SHANGHAI, China, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- On September 3, the 2026 China Culture & Tourism Industries Expo, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, commenced at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center. During the Expo, Trip.com Group officially launched Trip Music Award 2, marking a new milestone in its efforts to expand the boundaries of cultural communication through music and promote deeper integration between culture and tourism.

With the theme of “Deepening the Integration of Culture and Tourism; Innovating for a Better Life through Smart Technology”, this year’s expo spans a total exhibition area of 100,000 square meters. It has drawn the participation of 2,540 culture and tourism enterprises from 20 countries and regions, as well as 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across China.

As a leading global one-stop travel service provider, Trip.com made a strong presence at the expo, showcasing its core resources. During the event, the award-winning works from the Trip Music Award 2 were impressively presented at the Trip.com booth. The booth’s LED screens continuously featured the promotional video for Trip Music Award 2 alongside the winning music videos. A significant number of the triumphant creators also assembled in Tianjin to partake in the celebration, with music as a conduit to narrate the stories of Chinese cities to the world.

Trip Music Award 2 stands as an innovative practice in content co-creation, and a vivid example of how “music + travel” empowers inbound tourism and propels Chinese culture onto the global stage. It proves that the synergy of emotional resonance and platform traffic can deliver tangible international attention and drive visitor growth for tourism destinations.

As one of the flagship events of the 2026 China Culture & Tourism Industries Expo, the 2026 International Travel Agents Conference (Tianjin), guided by the Expo Organizing Committee and hosted by Tripadvisor China, was held concurrently. The conference brought together hundreds of Chinese and international guests, including leading travel agents from Tianjin’s key international source markets—SCO member states, Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as overseas travel influencers and industry experts and scholars, to explore cooperation opportunities and deliberate on future development.

Li Zhuo, Deputy Director of Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, stated in her address that Tianjin is endowed with a rich cultural and tourism heritage, unique resources, and vast potential for industry development. She extended a warm welcome to travel agents and tourism professionals from across the globe to visit and explore Tianjin, and invited more domestic and international travelers to experience the city’s distinctive fusion of history and modernity, openness and inclusiveness, to appreciate Tianjin’s beauty and savor the charm of China. Tianjin will persist in enhancing its business environment and providing high-quality tourism services, collaborating with global partners to expand the inbound tourism market, sharing the benefits of cultural and tourism development, and jointly promoting high-quality industry growth.

Wang Wei, Vice President of the China Association of Travel Services and the Senior Vice President of Trip.com Group, stated that hosting the conference in Tianjin effectively combines practical industry matchmaking with overseas brand promotion. By convening leading global travel agents, overseas influencers, and platform organizations, the event has established an efficient and pragmatic platform for international tourism cooperation. On one hand, it serves as a bridge for direct communication and targeted business matching for tourism enterprises both domestically and abroad. On the other hand, it capitalizes on the international resources of Tripadvisor and Trip.com Group’s global platforms to introduce Tianjin’s high-quality tourism products to international markets, attract travelers from around the world to China and Tianjin, and support Tianjin in expediting its development into an international tourism destination.

Kimi Liu, CEO of Tripadvisor China, extended a sincere invitation to global tourism industry partners. He proposed taking this conference as a new starting point to jointly pioneer new frontiers in inbound tourism, embrace market change with an open mindset, cultivate tourism products tailored to overseas markets, and win over global travelers with high-quality services. The aim is to draw more international visitors to China, turning them into avid experiencers and ambassadors of Chinese culture and tourism. He also expressed his anticipation for deepening strategic cooperation with Tianjin, working together to establish the city as a benchmark for inbound tourism in China, and bringing the city’s unique city brand of “Talk Tianjin, Taste Tianjin” to a wider international audience.

In the “Encounter the World” session, the conference held in-depth discussions on the next phase of China’s inbound tourism development. Richard Matuzevich, the Senior Manager of the External Liaison Department at the World Tourism Cities Federation, stated in his keynote presentation that China’s inbound tourism is transforming from a conventional destination model into an international hub. This transition necessitates synchronized advancements in market revitalization, seamless travel experiences, and regional connectivity.

Summer Tang, Vice President of Tripadvisor China, unveiled a data report titled "Changes in China’s Inbound Tourism Trends from a Travel Perspective." The report reveals that international travelers are progressively shifting their focus from China’s traditionally favored cities to a wider array of destinations that boast a rich cultural heritage and distinctive local lifestyles. Drawing on her practical experience, Olesia Razumnaia, the General Manager of Samara Travel Agency, observed that following the SCO Summit, cultural and tourism exchanges between China and SCO member states have accelerated their recovery, injecting renewed vitality into the tourism industry.

