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When most people think of wide-spread surveillance, the government immediately comes to mind. It’s a fair association given programs like the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), which targeted Black activists and even Black-owned bookstores , to the present-day Countering Violent Extremism program targeting Muslim youth. However, as technology advances, private companies are getting their hands deeper and deeper into the business of surveillance. Recently, Amazon patented “Surveillance-as-a-Service,” a technology pitched as a home security system, according to Smart Cities Dive . The patent is for a drone that can “perform a surveillance action at a property of an authorized party.” Its capabilities would include photographs, video, infrared, thermal scanning, night-vision, and audio. The patent claims that areas around the drone would be geo-fenced, so it couldn’t pick up any data. However, Amazon has often been criticized for its home devices gathering information...
Wing, a drone startup owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet — has been making major moves. Last month, the company launched one of the world’s first drone delivery services in Australia. Now, it’s expanding its delivery program. Starting in June, Wing will offer drone deliveries in Helsinki, Finland . To start, Wing plans to offer the pilot program in the city’s Vuosaari district. Similar to Wing’s program in Australia, customers will be able to order food and snacks Finnish pastries and meatballs in minutes. A video of a Wing drone delivery was uploaded by Mayor of Helsinki, Jan Vapaavuori. “In Vuosaari receiving the first ever drone delivered meal in Europe!” Vapaavuori tweeted . Helsinki on kiinnostava ja toimiva testialusta tulevaisuuden ratkaisuille. Tänään Vuosaaressa vastaanottamassa Euroopan ensimmäistä drone-kuljetettua ateriaa! In Vuosaari receiving the first ever drone delivered meal in Europe! #wing #drone #myhelsinki #vuosaari pic.twitter.com/dRE8r45dzw — Jan...
Time is of the essence when it comes to getting organs to patients who need them, and a recent test may have sparked a breakthrough in how they’re delivered. On April 19, a drone successfully delivered a donor kidney to surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center . It marked the first time a drone has been used to deliver an organ to a transplant patient. The drone traveled about three miles to deliver the kidney, according to MIT Technology Review . According to a UMMC press release, the patient was a 44-year-old woman from Baltimore who’d spent eight years on dialysis before the procedure. She was discharged a few days later. Dr. Joseph R. Scalea, assistant professor of surgery at UMSOM, and one of the surgeons who performed the transplant at UMMC, said: “There remains a woeful disparity between the number of recipients on the organ transplant waiting list and the total number of transplantable organs. This new technology has the potential to help widen the donor...
On Tuesday, Wing — a startup owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet — confirmed its launch of one of the first drone delivery services in the world. In a blog post , Wing revealed it launched its first air service in Canberra, Australia . To start, the service will be available to 100 homes in Crace, Palmerston, and Franklin, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said . Wing shared its plans to expand into Harrison and Gungahlin in the coming months. By using Wing’s services, customers can order items like fresh food or hot coffee on a mobile app. Through its partnership with local Canberra businesses, drones will be able to deliver in a matter of minutes. In a video, Kickstart Expresso — one of the participating businesses — outlined just how the drone service works. A CASA spokesperson told Business Insider that the agency approved Wing’s delivery service, noting that it was “very likely” a world first. CASA found that the operations met an “acceptable level of...
The city of Raleigh is launching a groundbreaking drone program that could change the way hospitals approach transporting supplies. Getting medical supplies from one location to another can be a time-consuming task for some hospitals — especially those in large metropolitan areas — and when you’re transporting materials like blood or organs, every second counts. Hospitals are now turning to tech to save time. Recently, UPS partnered with Matternet , a drone tech company, to deliver medical samples at WakeMed’s Raleigh campus using unmanned drones. WakeMed is a group of healthcare buildings, including hospitals, with facilities throughout the city. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the North Carolina Department of Transportation provided oversight for the project, according to the press release. Not only is this an interesting application of drone technology, but it marks a historical moment. Bala Ganesh, vice president of UPS’ advanced technology group, said, according to...
In Minnesota, legislation that would limit police drone use has received bipartisan support at the state Capitol so far, as reported by Minnesota Public Radio . The bill, HF 1236 , has been introduced in both the House and the Senate. If the bill passes, it would require investigators to get a search warrant before they could use a drone to monitor someone. The only exceptions to that would be emergencies, like a missing person, natural disasters, or “terrorism-related incidents.” “We’re trying to limit the investigation of innocent people with technology where it’s not necessarily warranted,” Rep. John Lesch, DFL-St. Paul, who authored the House version of the bill, told MPR. “I think it’s Americans’ appreciation of our privacy rights that is really paramount and [that’s] why we’re pushing the legislation.” Law enforcement use of drones has seen regulation in other states , so Minnesota wouldn’t be the first. In Maine , for example, police are required to have a warrant when using...
