Category Archives: Technology

Wordly Introduces Mobile-First Enhancements to Translation App, Expanding Onsite and Hybrid Event Accessibility

Los Altos, CA, Feb 26: As events become more global and multilingual, organizers are under increasing pressure to deliver seamless, inclusive experiences without adding operational complexity. Wordly, the pioneer and leader in live AI translation and captioning, on February 25 announced new mobile-first enhancements to the Wordly Translation App designed specifically for conference, tradeshow, and events.

The latest updates include background audio and screen-lock functionality, allowing attendees to listen to live translations while multitasking and conserving battery life, along with instant language search for faster onboarding. Speakers also benefit from push-to-talk and automatic language detection, enabling seamless, two-way multilingual communication in dynamic sessions, all at no additional cost to existing customers.

“Event professionals are rethinking accessibility as a core part of the attendee experience,” said Lakshman Rathnam, Founder and CEO of Wordly. “These mobile enhancements give organizers a scalable way to provide inclusive, multilingual access without additional hardware, staffing, or logistical burden.”

Designed for the Realities of Live Events

The updated Wordly Translation App introduces several features tailored to how attendees and speakers engage during events, including:

•  Background Audio for Multitasking: Attendees can now continue listening to translated audio while switching between apps on their mobile device. Whether checking the event app, reviewing presentation materials, or responding to messages, participants remain connected to the session without interruption.
•  Screen-Lock Battery Optimization: With extended conference days in mind, the app now allows translated audio to continue playing while a device screen is locked. This feature helps conserve battery life, critical for multi-session agendas and large-scale conventions.
•  Instant Language Search: A newly added search function enables users to quickly locate their preferred language from dozens of options, reducing onboarding friction and minimizing the need for onsite support.

New Capabilities for Speakers and Session Leaders

In addition to enhancing the attendee experience, Wordly has expanded functionality for presenters and facilitators, including:

•  Push-to-Talk Functionality: Speakers can now use push-to-talk directly within the app, allowing for two-way communication in multilingual settings. The feature is particularly well-suited for breakout discussions, workshops, hosted buyer meetings, and small-group sessions, where interactive dialogue is essential.
•  Automatic Language Detection and Switching: For sessions where presenters shift between languages, the app automatically recognizes language changes and adjusts translations accordingly to ensure a smooth experience for diverse audiences without manual resets.

Scalable Language Access Without Headsets or Booths

Unlike traditional interpretation models that require physical equipment, interpreters onsite, or dedicated booths, the Wordly mobile app operates on attendees’ own iOS or Android devices. Participants simply enter a Session ID provided by the organizer and select their language, no account creation is required. For speakers, access to advanced features such as push-to-talk is granted through a secure passcode.

Meeting Industry Demand for Inclusive Design

With international attendance rebounding and hybrid formats remaining standard, language accessibility has become a strategic priority for event organizers, associations, and corporate planners. Wordly’s mobile enhancements support:

•  Global events and tradeshows seeking to broaden international participation
•  Corporate events connecting distributed teams
•  Association meetings aiming to increase member engagement
• Education and campus events serving multilingual communities
• Government and civic gatherings prioritizing public access

By eliminating hardware requirements and simplifying user onboarding, the updated Wordly Translation App enables planners to scale multilingual access across general sessions, breakouts, and ancillary meetings with minimal operational lift.

Teledyne Flir OEM, Teledyne FLIR OEM Launches Lepton XDS at Mobile World Congress; A Compact Thermal‑Visible Camera Module Featuring Patented MSX Technology

Prism™ ISP–Powered Dual Camera Module Delivers Enhanced Performance and Faster Integration for OEMs

BARCELONA and GOLETA, Calif.,– Teledyne FLIR OEM, a part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY), today announced the launch of the Lepton® XDS, a compact dual‑thermal‑and‑visible camera module bringing Teledyne FLIR’s patented MSX® (Multi‑Spectral Dynamic Imaging) technology to a new class of space‑ and power‑constrained Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) products. Designed for rapid integration, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) -free Lepton XDS reduces development risk and accelerates time‑to‑market for embedded, mobile, and industrial applications.

The Lepton XDS pairs a 160 × 120 radiometric Lepton 3.5 micro‑thermal camera with a five‑megapixel (MP) visible sensor, featuring MSX that enhances thermal imagery in real time by embossing visible‑image edges directly onto the thermal scene. This patented software delivers sharper detail, improved context, and a level of actionable thermal intelligence typically associated with more-expensive, higher-resolution camera systems. It is ideal for fire detection and prevention, EV battery monitoring, robotics navigation, unmanned platforms, smart infrastructure, and health and safety systems.

