Connect with us

Technology

Coco Robotics and BlindSquare Partner to Make City Sidewalks Safer and More Accessible for All

Published

6 months ago

on

Live data from Coco’s delivery robots powers BlindSquare alerts, helping blind, visually impaired, and mobility-limited users navigate sidewalk hazards

LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Coco Robotics, the world’s largest urban robot delivery platform, and BlindSquare, the world’s most widely used accessible GPS app for the blind, deafblind, and partially sighted, today announced a partnership. The two companies will share real-time sidewalk obstacle data across their platforms. As Coco’s robots navigate city sidewalks, they detect and log hazards including misparked e-scooters, construction sites, and other obstructions and feed that information directly to BlindSquare’s self-voicing app, which then alerts users audibly before they reach the obstacle. The integration is designed to deploy across all markets where Coco currently operates, including Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Jersey City, Helsinki and Turku in Finland.

Coco and BlindSquare bring together two platforms that operate in the same spaces but serve very different purposes. Coco’s robots navigate city sidewalks to power last-mile delivery, collecting rich, real-time data about the sidewalks and obstacles they encounter. BlindSquare exists to make those same sidewalks navigable for blind, deafblind, partially sighted, and mobility-limited pedestrians. By putting the data Coco already collects to work for BlindSquare users, the partnership turns this shared environment into a tool that actively enhances safety and independence for people with mobility or vision challenges.

“This partnership reflects exactly the kind of responsible deployment we believe in,” said Carl Hansen, Vice President of Government Relations at Coco Robotics. “Coco’s robots are already collecting real-time data about city sidewalks. With this integration, that data can directly improve safety for some of the most vulnerable pedestrians. We see this as a model for how autonomous systems and accessibility tools can work together to create smarter, safer cities.”

When a Coco robot encounters an obstacle, the system logs the hazard including its category and estimated duration and that data is transmitted to BlindSquare. BlindSquare’s self-voicing app then converts the information into spoken alerts delivered to users through the app’s text-to-speech engine, which supports 26 languages. A user approaching a blocked stretch of sidewalk will receive an audio warning approximately 10 meters in advance, giving them time to navigate around the hazard. The two companies are also exploring a two-way data flow, where BlindSquare users could confirm when an obstacle has been cleared, helping keep Coco’s maps current.

“Autonomous delivery robots are becoming an increasingly common presence in our cities, sharing sidewalks with people who are visually impaired or have mobility disabilities,” said Ilkka Pirttimaa, Founder of BlindSquare. “As these robots proliferate, the accessibility community has raised questions about what that means for pedestrians. Coco is leading the way, using the data their robots collect on obstacles and sidewalk conditions to turn those concerns into action. This partnership demonstrates how real-world insights combined with technology can make sidewalks safer and more accessible for everyone.”

The partnership is partially funded by a European Union grant awarded to Coco Robotics’ European subsidiary. It began with Forum Virium Helsinki, the City of Helsinki’s innovation arm, building on BlindSquare’s work mapping construction sites and guiding blind and partially sighted pedestrians in real time. This work is now expanding across all of Coco’s operating markets.

“We are excited to partner with Coco to explore how real-time data from delivery robots can help improve sidewalk conditions and accessibility,” said Sami Sahala, Senior Expert at Forum Virium Helsinki. “By enabling this data to also support applications like BlindSquare, it demonstrates how cities can both enhance infrastructure and improve navigation for residents, particularly those who are blind, visually impaired, or have mobility challenges. Access to real-time, street-level data from autonomous systems like Coco Robotics gives cities new visibility into what’s happening on sidewalks and opens up opportunities to create safer, more responsive public infrastructure and more efficient traffic management in the City of Helsinki.”

About Coco Robotics

Coco Robotics is the world’s largest urban robotics platform, combining autonomous robots, real-world operations data, and advanced AI to power smarter, more efficient city logistics. Founded in 2020, Coco has completed over 500,000 zero-emission deliveries across the U.S. and Europe. The fleet continuously learns from millions of miles of real-world operations, giving Coco rapid adaptability to new cities and environments. This data-driven intelligence allows Coco to expand rapidly while maintaining safe, reliable, and efficient operations. Coco’s mission is to create more sustainable, reliable, and affordable last-mile logistics solutions in cities around the world. For more information, visit www.cocodelivery.com.

