Daily Business Report: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023
New technology: How to use your phone
to spot expiring products in your refrigerator
By Ioana Patringenaru
Imagine you can open your fridge, open an app on your phone and immediately know which items are expiring within a few days. This is one of the applications that a new technology developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego would enable.
The technology combines a chip integrated into product packaging and a software update on your phone. The phone becomes capable of identifying objects based on signals the chip emits from specific frequencies, in this case Bluetooth or WiFi. In an industrial setting, a smartphone equipped with the software update could be used as an RFID reader.
The work harnesses breakthroughs in backscatter communication, which uses signals already generated by your smartphone and re-directs them back in a format your phone can understand. Effectively, this technique uses 1000 less power than state of the art to generate WiFi signals These advances have enabled very low-power communication between components of the Internet of Things and hardware such as WiFi or Bluetooth transceivers, for applications such as on-body sensors or asset trackers.
Photo: The custom chip, which is roughly the size of a grain of sand and costs only a few pennies to manufacture, needs so little power that it can be entirely powered by LTE signals, a technique called RF energy harvesting. (Credit: UC San Diego)
Northrop Grumman to manufacture U.S. Marine
Corps next generation handheld targeting system
The U.S. Marine Corps awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation the initial production and operations contract for the Next Generation Handheld Targeting System (NGHTS). NGHTS is a compact targeting system that provides advanced precision targeting and is capable of operation in GPS-denied environments.
GHTS performs rapid target acquisition, laser terminal guidance operation and laser spot imaging functions using its advanced range finder and designator. With NGHTS, ground forces have the option to call in a target, transmit the precise location or use laser designation where previously the only option was to call in target coordinates on a field radio. This single, ergonomic handheld product packed with advanced targeting capabilities will enable the Marines to quickly acquire and perform guidance against targets and generate target location data during combat operations.
Chula Vista and National City share $20 million
to launch shuttle services for residents
The cities of Chula Vista and National City have been awarded a combined total of $20 million from the Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program to launch shared mobility projects in their jurisdictions.
Chula Vista is receiving $997.833 to launch an on-demand community shuttle service in northwest Chula Vista focused on the local senior community using four electric vehicles, one of which will be ADA accessible. The new program will make mobility easier, smarter, safer, more affordable and fun and focus on trips to and from healthcare, grocery, senior living facilities and centers, city and community service, retail, social and entertainment, public transportation stops and hubs, and other locations.
National City will use its $999,996 award to fund its zero-emission shuttle program. The city’s Free Fride Around National City will provide a clean and safe travel option, improving qality of life by expanding affordable travel options while reducing pollution.
Moody’s affirms Sanford Burnham
Prebys A1 revenue bond rating
Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute’s (CA) A1 revenue bond rating. The institute had approximately $44 million of total debt outstanding as of June 30, 2022. The outlook is stable.
The affirmation of Sanford Burnham Preby’s A1 rating reflects the institute’s important role as a premier medical research institution and National Cancer Institute designated cancer center. The institute continues to benefit from strong philanthropic support, a steady grant pipeline, and good industry partnerships that support its research profile.
The stable outlook incorporates Moodys expectations of positive operating results as gift revenue is released over the next three fiscal years. It also incorporates expectations of continued excellent liquidity and the successful implementation of the strategic plan.
Cal State San Marcos to host
Women’s Leadership Symposium
Cal State San Marcos will host the Women’s Leadership Symposium on Saturday, March 4, providing participants an opportunity to connect, explore and engage in topics pertaining to women’s leadership and empowerment. All CSUSM students are encouraged to participate in the free event, which is from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. in the USU Ballroom.
Organizers are designing the day to provide participants an opportunity to learn more about their individual identities and the unique influences they have on their leadership style. Networking and team-building activities will allow students to build a positive and supportive network of diverse women who vary across professional disciplines and life experiences.
For more information, visit the symposium website.
SDG&E announces $16 million in relief
for customers and community assistance
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) said it is providing $16 million in shareholder funding to help customers with bill assistance and bolster community resources for residents who may be struggling financially. As part of this commitment, SDG&E will fund a new $10 million program to support local nonprofit, community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide essential services to vulnerable customers. The company is also immediately increasing funding for its Neighbor-to-Neighbor bill assistance program to $6 million while doubling the amount of financial support available to each qualifying customer and expanding eligibility to ensure more customers can take advantage of the program.
Latest Kyoto Prize laureates to speak in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University will host the 22nd Kyoto Prize Symposium to celebrae the 37th annual laureates of the Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest private award for global achievement, during a unique series of commemorative events that are free and open to the public March 15 to 17. Click here, or visit https://kyotoprize-us.org/event-registration to reserve a seat at the Symposium’s speaking events, featuring the latest Kyoto Prize laureates.