“MSX technology has long been a defining advantage of Teledyne FLIR, and with Lepton XDS, we are making that capability accessible in a compact, OEM‑ready module,” said Mike Walters, vice president of product management, Teledyne FLIR OEM. “By combining a visible camera, a proven micro‑thermal sensor, onboard Prism ISP processing, and direct access to radiometric overlays including spot meters and regions of interest we’re accelerating innovation and enabling OEMs to deliver clearer thermal imagery for faster user interpretation.”

Prism ISP: Advanced Imaging Beyond MSX

The integrated FLIR Prism ISP software ensures real‑time image enhancement while providing a comprehensive out‑of‑the‑box suite of advanced image‑processing features, including thermal‑visible fusion, advanced image processing, and an industry-first radiometric JPEG (RJPEG) output. Built‑in measurement and visualization tools include regions of interest (ROI), spot temperature measurements, isotherms, and customizable color palettes, and it is seamlessly compatible with the Teledyne FLIR OEM software ecosystem for analysis, post‑processing, and reporting. 

Designed for Scalable OEM Deployment

The Lepton XDS is a size, weight, and power (SWaP)‑optimized module, and an industry‑standard USB output makes it well-suited for battery‑powered and always‑on systems. It is also ITAR‑free and classified under 6a993.b.4.b enabling broadly available for commercial applications worldwide.

As the global leader in thermal camera manufacturing, Teledyne FLIR OEM’s global technical services organization and proven high‑volume manufacturing systems have delivered more than six million Leptons supporting scalable production while minimizing supply‑chain risk.

To see the new Lepton XDS and other exciting products from the Thermal by FLIR collaborative development program, visit booth 7B6 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 2-5 March 2026. Learn more at www.oem.flir.com/lepton.

Sports Sensors Vary Wildly in Their Measurements. Standards Are Closing the Gap

Did you know that two different wearable sensors can give an athlete two completely different scores for the same workout? 

Those differences, which can be subtle and not-so subtle, make it hard for elite athletes, coaches and even sports leagues to cut through the noise and identify the tools that are best for them. 

That’s exactly the challenge IEEE Member Rachel Hybart wants to address through a standard in development through the IEEE Standards Association. 

IEEE Standard P3716, a Standard for the Quality Assessment of Human and Object Tracking Technologies Used in Field- or Court-based Sports, is intended to provide an objective performance evaluation of electronic systems that measure things like the speed, position and velocity of humans and objects in sports that are played in fields and courts. 

 She recently appeared on the IEEE SA Re-Think Health podcast. As the world’s attention begins to focus on elite winter sports, we touched base with her to discuss how this new standard might help elite athletes, coaches and leagues make more informed decisions.

 “Without a way of assessing the quality of a specific measurement device or method, it’s really easy for teams and leagues to invest in technology that maybe doesn’t best suit their needs,” Hybart told the podcast. 

 Why Accuracy Matters

 From wearables on wrists to GPS vests to special cameras using LiDAR, sensors are everywhere and data is embedded at the highest levels of decision-making. 

 “At the elite level, small errors in timing orientation or force estimation can meaningfully change conclusions about fatigue, asymmetry or injury risk,” Hybart said. 

 And it isn’t just training load. Data from sensors can be used to determine whether an injured player should return to play and to help broadcasters provide context for viewers at home. Sports leagues use data to evaluate rules designed to improve player safety. 

 How Different Sensors Take Different Measurements

 To understand how differences in sensors and electronic devices can impact athlete data, consider the use of satellite-based navigation systems, like GPS, which are often combined with motion sensors worn on the body. While these satellite systems follow common standards, the devices that use them can process the data in different ways. During fast changes in speed or direction, differences in how frequently data is collected, how motion sensors are combined and how the data is smoothed can lead to noticeable differences in reported position and speed between systems.

 Furthermore, the way wearables and other sensors measure athletic performance is frequently locked behind proprietary systems and algorithms that are hard to evaluate. 

 Are Consumer-Grade Sensors Good Enough?

 Of course, the use of sensors and wearables isn’t just driven by elite athletes. Hobbyists and student athletes use them as well.

 “Consumer devices are optimized for consistency and engagement at the individual level,” Hybart said. “Systems used by elite athletes must be precise enough to inform medical, performance and safety decisions.”