About BlindSquare

BlindSquare is the world’s most widely used accessible GPS-app developed for the blind, deafblind, and partially sighted. Paired with third-party navigation apps, BlindSquare’s self-voicing app delivers detailed points of interest and intersections for safe, reliable travel both outside and inside, opening the doors to enhanced independence for users around the world. Available in 26 languages and developed in close collaboration with the blind community, BlindSquare provides real-time audio descriptions of the surrounding environment and navigation guidance. For more information, visit www.blindsquare.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/coco-robotics-and-blindsquare-partner-to-make-city-sidewalks-safer-and-more-accessible-for-all-302747192.html

SOURCE Coco Robotics

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Technology

stc group unveils its vision for AI-native networks at Network X 2026

Published

33 minutes ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — stc group, Saudi Arabia’s leading digital enabler, has released its AI Native Core Network White Paper during Network X 2026 outlining how it plans to evolve towards an AI-native telecom network by 2030. The paper explains how the group aims to embed AI directly into its network’s design and operations to support emerging digital services and improve reliability.

stc group continues to advance its network capabilities to support AI-driven applications and changing connectivity needs. The group is upgrading its core network, which manages user connections and delivers communications services. By integrating AI deeply into this infrastructure, stc group aims to help the network adapt to changing service requirements and resolve issues with less manual intervention.

The white paper highlights how advances in AI and 5G-Advanced, the next stage of 5G, are increasing network complexity. Services such as AI-enabled calling and immersive communications require faster, more responsive connectivity. AI agents, software systems that carry out tasks on users’ behalf, also need networks to coordinate communications and computing resources around each task.

To address these requirements, the paper sets out stc’s approach spanning AI-native infrastructure, network functions and autonomous operations. It details how the group plans to develop the infrastructure needed to run AI, embed intelligence within network functions and automate more operations. These capabilities would help the network allocate resources more efficiently and recover from faults faster, while allowing engineers to focus on service improvement and oversight.

The release of this whitepaper marks an important milestone in stc group’s network evolution, building a scalable foundation for future AI services, AI agents, intelligent interaction scenarios, and next-generation 5G-A and 6G applications. Building on its existing investments, the group aims to improve network reliability, support the next generation of digital services and accelerate the industry’s transition from Cloud Native to AI Native networks.

About stc group: 

stc group is a digital enabler, offering advanced solutions and driving a role in the digitalization process. The group provides a comprehensive suite of services encompassing digital infrastructure, cloud computing, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), digital payments, digital media, and digital entertainment. The group comprises 13 subsidiaries across The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. 

To know more about stc group: Click here  

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/stc-group-unveils-its-vision-for-ai-native-networks-at-network-x-2026-302912389.html

Continue Reading

Technology

Shoplazza Collaborates with TikTok to Bring Product Discovery Closer to Purchase

Published

33 minutes ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

The collaboration supports TikTok’s new agentic commerce experiences, with a focus on helping merchants turn customer interest into sales.

TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shoplazza, an AI-native commerce operating system, recently announced it is working with TikTok to support new agentic commerce shopping experiences. The collaboration reflects a shared focus on shortening the path from product discovery to purchase and helping merchants make more of the demand their content and advertising generate.

TikTok introduced Buy Direct and Shopping Assistant on October 5, naming Shoplazza among its commerce and payment partners. Buy Direct lets consumers buy directly from brands within TikTok, without being redirected to an external storefront. It uses Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to connect with merchant systems, while brands remain the Merchant of Record.

Shopping Assistant answers product questions using merchant-supplied information on product pages within TikTok’s in-app browser. Shoppers can get the details they need before proceeding to checkout on the merchant’s website within the same browser.

For merchants, a shorter purchase journey can help protect the value of their customer acquisition spending. Redirects and repeated forms add friction just as a shopper is ready to buy. Losing that purchase means losing potential revenue after already paying to attract the customer.

“As platforms automate more decisions, performance increasingly depends on how well data, creative and checkout work together,” said Chao Xu, Director at Shoplazza. “TikTok’s new shopping experiences make it easier to buy while interest is fresh, helping merchants turn that interest into revenue and use each transaction to inform smarter marketing decisions.”

Shoplazza sees these developments as part of a broader convergence between advertising platforms and commerce infrastructure. From transaction data sharing and Instant Pages to Buy Direct, the opportunity is to help algorithms understand completed purchases more accurately while making it easier for shoppers to follow through.

The collaboration builds on an established relationship. Shoplazza’s merchant admin already supports catalog syncing, TikTok Pixel and Events API setup. In May, it was the sole winner of the TikTok Partner Innovation Award for Innovation in Marketing Technology – Commerce. In July, it joined the first group of TikTok for Business Agentic Hub partners, introducing AI Skills that connect store data and business insights with TikTok’s advertising intelligence.

