The advent of burgeoning public cloud services has not only revolutionized personal digital experiences but has also significantly enhanced operational efficiencies and reduced management costs for corporations worldwide.Traditionally, retail and food franchises faced substantial expenditures on diverse devices and IT infrastructure optimization to oversee branch operations and devise unified marketing strategies. This often entailed establishing a central management platform in home office data centers, necessitating costly periodic visits by IT engineers—an expense beyond the means of many small and medium-scale retail chains.Founder and CEO of Kabob Cloud, Steve Tsai, emphasizes the proliferation of digital signage, kiosks, and smart devices over the past decade. An increasing number of retailers are leveraging these tools to streamline branch operations and minimize management expenses.Today, retail and food franchises can install Android TVs at their branch stores, enabling managers to oversee operations and gather data via public cloud platforms, thereby obviating the need for costly traditional systems. This innovation not only slashes management costs but also empowers franchise operators to swiftly adapt to market changes through diverse marketing campaigns, facilitating the growth of small and medium-scale franchises.Having established a robust presence in Taiwan, Kabob Cloud has successfully expanded its operations into Asia and North America. Anticipating the trend towards smaller displays and the rising popularity of Android TVs equipped with versatile apps, Kabob Cloud, founded in 2016, developed a suite of management tools tailored for food chains and retail brands. With enthusiastic reception in Asian markets, including China, Japan, and Singapore, Kabob Cloud has recently established branch offices in North America, and partnered with distributors in Korea and Australia to further expand its footprint.To cater to evolving market demands, Kabob Cloud offers a comprehensive suite of 20 diverse service apps. They include digital signage management (Lookr), audio management (Voicer), advertisement integration (Adder), omnichannel content marketing (Fafa), queue management (Tico), staff training (Teachor), and floor guidance (Kiosk).Business owners can seamlessly deploy these service apps onto various devices at their stores via Kabob Cloud's platform, which boasts an intuitive management interface and hassle-free configuration. As a result, Kabob Cloud's solutions have garnered adoption by over 500 franchise brands, including industry giants such as McDonald's, SEPHORA, Burger King, MeetFresh, and Ganso, spanning over 110,000 connected devices across 30,000 stores.Tsai highlights that while Kabob Cloud initially targeted food and retail chains, its smart remote management and face recognition solutions are also suitable for AIoT applications. Consequently, these solutions find applications in diverse sectors, including manufacturing, real estate, and telecommunications. Kabob Cloud's participation in CES 2023 proved instrumental in bolstering its presence in North American markets, attracting significant attention from industry professionals and generating numerous inquiries.With subscription-based services becoming increasingly prevalent, Kabob Cloud recognizes the proliferation of similar offerings in the market. However, unlike many solution providers offering bundled software and hardware packages, Kabob Cloud's solutions seamlessly operate across various devices and brands used at franchise stores, supporting multiple platforms such as Android, Linux, Windows, and iOS. This flexibility allows business owners to choose devices based on their preferences, budgets, and store characteristics, while managing and maintaining all devices effortlessly via a centralized platform, thereby maximizing operational efficiency.In response to intensifying market competition and evolving application scenarios, Kabob Cloud is committed to ongoing app development and collaboration with third-party software developers to expand its offerings. By establishing a software marketplace, Kabob Cloud aims to foster mutually beneficial partnerships with customers and partners, ensuring its continued leadership in the industry.(Editor's note: The original article was published in TTA Magazine Issue 14. Read more startup stories in TTA Magazines.)Kabob Cloud – a one-stop management platform integrating multiple applicationsPhoto: Kabob Cloud

As the global lingua franca, English communication skills are crucial for anyone looking to succeed in academics and the workplace.However, improving English proficiency typically requires a lot of effort for non-native speakers, especially in listening and speaking. Immersing in an all-English environment and having a 24/7 personal tutor who converses exclusively in English would be immensely beneficial for any learner, but not everyone can afford it, finding the right teacher is another challenge.This was also the challenge faced by Vu Van, who was born and raised in Vietnam. She initially thought her English level was good enough, and she got many opportunities in the local job market to work for international companies because of her language proficiency. It was not until Vu went to study at Stanford University, where she pursued an MBA and a Master's in Education that she realized her non-native accent prevented her from freely expressing herself and communicating smoothly with professors and classmates.The situation left her feeling frustrated so she started to look for a speech coach to improve her pronunciation. It turned out extremely expensive, the hourly rate could be as high as $200. All these became the driving force behind her founding ELSA eight years ago.Aimed to create an affordable personal English tutor available 24/7, Vu collaborated with a speech technologist, Dr. Xavier Anguera, to form a company and officially launched ELSA Speak in 2016. According to Michael Ngo, ELSA's General Manager of SEA Cluster and Taiwan, leveraging AI technologies and a self-built large database, the ELSA Speak smartphone app is not only a personal English tutor right in learners' pockets, but also a unique learning tool that can pinpoint pronunciation mistakes in every sound of a word and sentence, even at conversation level, then provide real-time, accurate feedback to guide users on how to improve.8 years ago, AI was not such a hot topic as today, "there were existing models that were available, but none of them were good enough for what we want," Ngo said. At the time, AI models could only conduct certain conversations but were unable to serve as learning tools. So the ELSA team built their own AI model and introduced generative AI technology to their solutions, to enable a unique personalized English learning tool."Recently, we've successfully developed & released two more powerful AI tools that bring users' English to the next level. One is ELSA AI, which lets users practice real-world roleplay conversations with AI and Speech Analyzer, which provides detailed feedback for any free-formed speeches." As Ngo mentioned, these tools are not only capable of engaging in ongoing conversations with users without limitation of time and location, help to correct pronunciation and grammar, but also simulate specific scenarios, such as job interviews and business conversations, allowing users to practice before entering the actual events, enhancing their confidence.ELSA's uniqueness and advantages have gained favor from numerous investors, including leading venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Gradient Ventures, an outstanding venture fund specializing in investing in the AI of Google is also one of them. So far ELSA has successfully raised $50 million in capital and got over 50 million downloads globally, their subscribers across more than 195 countries worldwide.Since