Chinese chip investment
Christopher Mims in the Wall Street Journal has an update on ShotSpotter, the acoustic gunshot detection system, which I have written about previously. Mims quotes Ralph Clark, president of the company that makes the system, as saying ShotSpotter can alert authorities of a potential terrorist attack within 30 to 45 seconds—as opposed to minutes using conventional means.
Taiwan has refused to allow Chinese investment in its design houses, but that may be changing. David Manners at ElectronicsWeekly.com quotes Taiwan’s Minister for Economic Affairs John Deng as saying, “A relaxation of this policy may now be needed.”
Robots may be getting better at medical diagnostics, but they are not good psychotherapists. A recent study from the UK concluded that computer programs offered little or no benefit for adults suffering from depression, according to WBMR’s CommonHealth. Depressed patients prefer interacting with humans.
George Will in the Washington Post describes the case of Dr. Ron Hines, a disabled 72-year-old veterinarian who is prohibited by Texas law from offering veterinary advice over the Internet. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide tomorrow whether to take up Hines’s case, which, Will says, could have implications for telemedicine. The Volokh Conspiracy elaborates on professional-client speech and the First Amendment.
Israel-based Spacecom has lost contact with its Amos-5 satellite. Broadband TV News quotes Spacecom president and CEO David Pollack as saying, “Spacecom is working around the clock, doing the utmost to speed service recovery for its customers.” Amos-5 launched two years ago. Amos-6 is set to launch in February.
Intel has recruited Venkata “Murthy” Renduchintala from Qualcomm to become president of a new Intel group. His responsibilities will include PC chips, software and services, platform engineering, and IoT. The Wall Street Journal reports that the new position will amount to the No. 2 job at Intel.
