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ENCORD RELEASES EMG-1, THE LARGEST OPEN DATASET LINKING MUSCLE SIGNALS TO ROBOTIC AI DEVELOPMENT

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First of its kind dataset includes more than 300 hours of muscle-signal and first-person video recordings that let robots learn from what hands do beyond what a camera sees

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Encord, the data infrastructure company for Physical AI, today released EMG-1, the largest open-source dataset pairing muscle signals to first-person video. Developed in collaboration with Wearable Devices, the release ties biological signals to AI development, using wristbands that read the forearm muscle signals behind every finger movement (a technique called electromyography, or EMG), capturing what the hand is doing even when it is hidden from view. EMG-1 contains more than 300 hours of synchronized recordings during real world tasks alongside optical motion capture; it is over 30 times larger than the next-largest public dataset of its kind.

Autonomous robots learn how to manipulate objects in deployment by training on real-world video of people completing tasks, but cameras lose track of hands when they are occluded, most often by the object being handled. EMG is used to produce accurate hand-pose labels on training data where the camera fails, continually recording the electrical activity that drives each finger. Paired with first-person video, the two streams provide a complete record of a movement that is inaccessible through a camera alone, in addition to signals like force and contact that a camera cannot capture.

Experiments showed that combining EMG with video reduced fingertip tracking error by 25% compared with video alone, and resulted in 35% lower error during short gaps in visual tracking. EMG alone also recognized pinch-like finger movements. Encord is excited to see what the community can do with EMG-1 beyond our initial testing. Researchers can download the dataset and learn more about other initiatives at encord.com/data-labs.

EMG is the first of several biological signals Encord Data Labs is bringing into robot training data. The lab is also conducting research into how brain signals (EEG) can be used to label an operator’s mental state, such as satisfaction or error response, and steer robot policies.

“We work with hundreds of companies at the frontier of Physical AI like Toyota, Boston Dynamics and Zipline, and it’s clear that real-world model performance comes down to the data going in. With EMG-1 and our new state-of-the-art hand-tracking model, Encord is offering a solution to one of the biggest problems facing robotics teams today,” said Eric Landau, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Encord.

Introducing Encord Data Labs

EMG-1 releases in conjunction with the launch of Encord Data Labs, a research division working at the frontier of Physical AI data development. Encord works with hundreds of leading AI teams, giving the company visibility into their biggest challenges. Data Labs exists to solve them: with innovations in Applied Research & Automation, Advanced Data Capture, and Partnerships, the division makes Physical AI work more reliably in the real world. Alongside EMG-1, Data Labs is also releasing:

Encord-REACH, a new state-of-the-art hand-tracking model built for real-world conditions where existing models break. Tailored for industrial conditions, the model improves tracking with industrial gloves, obscured fingers, fast motion and multiple hands entering the frame. In Encord’s evaluations, it reduced tracking errors in wrists by 80%, joints by 65%, and lowered industrial glove errors by up to 70%. It also eliminated mistaken bystander-hand swaps observed in competing models, 27% on average.

Synthetic data generation findings in collaboration with NVIDIA and ANYbotics. The companies generated synthetic examples of rare industrial anomalies, including liquid spills, with NVIDIA Cosmos 3 models to improve anomaly detection in robotic inspection. Using Encord’s platform to curate real-world source data and validate synthetic outputs, the collaboration produced training examples for scenarios that are difficult to capture in real-world footage. Synthetic data improved recall on real-world anomalies by up to 24% and increased the examples available for model calibration by 2.2x.

In the coming months, Encord Data Labs will release more findings, including:

Automated action segmentation for first-person video, which labels task steps from a handful of examples and significantly reduces time spent doing manual labeling.A benchmark of frontier vision-language models showing where AI-generated video captions can’t yet be trusted for Physical AI.Expert-labeled sensor data for Archetype AI’s physical world models.

The division’s research is fully integrated with Encord’s Physical AI data infrastructure, syncing human data with video in Encord so that it’s ready to curate, improve and train on. Customers can bring their own teams to generate and enrich training data or work with Encord’s experts.

The announcement was made at Encord’s inaugural Long Horizon Summit in San Francisco, where Data Labs demonstrated EMG-1 and its hand tracking model live.

“This week, the people building the most ambitious robots in the world saw EMG-1 and our hand tracking running in real time,” said Ulrik Stig Hansen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Encord. “Data Labs is the home of Encord’s research at the frontier of Physical AI. We’re just getting started.”

About Encord

The company supports over 300 AI teams globally – including Woven by Toyota, Boston Dynamics and Zipline and numerous Physical AI and frontier labs – and has seen significant growth in both revenue and data volume on its platform as a result of the surge in Physical AI.

Media Contact:
Chris Clemens
Nexios Communications Strategies
chris@nexioscomms.com

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Sapient Insights Group Reveals the HR Technology Solutions Ranking Highest in Vendor Satisfaction and User Experience for 2026

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October 21, 2026

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Voice of the Customer badges awarded across 23 HR technology categories, based on 10,000 responses to Sapient’s 2026-2027 Annual HR Systems Survey

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Sapient Insights Group today revealed the HR technology solutions ranking highest in vendor satisfaction and user experience in its 2026-2027 HR Systems Survey, now in its 29th year. This year Sapient awarded 630 Voice of the Customer badges across 23 technology categories and three company sizes. The rankings are based on responses from HR professionals representing 6,038 organizations.

Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer and Managing Partner at Sapient Insights Group, presents the HR technology solutions ranking highest in vendor satisfaction and user experience for 2026.

To help buyers find the providers that fit their organization, the rankings are split into three company sizes: small, mid-sized, and enterprise. Respondents rate their satisfaction with their current solution in each technology category on a scale of 1 to 5, with attention to support and service. Sapient also ranks solutions on user experience. The top five solutions in each category and size earn a badge for vendor satisfaction and a badge for user experience. Three categories with smaller sample sizes (Time Labor Budgeting, Contingent Workforce Management, and Skills Management) are ranked in aggregate across all company sizes.

The survey continues to grow with the HR technology market. New this year, the survey adds Compliance Management to the HR Blueprint, application-level outcome questions, payment models for applications and AI, and finance applications covering Core, Expense, and Planning. It also asks more “why” questions throughout, so the results show not just what organizations are doing but the reasons behind their choices.

“Our Voice of the Customer rankings come straight from HR practitioners, with no sponsorship involved, which is why buyers and vendors both pay attention to them,” said Stacey Harris, chief research officer and managing partner at Sapient Insights Group. “This year we expanded the rankings to cover more of the HR technology landscape, which gives buyers a clearer view of how solutions perform for the specific work they need done, not just at the suite level. It also gives vendors honest feedback from the people who use their products every day.”

The highest-ranking solutions for vendor satisfaction are listed below. Rankings include point solutions, modules within technology suites, and in some cases service providers.

Payroll
Dayforce – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

HR Management
Dayforce – Enterprise
HiBob – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Benefits
Businessolver – Enterprise
Fidelity NetBenefits/PSW – Mid-sized
HiBob – Small

HR Service Delivery: Portal
Dovetail – Enterprise
Workday Help – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

HR Service Delivery: Content Management
Dovetail – Enterprise
DocuSign – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

HR Service Delivery: Employee Help Desk
Dovetail – Enterprise
ServiceNow – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

HR Service Delivery: Engagement Survey
Dovetail – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Time and Attendance
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Absence Management
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Leave Management
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Workforce Scheduling
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Labor Budgeting
isolved – All sizes

Learning
Cornerstone – Enterprise
OpenSesame – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Recruiting
Indeed – Enterprise
Greenhouse – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Onboarding
Dayforce – Enterprise
isolved (ApplicantPro) – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Performance
Dayforce – Enterprise
HiBob – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Compensation
Dayforce – Enterprise
Payscale Payfactors – Mid-sized
Insperity – Small

Succession
Dayforce – Enterprise
Microsoft Glint – Mid-sized
Paylocity – Small

Rewards and Recognition
Awardco – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
Gifted – Small

Analytics
Visier – Enterprise
Visier – Mid-sized
UKG People Analytics – Small

AI/ML
Visier Vee – Enterprise
Grammarly – Mid-sized
Anthropic Claude – Small

Contingent Workforce Management
ServiceNow – All sizes

Skills Management HiBob – All sizes

The complete Voice of the Customer results, including the top five solutions for vendor satisfaction and user experience in every category and company size, are available here (https://sapientinsights.com/top-vendors/).

Sapient Insights Group will publish detailed survey findings and analysis in its annual HR Systems Research Report on November 6, 2026. The report will be available to purchase here (https://sapientinsights.com/shop/).

About the 2026-2027 HR Systems Survey

Now in its 29th year, Sapient’s HR Systems Survey is the longest-running, most comprehensive survey of the HR technology landscape, and the only fully objective, non-sponsored study of its kind. This year, HR professionals representing 6,038 organizations around the globe took part. The survey now covers 23 technology categories. The annual report includes an in-depth look at each category, along with current and future adoption rates, customer retention, replacement plans, and projected vendor growth.

For more information about the survey and report, schedule a call (https://calendly.com/summerorellano/schedule-a-call-with-sapient-insights-group).

About Sapient Insights Group Sapient Insights Group is a certified women-owned, privately-owned consulting, research, and advisory firm. The company works with organizations in the areas of HR and finance technology; HR strategy and transformation; leadership and culture; change management; talent management; mergers and acquisitions; and project management. The company’s HR Systems Survey is the HR profession’s most trusted source for objective data on the HR technology market and insights to guide buyer investments and vendor product development and marketing. For more information, visit www.sapientinsights.com.

Media Contact

Allison Williams, Sapient Insights Group, 1 4043044748, Info@sapientinsights.com, https://sapientinsights.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/sapient-insights-group-reveals-the-hr-technology-solutions-ranking-highest-in-vendor-satisfaction-and-user-experience-for-2026-302915884.html

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SAJ Debuts First CEC-Approved Systems under Australia’s New Battery Standard at All Energy 2026

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October 21, 2026

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EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5 on show at Stand M143, with Australia’s Strongest Man at Stand E01 and the SAJ range across three distributor stands

MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SAJ will exhibit at All Energy Australia 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 28–29 October. At Stand M143, installers can get their first hands-on look at the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5, the first products approved under Australia’s new SA TS 5398 standard.