its launch, ELSA has also won many prestigious awards and recognitions, including "Best Digital Learning App" by Reimagine Education, winner of SXSWEdu Launch Competition, the leading education technology exhibition in the US, Top 5 Artificial Intelligence Applications by Research Snipers, and a world-changing AI product mentioned by Forbes. Recently, ELSA has secured Series C funding, including the participation of UniPresident Taiwan. ELSA will use the funding "to support, grow the platform, and expand our global offering by increasing our presence further in Taiwan with our new investors," Vu said.With its semiconductor and electronics industry supply chain, Taiwan plays an increasingly significant role in the global market. More and more international companies have come for investment, increasing the need for local employees with bilingual skills. Taiwanese companies also need many experts with a variety of abilities, including English and international mobility, to adapt to global supply chain deployment. ELSA recognizes the growth potential of the Taiwan market and considers it one of the key focuses for future operations."And we see Taiwan has set a goal of becoming bilingual in Chinese and English by 2030. To achieve that goal, the Taiwanese government also urged educators and learners to leverage technology and AI for people to practice English with more effective, personalized, and engaging methodologies." Ngo added that, in addition to subscription service for individual users, collaborating with schools and businesses to provide English training solutions has always been one of the business models that ELSA values greatly.Ngo recalls how a blue-collar worker who worked in a factory in Vietnam improved his English proficiency significantly within six months with ELSA's tools and got the opportunity to study abroad. After completing his studies and returning to Vietnam, he obtained higher-level job opportunities and pay. ELSA has also helped a stay-at-home mother who relocated to the United States with her husband to master English language skills and the ability to run her small businesses to contribute to their households financially. These success stories motivate ELSA to continue improving and providing subscribers with a better user experience.As a successful startup, ELSA also shared its tips for operating a business with other entrepreneurs. " First, start with the big problem, because if the problem you try to solve is too small or too niche, you won't be able to scale up," Ngo said. Second, stay agile, "As technology advances rapidly, it's crucial to constantly assess the market's response to your products and services, swiftly determine the necessary changes and what's your next step." Last but not least, "Always focus on the end user's experience. Building a cool product is good, but if nobody uses it or has no value, it's probably not going to be a viable business."(Editor's note: The original article was published in TTA Magazine Issue 14. Read more startup stories in TTA Magazines.)ELSA English AI tutor

Electric vehicle (EV) makers exert every effort to resolve range anxiety by boosting the EV range by either increasing the battery output or decreasing the power consumption. As opposed to today's commonplace approaches of raising the battery capacity, Taiwan-based startup PurismEV has developed an AI-enabled adjustment system that improves the EV battery and motor efficiency based on driving habit analysis, thereby increasing the EV range by more than 40%. The system provides a quick solution for automakers, ride-sharing fleets, and logistics companies with a limited budget to optimize their operating costs.According to PurismEV COO Ming-hsuan Chu, raising the battery capacity may increase the EV range but it also adds to the vehicle's cost and weight. A smarter approach is to both increase the battery energy efficiency and decrease the power consumption. PurismEV's solution performs automated EV system calibrations based on driving habits and throttle control to thereby significantly boost the EV range with no need for larger battery capacity.As a seasoned veteran in the motorcycle industry, Chu started her career in the motorcycle component import/export business, searching for suitable Taiwan-made products for foreign motorcycle manufacturers. She discovered the enormous development potential of EV components after receiving a big order. This motivated her to found PurismEV with Gigi Huang, who has abundant experience in EV batteries. Joining forces, they endeavor to develop solutions that enhance EV energy efficiency while taking costs into consideration.In charge of the startup's product R&D, Huang designed PurismEV's AI energy efficiency solution to comprise two elements – an in-vehicle system and a cloud-based platform. The in-vehicle system collects the throttle and the driver's behavior data and adjusts the throttle responses according to machine learning algorithms. The collected data is forwarded to PurismEV's cloud platform with built-in digital twin models with the following features: 1) AI-based battery and motor degradation prediction, 2) battery safety and health prediction, and 3) driving habits analytics and creation of optimized control instructions. All these data mentioned above are then sent back to the in-vehicle system to perform optimized vehicle control, thereby boosting efficiency and safety. Compared to conventional fleet management systems, PurismEV's solution delivers more on-target and effective energy efficiency enhancements. Conventional fleet management systems have the in-vehicle computer log the data collected from the throttle and brake sensors which is downloaded from the vehicle after it returns to the base. The data is then analyzed and based on the results, drivers are assisted automatically to develop better driving habits, which is thanks to the unique dynamic calibrations done by PurismEV. There are two EV throttle control modes generally used by vehicle OEMs: Eco mode with power limitation and fixed throttle response curve, both of which could only deliver between 17% to 19% reduction in power consumption.PurismEV's solution dynamically adjusts the throttle curve based on software calculations of motor operating conditions detected by the sensor. The dynamic calibrations taking into account real-time data of the driving scenario, driver behavior and motor condition enable the motor to output a constant torque. Field test results indicate PurismEV's solution achieves over 40% energy savings. Moreover, automated calibrations are performed by the system with no driver interference, which ensures the energy efficiency enhancement is actually delivered without failure.Apart from the energy efficiency enhancement, PurismEV's product development process is another noteworthy feat. Both co-founders are seasoned veterans in the motor vehicle business. Huang, in charge of system R&D, drew on his practical experiences and leveraged Taiwan's complete supply chain resources to develop PurismEV's solution in just ten months, from design to commercialization. PurismEV has also secured a stable component supply. With ready access to components on the market, PurismEV has full control of the costs and volume production process.PurismEV operates two business models. The in-vehicle system is provided on a one-time sale basis while the cloud service is offered on an annual subscription basis. Its target customers include ride-sharing service operators and logistics companies with their own fleets. Its solution has been adopted by a major motorcycle ride-sharing service provider in Taiwan for trial purposes, proven to deliver over 40% energy savings as promised. As part of its efforts to expand globally, PurismEV has made itself seen on multiple occasions in markets abroad and is actively engaging with European and American customers to broaden its reach. With the commercialization underway, PurismEV's solution was recently showcased at trade exhibitions in Italy and the U.S., gaining market visibility. Chu noted that Taiwan-based startups are expanding their presence in the worldwide market thanks to a friendlier environment fostered by government support policies and private-sector investments. The types and quantity of investors are both rapidly growing, giving rise to more opportunities for startups to get funded. Chu hopes for prosperity to continue and invigorate Taiwan's industry, thereby creating a win-win situation for the business sector and the community.Product system diagramPhoto: PurismEVPurismEV throttle controlPhoto: PurismEV

