Abstract: A needle bending assembly configured to at least temporarily contain a needle can include a first housing section, a second housing section, and a coupling element coupled between the first housing section and the second housing section. The first housing section defines a first cavity configured to at least temporarily contain a first section of the needle. The second housing section defines a second cavity configured to at least temporarily contain a second section of the needle forming a distal tip. The coupling element is configured such that when the needle is contained within the housing sections, movement of the second housing section relative to the first housing section results in a bending of the needle at a location corresponding to the coupling element.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed configured to control the planting, application of pesticides, and harvesting of greenhouse crops, such as herbs. The greenhouse may include a variety of sensors, such as moisture sensors, ph sensors, and/or CO2 sensors. Unmanned vehicles may be utilized to capture crop images, and a learning engine may be used to determine the size of greenhouse crops. Such sensor data may be used to predict crop availability. A predication engine may be utilized to predict demand for greenhouse crops using current and historical orders for greenhouse crops. Greenhouse crop production instructions may be generated and transmitted to a greenhouse computer system to cause crops to be sown or harvested. Pallet loading instructions may be generated regarding the loading of specified quantities of crop packs on respective pallets for shipment to a destination.

Abstract: A method of warming food dispensable from an aerosol dispenser. The aerosol dispenser is made from materials which can go into a single recycling stream having a single class of materials, as defined by the Society of the Plastics Industry, and particularly may exclusively comprise Class 1 materials suitable for eating in a microwave oven. Consumer products, such as food, contained in the aerosol dispenser may be heated in a microwave oven prior to dispensing. Upon dispensing, food retains residual heat, and is suitable for eating or further cooking. Other heated products in the aerosol dispenser may be comfortably applied to the skin, used as air freshener, used for cleaning, etc. The aerosol dispenser may have indicia indicating the aerosol dispenser is suitable for microwave heating. The aerosol dispenser can have indicia indicating the aerosol dispenser is suitable for heating in a microwave oven. The indicia may be thermochromic, indicating when a desired temperature has been reached.

Abstract: Example systems, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed sensing a flow of fluid using a thermopile-based flow sensing device. An example apparatus includes a flow sensing device comprising a heating structure having a centerline. The flow sensing device may further comprise a thermopile. At least a portion of the thermopile may be disposed over the heating structure. The thermopile may comprise a first thermocouple having a first thermocouple junction disposed upstream of the centerline of the heating structure. The thermopile may further comprise a second thermocouple having a second thermocouple junction disposed downstream of the centerline of the heating structure.

Abstract: The present disclosure refers to a lighting unit, in particular in form of a RGB light assembly, comprising one or more lighting segments, wherein each lighting segment comprises several light sources emitting light rays into one or more light guides merging into one light out-coupling surface for guiding the outputted light rays to a lens providing a light output. The light unit may be provided in two alternatives either the light sources directly face the lens such that light rays are guided through the light guide to pass the lens to light up a surface, or the light sources emit light rays to enter the light guide to be guided to a reflector which focuses the light rays into a light window of a mask to light up the lens in the region of the light window.

Abstract: Technologies for token-based access authorization to an application program interface (API) include an access management server to receive a service request message from an application executed by a remote computing device. The service request message includes a digitally signed license token previously generated by the access management server and distributed to the remote computing device. The service request message also includes a request from the executed application to access data or a service of the resource server via an exposed API. The access management server verifies the digital signature of the digitally signed license token and generates a digitally signed Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) token. The digitally signed SAML token is transmitted to the resource server for verification and local caching. The resource server receives the service request message and determines whether access to the requested data or service is authorized based on the locally-cached SAML token.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, and machine-readable mediums which provide for customer chatbots that detect a customer handoff condition and in response, transferring the customer to a communication session with a live agent. The handoff condition may comprise an inability to understand the customer, an inability to answer the customer's question, expressions of frustration or anger on the part of the customer, a customer's express request to be transferred, or the like. The live agent may receive a complete history of the conversation with the chatbot so that the customer does not have to repeat him or herself to the live agent. The chatbot chat session may be linked to a social networking account of the customer and may take place in association with a social networking profile page of the company.