Kande Sill is proof of the importance of exposing children to STEM routes early. The 16-year-old U.K. student has a passion for design and engineering, which was made possible by following her parents advice to attend a school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), she revealed on “The Perfect Balance Trod Class” podcast. “I never really had much of a directed interest in engineering before this, but when my parents said that maybe I should try out going to the school, a very STEM focused school, that was kind of when I got into engineering and I realized I quite enjoy learning about engineering,” Sill, who attends a University Technical College, explained on the podcast. According to Black News, she is now making a mark in the sector, serving as an inspiration for others. As part of a project, she created the “Enhancing Medical Delivery” prototype to deliver medical supplies more efficiently to underserved communities globally. Its design includes...
Five days of fun, networking, mentorship , and the chance to enjoy everything the most magical place on Earth has to offer — that’s what Disney’s Dreamers Academy is all about. From Wednesday, March 26, to Sunday, March 30, 2025, students from around the world traveled to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, to be inspired, motivated, and energized by educators, business executives, community leaders, and celebrities, including “DREAMbassador” Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”) and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe . For the 100 participants — ages 13 and 19 — such as Alexis Limary, Jayden Kelly, Christian Rutter, Iraj Shroff, Ava Powers, and Tristan Williams, getting accepted into the 18th annual Dreamers Academy was a dream come true, preparing them for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math ( STEM ). “The opportunity to even be able to come to Disney World, expenses paid, that’s just someone’s dream. Also, to be able to become a part of...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Over the past week, Los Angeles County has been battling wildfires that have devastated the city. Although some of the fires can be attributed to worsening climate conditions, some politicians blame artificial intelligence. While AI has proven to be a useful tool for wildfire prediction, the substantial amount of energy and water it amasses for its use raises concerns for a state already facing water scarcity. Wildfires aren’t a rare occurrence in California. The state has always experienced either naturally occurring wildfires or arson-related ignitions. But over the past few years, worsening climate conditions have led to more frequent and increasingly destructive fires. As of the most recent occurrence, neighborhoods in Altadena, Malibu, and the coastal Pacific Palisades have sustained the most significant damage. Reports confirm that over 20,000 acres have been burned, and more than 120,000...
If the workforce were a playlist, 2025 would give “Renaissance” by Beyoncé — a vibe shift, a reset, and a clear signal that the world of work is hitting some new high notes. The game is changing, and whether it’s artificial intelligence (AI) running point, the return of curated travel experiences, or frontline roles making a comeback, one thing is clear: opportunities are out here, but they won’t fall into your lap. For Black professionals, the stakes are high. Job competition is fierce, with 2.5 applicants per role compared to 1.5 in 2022. Confidence is shaky, and hiring managers ghost candidates like they forgot the assignment. However, according to LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise 2025 report , nearly 60% of these roles are fresh on the scene, signaling change and opportunity. “Fields like AI, experiential industries, and frontline jobs are booming, offering fresh opportunities to break into spaces where we’ve historically been underrepresented,” says Andrew McCaskill. AI: The...
The concept of work/life balance has been a significant sticking point in the social consciousness for years now, especially highlighted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and beyond. For some working individuals, going above and beyond seems to be the only way to feel valued at work, while others argue that they’re only willing to offer minimum performance for minimum payment . The value of hard work has long been a topic of debate, sparking discussions among young professionals and seasoned industry leaders alike—from boardrooms to online forums and beyond. Most recently, American tech mogul Marc Andreessen weighed in, introducing his argument for keeping the so-called “full self” out of the office. To understand the breadth of Andreessen’s comments, we’ll have to briefly unpack what it means to present your full self, dive into the collective opinion on American workplace values, and study industry trends in both social and professional spaces. It’s unlikely that we’ll...
Khalifa Aminu, at 18 years old, is reportedly behind a groundbreaking invention. It all started in Aminu’s childhood when he grew interested in building things after watching movies, he explained to DailyNews24 TV. That led him to build his first project, a canoe, and it opened his eyes to building intentionally to help out his community. Born in Kano, Nigeria, he cites other works, including a radio station, a bomb detector, and an automatic water spray for farmers. “All these inventions were made by me alone, without any support or materials provided for mass production,” Aminu told the outlet. Aminu’s next invention is now sensory glasses, which can help the visually impaired navigate their steps safely and unassisted. Infrared sensors attached to the glasses are able to detect approaching objects, according a video shared on TikTok by The 77 Percent. “I grew up in an area where there’s visually impaired people, and I understand what they’re going through. This is why I began the...
By now, most office environments allow employees the option of working from home for at least some portion of the week. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic proved that working from home was a viable strategy for many industries, a wide array of employees have expressed that they actually prefer it over commuting into the office. Despite this trend, many executives, land developers and middle managers prefer to have some face time with their employees, believing that in-office standards are responsible for keeping productivity in check. While this may be true for some employees, many others have taken to a new trend called coffee badging, which appears to boost their productivity, while actually reducing the total amount of work they complete in a given day. Coffee badging is the latest cultural buzzword floating around office environments, centering on the flexible nature of the hybrid workspace. In order to break down how it impacts a return-to-office schedule, we’ll first have to...