According to the latest Taiwan Cancer Registry published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) in November 2023, lung cancer has overtaken colon cancer as the most common type of cancer in Taiwan. It is also one of the leading causes of death around the world. One of the reasons that lung cancer has such a high mortality rate is that it is often only diagnosed in later stages when the best time for treatment has lapsed. Therefore, early screening is of utmost importance. The DeepLung-CAC developed by DeepRad.AI employs multimodal AI technology, utilizing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) imaging It aims to achieve the goal of preventive medicine by detecting lung nodules and simultaneously predicting the risks of coronary artery calcification.DeepRad.AI is a spin-off company of Taipei Medical University founded by the university's former president, Professor Cheng-Yu Chen, a specialist in AI research. The company's research and development are centered on reducing case fatality rates through early detection and prevention, aiming to optimize the utilization of healthcare resources in society. Yao-Chi Chang, the CEO of DeepRad.AI, emphasized that the earlier lung cancer is detected, the higher the chances of recovery. With conventional X-ray technology, locating nodules is challenging, and by the time symptoms are identified, the cancer often progresses to stages three or four, resulting in a survival rate of only 10-30%. The widely used LDCT is highly effective and capable of detecting stage one or even stage zero lung cancers, significantly boosting the survival rate to over 90%.Nonetheless, the evaluation of LDCT lung cancer screening results currently relies on radiologists. The latest CT scanners can now offer up to 640 slices, resulting in a significant increase in the number of images for analysis. This surge in workload poses a substantial impact on doctors' productivity. In contrast, the DeepLung-CAC optimizes the clinical workflow to address these challenges.According to Yao-Chi Chang, DeepLung-CAC can provide doctors with preliminary results within five minutes after the completion of the LDCT scan. The patient's old and new images can also be compared to identify any nodular changes, assisting the doctor in explaining the screening results to the patient. Furthermore, DeepLung-CAC can automatically generate lung cancer screening reports that align with the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) standard. This significantly reduces the time required by doctors for analysis and report generation, enhancing the accuracy of test results and overall productivity.In addition to lung cancer screening, the DeepLung-CAC can simultaneously assess coronary artery calcification risks. Coronary artery calcification serves as a crucial indicator for evaluating the risk of cardiovascular disease. DeepRad.AI utilized paired data (i.e., examination data from simultaneous screening for lung cancer and coronary artery calcification)to train DeepLung-CAC. This enables the platform to simultaneously detect early-stage lung cancer and assess coronary artery calcification risk in a single LDCT scanning session. Following four years of research and analysis, DeepLung-CAC is now capable of screening for these two diseases, which rank as the first and second leading causes of death in Taiwan, using a single LDCT scan.The platform is currently undergoing clinical trials in anticipation of TFDA approval, expected to be granted in 2024. Clinical trials are underway at Taipei Medical University Hospital and Shuang Ho Hospital, where the platform has demonstrated improved CT interpretation efficiency.As for the market potential of DeepLung-CAC, approximately 500,000 people in Taiwan are categorized as high-risk for lung cancer, but only 50,000 underwent government-funded screening last year. If the concept of preventive health gains widespread acceptance, this could lead to a tenfold increase in overall screening volume in Taiwan. However, with only 1,600 radiologists currently available, there is an urgent need for AI to reduce their workload and enhance the quality of care. DeepRad.AI aims to assist and optimize the overall process for radiologists using AI. By improving the efficiency of lung cancer screening and early detection rates, the vision of successful lung cancer prevention and treatment can be realized.DeepRad.AI has made progress in screening for lung cancer and coronary artery calcification. The next step is to proactively develop predictions for osteoporosis and dementia. The company aims to contribute to innovative breakthroughs in the fields of preventive health and diagnosis.Yao-Chi Chang pointed out that the team's hard work and Taiwan's innovation-friendly environment are the two main factors to success. In addition to a focus on research and development, precise and effective market planning is crucial for start-ups to promote their products. He expresses hope that policy support from government agencies will attract the attention of foreign investors to DeepRad.AI's technology and platform, facilitating successful commercialization. Looking ahead, he envisions Taiwan refining its laws, regulations, and auxiliary policies to leverage its capabilities in technology and healthcare sectors, creating an even greater competitive edge in smart healthcare.DeepRad.AI utilizes a single LDCT examination and multimodal AI technology to conduct a one-time scan of the lungs and heart, enabling automated lung nodule detection and prediction of coronary artery calcification risk. The examination concludes with a standardized text report for doctors' referencePhoto: Company

With the coming Internet of Things (IoT) era, a large number of devices will be connected to the Internet. While this trend brings convenience, it also brings an increased risk of equipment being hacked and chips being illegally copied. Faced with such threats to information security, the Taiwanese start-up Jmem Technology (Jmem Tek) has developed various products, such as MSOTP and PUF, that can help companies raise their storage density, prevent physical attacks, and generate random data for higher unpredictability, to meet the market's high demand for security.John Chang, CEO of Jmem Tek, pointed out that there are several pain points in information security for chips. First, most memory chips are very similar in their structure, while the main difference is the firmware. This similarity makes it easier for hackers to crack. Second, a large amount of firmware is stored in OTP (one-time programmable) memory. Protecting firmware has thus become the current key to information security. Third, chips are exposed to the risk of reverse engineering. Hackers can easily obtain chip data by removing the coating or using physical methods such as X-ray. Jmem Tek's technology can solve those pain points.Jmem Tek was co-founded by four graduates of the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University—John Chang, Paul Lo, Johnny Lu, and Jerry Chang, with their product concepts originating from John Chang's doctoral thesis. The company currently houses a team of about 15, whose member's backgrounds include