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Mike Process Master, a robot among the aisles at Potenza’s Iper Futura

MyAv, a 100% Italian startup business funded entirely by Orizzonti Holding, brings robotics and AI to large supermarket chains. Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article Already widely used by the largest warehouses (Amazon currently has 45.000), robots equipped with artificial intelligence are starting to be seen among Supermarket aisles. In step with the two worldwide retail giants, Walmart and Ahold, that have recently introduced shelf-audit robots in their supermarkets, MyAv has just launched Mike Process Master at Potenza’s Iper Futura. Mike is an automatized employee that works in synergy with the personnel and plays a supporting inspection role to enhance

MyAv, a 100% Italian startup business funded entirely by Orizzonti Holding, brings robotics and AI to large supermarket chains.

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Already widely used by the largest warehouses (Amazon currently has 45.000), robots equipped with artificial intelligence are starting to be seen among Supermarket aisles.

In step with the two worldwide retail giants, Walmart and Ahold, that have recently introduced shelf-audit robots in their supermarkets, MyAv has just launched Mike Process Master at Potenza’s Iper Futura. Mike is an automatized employee that works in synergy with the personnel and plays a supporting inspection role to enhance the layout, the presence and the logistic supply of products on the shelves.

Designed by MyAv, an innovative and technological business startup, along with its Research and Development team, Mike Process Master is a robot equipped with highly advanced cameras and sensors that allow it to notice even the slightest presence of obstacles or moving people and to conveniently avoid them. With a deliberately serious appearance, it integrates with consumers’ shopping experience without interfering and acts solely to help retail employees to assist customers. Mike finds missing products and other problems related to the display on the shelves thanks to a mix of technology that combines robotics, computer vision, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

In this respect, the CEO Costantino Di Carlo pointed out that the Orizzonti Holding Group operates locally but thinks globally. Thus, we expect that MyAv’s already innovation-intensive proposal will evolve with the contribution of other technological and commercial partners that can contribute to the competitive development of the project and aim at international excellence. Mike already represents the first concrete starting point in this direction.

What are the advantages for supermarkets and their customers? Thanks to Mike, consumers can expect more effective product display. Through Mike’s inspections and the information transmitted by the robot, employees in charge of product-service can put in place more and more real time process-development actions.

As Walmart and Ahold pointed out there are already different robotic solutions able to operate in retail with different supporting skills. However, robots like theirs that can integrate into the daily duty in normal superstore and megastore retail operative processes are still brand new technological innovations that must face new complexities compared to previous robotic proposals.

Mike belongs to this new development concept in the field of traditional “retail brick and mortar”. A new intelligence has been introduced into the dialogue between the customer and the store and, even though it doesn’t directly interact with customers (which is already possible for the new versions currently under design), all informative potential is important to positively influence communication in stores.

Mike is set to meet different objectives and can complete the tasks of the working plan it has been assigned to in a fully autonomous way: if the aisle is crowded or cluttered with obstacles and trolleys, Mike reprograms itself to finish its job at a later stage. As a general indication and under conditions of normal crowding, it can monitor a commercial retail space of 5 thousand square meters in an informative way and in less than 3 hours and can decide autonomously whether to begin a new inspection or go back to “base” to recharge. There is no inspection or analysis function that Mike can’t or isn’t prepared to do.

Like all great innovations it still has to learn and teach, but Mike has already been born great, like the two large worldwide distribution companies that recently preceded us by introducing a robotic assistant in daily duty that works alongside employees, supporting them in customer service in a large and well-known retail structure”.

As MyAv’s Chief Engineer Giuseppe Oddo said when speaking on behalf of those who contributed to the technical and scientific development of the project. Moreover, he highlighted that in the first six months of 2018, the goals for Mike will be to concretely verify its potential for Futura supermarkets, which it will continuously work on.

MyAv acts as a System Integrator and if, as we expect, the economic potential reported in the field is in line with the initial objectives of reaching the pay-back of the equipment and auxiliary systems within the first six months of activity, the initiative will be gradually extended to all chain structures that can benefit from it or to peer structures that the Group is already cooperating with.

Being a process-oriented, software-based device, Mike’s artificial intelligence is customized to Futura processes. We do not exclude however that in the second part of 2018 other proposals will be evaluated to extend Mike’s functions also on an international level. This will be possible if, in the meantime, synergic partnerships can be consolidated to adequately support this very interesting and yet competitive area of development. From this perspective, the prospect is also to evaluate the future listing of MyAv on a regulated market.