As a significant outcome of the conference, the “Set Off for Tianjin” International Zone was officially launched, introducing premium themed inbound travel routes in Tianjin to global audiences. Leveraging Trip.com Group’s global resources, the zone provides a one-stop online service portal integrating information search, itinerary planning and product booking. The featured routes tap into Tianjin’s highly distinctive cultural IP, cover diverse consumption scenarios and precisely match the needs of different overseas source markets. The launch of the zone and themed routes marks a shift in Tianjin’s overseas inbound-tourism promotion from fragmented campaigns to branded and systematic operations, providing authoritative guidance for travelers around the world to discover and explore Tianjin.

The “Set Off for Tianjin” session focused on promoting Tianjin’s culture and tourism internationally. Zhu Jingjin, Associate Professor at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, delivered a presentation titled "Discover the Beauty of Tianjin, Feel the Charm of China." Centered on themes including the night scenery along the Haihe River, century-old Western-style buildings, mountain and coastal landscapes, and intangible cultural heritage and folk customs, the presentation offered a panoramic view of Tianjin’s tourism offerings, combining an urban sensibility, immersive experiences, youthful vitality and cultural depth. Overseas travel blogger Billy shared his insights in "A Taste of Tianjin, A City of Joy," drawing from his experiences living and traveling in the city. He pointed out that overseas audiences increasingly seek to experience the vibrant and authentic everyday life of China, and that Tianjin serves as a vivid window into contemporary Chinese urban life.

The 2026 Tourism Innovation Contribution Awards were presented at the conference. China’s first immersive themed entertainment tourism train, the “Tianjin Fantasy Express," won the “Best Innovative Urban Landmark & Space” award for its deep exploration of the city’s cultural essence and innovative immersive experience scenarios. Integrating Tianjin culture, modern technology, intangible cultural heritage arts and interactive experiences, the train brings the city’s memories beyond static displays and makes them tangible and experiential. This initiative not only injects new momentum into the development of urban experiential tourism but also serves as a moving window to tell the world the story of Tianjin’s unique charm of “River, Sea, and Tianjin Rhyme."

The conference also featured a signing ceremony between Chinese and international travel traders under the theme of “Boost Exchanges & Expand Business." In the presence of the event’s guests, multiple groups of representatives from Chinese and overseas travel trading companies signed cooperation agreements encompassing traveler exchanges, joint development of cultural and tourism products, cross-border marketing and promotion, and other areas. Focused on the objective of attracting inbound visitors, these agreements foster precise matchmaking and mutually beneficial collaboration between Chinese and international tourism enterprises, open up two-way channels for international visitor flows, stimulate growth in the inbound tourism market, and establish a comprehensive service loop from overseas marketing to domestic reception — providing a practical model for international tourism cooperation.

In addition to the conference’s main agenda, a series of immersive cultural experiences were arranged. Chinese and international participants explored Yangliuqing Ancient Town, Ciyiyuan Art Gallery, and the Water Memory Museum, where they experienced Tianjin-style intangible cultural heritage crafts including New Year paintings, ceramic arts, and inside-painted snuff bottles. By engaging with these intricate traditional crafts, participants gained a deeper understanding of the essence of Tianjin culture while generating rich content and inspiration for the continued upgrading of inbound tourism offerings.

The successful conference marks a significant stride in Tianjin’s commitment to fostering coordinated cultural and tourism development across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as enhancing the international profile of its city brand, “River, Sea, and Tianjin Rhyme." Through industry dialogues, cooperation agreements between Chinese and international enterprises, the launch of the international zone, and the unveiling of premium travel routes, Tianjin has advanced the branding and systematic development of its inbound tourism sector, infusing robust momentum into its aspirations to emerge as a pivotal domestic tourism hub and a key city for inbound tourism.

Looking ahead, Tianjin will take the conference as a new starting point, seize the strategic opportunities presented by China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and its vision of building a strong tourism nation. The city will continue to enhance its end-to-end services and support for inbound tourism, deepen practical cooperation with travel agents worldwide, and bring Tianjin’s unique charm to the global stage.

About Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd.

Ctrip is a travel services platform that helps travelers book and manage trips across hotels, flights, trains, tours, car rentals, cruises, visas, insurance, and corporate travel. It operates a broad portfolio of consumer travel brands and services, including hotel reservations, air ticketing, train tickets, vacation packages, and destination activities. Ctrip is part of Trip.com Group and serves customers in China and beyond with online tools, travel content, and integrated booking support. For more information, visit ctrip.com.