electronic engineering and other professional fields. John pointed out that, in its early days, the Jmem Tek team actively participated in competitions to promote its innovative concepts and technological achievements. And it did quite well—for example, this year (2023), it was invited to participate in the City-Tech.Tokyo event for startups, the world's largest urban technology exhibition, hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. In September, it was selected as second place in the TW-SG Startup Exchange Program and was invited to the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH). Then, in November, it was selected into the TINVA TOP 10 Startup by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) New Venture Association (TINVA), showing the company's potential for development.John then introduced Jmem Tek's major technologies. Its patented MSOTP is a major innovation in the field of anti-fuse OTP memory. Each device unit in MSOTP can store two bits of data. That means fewer transistors can store the same amount of data as in traditional methods. In addition, the structure Jmem Tek designed makes it difficult for physical attacks such as X-ray and decapping to attain the storage status of the MSOTP. Since it is also highly compatible with the CMOS logic process, the technology requires no additional photomask during the manufacturing process, meaning production costs can be reduced.MSOTP's low power consumption and small surface area are particularly suitable for IoT, where space is limited and devices are distributed. Applications for MSOTP include secure data storage, key storage, sensor fine-tuning, parameter setting, function selection, etc. In addition, users can also integrate MSOTP and traditional OTP to avoid brute force cracking and meet higher security level storage requirements.In addition to MSOTP, Jmem Technology's patented technology also includes hardware security technology PUF. PUF is a hardware security technology derived from non-uniformity in the wafer manufacturing process. The unique "uniqueness" and "unpredictability" of PUF can generate random sequences in the trust system, effectively reducing the risk of being cracked by the algorithm. Jmem Technology's patented PUF technology relies on its innovative structure to reduce chip area and improve performance, making it highly competitive in the market.The technologies of MSOTP and PUF make the chip almost impossible to crack by reverse engineering, greatly improving the security strength. The company's current business model is to provide design services to IC manufacturers, John pointed out. This technology is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises or start-up teams that cannot easily obtain relevant resources from large IC design manufacturers. Jmem Tek can assist customers with limited scale to quickly meet the security needs of the market.Regarding future development, John said that Jmem Tek will focus on the two major areas of the Internet of Things and vehicle-mounted systems, as well as AIoT protection algorithms and solutions that combine the algorithms on the device side to avoid algorithm theft. There are a large number of edge devices in the Internet of Things, and the functions of chips are single and there are many cost considerations. The company's solutions help manufacturers in this field create economical and simple systems. The automotive market has taken off rapidly in recent years, and industry players and consumers have become increasingly aware of system security. Jmem Technology's patented technology meets these needs. Since the automotive field requires long-term certification, the initial focus will be on the Internet of Things. The automotive market development strategy is to first establish cooperative relationships with industrial supply chain manufacturers and enter the market step by step.It has been about a year and a half since its establishment in April 2022. John's feelings about Taiwan's new innovation environment are quite positive. He pointed out that Taiwan currently has a vibrant atmosphere for innovation, with policies, regulations, and various plans becoming more and more complete, such as the startup cluster planned by TTA and InnoVEX, the startup exhibition area that helped participate in COMPUTEX. For start-up teams with limited resources, it will bring huge help in technology exposure and fundraising. In addition, he also hopes that there will be more resources and policies focusing on early-stage start-ups in the future. It allows teams with the potential to accelerate their maturity and create a win-win vision of co-prosperity for both the enterprise and the country's economic development.Jmem Tek team membersPhoto: Company

Enterprise operations are facing increasing challenges due to intense competition in global industries. Repetitive tasks with heavy workloads, high risks caused by human operations, inefficient resource utilization, heavy pressure during business peaks, and increasingly complex cross-platform system operations—these factors not only consume a significant amount of time and energy but also hinder enterprise innovation. Now, many enterprises have introduced robotic process automation (RPA) to address the aforementioned pain points. The new generation of EMILY.RPA, launched by the startup team BILINK CORP., features a unique built-in web browser that not only boosts work efficiency but is also outstanding in terms of safety, usability, reliability, and integration. Currently, it has been adopted by several large domestic and foreign enterprises.Jerry Tseng, founder of BILINK CORP., pointed out that digital transformation has taken the world by storm, and enterprises have become more reliant on IT systems. In recent years, most enterprises have started to migrate documents and applications to cloud platforms. Cloud platforms can save enterprises the cost of building IT infrastructure and come with the advantage of immediate access via online login, thereby increasing operational efficiency. Under this trend, the role of PCs at work has gradually shifted from merely operation platforms to serving as the portal for web browsers to log into cloud platforms. However, there are information security concerns regarding RPA solutions from various brands that utilize users' web browsers to log into cloud platforms or search for information on web pages. EMILY.RPA has addressed these issues through its unique design.EMILY.RPA has four main features. Firstly, it can utilize RPA technologies to imitate ways in which humans operate computer software to achieve process automation. Additionally, it can directly interact with various types of software and cloud applications, eliminating the need for communication with software developers to perform custom modifications when implementing automated tasks. Secondly, the low-code and no-code scripting functions are designed through the combination of EMILY.RPA and machine learning algorithms. Low-code is a traditional programming method that allows professional programmers to easily adjust processes to fit their needs through minor modifications in coding. No-code, on the other hand, enables non-professional programmers to easily and quickly train and utilize EMILY.RPA through icons on the visual programming interface. It can automatically complete searches for market information and organize such data into specific formats that meet enterprises' requirements, among other tasks.The third feature is, unlike other RPA tools that require operation via the user's personal web browsers and the installation of extension components, EMILY.RPA utilizes dedicated web browsers to conduct operations, further protecting enterprises' information security. Currently, this technology has obtained Taiwan patents, and U.S. patents are under review. The fourth feature is that EMILY.RPA