AI and robotics are revolutionizing restaurant kitchens—here’s how you can invest
Miso Robotics has already served up over 12,000 hamburgers.
Credit: Courtesy of Miso Robotics
- Quick service restaurants are facing growing labor, food, and real estate costs.
- Miso Robotics is working with these restaurants to lower labor costs via automation.
- Miso Robotics has already produced over 60,000 pounds of food with its revolutionary technology.
AI is being used for far more than just self-driving cars and Siri; it's playing a pivotal role in the future of the restaurant industry. Quick service restaurants (QSRs) are among the most popular eating establishments around. However, they operate on incredibly lean margins and are being confronted by rapidly increasing labor, food, and real estate costs.
Needless to say, QSRs could use a hand—and that's where AI comes into the picture.
Miso Robotics created Flippy, the world's first autonomous kitchen assistant. Designed with commercial kitchens in mind, Flippy has already cooked over 60,000 pounds of food and is in use at CaliBurger locations in Florida, as well as at stadiums servicing the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. White Castle, America's first fast food hamburger chain, has also partnered with Miso Robotics to develop, pilot, and undertake a beta of rollout of Miso Robotics' Flippy for White Castle's North American restaurants.
Flippy can work a grill or fryer, cooks food to perfection consistently, and can even work collaboratively with staff. In short, Flippy is a game-changer for QSRs looking to automate and cut costs.
Flippy is only the beginning for Miso Robotics, which has over a dozen patents pending in proprietary machines, learning and robotics, and control software. The company aims to make an impact in the $70.3 billion QSR market and is currently working on an overhead rail system that will cut production costs by 50 percent and leave no real estate footprint.
It's not too late to invest in Miso Robotics and the AI-powered future it's creating.
Miso Robotics has raised over $14.6 million so far, and the company's raises have been led by Wavemaker, an early-stage venture capital firm with over $335 million in assets. Wavemaker's past investments and exits include Blue Bottle Coffee, MindBody, and Clutter.
You can learn more about investing in Miso Robotics with SeedInvest here. With minimum investments as low as $500, SeedInvest makes diversifying your portfolio easy.
Sponsored by Miso Robotics.
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Plant-grown vaccines: the next step in medicine?
Medicago is growing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate in a relative of the tobacco plant right now.
October 20, 2020
Photo: Quality Stock Arts / Adobe Stock
Coronavirus
- Canadian biotech company Medicago is growing a vaccine candidate in Nicotiana benthamiana.
- An Australian relative to tobacco, plant-based vaccines could be cheaper and more reliable than current methods.
- Medicago just completed phase 3 clinical trials of an influenza vaccine, which could be a game-changer for vaccine production.
<p>One of the biggest fears around vaccines, however unwarranted, is that they're "unnatural." Adjuvants that help improve vaccine response, such as alum, squalene, and paraffin oil, have been demonized by the <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/anti-vaxx" target="_blank">anti-vaxx movement</a>. This trend has resulted in <a href="https://khn.org/morning-breakout/poll-35-of-americans-wont-get-covid-vaccine/" target="_blank">over one-third of Americans</a> claiming they won't get a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine when one is produced.</p><p>With <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines" target="_blank">over 200 vaccine trials</a> underway, chances that 2021 will result in a reliable vaccine are high. Those worried about the "unnatural" means by which vaccines are produced may take comfort in a groundbreaking new development. </p><p>In July, Canadian biotech company Medicago <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-14/covid-shot-derived-from-tobacco-like-plant-tested-in-humans" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">began phase 1 clinical trials</a> using a vaccine candidate that's grown in <em>Nicotiana benthamiana</em>, an Australian plant that closely resembles tobacco. The plant's naturally poor immune system allows viruses-like proteins (VLPs) to flourish. Medicago CEO Bruce Clark says the plant acts like a "bioreactor" that produces usable material in a matter of weeks. </p><p>Many vaccines are traditionally incubated in chicken eggs. The annual influenza vaccination is a common example. The process is delicate, however: US government facilities are hidden and highly secure. This method is costly, as every dose requires at least one egg. Tens of millions of chicken eggs are used for this purpose in America every year. </p><p>There's another important cost: time. While a plant-developed VLP vaccine takes roughly two months to develop, egg vaccines take <a href="https://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090806/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">up to a half-year</a> to produce. With plants, you get a vaccine quicker and without ethical concerns for the strain on chickens. </p><p>By contrast, <em>Nicotiana benthamiana</em> grows in rugged environments throughout Australia. It can grow up to five feet tall. The frail leaves have made it an exceptional candidate for plant research and have been used for decades in plant virology. An experimental drug, ZMapp, developed to treat Ebola, was designed using this plant. While not without risks, the WHO <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/ebola/MEURI-Ebola.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">claims</a> <i><em>ZMapp's </em></i>benefits outweigh the risks, and has approved it usage in cocktail treatments. </p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU0NDg3Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTEzMTU2MH0.yuqEASDwcE_36W_1aHTCUyWHqr8gVHoTLYf2SDaOX3I/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C53%2C0%2C72&height=700" id="cbfef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1fe0560aa39624da96fc44083b7736dc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