Media Contact

Alice Dai
daisj@trip.com

CINCINNATI, OH, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Travel brands have more ways than ever to reach prospective guests, but more channels do not necessarily create a clearer path to conversion. NaviStone, which helps travel and hospitality brands identify and activate high-intent audiences, sees a growing opportunity as the traveler journey becomes more complex. As consumers move between search, social media, AI-powered planning tools, reviews, websites, and recommendations, brands need better ways to recognize meaningful intent and act on it before that opportunity disappears.

To help travel brands navigate that changing landscape, NaviStone has named Kara Lange Director of Enterprise Sales. Lange brings more than 15 years of experience working across the travel, hospitality, technology, and advertising industries.

“Travel marketers are navigating an incredibly complex environment,” said Lange. “There is more data, more technology, and more competition for travelers’ attention than ever. But the answer isn’t always to generate more demand. There is a significant opportunity to better understand the intent travelers are already showing and find meaningful ways to engage them before they book somewhere else.”

Throughout her career, Lange has worked with organizations across the travel and advertising ecosystem, including Travelport, Arrivalist, Travel Syndication Technology, AdRoll, and GCommerce Solutions. Her experience on both the industry and technology sides of the business gives her a broad perspective on the challenges brands face as traveler behavior and customer acquisition continue to evolve.

“Kara understands where travel marketers are today and where the industry is headed,” said Larry Kavanagh, CEO of NaviStone. “Her depth of experience across travel and marketing technology makes her an important addition to our team as we help brands recognize the opportunities already present in their audiences and turn that intent into stronger customer relationships.”

In her new role, Lange will work with travel, hospitality, and tourism organizations to help them identify prospective and returning guests demonstrating meaningful interest, improve the efficiency of existing marketing investments, and build stronger customer relationships from the earliest stages of travel consideration.

Lange believes that relationship begins well before the first booking. Every time someone researches a destination, property, cruise, or experience, they provide signals about what matters to them. Marketers have an opportunity to better understand those signals and use them to create more relevant interactions throughout the consideration process.

NaviStone helps travel and hospitality brands identify high-intent website visitors and reach them with personalized direct mail based on demonstrated interests while they are actively considering a purchase. For Lange, that combination of behavioral intelligence and a tangible marketing experience is particularly well suited to travel, where imagery, anticipation, and inspiration play an important role in the decision-making process.

“Travel is experiential. People are imagining where they might go, where they’ll stay, and what that experience will feel like,” said Lange. “At a time when consumers are inundated with emails and digital advertising, a relevant piece of direct mail offers brands another way to stand out. It can complement the digital experience while giving travelers something tangible that keeps the brand part of the consideration process.”

Lange’s appointment reflects NaviStone’s continued investment in the travel and hospitality industry and its focus on helping marketers get more value from the audiences they have worked to attract. As travel planning continues to change, Lange will also bring her industry perspective to NaviStone’s ongoing thought leadership around consumer intent, marketing efficiency, and the evolving journey from anonymous traveler to loyal guest.

About NaviStone

NaviStone is a martech platform that unlocks and activates audiences brands are missing out on today. By combining website behavior with modeling, NaviStone enables marketers to deliver highly personalized media and messaging at the exact moment a consumer is considering a purchase. This approach increases return on marketing spend up to 70%. Headquartered in Cincinnati, NaviStone is trusted by leading brands across travel, retail, home services, and more. The company has been recognized as a Best Employer in Ohio, a Best Place to Work in Cincinnati, and a Fast 55 Award winner, recognizing the region’s fastest-growing companies. For more information, visit www.navistone.com.

BELLEVUE, WA, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Bellevue College, a public, open-admission institution serving students across Seattle's Eastside and the Puget Sound region's technology corridor, has been ranked the No. 1 college for women in Washington state in Newsweek's America's Best Colleges for Women 2026.

America’s Best Colleges for Women is a ranking developed by Newsweek in partnership with Gender Fair to highlight institutions that support gender equality and empower women. The methodology is rooted in the Women’s Empowerment Principles and evaluates colleges across four key areas: leadership, pay and policies, safety, and opportunity.

“Being named among the best colleges for women in America is a recognition of Bellevue College’s dedication to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment where women can excel,” said Bellevue College President David May. “We believe higher education has the power to transform lives, and we remain committed to providing the support, resources, and opportunities that help our students reach their full potential.” 

