Time - USA (2020-11-30)

83

EDUCATION

AFFORDABLE

HIGHER ED

Outlier.org

Even before COVID-
19 made campuses
physically risky, higher
education faced a
serious crisis, largely
because of debt—total
student-loan debt hit a
staggering $1.5 trillion
in 2019. Less expensive
online learning is one
solution, but the quality
of web-based schools
has been spotty at best.
Enter Outlier. Built by
the people behind the
online- learning platform
MasterClass, Outlier
offers remote college
courses for credit
through the University of
Pittsburgh. The courses—
which include calculus,
astronomy, psychology
and statistics—are
taught by top professors
from schools like Yale
and NYU, and are made
with high production
values not usually seen
in online education.
—MATTHEW GAULT

WELLNESS

A FRIEND FOR LIFE

Tombot Jennie

Loneliness runs rampant among seniors suffering from dementia or pre-

dementia. Tom Stevens, a 35-year tech-industry vet, saw it himself as

the syndrome took hold of his mother. “I started wondering if there was a

tech-based solution that could do some good,” Stevens says. The result is

the Tombot Jennie ($450), a hyperrealistic emotional-support robot that

looks, feels and behaves much like a real puppy—minus the floor-wetting.

Designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the uncanny Jennie resembles

a 15-lb. Lab puppy and includes dozens of internal sensors, allowing her

to wag her tail when petted, respond to voice commands, and perk up

and bark when asked if she wants a treat. Tombot plans to incorporate

medical-alert capabilities into Jennie before shipping the robo-dog to the

company’s 5,000-person preorder list in 2022. —J.R. SULLIVAN

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

A REFUGE FOR BEES

Beewise Beehome

An astonishing 40% of bees die every year as a

result of disease, pesticides and climate change—in

part because busy commercial beekeepers miss

warning signs. That’s where Beewise, an artificial-

intelligence-powered hive, comes in. Using precision

robotics, computer vision and AI, a Beehome—

which costs $15 a month and might host 2 million

bees—monitors the insects 24/7. When a hive is

exposed to, say, parasites or experiences irregular

temperatures, its internal systems respond

immediately by applying pesticides, for example.

Use of the smart technology can double pollination

capacity and honey production, while decreasing

colonies’ mortality rate. “Not only do bees not die,”

says Saar Safra, Beewise’s CEO. “They thrive.”

—MÉLISSA GODIN

OUTDOORS

THE PORTABLE

PURIFIER

CrazyCap

“When people want

clean water, they reach

for plastic bottles,” says

CrazyCap CEO Rakesh

Guduru. “It’s bad for your

health and the environ-

ment.” For those who

want a more sustainable

way to hydrate on the

go, Guduru created a

bottle cap that uses UVC

light to sanitize water

in just 60 seconds. The

device has two modes,

one to purify water from

taps or public fountains,

the other for streams

and ponds—a potential

godsend for hikers and

campers accustomed

to boiling their water or

adding foul- tasting drops.

The cap is rechargeable

and compatible with most

reusable bottles. Pricing

for a cap-and-bottle

pair starts at $69.99.

— SIMMONE SHAH