supports Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. Its range of applications can be expanded, enabling different system users to utilize this tool with high efficiency and strengthening the implementation of teamwork and communication. It simultaneously increases the flexibility of enterprise operations and ensures all internal users can receive the same user experience and technical support.The aforementioned features provide strong competitive advantages for EMILY.RPA. Currently, various types of enterprises have deployed it in their organization. Global panel manufacturer Innolux has boosted its work efficiency through the platform and resolved issues that could easily go wrong when handling repetitive tasks manually. In recent years, Innolux has actively promoted smart operations, with the aim of applying RPA in each department of the enterprise to improve their efficiency. Once EMILY.RPA is deployed, it can successfully resolve several long-standing issues. For instance, EMILY.RPA can precisely and efficiently collect price information from retail websites across the world, handle orders with diverse, complex content and special formats from international clients, and automatically complete tables required by companies. Aside from Innolux, logistics companies that need to handle a significant amount of receipts and order tracking information, as well as electronic commerce platforms that need to launch a significant amount of products and have the demand for purchase, sales, and inventory management, have deployed EMILY.RPA. Jerry Tseng emphasized the architecture of EMILY.RPA is highly flexible, and it adopts a subscription model. Whether large companies or small and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources, all can easily increase their efficiency and reduce human operational errors through this platform.Going forward, Jerry Tseng stated that digital transformation has become an inevitable trend. Optimizing work processes through digital transformation has become a necessary strategy for enterprises to increase their competitiveness, and the need for RPA functions from markets will also grow. The new generation of RPA must allow for easy and quick use in complicated scenarios. Thus, EMILY.RPA will leverage generative AI by training large language models (LLM) to enable RPA to swiftly understand users' needs through natural language and directly let robots complete tasks automatically.BILINK CORP. has been established for three years now, and the company has gained the trust of enterprises from different fields. Besides the hard work of its team, Jerry Tseng believes that policy support from the government is also one of the key reasons why the company has achieved outstanding performance. He pointed out that in recent years, the government has been actively improving the domestic start-up ecosystem, optimizing related regulations, and providing support. For instance, the Company Act, which was amended in 2018, allows the shareholding structure of start-up teams to be more flexible, thereby creating more sources of funding. Furthermore, the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) offers opportunities to participate in international exhibitions. Its aim is to increase companies' product visibility and make it easier for them to meet clients from overseas markets. BILINK CORP. appreciates the support from the government and TTA. The company will continue to strengthen the efficiency of its products in the future. Additionally, it aims to assist enterprises in various fields in implementing digital transformation through features such as high efficiency, safety, and usability.Three main features of automation technology from EMILY.RPA patented web browserPhoto: BILINK

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a common physiological monitoring device used in medicine. However, conventional ECGs must be operated by medical professionals and are monotonous and time-consuming to use. The PCA 500 developed by QT Medical, a company based in the United States, is a medical-grade 12-lead ECG system that is easy to use and can be operated by a layperson following simple instructions. The entire process takes no more than a minute. The recorded data is sent to the backend via a mobile device and is available to the physician in the cloud for case management and telemonitoring. In terms of accuracy, the device has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and clinical trials have proven that its performance is on par with high-end resting ECGs in terms of accuracy.Jackal Chen, senior vice president of QT Medical, pointed out that cardiovascular diseases pose a major threat to human health, with a mortality rate even higher than that of cancer. Fast and affordable, 12-lead ECGs have long been used for preliminary diagnosis and disease classification. According to the medical guidelines set forth by the American Heart Association (AHA), the performance of a 12-lead ECG is recommended when an individual experiences chest pain or tightness. Although these common symptoms may seem harmless, they are often the sign of heart disease. A 12-lead ECG provides an initial screening of heart conditions and helps the physician make a diagnosis.However, as the 12-lead ECG machines are located in hospitals and an ECG screening is usually only part of a complete medical examination, the test must be performed in a hospital. This time-consuming and inconvenient medical procedure often discourages people from being examined and reduces the chances of patients receiving the necessary treatment. In response to this issue, the PCA 500, a medical-grade 12-lead ECG system from QT Medical, was developed specifically to address this problem. According to Jackal Chen, QT Medical's team is committed to making 12-lead ECG devices and services more accessible and user-friendly in small- and medium-sized clinics, community centers, private homes, and even public places. The company wants its product placed similarly to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) commonly found on the street to enable the rapid proliferation of hospital-grade ECG services.The PCA 500, a medical-grade 12-lead ECG system from QT Medical, stands out for its simplicity. The device consists of a patented one-piece electrode sensor and an ECG recorder, coupled with a mobile app and a cloud-based platform. Users only need to follow the visual instructions and attach the patented ECG electrode sensor to their body. The device then automatically measures the data and it wirelessly to the cloud platform via the app. Finally, the data and preliminary interpretation reports are received by the physician for evaluation.On the whole, the medical-grade 12-lead ECG devices from QT Medical are handy, hygienic, efficient, accurate, and of high quality. The intuitive design of the system makes it easy for an average person or patient to use it comfortably and without special training, while achieving the same accuracy as a standard hospital ECG machine. The compact design and patented one-piece disposable strips effectively reduce the risk of disease transmission through direct contact and avoid the risk of misalignment and misdiagnosis associated with the complicated lead wire placement of traditional ECG devices. This ensures convenience and data accuracy, as well as drastically minimizes the time required for the procedure. All ECG data is encrypted and transmitted securely to the HIPAA- and GDPR-compliant cloud-based management system, which enables real-time case management and provides reports in PDF format for easy aggregation and analysis.Jackal Chen further explained that the development of the product is technically difficult, as the shape of the strips, their position, and the software design need to be fine-tuned in a series of clinical trials to obtain accurate data swiftly. In addition, once completed, the product must