Abstract: An antenna housing for mounting on a vehicle or on a vehicle roof surface includes an electrical circuit including at least one source element for emitting luminescent radiation, the at least one source element being located internally within the housing so as not to be visible externally, an indicating element for releasing luminescent radiation received from the at least one source element for viewing externally, and an optical conduit for providing an optical couple between the at least one source element and the indicating element. A combined antenna and indicator module for mounting on a vehicle includes the antenna housing, and a vehicle includes the combined antenna and indicator module.

Abstract: Helper neural network can play a role in augmenting authentication services that are based on neural network architectures. For example, helper networks are configured to operate as a gateway on identification information used to identify users, enroll users, and/or construct authentication models (e.g., embedding and/or prediction networks). Assuming, that both good and bad identification information samples are taken as part of identification information capture, the helper networks operate to filter out bad identification information prior to training, which prevents, for example, identification information that is valid but poorly captured from impacting identification, training, and/or prediction using various neural networks. Additionally, helper networks can also identify and prevent presentation attacks or submission of spoofed identification information as part of processing and/or validation.

Abstract: A set of measurable encrypted feature vectors can be derived from any biometric data and/or physical or logical user behavioral data, and then using an associated deep neural network (“DNN”) on the output (i.e., biometric feature vector and/or behavioral feature vectors, etc.) an authentication system can determine matches or execute searches on encrypted data. Behavioral or biometric encrypted feature vectors can be stored and/or used in conjunction with respective classifications, or in subsequent comparisons without fear of compromising the original data. In various embodiments, the original behavioral and/or biometric data is discarded responsive to generating the encrypted vectors. In other embodiment, helper networks can be used to filter identification inputs to improve the accuracy of the models that use encrypted inputs for classification.

Abstract: A graft tensioning tool includes an elongate frame having a proximal end, a distal end, and an axial passage extending therethrough. The distal end is configured to detachably engage a tunnel ring at an entrance to a tunnel in bone, and the frame includes a first suture puller and a second suture puller. Each suture puller detachably engages a length of suture emerging through the attached to suture and/or a soft tissue implant in the bone tunnel. A tensioner on the elongate frame displaces the suture pullers in a proximal direction to apply a controlled tension to the suture lengths and/or implant. A tension gauge measures tension applied to the suture pullers, and a locking tool is configured to engage the suture lock through the axial passage of the frame, allowing a user to fix the suture ends to bone when a target tension is attained.

Abstract: Systems and methods of authorizing access to access-controlled environments are provided. In one example, a method includes receiving, passively by a computing device, user behavior authentication information indicative of a behavior of a user of the computing device, comparing, by the computing device, the user behavior authentication information to a stored user identifier associated with the user, calculating, by the computing device, a user identity probability based on the comparison of the user behavior authentication information to the stored user identifier, receiving, by the computing device, a request from the user to execute an access-controlled function, and granting, by the computing device, the request from the user responsive to determining that the user identity probability satisfies a first identity probability threshold associated with the access-controlled function.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dispensing consumable liquids are disclosed. An example networked system includes a server and a plurality of beverage dispenser stations. Each of the beverage dispenser stations includes a filler including a filler outlet configured to deliver a beverage into a container, an RFID reader configured to read an RFID tag fixed to a water filter through which water for the beverage is to flow, and a controller. The controller is configured determine a duration-of-use of the water filter and a volume of water that has passed through the water filter. Each of the beverage dispenser stations also includes a network communications interface configured to communicate the duration-of-use and the volume of water to the networked administrative server to track use of the water filter among the plurality of beverage dispenser stations.