The ranking identifies colleges that have established the structural elements necessary to foster education and employment for women by drawing on data from the U.S. Department of Education — including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Campus Safety and Security Database — as well as additional desk research. Only institutions meeting specific criteria for size and academic roles are included, ensuring the results reflect meaningful progress toward gender equity in higher education.

In particular, Bellevue College scored highly in the following two categories: pay and policy, and safety, reflecting the college’s competitive pay and on-campus daycare, as well as a safe campus where women can work and learn.

Newsweek also noted in the ranked list information on state-level reproductive health policies so that students could consider how local laws may impact their healthcare access. 

Bellevue College offers a supportive culture that has led to a partnership with King County Eastgate Public Health Center’s sexual reproductive health program. In support of that partnership, the college’s health sciences program received a grant in 2024 to create a reproductive health resource hub for underserved or marginalized students.

“Choosing a college is a defining moment for many young women, and it’s about more than academics alone,” said Jennifer H. Cunningham, Editor-in-Chief of Newsweek. “America’s Best Colleges for Women highlights institutions that are making measurable progress in leadership, equity, safety, and opportunity, helping students identify environments where women are supported and positioned to succeed.”

About Bellevue College

Bellevue College officially opened its doors on January 3, 1966, fulfilling the community's dream of a local, accessible institution of higher education. Now, 60 years later, the college is located within the city limits of Bellevue, Washington, situated on 100 wooded acres within sight of the Cascade Range and Puget Sound. As the fourth largest institution of higher learning in Washington, the college has an annual average enrollment of more than 20,000 students. Bellevue College offers associate degree programs covering the first two years of a college education as well as four-year bachelor’s degrees, certificates, and community education programs in 100 professional and technical fields, such as computer science, information technology, business, and healthcare. For more information, visit bellevuecollege.edu.

About Newsweek

Newsweek is the global digital news organization built around the iconic 93-year-old American magazine. Newsweek reaches 100 million people monthly with its thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics, and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in EMEA and Asia. For more information, visit www.newsweek.com.

Media Contact

Raechel Dawson
Associate Director of Communications
raechel.dawson@bellevuecollege.edu

SPOKANE, WA, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Dr. Wm. Philip Werschler, a board-certified dermatologist and veteran clinical trial investigator, has surpassed 3,000 career research citations and 75,000 reads of his published work on ResearchGate, the global network for scientists and researchers. The milestone reflects a body of more than 140 publications spanning dermatology, aesthetic medicine and clinical drug development.

ResearchGate's comparative analytics place Werschler above 94% of dermatology researchers on the platform by publication and citation volume.

A Research Record Spanning the Modern Era of Aesthetic Medicine

Much of Werschler's published work is indexed in PubMed as part of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, and appears in journals including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, JAMA Dermatology, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology.

His research spans a broad range of medical and aesthetic dermatology, including:

• Aesthetic and procedural dermatology: Neuromodulators, dermal fillers, lasers and other energy-based devices
• Inflammatory and immune-mediated disease: Acne, rosacea, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis (eczema), urticaria, hidradenitis suppurativa
• Infectious disease of the skin: Viral skin infections including warts, molluscum and herpes
• Hair and scalp disorders: Alopecia
• Growths, precancers and skin cancer: Seborrheic keratoses, actinic keratoses, nonmelanoma skin cancer

Taken together, that record traces much of the arc of modern medical and aesthetic dermatology.

Citations accumulate when other scientists reference a researcher's work in their own studies, which makes citation counts a widely used measure of how much a body of research has informed the broader field. Reads reflect how often colleagues view a publication summary, click a figure, or view or download the full text.

“Numbers like these are really a proxy for something simpler, which is whether the work has been useful to other clinicians,” said Werschler. “Citations mean colleagues are building on the research and using it to make decisions for patients. That is the part that matters to me.”

From Foundational Trials to Today’s Standards of Care

Werschler has served as a principal investigator on clinical research across dermatology and aesthetic medicine, including pivotal clinical trials for Botox Cosmetic, which received FDA approval for aesthetic use in 2002. He founded Premier Clinical Research and BreakAway Research and has held editorial roles at major dermatology journals, including as founding aesthetic Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology.

“I have been fortunate to be involved in clinical research since the early days of modern aesthetic medicine,” said Werschler. “Staying close to the evidence is what keeps a physician sharp, and it is ultimately what serves patients best.”