 Systems used at elite international events are also designed to integrate multiple data streams such as motion tracking, force measurement, broadcast video and event context rather than relying on a single wearable signal.

CHILTIER Unveils Climate-Control Hydro Vest, Opens Pre-Orders Before Kickstarter Launch

India, Feb 25: CHILTIER, a wearable climate technology company, announced the launch of its much-anticipated Hydro Vest, a thermoelectric personal cooling and heating system. The vest is designed to help users stay comfortable and safe in extreme weather conditions. With early pre-orders now open, the brand is gearing up for a global Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

Designed for motorcyclists, outdoor enthusiasts, field professionals, and individuals exposed to harsh climates daily, the Hydro Vest uses advanced Peltier-based thermoelectric technology to cool or heat the body within minutes. Unlike traditional cooling solutions that rely on ice packs, fans, or gel-based inserts, CHILTIER’s system actively regulates temperature through a closed-loop liquid circulation mechanism embedded within the vest.

The Hydro Vest maintains thermal comfort by circulating temperature-controlled liquid through thermally conductive tubing integrated into its inner lining. This helps stabilize core body temperature, reduce fatigue, and enhance endurance during prolonged rides, treks, outdoor work shifts, and adventure activities.

Recognizing varied user requirements, CHILTIER has introduced two configurations of the X1 and Z1 models. The X1 model can maintain unlimited run-time when connected to vehicle power and is designed for riders. Conversely, the Z1 model is fully portable (with a lightweight battery backpack) and can be operated for up to eight hours. Both models feature precision-adjustable temperature settings, lightweight materials quiet operation and water-resistant design for reliable performance in challenging environments.

As rising global temperatures and unpredictable climate patterns intensify the demand for portable thermal management solutions, CHILTIER aims to redefine personal comfort through wearable climate intelligence. The upcoming Kickstarter campaign is designed to create a community of early users, confirm the demand for this product, and support the initial production run.

Kulpreet Sahni, Founder and CEO, Chiltier, said,

“Our vision at CHILTIER is to make climate control as personal and intuitive as wearable technology itself. The Hydro Vest is not just about cooling or heating; it is about giving people control over their environment, enhancing safety, endurance, and performance in extreme conditions. With our Kickstarter launch, we are building a global community that believes wearable climate technology is the future of outdoor mobility and human resilience.”

Beyond the Hydro Vest, CHILTIER plans to expand its innovation roadmap through the development of the Thermo Pod, a scalable and modular platform intended to power a broader ecosystem of wearable climate-control products. Its adaptable architecture will enable integration with other wearable technologies, reinforcing CHILTIER’s long-term vision of intelligent personal thermal systems.

CHILTIER is currently inviting consumers worldwide to sign up for launch notifications and be among the first to access the Hydro Vest when the Kickstarter campaign goes live.

Securonix and AWS Launch Agentic Mesh with First Productivity-Based AI Model for SOC

India, Feb 25: Securonix, Inc., working closely with Amazon Web Services (AWS), today announced the Securonix Agentic Mesh and SAM, the AI SOC Analyst. The launch advances agentic AI for cybersecurity with a governed, explainable network of intelligent agents designed to elevate human analysts and measurably improve productivity across security operations.

The Securonix Agentic Mesh, built on AWS AgentCore, provides a unified orchestration layer for AI agents operating within the SOC. It enables AI-driven investigation and response while enforcing policy, governance, and human oversight.

Within the Agentic Mesh, SAM coordinates a modular set of AI agents optimized for specific operational tasks, including investigation context, search assistance, response preparation, noise reduction, and data pipeline optimization.

By orchestrating these agents together, the platform reduces alert fatigue, improves investigation consistency, and accelerates mean time to detection and response without sacrificing governance or visibility.

Analysts can review decisions, request deeper analysis, or pause actions to ensure AI remains transparent and accountable.

The announcement comes at a pivotal moment in the cybersecurity industry. According to the 2025 “Evolution of Cybersecurity Automation and AI Adoption” report, 97% of security leaders now consider automation business-critical, and 56% cite productivity as the top driver for adopting AI.

Introducing Productivity-Based AI Pricing for the SOC

As part of the launch, Securonix is introducing the cybersecurity industry’s first productivity-based AI pricing model. Rather than charging based on ingestion volume or seats, customers license SAM based on the amount of investigation work performed, measured in minutes of analyst time.

Usage is tracked in real time and visible within the Securonix platform, allowing security leaders to clearly see time saved, time billed, and operational impact. Each customer receives a baseline capacity, with the flexibility to expand in proportion to the value realized.