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<p>Clark <a href="https://www.medicago.com/en/newsroom/medicago-begins-phase-i-clinical-trials-for-its-covid-19-vaccine-candidate/" target="_blank">says</a> it's important to attack the novel coronavirus from all sides.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Creating a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines within the next year is a challenge which will require multiple approaches, with different technologies. Our proven plant-based technology is capable of contributing to the collective solution to this public health emergency."</p><p>Unlike many common vaccines, VLP vaccines contain no genetic material. You won't get infected by it, which is always a risk in live vaccines. </p><p>This SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is not the only project on Medicago's hands. The company <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03301051" target="_blank">just completed</a> phase 3 clinical trials on an influenza. While no plant-based vaccine has been approved for use, the company hopes to replace the more cumbersome and expensive egg-based model, or at least offset some of the costs of that model. The plant model could help researchers adapt more quickly to the ever-changing influenza strains each season. </p><p>Plants offer a wonderful alternative to the current vaccination model. Besides price, VLP vaccines scale much easier and faster. If the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine works, Medicago <a href="https://www.medicago.com/en/newsroom/medicago-begins-phase-i-clinical-trials-for-its-covid-19-vaccine-candidate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">believes</a> they can produce a billion doses a year, by far the most ambitious yield to date. At a time when speed, cost, and reliability are all essential factors in vaccine development, we should put tobacco to better use: healing instead of harming. </p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a>. His new book is</em> "<em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KRVMP2M?pf_rd_r=MDJW43337675SZ0X00FH&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy</a>."</em></p>
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Here's the innovative writing tool you've been waiting for
WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker keeps your spelling and grammar issues at bay while also working as a translator.
October 20, 2020
Gear
- Grammar and spelling mistakes are rampant on the internet and on social media.
- While people are accustomed to grammar mistakes, employers take them seriously when viewing candidates.
- WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker is a powerful browser extension that keeps your spelling and grammatical issues at bay.
<script async="true" src="https://widgets.stackcommerce.com/js-deal-feed/0.1/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>We've all seen the mistakes: They're vs. their vs. there. Your vs. you're. It's vs its. Dangling modifiers, possessive nouns, and excess commas. The internet is a graveyard of grammatical errors.<br></p><p>You don't have to have an English degree to be an effective communicator, however. While technology urges us to move as fast as possible, technology also helps us correct our errors along the way. That's what makes <a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/whitesmoke-web-plan-lifetime-subscription?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=whitesmoke-web-plan-lifetime-subscription&utm_term=scsf-366580&utm_content=a0x1P000004NCEA&scsonar=1" target="_blank"><strong>WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker</strong></a> such a powerful tool.</p><p>By using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) technologies, WhiteSmoke corrects simple errors and much more. This grammar checker improves your writing style, tone, and clarity. </p><p>WhiteSmoke will make sure you always choose the correct "your" while typing emails, articles, notes, and more. It will prevent typos and make sure you capitalize the right words. Getting deeper, WhiteSmoke corrects confusing punctuation mistakes and identifies stylistic errors, such as monotonous writing and tense changes. It then offers suggestions to level-up your prose (or email). </p><p>As an added bonus, WhiteSmoke translates your text into over 50 languages, applying the same grammatical rigor to whatever tongue is being produced.</p><p><em>CNN</em> calls WhiteSmoke "one of the Top 31 Business Ideas in the world." TopTenReviews adds praise, writing, "This is the best writing enhancement software because it can thoroughly check your writing in a variety of locations and formats.”</p><p>A lifetime subscription to <a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/whitesmoke-web-plan-lifetime-subscription?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=whitesmoke-web-plan-lifetime-subscription&utm_term=scsf-366580&utm_content=a0x1P000004NCEA&scsonar=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker</strong></a> is on sale for a limited time for just $39.99, a 93% discount from the list price. </p><div data-react-checksum="-1980417832" data-reactid="1" data-reactroot="" style="position: relative;"><div data-reactid="3" style="border: 1px solid #000000; padding: 35px 10px 35px 35px; text-decoration: none; display: flex; align-items: center;">
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Scientists stumble across new organs in the human head
New cancer-scanning technology reveals a previously unknown detail of human anatomy.