Bitcoin is rebounding after plummeting to new lows over the weekend – BGR


BGR

Bitcoin is rebounding after plummeting to new lows over the weekend
BGR
The crypto market is now recovering after having taken quite a beating over the weekend. Bitcoin reached new lows for the month of March, dipping all the way down to around $7,300. Ethereum, the second biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, dropped to
Bitcoin Price Jumps $1K After Carney Tells G20 Crypto Does Not ‘Pose Risk’Cointelegraph (Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain News)
Bitcoin Price Surges 10% as G20 Will Not Crackdown on CryptocurrenciesnewsBTC
Never Mind The Bitcoins: Carney Tells G20 Cryptoassets ‘Pose No Risk’Bitcoinist
RT –Asia Times
all 41 news articles »

BGR

Bitcoin is rebounding after plummeting to new lows over the weekend
BGR
The crypto market is now recovering after having taken quite a beating over the weekend. Bitcoin reached new lows for the month of March, dipping all the way down to around $7,300. Ethereum, the second biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, dropped to ...
Bitcoin Price Jumps $1K After Carney Tells G20 Crypto Does Not 'Pose Risk'Cointelegraph (Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain News)
Bitcoin Price Surges 10% as G20 Will Not Crackdown on CryptocurrenciesnewsBTC
Never Mind The Bitcoins: Carney Tells G20 Cryptoassets 'Pose No Risk'Bitcoinist
RT -Asia Times
all 41 news articles »

Bitcoin prosecutions may break new legal ground – The San Diego Union-Tribune

The San Diego Union-TribuneBitcoin prosecutions may break new legal groundThe San Diego Union-TribuneThe 30-year-old was the target of an undercover sting that depicted him as being a prolific bitcoin trader who exchanged bitcoin for a butane hash oil …


The San Diego Union-Tribune

Bitcoin prosecutions may break new legal ground
The San Diego Union-Tribune
The 30-year-old was the target of an undercover sting that depicted him as being a prolific bitcoin trader who exchanged bitcoin for a butane hash oil manufacturer without complying with anti-money laundering banking rules. He is charged with operating ...

Northern Trust, PwC Launch ‘Instant’ Blockchain Audits

Rather than waiting for periodic reports, auditors of private equity funds on Northern Trust’s blockchain will get the data almost immediately.

Rather than waiting for periodic reports, auditors of private equity funds on Northern Trust’s blockchain will get the data almost immediately.

Venezuela Wants to Boost Cryptocurrency Mining Activity

TheMerkle Cryptocurrency MiningVenezuela is a very peculiar country for many reasons. Ever since the Petro was issued, people have been wondering how it would affect actual cryptocurrencies in the country. It now seems the government has launched a crypto mining program meant to attract up to 1 million people. It’s a rather intriguing development, especially because this has seemingly nothing to do with the Petro. Cryptocurrency Mining in Venezuela There is never a boring day in Venezuela, by the look of things. Ever since the Petro cryptocurrency was announced, the country has received a high amount of international press coverage. As of right now, the question

TheMerkle Cryptocurrency Mining

Venezuela is a very peculiar country for many reasons. Ever since the Petro was issued, people have been wondering how it would affect actual cryptocurrencies in the country. It now seems the government has launched a crypto mining program meant to attract up to 1 million people. It’s a rather intriguing development, especially because this has seemingly nothing to do with the Petro.

Cryptocurrency Mining in Venezuela

There is never a boring day in Venezuela, by the look of things. Ever since the Petro cryptocurrency was announced, the country has received a high amount of international press coverage. As of right now, the question still remains whether or not the Petro is even a legal currency, as opinions are rather divided on this front. That conundrum is not stifling interest in other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, though.

In fact, the Venezuelan government wants to support these “legitimate” cryptocurrencies in a surprising manner. President Maduro has launched a new crypto mining initiative designed to attract students, unemployed people, homeless individuals, and even single mothers. With this new program, Maduro wants to encourage citizens to begin mining cryptocurrency in the country.

This sudden change of heart is a big surprise, all things considered. When the Petro was put up for sale, most people assumed it would be the only cryptocurrency to make a big impact in Venezuela. It now seems the government is open to competing currencies as a way to attract international firms. Setting up a mining farm in this country is certainly appealing due to lower electricity costs.

Known as Plan Chamba Juvenil Digital, this new program is open for registration until April 15. If things go according to plan, attracting one million or more interested users should not prove to be a big challenge. Even so, it is evident the country is still struggling financially. Getting involved in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is an intriguing concept, although one that may backfire.