“At HDFC, we look for technology that strengthens our resilience and elevates our people. SAM delivers both. It gives our analysts a trusted partner working beside them at all hours and provides leadership with transparent, measurable AI value.”

said Sameer Ratolikar, Chief Information Security Officer, HDFC Bank

The Human-in-the-Loop SOC Operating Model

Agentic Mesh AI activity operates under Agentic Guardrails that enforce scope, policy, escalation rules, and separation of duties. Analysts interact with SAM through a guided interface where every decision includes step-by-step reasoning. Analysts can request deeper analysis, challenge findings, or pause actions for review, ensuring AI remains explainable, auditable, and aligned with organizational policy.

“We designed SAM and the Agentic Mesh to feel like a trusted teammate, not a black box,” said Kash Shaikh, CEO and President of Securonix. “With governed autonomy, a human-in-the-loop model, and transparent productivity metrics, we are giving security leaders a practical and accountable way to apply AI in the SOC.”

Built-In Governance and Secure Deployment

All AI operations are executed securely within the customer’s AWS environment. Every action taken by SAM or supporting agents is logged and auditable by design, supporting internal security reviews and external compliance requirements. The architecture aligns with Securonix responsible AI principles and ongoing ISO 42001 readiness efforts.

“AWS is proud to power the Securonix Agentic Mesh and SAM with AgentCore,” said Swami Sivasubramanian, Vice President of Data and AI at AWS. “Together, we are enabling customers to deploy scalable, explainable AI with trust and transparency at its core.”

Bridging the AI Fluency Gap in the SOC

Industry research continues to show that successful AI adoption depends as much on analyst readiness as on technology. To address this, Securonix is introducing the Agentic

Academy, a structured enablement program that helps SOC teams learn how to supervise, collaborate with, and derive value from AI-driven workflows.

The program focuses on practical interaction with SAM, interpretation of AI outputs, and effective human oversight to ensure AI-driven operations deliver sustained value.

Together, Agentic Mesh and SAM mark a shift from experimental AI to accountable, outcome-driven security operations.

Excelsoft Cuts Infrastructure & Internet Costs with ‘Saras Assessments in a Box’

Feb 25: Excelsoft Technologies a global leader in digital learning and assessment solutions, today announced the launch of Saras Assessments in a Box, a compact, plug-and-play assessment appliance designed to enable secure digital examinations anywhere instantly.

Built using Saras Assessment, Excelsoft’s flagship platform, the device enables institutions to set up a fully functional, secure test centre in minutes, with or without internet connectivity. About the size of a matchbox, it eliminates the need for servers or complex IT infrastructure; users simply power it on, connect via Wi-Fi or LAN, and start delivering exams immediately. A single device supports 100+ concurrent candidates, ensuring high-performance exam delivery without bandwidth bottlenecks.

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Dhananjay Sudhanva, Chairman & Managing Director, Excelsoft Technologies, said,

“This marks a paradigm shift in how assessments are delivered. As examination scale increases and access expands, legacy, infrastructure-heavy models are proving inadequate. Saras Assessments in a Box fundamentally changes that equation by reducing the time and cost of setting up secure test centres while enabling a more resilient, inclusive, and reliable assessment experience for end users. Built on our Saras flagship assessment platform, it allows institutions to conduct exams consistently across diverse environments, including national and state-level entrance exams, university and college assessments, recruitment and certification programs, remote and rural initiatives, and temporary or emergency test centres.”

From a technology and architecture standpoint, the innovation reflects Excelsoft’s focus on building assessment systems designed for real-world conditions.

Speaking about the innovation, Mr. Adarsh Sudhindra, Chief Innovation Officer, Excelsoft Technologies, said,

“Assessment technology must be engineered for reliability at scale, not continuous connectivity. Saras Assessments in a Box introduces a distributed, appliance-led architecture that simplifies deployment while strengthening security and performance. By enabling exams to run locally yet remain centrally governed, institutions can conduct high-stakes assessments consistently across diverse environments without being constrained by infrastructure limitations. The solution is designed for a wide range of use cases, including national and state-level entrance examinations, university and college assessments, recruitment and certification programs, remote and rural assessment initiatives, corporate and skill-based testing, and temporary or emergency test centres.”

With this launch, Excelsoft Technologies continues to lead innovation in the assessment sector delivering solutions that simplify complexity, expand access, and enable secure, scalable, and resilient digital examinations anywhere in the world.

