St. Louis’ geospatial campus | Drones building houses | Sports & AI

St. Louis plans on $25M geospatial campus

ST. LOUIS, MO—Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies Inc. (GGAYBA), is plotting a $25 million project to develop a geospatial and information technology training campus for the northern part of St. Louis. The brainchild of GGAYBA, a workforce development organization, is focused on providing education and workforce development initiatives in science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Can your drone do this?

BLOOMINGTON, IN—Terran Robotics, a startup, is “teaching” autonomous drones how to build earthen homes. This process could ultimately reduce homebuilding costs by up to 30% compared with traditional construction methods. Terran has landed a $256,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation to fund its research and development work. The company also received a $50,000 grant last year from Elevate Ventures.

U of Iowa tests fitness tests for Army

IOWA CITY, IA—Asked by The U.S. Army, the University of Iowa has been tasked to determine the effectiveness of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). The ACFT is a biomechanically accurate, “digital avatar” that predicts behavior through recorded motion of various exercises, similar to how video games record motion for realistic movements. The data will allow researchers to see just how strenuous different aspects of the ACFT is to a participant in an environment.

Tulsa to train students in cyber-aligned fields

TULSA, OK—Cybersecurity specifically accounts for 12.5% of all tech job postings in Tulsa over the past five years. The demand could grow as much as another 38% in the next five years. Tulsa Innovation Labs has taken the first step towards establishing a Cyber & Analytics Skills Center (CAC), in partnership with Tulsa Community College and Oklahoma State University. The CAC will train 100 students per year in industry-aligned cyber and analytics fields.

Sports and AI

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—Upper Hand, a company that builds data-driven AI software solutions to automate business growth, announced the formation of a Center of Excellence. The Center’s team will converge market expertise and AI methodologies to provide the sports and fitness industry with a comprehensive library of research and data-related resources.