At 2pm on Wednesday 28 October, DEKRA and CCS will present SAJ with the CEC certificates for the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5 on the stand, making SAJ the first brand listed under SA TS 5398. SAJ and DEKRA will also sign a strategic cooperation agreement covering safety, quality and compliance.

On the stand

EK70 HS5 – the all-in-one home energy system, combining hybrid inverter, LFP battery and whole-home backup in one unit. Modular 6, 7 and 9 kWh battery blocks stack to suit the household.EK90 HS5 – the premium tier, with 12,000-cycle cells, nine-layer safety protection, edge AI and a 15-year warranty.B2S and H2 – modular storage and the latest from SAJ’s residential range.elekeeper 5.0 – SAJ’s energy management app, with AI-assisted design, five-minute app commissioning and remote diagnosis.C&I – SAJ’s latest commercial and industrial solutions.

Live demonstrations of the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5, elekeeper 5.0 and the C&I range run at 10am on both days and again at 3pm on Wednesday.

Visitors can also play the claw machine on the stand throughout both days to win tennis balls signed by SAJ brand ambassador Alex de Minaur.

Beat Australia’s Strongest Man of 2026 at Stand E01

At Stand E01, near the hall entrance, visitors can take on Bradman Houston, Australia’s Strongest Man 2026, on the high striker. Bradman will be there each day. Anyone who beats his score wins!

Bradman recently partnered with SAJ and Sydney Solar & Electrical on a video series about lifting technique and fitness for solar installers, now on SAJ’s Instagram.

SAJ across the floor

The SAJ range is also on show with the company’s three national distribution partners, for stock, pricing and account conversations:

One Stop Warehouse – Stand EE113, with the EK90 HS5 on displaySupply Partners – Stand L135Tradezone – Stand S113

“All Energy is where the industry sees what’s next, and for SAJ that’s the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5,” said Alan Li, the Sales Director of SAJ Electric Australia. “Installers told us they want one integrated system that’s faster to install and that they can stand behind. Being the first brand listed under SA TS 5398 is the proof. We’d love installers to see both systems up close at Stand M143, and to try their luck against Bradman at E01 while they’re there.”

Visit SAJ

Where: Stand M143 (Beat the Strongest Man at Stand E01), Melbourne Convention and Exhibition CentreWhen: Wednesday 28 – Thursday 29 October 2026More information: au.saj-electric.com

About SAJ

Founded in Guangzhou in 2005, SAJ (Guangzhou Sanjing Electric Co., Ltd.) is a specialist in smart energy storage, delivering integrated solutions across solar generation, battery storage, energy management and EV charging for residential and commercial customers. SAJ has operated in Australia since 2013 and works with three national distribution partners – One Stop Warehouse, Supply Partners and Tradezone – backed by local technical support and warranty infrastructure.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/saj-debuts-first-cec-approved-systems-under-australias-new-battery-standard-at-all-energy-2026-302915502.html

SOURCE SAJ

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Starvia Automotive Expands Used-Car Exports to Afghanistan and Iran

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October 21, 2026

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Starvia Automotive has added Afghanistan and Iran to the destinations covered by its used-car export business, the company said on Oct. 21, as it focuses on used vehicles built to Chinese-market specifications. Buyers in both markets can now request an assessment of a specific vehicle before an order is confirmed.

What the review covers

For a used vehicle, the model name alone does not determine whether an export order can proceed. Year of manufacture, vehicle identity, condition, ownership documents and destination import rules are reviewed for each request, together with carrier acceptance, transit requirements and payment restrictions, according to the company.

Starvia cited two listings in its online used-car catalog as examples of the process: a 2023 Volkswagen Polo and a 2021 Volkswagen Tharu. The company said the listings show published stock and do not confirm that either unit is available or eligible for import into both markets. Stock, vehicle records and destination suitability are confirmed before a model is presented as an order option.

How an inquiry is handled

Inquiries are submitted through the company’s online form, which asks for destination city, importer details, preferred vehicle, quantity and purchasing timeframe. Starvia said the information is used to identify suitable vehicles, check documentation and seek a transport option, and that alternatives can be discussed if the first model does not meet the requirements.

An Arabic-language version of the site is available at https://www.starviaauto.com/ar?utm_source=prnews for buyers who prefer Arabic.

Any vehicle offer, freight estimate or shipment timing remains subject to commercial, regulatory and logistics checks, the company said. Buyers should obtain destination-side import approval before committing to a purchase.

About Starvia Automotive

Starvia Automotive is a Guangzhou-based exporter of new and used vehicles. Its online catalog lists used cars with vehicle history and inspection information for buyers in multiple regions.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/starvia-automotive-expands-used-car-exports-to-afghanistan-and-iran-302915298.html

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