When things have to be done quickly

Rail brakes support fast roller changes in laminating units

 SAUERESSIG has evolved from being a manufacturer of printing and embossing rollers to becoming a highly innovative machine manufacturer with a diverse product range.

In a large laminating unit by SAUERESSIG Engineering for laminating steel strip on both sides, rubber rollers press a protective PET film onto hot steel strip. Despite cooling, these rubber rollers do wear down and need to be replaced regularly. Four profiled rail brakes by mayr® power transmission ensure that the laminating process, which takes place 24 hours a day, only has to be interrupted briefly to replace the rollers.

SAUERESSIG began manufacturing printing and embossing rollers for the packaging and printing industry around 70 years ago. Today, the company is a highly innovative mechanical engineering company with a diverse portfolio. As a leading full-range supplier of calendering, embossing and rotary processing systems in standard and special designs, the company supplies a wide range of industries.

The machine solutions include both complete production lines and customized systems for embossing, finishing, coating, smoothing, perforating and calibrating sheet materials such as paper, film or metal sheets. The company offers comprehensive expertise from the initial idea to the final customized solution, including planning and designing mechanics, drive and automation technology, pre-assembly and commissioning in the factory, and final approval at the customer’s premises.

SAUERESSIG’s large laminating unit coats both sides of the steel strip with a protective PET film

 One such customized system, no less than six metres long and around four metres wide, coats a steel strip on both sides with a thin protective PET film. Harald Bartsch, Head of Design/Expert Advisor at SAUERESSIG Engineering, describes the machine’s design concept as follows “The complete laminating unit consists of two nearly identical, symmetrically arranged side frames, each with a rubberized laminating roller and a contact cooling roller. For laminating, the steel strip moves vertically between the two laminating rollers through the laminating unit at a conveying speed of up to 250 m/min. The laminating rollers press the film onto the hot steel strip from both sides.”

The steel strip’s high temperatures of up to 260 °C heat up the rubber coating on the laminating rollers. Water-cooled contact rollers dissipate this heat and limit the rubber coating’s temperature to a maximum of 90 °C. Despite the cooling, the rubber linings of the laminating rollers are subject to wear and must be replaced regularly. “As the laminating process should ideally be running continuously all year round and 24/7 without interruption,” explains Harald Bartsch, “the time required to replace the laminating rollers must be kept as short as possible. Therefore, the laminating unit is designed in such a way that the automated roller replacement only takes half an hour.”

The laminating unit consists of two symmetrically arranged side frames. Both side frames are mounted onto profiled rail guides and can be separated axially to replace the worn laminating rollers. While the coating process is in progress, profiled rail brake of the ROBA® guidestop® series by mayr® power transmission hold the two system parts in position backlash-free and with high rigidity. To replace the rollers, these safety brakes are released hydraulically, the two machine halves can be moved apart via rack and pinion gears and the laminating rollers can be replaced.

Profiled rail brake of the ROBA® guidestop® series by mayr® power transmission hold the two system parts of a large laminating unit in position backlash-free and with high rigidity.

 The ROBA® guidestop® profiled rail brake serves as a reliable safety brake and backlash-free clamping unit. It can brake movements safely and quickly and clamps the axes rigidly and backlash-free.

Just like all safety brakes by mayr®power transmission, the profiled rail brakes also work according to the fail-safe principle. This means they are closed in de-energised condition. The ROBA® guidestop® brakes use pre-tensioned cup springs to press the brake shoes against the ‘waist’ of the profiled rail, thus clamping it in place.

The hydraulic brake design used in the SAUERESSIG laminating unit is released using a nominal pressure of 70 bar. This is comparatively low in relation to the very high holding forces. The brake mechanism is dimensioned for relatively large strokes. As a result, the brake can compensate for production tolerances on the profiled rails without losing braking force. The ROBA® guidestop® safety brakes are equipped with two independent brake circuits: This allows for either double holding forces or a redundant design.

The profiled rail brakes are therefore directly mounted onto the masses which are to be braked or held. This minimises the risk of hazards, particularly with gravity-loaded axles, as drive elements between the motor and the moving mass, such as spindles, spindle nuts, shaft couplings and gears, do not affect safety. This is different for concepts with motor brakes, as all drive elements must transmit the braking torque to the carriage. Furthermore, every element between the brake and the carriage has a negative effect on rigidity. ROBA® guidestop® safety brakes are therefore considerably more rigid than motor brakes, rod brakes or band brakes, which are often subject to backlash.