Comic-Con Museum named Best Pop
Culture Museum by USA Today
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Comic Convention’s Comic-Con Museum is the winner of the Best Pop Culture Museum category in the 2023 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The contest featured prominent museums from across the U.S., with winners determined by popular vote from members of the public. Current Comic-Con Museum exhibits include “The Animation Academy – from Pencils to Pixels,” which invites visitors to explore the world of cartoons and animated characters. With over 20 interactive stations, this expansive exhibit provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at how some of the most beloved animated shows are created. Read more
Athletic Brewing and Super Coffee create
world’s first pre-workout brew
SAN DIEGO — Athletic Brewing Company, a leading producer of non-alcoholic craft beer, has teamed up with Austin-based Super Coffee, the third-largest bottled coffee brand in the U.S., on the world’s first pre-workout brew. Called Suped Up, the new non-alcoholic beer was inspired by the power of positive energy and the grind of endless grit. It is brewed with high-quality coffee and spent brewer’s grains. The idea for Suped Up was born out of a friendship between Athletic Brewing co-founder Bill Shufeltand Super Coffee co-founder Jimmy DeCicco
Avidity advances RNA programs and
expands into new therapeutic areas
SAN DIEGO — Avidity Biosciences Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced the advancement and expansion of its internal discovery pipeline with the addition of new research and development candidates to treat conditions in skeletal muscle and cardiology. The preclinical programs have been engineered using Avidity’s proprietary AOC platform technology, which is designed to combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies to target the root cause of diseases previously untreatable with RNA therapeutics.
Evofem Biosciences announces FDA Orange
Book listing of two patents for Phexxi
SAN DIEGO — Evofem Biosciences Inc. announced that two additional U.S. patents which cover Phexxi (lactic acid, citric acid and potassium bitartrate) and its labeled indication are now listed in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publication Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, commonly known as the Orange Book.
“The Orange Book listing of these two patents covering Phexxi’s composition of matter and its method of use in contraception is an important step in further strengthening our patent portfolio,” said Evofem Biosciences CEO Saundra Pelletier.
Homes owned by Black families
appreciated the fastest during the pandemic
SEATTLE — Homes owned by Black families appreciated more than any others since the start of the pandemic, with the typical Black homeowner gaining nearly $84,000 in equity. Black Americans also made slight gains in homeownership rates, despite disproportionate job and income loss. The gap between the typical Black-owned home’s value and the value of the typical U.S. home is now the smallest it’s been in more than two decades, according to
a new analysis of data from Zillow and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. From February 2020 to January 2023, Black homeowners saw their home values increase 42.5 percent, compared to 38.5 percent for U.S. home values overall, and 37.8 percent for white-owned home values. Hispanic- and Asian-owned home values increased by 38.3 percent and 37 percent, respectively.
MaxLinear partners with EdgeQ on
converged 4G and 5G small cell platform
CARLSBAD — MaxLinear Inc. announced it has partnered with EdgeQ on an all-in-one small cell reference design, converging 4G, 5G and compute onto a single software-defined platform. Combining EdgeQ’s 5G “Base Station-on-a-chip” with MaxLinear’s MXL1600
RF transceiver and MaxLIN wideband digital predistortion solution creates a new software-programmable paradigm that allows developers to scale rapidly and dynamically across the wide range of small cell applications and use cases with a high level of system integration, performance, and flexibility.
Airgain introduces Lighthouse smart repeater
SAN DIEGO — Airgain Inc., a leading provider of wireless connectivity solutions that creates and delivers embedded components, external antennas, and integrated systems across the globe, introduced its new Lighthouse smart repeaters. They are designed to significantly reduce an operator’s capital expenses for extending range while enhancing 5G coverage and improving the customer experience. This announcement continues Airgain’s streamlined end-to-end 5G development that includes fixed wireless access (FWA), repeaters, and enterprise software management solutions. Airgain begins trial on major operator networks in Q2 2023.
General Atomics selected for Japan Maritime
Self-Defense Force Male RPAs Project
SAN DIEGO — General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), the global leader in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, has been selected to support the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) RPAS Trial Operation Project. The project will feature GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SeaGuardian and will begin in April 2023. SeaGuardian will be used to conduct various tests to review adaptability to support JMSDF’s manned-unmanned teaming missions and its level of manpower reduction. Japan Coast Guard and JMSDF will be exchanging the data obtained by the MQ-9Bs operated for each of the government’s branches.