As of right now, the plan is to build two dozen cryptocurrency mining farms. A total of $2.9 million will be allocated to bring this venture to life as quickly as possible. It seems the Venezuelan government wants to “enforce” the incorporation of young people in the labor sector. In particular, people under 35 will prove to be a high-value “target of interest” in this regard.

Whether or not this particular venture will prove successful is a different matter altogether. Cryptocurrency mining has been subject to odd regulation in Venezuela in the past. This sudden change of heart seems to be a rather desperate move, although it remains to be seen if it will pay off in the long run. Strengthening the country’s economic relations through cryptocurrency certainly is a rather intriguing concept.

Cardano Price Gains Nearly 20% as Markets Show Signs of Life

TheMerkle Cardano LogoToday will prove to be a very interesting day for all cryptocurrencies. As most of the value declines are not gone just yet, we may see some impressive uptrends later today. It seems the Cardano price is heading in an interesting direction, thanks to the 19.96% gain over the past 24 hours. Sustaining any solid uptrend will prove to be very difficult for any cryptocurrency, though. Cardano Price Eyes $0.2 Target It has become evident all cryptocurrencies are trying to recover some of their lost momentum over the past few weeks. Doing so will take a lot of effort, though,

TheMerkle Cardano Logo

Today will prove to be a very interesting day for all cryptocurrencies. As most of the value declines are not gone just yet, we may see some impressive uptrends later today. It seems the Cardano price is heading in an interesting direction, thanks to the 19.96% gain over the past 24 hours. Sustaining any solid uptrend will prove to be very difficult for any cryptocurrency, though.

Cardano Price Eyes $0.2 Target

It has become evident all cryptocurrencies are trying to recover some of their lost momentum over the past few weeks. Doing so will take a lot of effort, though, as some currencies effectively lost nearly 40% in value just last weekend. This is a very bearish trend which cannot be turned around anytime soon. Even so, the current momentum seems to be a bit more positive, as the Cardano price shows there is plenty of room for growth.

More specifically, we are now looking at a Cardano price gain of nearly 20%. While that is impressive in its own regard, there is also an ADA/BTC ratio increase of 11.35% in favor of the altcoin. Such big gains are usually suspect to massive retraces sooner rather than later, though. As the cryptocurrency markets remain extremely volatile right now, it is unclear what the future will hold exactly.

Even so, this 19.96% Cardano price gain is pretty significant. It elevates the altcoin’s value back to $0.166, which is still a long way removed from the $1.22 all-time high. Until all markets can find a stable support level, such gains are completely out of the question. That doesn’t mean we won’t see some interesting short-term Cardano price gains over the next few days or weeks, though.

With $262m in 24-hour trading volume, it is safe to say the demand to buy and sell Cardano is legitimate. This volume is a lot higher compared to most other altcoins, even though it remains to be seen how long it takes until the momentum turns against ADA. As we have seen throughout all of 2018, positive trends do not last all that long in the world of cryptocurrency these days.

Upbit, Binance, and Bittrex are the three top exchange ranked by Cardano trading volume right now. With a Korean exchange generating over 65% of all trades, it is evident there is not that much demand from other parts of the world as of right now. It is evident South Korea continues to influence the cryptocurrency industry in many different ways. Whether or not this means the current Cardano price is a pump-and-dump cycle, remains to be seen.

It will be very interesting to see how all cryptocurrency markets evolve in the next few hours and days. Given the momentum we have seen throughout most of the year so far, these gains can be wiped out within a matter of hours. Whether or not things will improve from here on out, is impossible to predict. Cryptocurrency markets never make any sense, and the current volatility is only compounding this issue as we speak.

Regulation Friendly CoinMetro’s Live TGE Acquires $14 Million Worth of Backers With More to Come

The current state of services offered by decentralized platforms is mostly unregulated. Lying in a grey area of laws and regulations, there are actions brewing in different governmental organizations all over the world on how to control the unprecedented growth of Blockchain financial services. From token distributions being banned in China to protect backers’ money to Visa service disruption due to noncompliance- crypto services are facing an increased resistance to their operation. Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article Disruptive technology that upsets the balance of power is always been pushed down. There are two ways to counter it: one is

The current state of services offered by decentralized platforms is mostly unregulated. Lying in a grey area of laws and regulations, there are actions brewing in different governmental organizations all over the world on how to control the unprecedented growth of Blockchain financial services. From token distributions being banned in China to protect backers’ money to Visa service disruption due to noncompliance- crypto services are facing an increased resistance to their operation.