October 20, 2020
Credit: Valstar et al., Netherlands Cancer Institute
Surprising Science
- Scientists using new scanning technology and hunting for prostate tumors get a surprise.
- Behind the nasopharynx is a set of salivary glands that no one knew about.
- Finding the glands may allow for more complication-free radiation therapies.
<p>The research began about as far away from where it ended up as possible. Doctors were using PSMA PET/CT scans to assess whether patients' prostate cancer had spread to other parts of their bodies. In addition to being a promising new technology for detecting tumors, PSMA PET/CT scans also happen to be good at imaging salivary glands. Still, radiation oncologist Wouter Vogel and oral and maxillofacial surgeon Matthijs Valstar didn't know quite what to make of two lit-up areas behind the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/human-body-maps/nasopharynx#1" target="_blank">nasopharynx</a> that looked an awful lot like big, undiscovered salivary glands.</p><p>Since finding a whole new organ in the human body at this point is unexpected, to say the least, the researchers re-examined the PSMA PET/CT from all 100 patients in their study, plus two cadavers. Every one of them had the same thing. </p><p><a href="https://www.nki.nl/topmenu/about-the-nki/news/cancer-researchers-discover-new-salivary-gland/" target="_blank">Says senior author of the study Vogel</a>, "As far as we knew, the only salivary or mucous glands in the nasopharynx are microscopically small, and up to 1000 are evenly spread out throughout the mucosa. So, imagine our surprise when we found these."</p><p>The study's lead author Valstar adds, "The two new areas that lit up turned out to have other characteristics of salivary glands as well."</p><p>Vogel and Valstar work for the <a href="https://www.nki.nl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">Netherlands Cancer Institute</a>, specializing in the effects of radiation therapy on the head and neck. Their discovery may help technicians alleviate some common radiation side effects now that they know to avoid the new salivary organs, which they've named the "tubarial salivary glands."</p><p>The research is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167814020308094" target="_blank">Radiotherapy & Oncology</a>.</p>
PSMA PET/CT technology
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="676e611b970c9b516cace0870447b325"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RHAyoQF09X4?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>PSMA PET/CT is a new combination of <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/pet-scan/about/pac-20385078" target="_blank">PET scans</a> and <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ct-scan/about/pac-20393675" target="_blank">CT scans</a> that is believed to offer a more reliable means of locating prostate cancer metastasis. A <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2020/prostate-cancer-psma-pet-ct-metastasis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> published last spring suggests it may be the most accurate way to diagnose prostate cancer metastasis than any method previously available.</p><p>Prior to PSMA PET/CT, the primary way to look for metastatic prostate cancer was to image the body using x-ray-based CT scans and to perform bone scans, since bone is where prostate cancer often spreads. CT scans, however, often miss small tumors, and bone scans can generate false positives as a result of other damage or abnormalities that have nothing to do with prostate cancer.</p><p>PSMA PET/CT scans track the travels of an intravenously administered radioactive glucose tracer throughout the body. For hunting down prostate cancer, this tracer contains a molecule that binds to the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1472940/" target="_blank">PSMA</a> protein that's present in large amounts in prostate tumors. The molecule is linked to a radioisotope, <a href="https://netrf.org/2018/11/13/gallium-68-scan-for-neuroendocrine-tumors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gallium-68</a> (Ga-68).</p><p>In last spring's research, PSAM PET/CT was shown to be 27 percent more accurate than previous methods at finding metastases (92 percent accuracy as opposed to 65 percent). In addition, it was found to be much less likely to produce false positives, and it was particularly good at detecting tumors far removed from the prostate.</p>A good kind of avoidance behavior
<p>"Radiation therapy can damage the salivary glands," says Vogel, "which may lead to complications. Patients may have trouble eating, swallowing, or speaking, which can be a real burden."</p><p>The researchers looked back through the cases of 723 patients who had undergone radiation treatment, interested in seeing if inadvertent radiation of the tubarial glands was associated with the complications experienced by the patients. It turned out that this <em>was</em> the case: In cases where more radiation had been delivered to this area, patients did indeed report more in the way of complications of the type one would expect when salivary glands are radiated.</p><p>Now that we know the tubarial salivary glands exist, therapists can stay out of their way. Vogel says, "For most patients, it should technically be possible to avoid delivering radiation to this newly discovered location of the salivary gland system in the same way we try to spare known glands."</p><p>He's hopeful that that things may be about to get at least a bit better for cancer patients: "Our next step is to find out how we can best spare these new glands and in which patients. If we can do this, patients may experience less side effects which will benefit their overall quality of life after treatment."</p>
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