undergo rigorous testing and certification to prove its safety and efficacy. Currently, the PCA 500 medical-grade 12-lead ECG system is being used in clinical trials in a variety of different settings and applications. In addition, QT Medical has developed various business models to accommodate the laws and cultures of different countries. In the vast United States, for example, the company works with health facilities to deliver the devices and test strips to patients by mail. Patients operate the device themselves and the data is automatically sent to the cloud-based platform for physicians to analyze. The company is also working with prison authorities in the United States, where the devices are operated by prison staff to address the shortage of medical staff in prisons. As for the Taiwanese market, the device is not only used in hospitals but also in ambulances and telemedicine. Patients can test themselves at home or in a community center and enjoy the benefits of telemedicine and mobile healthcare within the established healthcare system.Since its market launch, the PCA 500 medical-grade 12-lead ECG system has garnered praise in the healthcare industry. In addition to being innovative and practical, solving many of today's medical challenges, Jackal Chen believes that the startup ecosystem in Taiwan and the support from relevant institutions have also contributed greatly to the company's successful growth.Jackal Chen pointed out that the Taiwan branch of QT Medical was established in 2015. Over the past 8 years, an increasingly dynamic startup ecosystem has developed in Taiwan. The policy resources of government agencies and the expertise of business accelerators have also grown rapidly. These resources and policies have been extremely helpful for startups to gain access to the market. The Taiwan Tech Arena, for example, has brought several startups to visit Japanese business leaders and medical institutions. Institutional support has improved the startup teams' standing in dialogue with the other side, allowing for more comprehensive and smoother communication. As a result, new communication channels have been created, opening up the local market.Going forward, QT Medical aims to optimize its products further and expedite product marketing efforts. In the near future, the company will focus on the markets of developed countries and actively collaborate with various agencies to expand the application potential of its products, realizing the vision of mobile healthcare and telemedicine.QT Medical’s PCA 500 is the world’s most portable medical-grade 12-lead ECG system. The patented ECG electrode strips are FDA-approved and can be handled by non-professionals, opening new possibilities for telemedicine applications and cardiac screening.Photo: QT Medical

Launched in late 2022, ChatGPT showed the world the almighty power of generative AI, thus paving the way for the AI 2.0 revolution. At the heart of generative AI is so-called the large language model (LLM), which is trained on large amounts of data. ChatGPT, for example, is based on either GPT-3 with 175 billion parameters, or GPT-3.5 with 200 billion parameters. Currently, apart from Open AI, Taiwan Web Service's (TWS) Formosa Foundation Model (FFM), and other paid LLMs offered by domestic and foreign companies, there are many more open-source LLMs on the market, such as Hugging Face's BLOOM and Meta's Llama 2. These LLMs are equipped with 7 to 176 billion parameters and can be used legally in commercial environments.Both commercially licensed and free open-source LLMs, once trained on proprietary data, can be utilized by companies in a variety of ways. For example, LLMs can be used for intelligent customer service, code writing, or improvement of efficiency of corporate information utilization. Such applications have significant potential to increase business productivity and industrial competitiveness. Therefore, numerous providers on the market have claimed to help with the implementation of generative AI. However, only a few companies have invested in such projects, while most are adopting a wait-and-see attitude.Leo Yang, Chief Marketing Officer of DeepMentor, pointed out that despite the strong demand for generative AI and the urgent need for its early adoption to improve industry competitiveness, companies are still hesitant for three main reasons, i.e., confidentiality and security considerations, high implementation costs, and lack of AI talents. Even if companies are interested in moving forward with generative AI projects, most do not know where to start, as there is a frenzied scramble for AI talent worldwide. In addition, most vendors offer generative AI services on cloud-based platforms, leaving companies concerned about the potential leakage of confidential data. Finally, the cost of training AI models in the cloud can easily reach Hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, as most proprietary models need to be trained three to five times to meet customer requirements. These high costs deter many companies from implementing AI projects.Customized Generative AI Designed for Cloud or On-Premises Use Drastically Reduces Project Costs and TimeTo summarize the three factors mentioned above, only a few large companies have enough AI talents and capital to invest tens of millions of dollars at a time in AI servers to satisfactorily perform in-house AI model training and inference. Most medium-sized companies can only look on in envy, not to mention small and medium-sized enterprises with limited budgets and manpower.To help more enterprises and educational institutes adopt generative AI, DeepMentor launched a comprehensive hardware and software solution for designing generative AI, the Mentor series (basic to advanced versions). Customers can select to conduct different levels of all-parameter LLM training (please see the diagram below) based on hardware on Mentor Series. DeepMentor helps customers verify the training results versus actual application needs. Take the basic Mentor-100 as an example. Mentor-100 is a product of collaboration with a major industrial computer brand, Axiomtek, which specializes in creating small-scale edge computing AI servers that are quiet, energy-saving, and optimal for office hardware and software architecture. Used in conjunction with Fine-tune Expert, a training software in DeepMentor's pre-installed GAI application software package, DeepExpertTM, as well as the training counseling curriculum, enterprises from different industries and units of different levels can easily adopt applications that cater to their internal needs.Jack Wu, CEO of DeepMentor, believes that the ability to perform inference using LLMs with 7B or 13B parameters is an important step in advancing AI projects. First, even if medium or large-sized enterprises have sufficient financial resources, it may not be easy to obtain a project budget of more than ten million New Taiwan dollars if there is no supporting data to prove the viability of the project. Whereas, Mentor-100's favorable pricing is very well suited for companies to conduct early-stage proof of concept (POC) on a small scale internally. For schools, research institutes, and small and medium-sized enterprises, LLMs with 7B, 13B, or 33B parameters are more than sufficient for relatively simple usage scenarios or for performing POCs. In these cases, it is not necessary to use an LLM with 176B parameters.It is worth noting that DeepMentor, as one of the few companies focusing on providing generative AI solutions with a considerable track record, was invited to participate in the testing and promotion of the TAIDE program, a Taiwanese LLM in traditional Chinese announced by the National Science and Technology Council.Six Usage Scenarios Accelerate Implementation of Generative AIDeepMentor's DeepExpert solution has two unique features. First, depending on their business