Technology news and briefs for the week of Oct. 10:
Digital Matter releases 2022 battery-powered asset tracking hardware roadmap for cellular IoT
Digital Matter, a supplier of GPS and IoT hardware development, has released its 2022 battery-powered asset tracking hardware roadmap with Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT connectivity, enabling new global IoT asset tracking applications.Optimized for lower-power operation, Digital Matter's next-generation of battery-powered devices feature "deploy once" battery life and use approximately one-fifth of the power of the current GNSS range without sacrificing performance or reliability. The updated device range also supports roaming between LTE-M and NB-IoT networks with marginal impact on battery life or performance.
The upcoming range of devices also feature Cell Tower Location fallback, allowing the devices to determine location when out of GNSS coverage, as well as enhanced Intelligent Power Management options including new balanced, low-power, and ultra-low power network registration strategies, accelerometer-based location scan throttling, and more, to reduce power and data usage.
Digital Matter's next-generation devices include the best-selling Oyster3, Yabby3 and Remora3, as well as new devices such as the Yabby Core and Edge portfolio, featuring indoor/outdoor asset tracking and cloud-based location solving.
Insurtech startup Koffie Labs inks distribution partners in two more states
Insurtech startup Koffie Labs has signed on with distribution partners, Cooper Insurance & Associates and Fleet Risk Management/Assured Partners of Georgia. Koffie began underwriting in Tennessee and Illinois in July 2021 and the insurtech's new distribution partnerships will spearhead the roll-out of admitted trucking products in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The company reported a 5x increase in policies bound and 20x increase in premiums written month over month since launch and confirms plans to file in more than ten states within the first six months following its launch."Koffie's unique value proposition allows us to offer attractive premiums and a seamless experience to our safety-conscious clients," said Bob Fuller, agency president of Fleet Risk Management/Assured Partners." "We're excited about the opportunities for insurtech to change our industry and for Koffie's forward-thinking approach to enhance driver and fleet safety."
Georgia and Pennsylvania are home to the fifth and seventh largest number of motor carriers in the U.S. Koffie strives to increase road safety in these challenged markets, offering competitive rates and an excellent product to fleets that prioritize driver, fleet, and vehicle safety. Koffie's AI-driven predictive models, which underwrite dozens of safety features, also allow the company to build insurance products for emerging risks like self-driving vehicles.
Descartes adds AI, ML enhancements
Descartes Systems Group has unveiled artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based enhancements to its Routing Mobile and Telematics suite. The enhancements help customers achieve outstanding optimization results and learn from real-world outcomes to maximize fleet performance.
The AI and ML enhancements include:
- Descartes AI Advisor, an intelligent configuration and monitoring module, emulates Descartes’ route optimization experts’ knowledge. After walking the customer through a series of questions, Descartes AI Advisor automatically configures optimization settings and parameters, simplifying and accelerating the configuration process. Configuration scenarios are compared to determine the best route optimization strategies to meet business goals. AI-Advisor can evaluate the results of the system in operation and recommend configurations changes to maintain optimal performance.
- Machine learning algorithms have been applied to location, transit and stop-time calculations. Predictions for these key performance factors are continuously refined by monitoring real-world outcomes from mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) sources in combination with influencing variables. Tens of thousands of data points and variables are evaluated continuously to make learned adjustments to improve route planning accuracy and execute more predictable and efficient routes.
“AI and ML are perfect extensions to our advanced route optimization and execution capabilities,” said Ken Wood, Executive Vice President at Descartes. “From dynamic delivery appointment scheduling through planning and real-time route execution, we’ve used AI and ML to improve our ability to deliver the next level of fleet performance for customers.”