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Disruptive technology that upsets the balance of power is always been pushed down. There are two ways to counter it: one is to be on the offensive, essentially breaking down the whole system; or by adapting to the rules enforced to ensure that maximum benefit reaches the public.

Regulatory Compliance of CoinMetro

CEO of CoinMetro, Kevin Murcko is an established name in the traditional financial services. He has a successful forex firm, the FXPig, that challenged the opacity of the existing business practices while being fully in line with regulations and laws. He brings his disruptive experience to Blockchain by offering CoinMetro, a holistic financial services platform for the masses. He knows that for CoinMetro to be a true service to people all over the world, it has to follow two requirements:

Regulatory Requirements: Working in different locations all over the world, the platform needs multiple compliances with different jurisdictions in order to operate in respected countries and locations.

Consumer Confidence: Users of different services bank heavily on the reputation and industry standards these services adhere to. CoinMetro needs to have strong relationships with different banks, financial institutions, and payment services gateways for it to deliver services that are trusted by users.

Kevin was very right in saying crypto financial services need a regulatory framework that helps us retain the innovative spirit of the space while helping us to protect the consumer and open doors to the traditional financial institutions.

What Services Does CoinMetro Offer?

CoinMetro is unlike any other Blockchain financial service provider. With its multi-service strategy, it is designed to cater for users from every walk of life. Services offered (and requiring regulations) include debit cards (strong relations with payment gateways needed. Protections against ID theft etc.), multi-currency wallets (transactions of fiat included, requiring bank wires and credit cards), lending (banking regulations), Atomic Swaps, asset management (same regulatory rules as mutual investment), crypto exchange and a full token generation event management system.

As is understandable, all of the services have at least one regulation and/or industry standard that is required as a service provider. CoinMetro intends to be the most well compliant platform to ensure that maximum of people can join and achieve its goal of crypto services for the masses.

XCM Token Generation Event

CoinMetro, as an Ethereum based platform, has its own in-house token, XCM, that will be used as monetary value so that transactions within the platform can be paid for.

Currently, the XCM is available (1 XCM = 0.15 USD) in the ongoing token generation event that has raised more than $14,000,000 in little over two weeks. The event will continue till the end of March and value of XCM will rise as more and more tokens are acquired by backers.

More details available at their website: https://coinmetro.com/

Crypto vs. Cash – How the Numbers Stack Up on Drugs, Guns, Murders

It is easy to call Bitcoin a tool for buying drugs and weapons, because its a currency, just like the USD, which is also used for that purposes. #ANALYSIS

It is easy to call Bitcoin a tool for buying drugs and weapons, because its a currency, just like the USD, which is also used for that purposes. #ANALYSIS

Bitcoin Returns to Above $8K, But Sell-Off Risks Remain – CoinDesk

Bitcoin Returns to Above $8K, But Sell-Off Risks Remain
CoinDesk
Bitcoin’s (BTC) corrective rally could soon see prices climb back to $9,000, however, the longer-term outlook stills remain bearish, according to the technical charts. Bitcoin fell to a 5.5-week low of $7,335 on the BPI yesterday, a drop linked to

and more »


Bitcoin Returns to Above $8K, But Sell-Off Risks Remain
CoinDesk
Bitcoin's (BTC) corrective rally could soon see prices climb back to $9,000, however, the longer-term outlook stills remain bearish, according to the technical charts. Bitcoin fell to a 5.5-week low of $7,335 on the BPI yesterday, a drop linked to ...

and more »

Advisors agree with Buffett: Don’t waste your hard-earned cash on bitcoin – CNBC


CNBC

Advisors agree with Buffett: Don’t waste your hard-earned cash on bitcoin
CNBC
“In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say with almost certainty that they will come to a bad ending,” Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, told CNBC. Buffett said he would not take a short position on bitcoin futures. “We don


CNBC

Advisors agree with Buffett: Don't waste your hard-earned cash on bitcoin
CNBC
"In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say with almost certainty that they will come to a bad ending," Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, told CNBC. Buffett said he would not take a short position on bitcoin futures. "We don ...

Stablecoin to HODL? Pizza CEO Nets Millions for Crypto

“Stablecoins” continue to be a much sought-after tech for ICOs, and a new one, Fragments, now boasts investment from True, Pantera and FBG.

“Stablecoins” continue to be a much sought-after tech for ICOs, and a new one, Fragments, now boasts investment from True, Pantera and FBG.