needs, customers can choose to use open-source LLMs of different types and parameters, such as Meta's Llama 2, or FFM, a LLM licensed by DeepMentor's partner TWS and pre-trained on traditional Chinese corpuses. Second, for the hardware architecture, DeepMentor is working exclusively with Phison Electronics in using their NVMe module, which is specifically designed for generative AI training and can overcome the memory capacity limitations of current GPU cards. This allows AI models to be trained with just two NVIDIA RTX A4000-ada GPU cards instead of the more expensive NVIDIA A100/H100 chips. This feature can significantly reduce the overall costs, allowing even small and medium-sized enterprises or academic institutions with limited budgets to take on generative AI projects and see the results of inference in only approximately two weeks.Leo Yang pointed out that in addition to the DeepExpertTM solution, DeepMentor also offers pre-trained and optimized AI application modules for six common usage scenarios, namely Document Expert, Code Expert, Customer Service Expert, Meeting Expert, Image Expert, and Fine-Tune Expert. Coupled with the self-developed and easy-to-use No Code tool, these modules help enterprises quickly integrate their own data to perform training and inference of their proprietary AI models. As a result, to date, they already have government agencies, financial institutions, publicly listed IC design companies, well-established enterprises from traditional industries, and retailers running point of business (POB) testing with DeepMentor to verify DeepExpertTM's outstanding capabilities as a one-stop generative AI implementation solution.DeepMentor has been working with Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) since 2018 and has participated in a number of business matchmaking events, technical presentations, etc. The collaboration has been helpful in raising the company's profile and securing venture capital investment. DeepMentor hopes to maintain a close and cooperative relationship with the TTA in the future to lay a solid foundation for expansion into overseas markets.Enterprise-level GAI On-Premises solution of DeepMentorPhoto: DeepMentor

During the three-year pandemic, food businesses had been impacted by decreasing in-person dining and government endemic prevention policies globally. As a result, they have been collaborating with delivery platforms to sustain their survival and increase revenue. Despite increasing diversity in delivery services, people began dining in restaurants or ordering takeout again after the pandemic eased off. To avoid hefty platform fees, food businesses are seeking collaboration with other platforms. They hope that by diversifying delivery channels, they can improve their profit margin and the overall revenue.Bogi Huang, Chief Operating Officer of DotDot Global, pointed out that with the advent of the post-pandemic era, the top two delivery platforms in Taiwan have started offering takeout services. However, businesses still have to pay a fee as high as 18% to 20%, which significantly diminishes the profit of food businesses. These days, we find that businesses are working hard to attract new customers and meet the demands of regular customers. Therefore, apart from maintaining partnership with delivery platforms, they also indicate additional ordering channels on their menus for regular customers to avoid incurring high platform fees. DotDot Global has launched a smart ordering system that has been integrated with LINE, and in conjunction with a complete membership management and payment system. This system has been adopted by chains such as 50 Lan and Old God Kung Food Hot Pot, with more than 10,000 customers.DotDot Global Maximizes Popularity of LINEFollowing the rapid rise of delivery platforms, numerous takeout system solutions for the food industry have emerged. During the pandemic, many cloud-based point of sale (POS) providers introduced online ordering modules to meet a variety of operational demands. Unfortunately, they did not become mainstream systems.Upon in-depth analysis, DotDot Global identifies two major challenges that are hard to overcome. First, online ordering systems are designed for general restaurant operators and are therefore, less applicable to vastly different food businesses like bubble tea shops, and street vendors. Second, cloud-based POS providers are not familiar with consumers' ordering needs. Most online ordering modules are designed to facilitate business management, causing the interfaces to be less user-friendly. As a result, they struggle to attract consumers to adopt them.Huang said, "When entering the food market, we decided to launch our own online ordering service through LINE because it is the most popular app in Taiwan." Consumers can order online conveniently by adding the official LINE@ account of the vendor. The platform offers takeout and delivery services, as well as online payment like LINE Pay and JKOPay, making it extremely convenient for both food businesses and consumers. As businesses are facing labor shortage, online payment can eliminate the need to handle cash, make change, and save businesses from dealing with abandoned orders. Furthermore, DotDot Global has also collaborated with many logistics companies to offer delivery service for food businesses without charging high platform fees.From Philippines to Entire ASEAN MarketDotDot Global offers a one-stop solution for food businesses, covering the POS system of stores, online ordering, in-store WiFi, digital payments, integrated delivery services, food delivery logistics, and marketing strategies for attracting customers. Food businesses can customize these services according to their needs. Take the online ordering system as an example. For stores that have limited operational space and staff, DotDot Global provides cloud-based order-taking and printing machines. Once the equipment receives an order from an online platform, it automatically prints the receipt, and the store can prepare the order on the receipt without changing their workflow. This process is also very easy to learn.The LINE ordering service introduced by DotDot Global caters to the needs of different types of food businesses. Over the years, it has gradually incorporated various customization settings into its ordering system. Take bubble tea shops as an example. The online ordering system provides options for different sugar and ice levels. For braised food shops, the system offers a discount option of three products for NT$50. After its launch, the LINE ordering service immediately attracted users with all kinds of dining preferences. Furthermore, in 2023, DotDot Global introduced the SoftPOS payment service, adding contactless credit card payment to existing POS machines. Dine-in customers can safely making payment without any physical contact.Huang pointed out that DotDot Global was founded in 2014 and has since joined two to three accelerator centers. In recent years, there has been noticeable growth in Taiwan's entrepreneurial environment. The number of accelerator centers has significantly increased since ten years ago, offering a more diverse range of services for startups. Whether it is acquiring venture capital, reducing time to market, or transforming creativity into actual products or services, these resources provide tremendous help that can significantly increase the success rate of startups.DotDot Global recognizes the immense global opportunities in food delivery and takeout industry. After achieving notable success in the Taiwanese market, DotDot Global plans to expand its operations overseas, starting from the Philippines. DotDot Global is currently conducting proof of concept (POC) verification with Philippine partners in local food courts, and has received positive feedback overall. The company plans to expand into other food industries in the future.

