Top 3 tech, startup and sustainability stories of the week, 9th

This week’s stories come from Abu Dhabi, Australia and the UK

1-Uber to launch robotaxi in Abu Dhabi

Uber to start robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi. The company teamed up with Chinese autonomous vehicle developer WeRide to introduce self-driving robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi.

I saw this story at Cnbc and WeRide’s robotaxis, hailed via the Uber app, will include a human driver to ensure safety for passengers and pedestrians, according to Uber’s announcement. The companies plan to roll out fully driverless commercial services by 2025 in the region.

The pilot program will cover routes between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island, as well as trips to and from Zayed International Airport, per the story. WeRide, listed on Nasdaq, holds permits for autonomous vehicle testing and operations in Dubai, China, Singapore, and the U.S., as noted on its official website. (By the way I have a story about here )

Let me note that Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO at Uber, highlighted the company’s expanding autonomous vehicle strategy during its third-quarter earnings call in October, citing partnerships with over a dozen autonomous vehicle companies. Before expanding to the UAE, Uber was already facilitating tens of thousands of autonomous rides per month in the U.S.

Despite the growth of autonomous services, analysts have flagged potential risks. James Cordwell, Analyst at Redburn Atlantic, noted in a report that autonomous vehicles could pose a “structural risk” to Uber’s core mobility business. He pointed out Alphabet-owned Waymo as both a key partner and competitor in the U.S.

However, Cordwell expressed optimism about Uber’s position in the evolving autonomous market. “We believe autonomy will significantly expand the addressable market, and Uber is well positioned to aggregate autonomous vehicle providers,” he added.

Uber to launch robotaxi in Abu Dhabi (Photo: Uber Technologies)

2-UK police introduce bluetooth wristbands to protect dementia patients

Avon and Somerset police in the UK launched a trial program featuring Bluetooth-enabled wristbands in a move to safeguard dementia patients.

I read the story at The Next Web and the high-tech initiative, starting this month, aims to address the challenges posed by dementia, a condition characterized by severe memory loss and disorientation.

Families will receive the wristbands for free as part of the program. Equipped with Tile tracking devices, similar to Apple AirTag, these wristbands allow caregivers to monitor a patient’s location via a smartphone app. If the wearer moves out of a designated range, the app sends an alert.

The Bluetooth tags typically have a range of a few hundred meters, but they leverage Tile’s crowdsourced tracking network by connecting with nearby smartphones running the Tile app. Life360, the U.S.-based company behind Tile, reports a global user base of over 76 million for its app.

The initiative is part of a larger effort to address the growing global challenge of dementia, which affects over 55 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

In addition to location tracking, Tile wristbands feature QR codes that can be scanned to connect caregivers or next of kin via phone or text. Unlike GPS trackers, which require frequent charging, the Bluetooth wristbands have a battery life of around three years.

UK police introduce bluetooth wristbands to protect dementia patients (Photo: The Next Web)

3-Australia to oblige big tech companies pay for news

Australian government announced new regulations requiring big tech companies to pay local publishers for hosting news content. The decision builds on a 2021 law that made Australia the first country to compel companies like Meta and Google to compensate publishers for their content.

I read the story at the BBC and the new framework introduces the News Bargaining Incentive, which will mandate companies earning more than A$250 million ($160 million) annually to establish commercial agreements with media outlets or face higher taxes. Unlike the previous system, the updated rules will obligate tech firms to contribute financially even if they don’t sign deals with publishers.

The previous News Media Bargaining Code allowed publishers to negotiate payments with platforms, leading to millions of dollars in investment in Australian digital content. However, as these agreements near expiration, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced it would not renew its contracts with Australian news outlets. This decision has resulted in an estimated A$200 million revenue shortfall for local publishers.

Meta also revealed plans to phase out its Facebook news tab in Australia, citing low user interest in news. “News comprises less than 3% of what people globally see in their Facebook feed,” the company said in a February statement, adding that it would redirect funds toward other areas.

Under the new scheme, set to take effect in January 2025 and solidified in law by February, tech companies will be incentivized to fund Australian journalism through tax offsets rather than direct government revenue generation.