ROBA® guidestop® safety brakes by mayr® power transmission are available in pneumatic or electromagnetic versions in addition to the hydraulically opening design. The hydraulically releasing ROBA® guidestop® series covers nominal holding forces from 5000 to 34000 N with four sizes. The pneumatically releasing version offers the greatest variety of options: Six sizes with nominal holding forces from 700 to 15000 N are available in the standard product range. Both versions (i.e. pneumatically and hydraulically releasing) are available for all common linear guides. Electromagnetically opening rail brakes do not require any pneumatic or hydraulic equipment. mayr® power transmission developes this variant on request, customizing it for the respective application.

Caspia Launches New RTL Security Analyzer Enabling Agentic Silicon Security Verification

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 25: Caspia Technologies announced broad availability of its flagship security verification product CODAx. New and unique capabilities delivered by the product were described, along with its impact on the customer base. The company also provided a preview of its plans to build agentic security verification workflows.

CODAx is Caspia’s security-aware auditing solution that analyzes early (RTL) code of IP/SoC designs to detect coding styles that can introduce security vulnerabilities. Over 150 insecure coding practices are recognized and suggested corrections are also provided.

CODAx security checks are informed by public vulnerability databases including CWE, CVE, and Trust-Hub, which catalog over 1,000 known hardware security weaknesses. Caspia applies GenAI techniques to systematically map these weaknesses to detectable RTL coding patterns.

The latest release of CODAx, V2026.1 provides deeper security checks that span across the design hierarchy, enabling identification of weaknesses that travel up and across design modules. The company reported that comprehensive stress testing was performed on this release with 10,000+ intentionally vulnerable designs.

Caspia also reported that a popular open-source root-of-trust design containing 400+ design files, approximately 3 million gates, and 500,000 lines of RTL code was analyzed by CODAx in about 45 minutes. Multiple security weaknesses were found during this analysis.

Caspia has been working with all the major EDA suppliers to ensure a smooth integration of its tools with existing design flows. The company also reported that major chip and system companies from around the world are successfully deploying CODAx for designs that support applications such as automotive, data center, communication, storage, multimedia, precision analog and embedded computing.

Caspia announced that Stuart Audley has joined the company as VP/GM of product management, with a focus on agentic security workflows. Audley brings decades of experience designing and deploying cryptographic hardware and security IP for top defense primes and leading semiconductor companies. He previously led advanced security platform development for FPGAs and ASICs at The Athena Group, Inc. and Mercury Systems.

“We are expanding our security verification footprint to include both advanced tools and enablement of agentic workflows,” said Rick Hegberg, CEO of Caspia. “I am delighted to add someone with Stuart’s experience and background to the team. This will ensure we can focus on delivering cutting-edge capabilities and AI-driven security automation.”

“Caspia is evolving from a provider of point security verification tools to an agentic platform supplier where AI orchestrates comprehensive hardware security workflows,” said Audley.

He went on to say, “the elements of our plan include unifying all our tools with AI-assisted workflows that span the entire hardware security lifecycle: analyzing RTL, identifying vulnerabilities, and verifying the results.

Traditional design flows remain fully supported, but we are creating a new category for agentic-enabled hardware security verification.”

Caspia will present its latest technology in booth 702 at DVCon on March 2-5, 2026, to be held at the Santa Clara Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, CA. 

General Magic Raises Oversubscribed US$7.2M to Cut Insurance Quote Time to 3 Minutes

Toronto, Canada – February 25, 2026; Insurance is complicated. Customers have questions before they quote, need guidance after, and expect clarity when they file a claim. But the work of answering those questions, collecting documents, and following up still runs on calls, emails, and portals stitched together by manual effort. For brokers and carriers, this coordination overhead is one of the most operationally expensive and taxing parts of the business.

 General Magic is building AI agents to solve this problem.

 The company announced a US$7.2M seed funding round led by Radical Ventures, with significant participation from a16z Speedrun and new investment from Figma VP of Product Brendan O’Driscoll and Larry James Erwin from OpenAI. The company has raised $8.4M to date, backed by Radical Ventures, a16z Speedrun, and Comma Capital, along with operators who have built foundational AI and product platforms, including Aidan Gomez, CEO of Cohere, as well as the executive team at Braze, including Kevin Wang, Chief Product Officer, and Spencer Burke, SVP of Growth.

 General Magic builds AI agents that take over the work insurance teams spend the most time on: answering routine questions, collecting documents, and following up with customers when clarity matters. These agents work across the full insurance lifecycle, covering pre-quote eligibility, post quote engagement, and claims coordination. They do all of this while connecting directly to broker management systems, quoting platforms, and CRMs. 

