Yallvend, AuthMe and BiiLabs have jointly developed a KYC (know your customer) solution for vending machines to enable them to sell products, such as cigarettes or alcohol, to qualified consumers via personal identity verification, according to Yallvend CEO Duncan Huang.Yallvend is a mobile payment and cloud-based stock management solutions develolper for vending machines. AuthMe develops digital personal identification technology, while BiiLabs is a distributed ledger technology developer.AuthMe-developed personal identity verification works by reading data from the passport chip via NFC technology into consumers' smartphones, and then verifying the consumer's identity using facial recognition and algorithm-based liveness detection, company CEO Andy Lee explained. As the specification of passport chips conforms to International Civil Aviation Organization's standards, the personal data contained in such chips are highly reliable in terms of authenticity, Lee noted.Most of smartphone-read personal data, after being verified, are encrypted while some are processed for being disclosed such as "the person is qualified for buying cigarettes or liquor", BiiLabs COO Amanda Ye said.The collaboration began in September 2019. The KYC solution is at the POC (proof of concept) stage and is expected to be showcased at CES 2020, Huang noted.Yallvend has also developed VUK module equipped with a 4G antenna and a QR code sticker for vending machines to enable consumers to use mobile payment and machine operators to conduct cloud-based stock management, Huang said.AuthMe CEO Andy Lee (left) and Yallvend CEO Duncan Huang Photo: Yihan Li, Digitimes, December 2019

Paris-Saclay, a research-intensive and high-tech business cluster in the south of the French capital city, aims to become an international scientific and technological hub competiting with Silicon Valley, according to senior project manager Jeremy Herve.Paris-Saclay consists of University of Paris-Saclay, Ecole Polytechnique, higher education institutions, public and private research organizations as well as R&D centers and labs set up by international high-tech firms such as Dassault Systemes, General Electric and Airbus, Herve said.Based on these resources and innovative spirit, Paris-Saclay incubates startup businesses, and enterprises stationed there are able to evaluate commercial feasibility for startups' innovations and marketability, Herve said.Paris-Saclay focuses on five areas: ICT technologies; healthcare; energy efficiency; aerospace, defense and security; mobility services, Herve said. In addition to accelerators/incubators established in university campuses and enterprises, there are independent ones, Herve noted.The French government has set aside a budget of EUR10 billion (US$11.0 billion) to help accelerators/incubators and encourage big businesses to provide operational resources for startups, Herve indicated.Under government's financial assistance and Paris-Saclay's operational mechanism, most of the startups at Paris-Saclay remain independent. Cedric Auliac, an AI expert at Paris-Saclay, indicated that if all startup businesses are eventually acquired by big businesses, it will be difficult to bring about real changes to technological development.One of the startups YoGoKo, which provides communication solutions, has helped France-based Vedecom Tech develop IoV positioning technology with errors of only a few centimeters.Paris-Saclay senior project manager Jeremy Herve (right) and AI expert Cedric AuliacPhoto: Yihan Lee, Digitimes, December 2019

The prospect of 5G definitely looks promising, but players in the supply chain have to make sure they have sufficient support from one another in order to fully enjoy the opportunities promised by the arrival of 5G. Chipmakers and their partners are gearing up to build key components inventory. UMC also sees strong growth momentum coming from the 5G sector, expecting explosive expansion in demand for foundry services in 2020. The memory sector is also anticipating a recovery driven by demand from the 5G and server sectors. Now the memory sector is expecting double-digit supply shortfalls for DRAM and NAND flash in the second-half of 2020.Chipmakers, partners moving to secure 5G key components inventory: Mobile chipmakers are gearing up to secure stronger support from supply chain partners aiming to gain a greater presence in the market for 5G smartphones whose shipments are estimated to reach at least 200 million units in 2020, according to industry sources.UMC sees clear growth momentum for 5G in 2020: Taiwan's pure-play foundry UMC will see clear growth momentum in 2020 come from ever-increasing chips foundry demand for 5G applications, with clients moving actively to pull in shipments to build up inventory, according to company co-president SC Chien.DRAM, NAND flash supply may see double-digit shortfalls in 2H20: The memory sector is expected to resume growth momentum in 2020 thanks to steady increase in demand for 5G and server applications, with DRAM and NAND flash to see supply shortfalls in second-half 2020, accoding to industry sources.

