Major League Baseball is taking steps to prepare its stadiums for the safe return of fans through a partnership with tech company Airspace.
The startup has developed technology that utilizes a company's camera system to detect whether or not people are wearing face masks. Jaz Banga, the co-founder and CEO of Airspace Technologies, told Cheddar his team isn't looking to act as an authority on mask-wearing, but help businesses find ways to improve compliance.
"Nobody wants to police these folks," Banga said. "We end up checking to see if the mask is being worn properly, or if the mask is half way, and what we end up doing is creating heat maps."
Heat maps, according to Banga, highlight potential high-risk infection zones. Airspace can then pass that data along the proper channels. Then clients, like the MLB, can then address issues under their established policies.
As information regarding Airspace's tech spreads, Banga said people should not lose sleep over surveillance concerns.
"It turns out that facial recognition is not an issue because you can't really detect people's faces when you're looking through people's masks," he explained.
For Airspace, the partnership with Major League Baseball is ideal as the two already have an established relationship to ensure the safety of visitors and workers at the stadiums, although he was clear that he could not comment on the league's deployment decisions.
"For the last three of four years we've been focusing on, 'How do we secure the space above facilities,'" Banga said. "Our job is to make sure security teams on the ground know exactly what's going on above their facilities."
The technology, while scaled for large venues and already in place at some airports, could be the new norm for a variety of businesses as people look to "create a safe environment" without having to be confrontational with those that are not wearing masks, Banga said.
"Imagine walking up to a grocery store door and the door won't open up. Imagine going to an office and the door won't open up because you don't have your mask on," he said.
While Airspace works to provide companies with secure and safe workplaces, personal security, for many, will continue to be a major concern. But, as more businesses consider the tech, Banga said discretion is key.
"Privacy will be respected going forward," he said, "We're building systems in place that allow us to protect people's privacy."
Updated August 17, 2020 to clarify that Banga had no comment on Major League Baseball's deployment, or not, of face mask detection technology in stadiums.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Starbucks’ AI barista aims to speed service and improve experience. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune Business Editor, explains its impact on workers and customers.
As Big Tech reports Q3 earnings, investors await proof that massive AI and cloud investments from Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet are driving real growth.
