2019-12-02_Time

69

TRANSPORTATION

HACKING

THE

E-BIKE

GeoOrbital

Electric bicycles are great
for quickly zipping around
town without breaking a
sweat. But they can also be
expensive—some models
cost several thousand
dollars. With GeoOrbital’s
electric bicycle wheel,
cyclists can upgrade their
pedal- powered bicycle into
an e-bike in minutes for a
fraction of the cost: $1,495.
Riders control the electric
motor, and their speed, with
a throttle connected to their
handlebars. A three-hour
battery charge gives riders
a range of up to 20 miles,
depending on the model,
the bicycle and how much
pedaling the rider does.
Founder and CEO Michael
Burtov says the design,
inspired by the sci-fi Light
Cycles in the movie Tron,
takes advantage of what he
considers formerly wasted
space. “Regular wheels have
a lot of empty, wasted space
in them, and now they don’t,”
he says. GeoOrbital has sold
about 3,000 wheels so far
and raised $2.8 million on
crowdfunding sites.
—Alex Fitzpatrick

STYLE

21ST CENTURY FASHION

Bee & Kin tech handbags

Designer Tracey Hummel decided that, no matter how stylish, purses should

do more than just hold your stuff. “I want to create beautiful bags that do a

little bit of work for you,” Hummel says. Her luxury handbag line of sleek, smart

purses (which start at $495) comes equipped with a set of interior LED lights

that discreetly illuminate their interiors, and a Bluetooth- enabled button that

can be programmed via an app to perform tasks like calling an Uber; sharing

your location with a friend; or starting a playlist with a simple click, double

click or hold. Future editions might include even more life- smoothing features.

“Anything that feels like an added convenience to have in your bag, that’s what

we’re looking to integrate,” says Hummel. —Megan McCluskey

The bags

come in a

variety of styles

and colors, from

evening to all-

day totes

with AI-enabled software

that analyzes MRIs to

confirm or challenge their

diagnosis. The system

was approved by the FDA

in 2017 when a clinical

study showed a 39%

reduction in missed can-

cers and a 20% improve-

ment in overall accuracy.

QuantX is currently being

tried out at the University

of Chicago and the Univer-

sity of Texas MD Anderson

Cancer Center, with a

bigger rollout planned

in the coming months.

ÑJeffrey Kluger

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

REDUCING

FALSE

DIAGNOSES

Qlarity Imaging

QuantX

Diagnosing breast cancer

can be a worrisomely old-

school process. For all of

the 21st century tech that

can image tumors, the

ultimate diagnosis still

rests with the radiologist’s

eyes and judgment. With

30 million breast-cancer

screenings in the U.S.

each year, that can lead

to a lot of false negatives

and positives. QuantX

backstops radiologists