With the aim of attaining outstanding results in competitions, a global trend of combining sports and technology has ensued. Various sensor components are being combined and utilized to collect athletes' data from competitions or training sessions to serve as reference for future improvements. Industry output has reached new records due to recent developments in AI as well as the popularization of sports technology applications in the general public. A Data Bridge Market Research report points out that industry output will reach US$47 billion in 2029 and become a hotly contested space amongst corporations; the market will also release many smart fitness products designed for the general public.The massive industry output of this market will naturally attract Taiwanese enterprises that boast advantages in the field of information and communication technologies. For instance, the National Science and Technology Council's Taiwan Germination Program has subsidized NeuinX, an independent research team from National Tsing Hua University. The team has currently released the sport image smart AI analysis platform NeuinX Play. With support from Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), NeuinX attended its first Consumer Electronics Show in 2023 and won the CES 2023 Innovation Awards. Resulted in massive attention from the U.S. sports technology industry and laid a solid foundation for its entry into the U.S. market in 2024.Tsung-Hsun Tsai, the CEO of NeuinX stated that the early development of sports technology in the U.S. has resulted in diverse solutions and technology related products for basketball, baseball, and golf. TTA's support in attending the CES 2023 not only increased exposure for NeuinX, but also led to exchanges with the U.S. industry, which will be greatly beneficial for the company's future developments. In fact, TTA offered various consulting services prior to NeuinX's visit to the U.S. and became one of the driving forces that allowed the company to win an award.NeuinX technical consultant Min-Chun Hu stated that aside from their support for CES 2023, TTA also provided mentorship courses in marketing, financial planning, and governance designed for startup companies, which paved the way for the sound, long-term development of NeuinX. In addition, TTA hosted many matchmaking meetings that allowed NeuinX the opportunity to earn the attention of even more investors.In-house Developed AI Image Analysis Targets Students and Small- to Medium-Sized Sports CompetitionsThe active efforts of various companies have resulted in many sports image analysis platforms on the market that mostly require multiple professional film equipment to utilize. As such, full solutions are often extremely costly and can only be utilized by professional sports teams or leagues. In a bid to drive the commercialization of cutting-edge sports technologies and establish itself as a premier global sports service provider, NeuinX, founded in 2023, brings over 15 years of accumulated expertise in sports image analysis with many high-level international conferences and journals. NeuinX's technology was used by Taiwan's National Team in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the solution won the 2021 Taiwan Sports Technology Application Award.In order for student leagues and small- to medium-sized competitions to enjoy the brand new experiences delivered by sports technology despite their limited budgets, NeuinX launched the subscription based NeuinX Play service in 2023. Users can simply upload game footage filmed using smartphones and cameras or TV broadcast footage of basketball games to the cloud, and the system will automatically analyze players' shooting locations and movement patterns. Additionally, NeuinX Play includes a built-in automatic scoring platform that records each shot and determines if it has gone into the net. The system automatically records scoring information for each player, thereby drastically reducing the cost expenditure of recording scores, which is traditionally performed manually. Furthermore, in response to the emergence of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, NeuinX Play automatically clips highlights, which can be sent to a predetermined platform, thereby satisfying the requirements of league marketing activities."To verify the feasibility of NeuinX Play, we partnered with a renowned Taiwanese basketball league and multiple agencies in 2023, and conducted verification test through 10 actual games held in Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium and Xinzhuang Gymnasium. The results evidenced that the system could accurately analyze the shooting process of athletes and fully document their scoring status." Tsung-Hsun Tsai explains, "In the future, we will provide additional functions such as automatic detection of data such as blocks, steals, and rebounds to better meet the functionalities required to record actual competitions."NeuinX Stat Will Enter the U.S. Market by 2024Amidst intense competition, the market sees an influx of various sports video analysis platforms, although the majority require expensive integration with specialized camera equipment, consequently restricting their adoption mainly to professional teams and leagues. In a move to penetrate the sports technology sector, NeuinX introduced the NeuinX Play Cloud Service in 2023, marking the company's inaugural venture into the field The award winning NeuinX Play that won CES 2023 Innovation Awards is currently used in National Tsing Hua University basketball court and received many high praise.Tsung-Hsun Tsai stated that in order for more student teams and small- to medium-sized leagues to enjoy the advantages of sports technology, NeuinX expects to release NeuinX Stat in 2024, targeting student leagues in both the U.S. and Taiwan. In addition to retaining and enhancing all functions of NeuinX Play, this version will also provide a field for on-site personnel to fill in statistical data; XR data visualization and True View visualization can also be applied to basketball strategy training and game analysis.In addition to student leagues, NeuinX is also targeting the strong demand for AI sports image analysis from professional athletes and leagues. The company expects to launch NeuinX Train in 2026, which will provide 3D action simulation and an online training system, providing athletes with a better understanding of their athletic condition and reference data for planning future training sessions, thereby improving their overall performance in professional basketball games.NeuinX technical consultant Min-Chun HuPhoto: NeuinXNeuinX technical consultant Hong-Guo ZhuPhoto: NeuinXImage of NeuinX Play interface. Users can upload videos to the platform and the cloud computing module will automatically capture event labels and time stamps from the images, and provide users with data as well as highlight clips, which can be applied to strategic discussions or marketing.