Abstract: Embodiments of provide systems, methods, and computer storage media for rendering multicolored vector content using pre-computed scalar fields, such as images or textures. In an example implementation, multicolored vector content is processed to generate a representation of three scalar fields: an unsigned distance field, a field of region IDs, and a color plane (also called a color field or a color texture). These three fields are pre-computed prior to rendering (e.g., outside of a rendering loop), and then subsequently used (e.g., by a GPU as textures) to render an approximation of the multicolored vector content.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses associated with an example flow sensing device are provided. In some examples, the flow sensing device may include a flow cap component and a sensor component. In some examples, the flow cap component may include a heating element disposed in a first layer of the flow cap component. In some examples, the sensor component may include at least one thermal sensing element disposed in a second layer of the sensor component. In some examples, the first layer and the second layer are noncoplanar. In some examples, the flow cap component may be bonded to a first surface of the sensor component to form a flow channel. In some examples, the first layer and the second layer may be noncoplanar and separated by the flow channel.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a set of feature vectors can be derived from any biometric data, and then using a deep neural network (“DNN”) on those one-way homomorphic encryptions (i.e., each biometrics' feature vector) an authentication system can determine matches or execute searches on encrypted data. Each biometrics' feature vector can then be stored and/or used in conjunction with respective classifications, for use in subsequent comparisons without fear of compromising the original biometric data. In various embodiments, the original biometric data is discarded responsive to generating the encrypted values. In another embodiment, the homomorphic encryption enables computations and comparisons on cypher text without decryption of the encrypted feature vectors. Security of such privacy enable biometrics can be increased by implementing an assurance factor (e.g., liveness) to establish a submitted biometric has not been spoofed or faked.

Abstract: A controller is capable of controlling an asset or target in physical and/or virtual three-dimensional space using a single hand by generating control inputs in four or more degrees of freedom while also limiting cross-coupling (unintended motions). The controller includes a first control member is configured to be gripped in a user's single, second control member is disposed on or near a top end of the first member movable with at least one degree of freedom independently of the movement of the first control member, and a third control member positioned on the first member for displacement by one or more digits of the user's single hand and coupled with the second member to move in opposition to movement of the second control member.

Abstract: A set of distance measurable encrypted feature vectors can be derived from any biometric data and/or physical or logical user behavioral data, and then using an associated deep neural network (“DNN”) on the output (i.e., biometric feature vector and/or behavioral feature vectors, etc.) an authentication system can determine matches or execute searches on encrypted data. Behavioral or biometric encrypted feature vectors can be stored and/or used in conjunction with respective classifications, or in subsequent comparisons without fear of compromising the original data. In various embodiments, the original behavioral and/or biometric data is discarded responsive to generating the encrypted vectors. In another embodiment, distance measurable or homomorphic encryption enables computations and comparisons on cypher-text without decryption of the encrypted feature vectors. Security of such privacy enabled embeddings can be increased by implementing an assurance factor (e.g.

Abstract: A process for making a concentrated surfactant blend includes providing an alkyl alcohol stream; a sulfation step; providing a neutralising stream comprising at least one neutralising agent; and a neutralisation step. The concentrated surfactant blend includes alkyl sulfated anionic surfactant and a buffering surfactant selected from the group consisting of amphoteric surfactant, zwitterionic surfactant, and mixtures thereof. The buffering surfactant is added before or during the neutralising step. The buffering surfactant is added at a level to provide the concentrated surfactant blend with a reserve alkalinity of greater than about 0.02, and the concentrated surfactant blend has a pH of from about 7.1 to about 10.

Abstract: Example systems, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed sensing a flow of fluid using a thermopile-based flow sensing device. An example apparatus includes a flow sensing device comprising a heating structure having a centerline. The flow sensing device may further comprise a thermopile. At least a portion of the thermopile may be disposed over the heating structure. The thermopile may comprise a first thermocouple having a first thermocouple junction disposed upstream of the centerline of the heating structure. The thermopile may further comprise a second thermocouple having a second thermocouple junction disposed downstream of the centerline of the heating structure.