About Shoplazza

Shoplazza is a global AI-native commerce operating system that enables brands to build, launch, and scale their online businesses. Built on an AI agent-native framework, Shoplazza integrates storefronts, marketing, payments, and operational workflows into a unified system designed to support scalable, long-term growth across global markets. Learn more at https://www.shoplazza.com/.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shoplazza-collaborates-with-tiktok-to-bring-product-discovery-closer-to-purchase-302912401.html

SOURCE Shoplazza

Continue Reading

Technology

Lexsoft Systems Partners With Clio to Bring Clio’s Legal AI Platform to Law Firms and Legal Departments Across EMEA

Published

34 minutes ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

Lexsoft will deliver Clio products, including Clio Work and Clio Manage, and integrate them into the systems its clients already use

LONDON and MADRID, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lexsoft Systems, a provider of IT and business process solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with Clio, the global leader in legal AI. Through this EMEA-wide partnership, Lexsoft will deliver Clio’s platform to law firms and corporate legal departments, and integrate it with the other business-critical systems those clients run.

This agreement strengthens Lexsoft’s position as an independent legal solutions provider, and reinforces its growing presence in the UK and across Europe. It also supports the continued expansion of its carefully selected product portfolio of best-practice, global market-leading legal systems. 

Clio brings together the context of a firm’s work with trusted legal intelligence. Clio Work can draw on the matters, clients, documents, and other information already in Clio Manage, then ground that work in Clio’s global library of more than 1 billion legal documents to support research, analysis, and drafting. For Lexsoft’s global clients, that means AI designed for legal work that understands both the firm and the law.

“A practice management system is the originating point for most major legal processes — from document management and time recording through to security measures such as ethical walls,” says Carlos García-Egocheaga, CEO of Lexsoft Systems. “Until now, we’ve been reluctant to commit to a single partner, despite a wide choice of technologically robust and functionality-rich practice management systems on the market. But with the Clio platform, we’re offering customers more than practice management. Clio Manage takes practice management to a new level, from user experience to advanced functionality. Clio Work, Clio’s legal AI workspace, helps lawyers research, strategise and draft alongside Clio’s global library of legal documents. By integrating these capabilities into customers’ existing systems, we can deliver AI that works the way they do. We’re excited about the value this partnership enables us to deliver to our customers, large and small.”

The partnership lets Lexsoft build tailored environments around Clio, with deep integrations into the other systems its clients run. It helps firms across EMEA move beyond adoption of AI tools to deeper integration and a more fundamental transformation of how legal work gets done.

“Firms across Europe want AI in their daily work, and it only earns its place when it understands the context behind that work,” says Lisa Del Real, Vice President, Channel Partnerships at Clio. “Lexsoft has built its business on connecting the systems law firms and legal departments depend on. Through this partnership, Lexsoft’s clients can run Clio Manage and Clio Work on one shared foundation, so the context of each matter carries from the business of the firm into the legal work itself. They also get an implementation team that already knows how they work.”

Lexsoft is offering Clio’s products to law firms and corporate legal departments in EMEA immediately.

About Lexsoft Systems

Lexsoft provides IT and business process solutions to the legal sector across Europe, the United States, and Latin America. ISO 27017 and ISO 27001 certified, the company assists law firms and corporate legal departments (CLD) to improve their document management, knowledge management, practice management, and CRM processes, to facilitate business efficiency, improve productivity, and reduce risk. Lexsoft T3 is a proven knowledge management solution, offering one of the most comprehensive workflows for this business function. For more information, visit: www.lexsoft.com.

About Clio

Clio is the global leader in legal AI, empowering legal professionals and law firms of every size to work smarter, faster, and more securely. Purpose-built for the legal industry, Clio’s Intelligent Legal Work Platform streamlines workflows, improves decision-making, and combines powerful technology with industry-leading security. Trusted by hundreds of thousands of legal professionals in more than 130 countries, and approved by over 100 bar associations and law societies worldwide, Clio sets the standard for innovation and client success across the legal profession. Backed by world-class investors and a mission to transform the legal experience for all, Clio is defining the future of legal work through AI. Learn more at www.clio.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lexsoft-systems-partners-with-clio-to-bring-clios-legal-ai-platform-to-law-firms-and-legal-departments-across-emea-302910409.html

Continue Reading

Trending