Medical Augmented Intelligence (MAI) has applied VR technology to developing solutions based on restructuring medical images for use in simulating surgical operation and medical education in anatomy, according to company founder and CEO Sam Jang.The Taiwan-based startup has developed Digital Twin by restructuring medical images including X-ray, CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for VR application to precision medicine, Jang said. By virtue of immersive VR experience, Digital Twin enables surgeons gain insight into 3D details of the parts of the bodies to be operated on from different viewing angles, Jang noted. Besides, surgeons can let patients know conditions of diseases and explain optimal surgical operation to them.MAI has also developed BodyMap, a standardized comprehensive and medically accurate anatomical system through restructuring human bodies for use in teaching anatomy, Jang said. VR-based education using BodyMap can enable students to understand the structures of human organs in relation to vascular and nervous systems as well as to simulate optimal paths of surgery in terms of depth and angle, Jang indicated.MAI looks to use VR technology to integrate human organs and tissues in western medicine with theories about nerve-based acupuncture, Jang noted. The integration matched with AI and big data analysis may find correlation, interaction and influence between organs/tissues and symptoms of diseases to explore therapeutic possibilities, playing a bridge between western and Chinese medicine, Jang explained.MAI founder & CEO Sam JangPhoto: Company

TripMoment uses VR technology to develop online tourism platforms to enhance tourist experience, according to company founder James Lee.The Taiwan-based startup has developed three platforms: TripMoment, a travel agency and TripMoment VR, Lee said.TripMoment provides video content of detailed information about tourism sites to let tourists as thoroughly as possible know their tourism activities beforehand, aiming to hike tourists' satisfaction with sight-seeing trips. TripMoment plans to introduce AI to provide customized sight-seeing trips, Lee noted.The travel agency provides a complete package of travel services for tourists and advertising-based marketing services for partnering government tourism authorities, airlines, hotels and restaurants, Lee indicated.TripMoment VR is a VR theme park to provide users with VR experience and immersive interactions about tourism destinations around the world, Lee said.The tourism industry needs to use technology to provide customized sight-seeing trips on a large scale, Lee indicated.Currently focusing on the domestic market, TripMoment plans to tap other markets in Asia, and it plans to modularize VR services for use on a franchise basis in overseas markets, Lee said.TripMoment founder James LeePhoto: Vicky Liu, Digitimes, December 2019

MedicalTek has developed MonoStereo, a 3D endoscopic visualization system that provides 3D images to help surgeons hike accuracy and quality for minimal invasive surgical operation.MedicalTek, a startup business engaged in developing medical solutions for minimal invasive surgery and incubated by Show Chwan Health Care System in central Taiwan, showcased its solutions in a recent Dtalk forum arranged by Digitimes.MedicalTek aims to improve quality and safety for minimal invasive surgery through strengthening surgeons' sensing capability by virtue of converting 2D endoscopic images to 3D ones, the company said.MedicalTek has signed with 12 sales agents in Taiwan, the UK, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Myanmar and plans to offer 4K models in 2020.San Draw, a startup incubated at Berkeley SkyDeck, an accelerator program of the University of California, Berkeley, unveiled a silicone 3D printer in early 2019, according to company CEO Michael Lu at the Dtalk event.Founded in 2015, San Draw obtained a US patent for its silicone 3D printing technology in 2017 and raised funds from international venture capital firms in 2018, Lu said.The silicone 3D printing technology features various colors and adjustable hardness of printed products and multiple materials used in the printing, and can be applied to RTV (room-temperature-vulcanizing) silicone and liquid silicone, Lu noted. In addition to the US, San Draw has obtained patents in Taiwan, Japan and China for the technology, Lu indicated.Silicone 3D printing, for production of silicone-based materials for medical use, entails much less cost and time than manual molding and liquid injection molding, Lu said.Broadsims has developed AI-based verification system (AVS) to secure regulatory compliance for development of medical instruments and devices, company founder and CEO Bruce Yu said during the forum.With built-in YY, JJG and IEC technical standards, AVS can automatically interpret the related regulations to check regulatory compliance for a medical instrument or device to be developed, facilitating the product's certification, Yu said.Broadsims has developed several versions of AVS for medical instruments or devices used in monitoring patients, ECG (electrocardiogram) monitoring, Holter ECG monitoring, SpO2 monitoring (pulse oximetry), NIBP (non-invasive blood pressure) monitoring, infusion pumping, diagnostic and monitoring ultrasound, high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound.San Draw CEO Michael LuBroadsims founder & CEO Bruce YuPhotos: Digitimes staff, November 2019

With the arrival of 5G's commercialization, Taiwan- and China-based makers of components including PCB and cooling modules, are expected to see rising orders from the segment, which will also improve their operations in 2020. Meanwhile, as true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds have grown popular among consumers, many smartphone vendors are planning to bundle one with their upcoming flagship products and will increase related chip demand.Chinese makers to see 2019 earnings double on strong HLC PCB demand: China's leading PCB makers Shennan Circuits and Wus Printed Circuit are expected to see their net earnings for 2019 double from 2018 on robust demand for high-layer-count (HLC) PCBs with higher margins for use in servers as well as 5G base stations that are under massive construction in China, according to industry sources.Cooling module makers eyeing robust application demand for 5G devices: The commercialization of 5G communication networks will spur the growth of both base station and smartphone markets, which in turn will significantly drive demand for high-performance cooling modules in 2020, according to industry sources.Taiwan chipmakers optimistic about demand for TWS earbuds in 2020: Chip demand for true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds and earphones is set to remain robust in 2020, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