 Early deployments show what’s possible. Working with one of the world’s largest general insurers, General Magic has reduced time-to-quote from roughly 30 minutes down to under 3 minutes via its SMS-based agent. 

 “Too much of insurance still relies on manual follow through across calls, inboxes, and scattered systems,” said Jai Mansukhani, Co Founder and President of General Magic. “We focus on keeping customers engaged at every stage of the lifecycle, not just at quote or claim. Our agents handle the routine work that slows teams down, while giving insurance leaders real visibility into what customers are asking, where they are getting stuck, and how they are feeling. When that engagement and data flow directly into core systems, teams move faster and customers feel genuinely supported.”

 The company’s agentic offerings are centered around a product called Cell, a proactive AI agent that connects directly to the systems insurance teams already use. Cell integrates with broker management systems, quoting and rating platforms and CRMs to support teams. It can be deployed across SMS, iMessage and RCS, and can extend into policy, billing and claims workflows as needed.

When a customer has a question, they can text Cell over SMS, or the insurance team can proactively deploy it to the customer. The agent responds using real system data, asks for missing information, follows up automatically, and updates records as workflows progress. Conversations stay in one thread, context is preserved, and customers move forward at their own pace without being chased or dropped.

 Early deployments point to the scale of the opportunity. In early rollouts with large personal lines insurers, General Magic is reducing the time required to generate and finalize quotes from roughly 30 minutes to about 3 minutes by automating routine clarification and follow-ups over SMS across auto and life insurance workflows. This increase in speed expands effective quoting capacity while keeping customers engaged through the most failure prone part of the journey after a quote is issued. By handling frequent questions and coordination over text, the agent reduces delays and prevents conversations from stalling. General Magic is currently supporting deployments with carriers across auto and life insurance, where post-quote and customer coordination are most critical.

 In parallel, the team is focused on building agents that understand the realities of insurance distribution, including licensing and regulatory frameworks such as RIBO, OTL, and other broker and advisor exams. By specializing agents around how licensed professionals are trained to communicate, General Magic aims to ensure conversations feel accurate, compliant, and aligned with how insurance teams actually explain coverage to customers.

 General Magic was founded by Anthony Azrak and Jai Mansukhani, second-time founders who previously sold AI products into legacy industries. The company’s move into insurance came from firsthand frustration. After a water leak spiraled into weeks of calls, delays, and higher premiums, the founders began exploring how common this experience really was. What they found was an industry that technically works, but often fails customers and intermediaries in the moments that matter most. That insight shaped General Magic’s decision to go deep into insurance rather than remain a horizontal AI platform.

 The broader industry context underscores the urgency. Retention rates in insurance lag behind other sectors, and acquiring new customers costs significantly more than keeping existing ones. As digital distribution accelerates and customers shop more aggressively at renewal, both carriers and brokers that fail to improve post-quote engagement risk losing revenue they already worked to win.

Looking ahead, General Magic plans to expand across insurance lines and workflows, staying focused on moments where customer intent is high and coordination most often breaks down. The platform is being built to support high impact workflows across the insurance stack, prioritising areas where follow-through fails today and where fixing it creates meaningful value for customers, brokers, and carriers.

 The long term vision is simple but ambitious: make follow through automatic, reliable, and invisible. By removing the need for manual chasing and fragmented handoffs, teams can spend less time managing processes and more time serving end customers. The team is motivated by solving complex, real world problems that sit at the center of insurance operations, with the goal of delivering tangible improvements to how people experience insurance when it matters most.

 Sanjana Basu, partner at Radical Ventures, commented: “Most of the world’s financial and insurance data is locked inside rigid, legacy systems that were never designed for the AI era. General Magic isn’t trying to convince enterprises to throw away that infrastructure. Instead, they are giving them a way to finally talk to it. By building a reasoning layer that sits on top of existing systems of record, the General Magic team are unlocking a massive amount of trapped value. This is how the Fortune 500 becomes AI-native. Not by rebuilding from scratch, but by bridging the gap between old data and new intelligence.” 

Troy Kirwin, investment partner at a16z Speedrun, added: “We’ve watched Anthony and Jai grow exponentially both during their speedrun cohort and in the months after. They are building a truly compelling product that we believe will revolutionize workflows across insurance carriers and brokerages globally. I have a personal thesis that outsiders will disrupt legacy industries, and General Magic has helped buttress this thesis with the immense progress they’ve made. We are excited to deepen our partnership through supporting their seed round.” 