JustCo, a Singapore-based coworking space provider, has been keen to help startups better tap funding, talent, technology and market resources needed to support their operations through flexible space usage solutions, distinct space designs and friendly community ecosystems offered for coworking space users including startups and large enterprises, according to George Chen, general manager of JustCo Taiwan.Chen said through renting coworking space, enterprises ranging from startups with fewer than 10 staffers to established businesses with over 200 employees, can achieve the most cost-effective use of office space in the employee turnover process.Besides stylish light meal and drink bar, indoor decoration and space designs, JustCo usually reserves 30-40% of the coworking space for common use by employees of enterprises renting the space, allowing them to stoke creative ideas through social exchanges further paving the way for cross-industry cooperation, according to Chen.He continued that a regular gathering is held every other week, with 2-3 enterprises invited each time to share their services and product offerings, providing opportunities for many startups to more easily locate talents, raise funds, share technologies and develop markets.Chen also noted that a JustCo app is also available to allow clients to reserve JustCo conference rooms worldwide before going abroad on errands and they can also build personal connections with other member clients through the assistance of the firm's central management platform.JustCo Taiwan general manager George ChenPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, November 2019

Open AI Fab, a provider of subscription-based consulting in AI technology and AI solution, has developed Auto Hair, an AI-based automated image matting model to remove the background of hairs (human or animal) in images for use in advertising design, according to company CEO Jon Huang.The development of Auto Hair was enabled by comparing open-source AI algorithms concerning image matting and integrating them as well as using trimap generated from masks of Google DeepLab v3+, Huang explained. The automatically generated trimap is an image consisting of foreground, background and an uncertain region, with pixels in the region classified as either foreground or background based on AI-based comparison for removing background. Auto Hair can reach fine removal of hairs in images, Huang said.Open AI Fab has also used natural language processing (NLP) technology to build an AI-based model for law offices, Huang noted. The model can recognize food advertising with exaggerating texts, such as those about therapeutic effects, to avoid violation of regulations on advertising, Huang indicated. This is because lawyers' recognition is repeated and time-consuming work, Huang said, adding that the model can also indicate risky wording which is likely to violate regulations.Open AI Fab plans to offer NLP-enabled chat robots in the second quarter of 2020, Huang noted. Such chat robots are expected to help users express moods and inner thoughts that are unable or inconvenient to be shared with others, Huang indicated.Open AI Fab CEO Jon HuangPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, November 2019

Smart-centric commercial applications derived and based on the traits of 5G networks such as IoT and smart manufacturing represent not only new business opportunities but also best buffers for Taiwan's telecom operators transitioning from 4G to 5G technology.While most industry observers are saying that the looming 5G commercial operations will bring great benefits to upstream chipset makers such as Intel, Qualcomm and MediaTek, to telecom equipment providers such as Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei, and as well as end-market device players including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Huawei and Xiaomi, Taiwanese telecom operators have been cautious about the prospects, at least at the initial stage, to be brought by 5G networks.It is not chips, equipment or end-market devices that telecom operators count on to develop their 5G businesses. Instead, the development and advancement of their 5G business will rely on whether 5G-related services and applications can be accepted by the market.After all, most local telecom operators are still reeling from the unfavorable business model - unlimited data access - which they have adopted for 4G services. The ROI (return on investment) for 4G infrastructure has been lower than expected for most of the telecom players so far.Data from Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) also showed that the ARPU (average revenue per user) for Taiwan's 4G services reached only NT$463 (US$15.18) a month in the second quarter of 2019.Given that the density of 5G base stations is to be 1.6-2.7 times that of 4G's and the power consumption of 5G base stations is likely to be 2.8-4.7 times that of 4G, it is crucial for the telecoms to be able to hike ARPU for 5G networks.The local telecom operators will have to optimize the traits of high speed, low latency and wide connectivity of 5G networks to develop related solutions for industrial applications.A number of highly anticipated applications such as autonomous driving, IoV, smart manufacturing and smart city will not be able to take off without the features of low latency and wide connectivity typical of 5G.There are quite a few actual field test cases that have introduced 5G into industrial applications. For example, Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai) has built up lighthouse factories in China; BMW plans to connect over 100 of manufacturing sites worldwide through 5G networks; and Samsung is actively promoting smart manufacturing as part of its upgrading efforts.