Pete Tessier, BFA, CAIB, President at insurance MGA Taycon Risk, added: “What I have seen with General Magic and their approach to AI was a willingness to adapt to the insurance industry’s needs. This is significant because of the varied nuances of the insurance industry and how its products are distributed, and why internal and external customer journeys are different. The challenge will be making it scale across all channels of insurance product distribution. This might be the first true ‘game changer’ for the industry and deliver on customer experience and expectations” 

The Hashgraph Group launches TrackTrace ahead of EU Digital Product Passport rules

Switzerland, Feb 24 — The Hashgraph Group (THG), the Swiss-based Web3 and AI technology engineering company operating within the Hedera ecosystem, has today announced the launch of TrackTrace, deployed as a fully managed enterprise-grade solution that transforms and enhances global supply chain transparency through real-time tracking of products from origin, ethical sourcing, and carbon emissions data.

TrackTrace enables the certification of product authenticity and immutable data audit trails, while providing end-to-end transparency and traceability through cryptographically verified decentralized identifiers (DIDs). The platform creates verifiable audit trails of product-specific data, sustainability credentials, durability, reparability, and various other product data, while applying Agentic AI for workflow automation and compliant DPP reporting.

TrackTrace enables the linkage between physical events and digital records in a tamper-proof environment by integrating THG’s existing product IDTrust to provide decentralized identity and verifiable credentials, with digital executable business processes and immutable data audit trails anchored on Hedera – the world’s leading and most energy-efficient distributed ledger technology (DLT) that is governed by a council of leading global organisations such as Dell, Deutsche Telecom, EDF, FedEx, Google, Hitachi, IBM, Mondelēz, and Standard Bank, just to name a few of the over 30 Hedera Council members.

Built for enterprises, TrackTrace supports compliance with the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which introduces mandatory sustainability and circularity norms across various regulated product categories. The requirement for a digital product passport applies to all products, including all components and intermediate products manufactured or put into operation in the EU. Under the ESPR framework, all products will require a digital record, typically accessed via QR code, containing data on a product’s origin, composition, sustainability credentials, and lifecycle.

The Hashgraph Group’s efforts to evolve in accordance with regulatory changes are echoed across the Hedera ecosystem, with the recent announcement by FedEx that it has joined the Hedera Council to advance trusted digital infrastructure for global shipments and the future of digital global supply chains. TrackTrace is designed and built to enable the digital evolution of global supply chains by leveraging the convergence of agentic intelligence and workflow automation with decentralization and trusted data infrastructure, offering enhanced digital visibility, governance, and compliance across entire product lifecycles and environments.

“The European Green Deal strives to establish the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and needs infrastructure it can trust to transform Europe into a modern, efficient, and sustainable, economy,” said Stefan Deiss, Co-Founder & CEO at The Hashgraph Group. “With TrackTrace built on Hedera, we deliver that critical trust data infrastructure layer that enables companies to comply with DPP regulation, while strengthening global supply chain integrity and fostering the transition to a sustainable, transparent, and circular economy.”

Set to come into force in 2027, the DPP regulation will apply to categories including textiles, construction materials, batteries and electronics, fundamentally reshaping how products are designed, tracked, and reported across the European market. For businesses targeting the EU market, DPP becomes a strategic priority that requires urgent focus to ensure compliance with the ESPR. According to PwC, the DPP initiative will redefine how products are designed, produced, recycled, and managed across the EU. THG and PwC are already collaborating with enterprises that need to implement DPP in compliance with ESPR, leveraging TrackTrace to provide transparency, traceability, and auditability across the entire lifecycle of a product.

Micha Roon, Head of Engineering at The Hashgraph Group said, “In designing TrackTrace, we prioritized interoperability to ensure it communicates seamlessly with existing enterprise ERPs and diverse supply chain standards. We have embedded GDPR compliance by design, allowing businesses to share mandatory compliance data without exposing any sensitive intellectual property or personal information. Ultimately, our architecture leverages Hedera’s consensus algorithm to deliver quantum-resistant data security, ensuring that every digital product passport is both immutable and verifiable across global supply chain borders.”

The digital product passport also has implications for global trade since it does not only affect companies based in the EU. For instance, all products exported into the EU market, regardless of the country of manufacture, must have a corresponding DPP. For companies seeking to maintain market access, export products, and remain competitive within the EU market, time is of the essence to integrate DPP now into their product strategy, design, and operations.