About Dr. Philip Werschler

Dr. Wm. Philip Werschler, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Dermatology at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University. Board-certified in dermatology, he practices as a dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon and clinical investigator in Spokane, Washington. He founded Premier Clinical Research and BreakAway Research and has served as a clinical trial investigator across dermatology and aesthetic medicine, including the pivotal clinical trials for Botox Cosmetic, which received FDA approval for aesthetic use in 2002. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of Cosmetic Dermatology and as founding aesthetic editor of the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, and he is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. More information is available at spokanederm.com.

Media Contact

content@thebestreputation.com
+1 866-322-8316

GURUGRAM, India, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Shipsy has announced the beta launch of Shipsy Brain, a fine-tuned artificial intelligence model designed specifically for logistics operations. The model combines specialized models with data generated through Shipsy’s logistics platform and is intended to help enterprise AI agents interpret relationships among shipments, drivers, documents, carriers, routes, contracts, and financial processes. Shipsy Brain is currently available in beta to selected enterprises.

According to Shipsy, the model was developed to address the operational context required for logistics tasks that may be difficult for general-purpose artificial intelligence models to interpret consistently. Logistics operations can involve variations in addresses, consignment numbers, freight documentation, carrier information, routing requirements, and financial processes, requiring AI systems to work with information structured around industry-specific workflows.

“It is built to help enterprises move beyond dashboards and copilots toward AI systems that can reason, recommend, and act within clearly defined business controls,” says Soham Chokshi, co-founder and CEO of Shipsy.

Shipsy states that Shipsy Brain has been developed using operational data accumulated through its platform over a five-year period. The company reports that this data includes more than 50 billion operational events, more than 1.5 billion logged decisions, more than 100 billion GPS location pings, more than three billion proof-of-delivery labels, 342 carrier integrations, and more than 5,000 authored workflows.

The company says the model is designed to coordinate specialized capabilities across areas including documents, consignments, trips, workflows, and financial processes. These capabilities are intended to support AI agents performing tasks such as document validation, address interpretation, anomaly detection, estimated-time-of-arrival prediction, routing, settlement management, and workflow recommendations.

Shipsy Brain operates within Shipsy’s AgentFleet platform, where the company says AI agents can observe operational activity, identify tasks suitable for automation, and execute defined actions subject to configured controls. Organizations can establish confidence thresholds and permissions for individual tasks, allowing human operators to retain oversight of actions that require additional review. Shipsy also says operator corrections can be incorporated into subsequent recommendations.

The company has also designed Shipsy Brain to be fine-tuned and self-hosted, which Shipsy says can reduce the amount of prompting and computational resources required for certain logistics tasks. The company describes this architecture as a way to provide greater control over how its AI capabilities are deployed and used within enterprise logistics environments.

The launch reflects Shipsy’s broader development of AI capabilities for logistics operations, with the company positioning Shipsy Brain as a layer that can connect operational information with defined actions. Rather than functioning solely as a source of information or recommendations, the model is intended to support systems that can determine and execute appropriate responses within business-defined parameters.

Shipsy Brain is currently available in beta to selected enterprises. The company says feedback from participating organizations will inform the continued development of the model, including the configuration of permissions, workflows, and operational requirements. Shipsy has not announced a date for general availability.

About Shipsy

Shipsy is an enterprise logistics management platform focused on transportation, delivery, and supply chain operations. The company serves enterprise customers across multiple markets and operates from offices in Gurugram, London, Amsterdam, Riyadh, Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney. Shipsy is headquartered in Gurugram, India.

Media Contact

Shipsy
media@shipsy.io

DUBLIN, Ireland, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Smartling, the AI translation company, today named Anna Schlegel General Manager, EMEA, strengthening its regional leadership as the company continues to invest in growth across Europe. Schlegel will lead Smartling's EMEA go-to-market strategy, working closely with the company's established teams across the region to deepen customer relationships, accelerate growth, and help European enterprises scale their global businesses through modern, enterprise-grade localization.

Schlegel brings more than 30 years of experience in international growth and product strategy, most recently as General Manager of Global at Procore Technologies, with earlier senior leadership roles at Cisco, VMware, and NetApp. She has also served in the Parliament of Catalonia, Spain, as Vice President of the Legislative Committee for EU Affairs and External Action. She is the author of Truly Global and co-founder and president of Women in Localization.

"Europe is already an important market for Smartling, and we're continuing to invest in the people, presence, and capabilities that bring us closer to our customers," said Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling. "Anna understands both what it takes for global enterprises to grow across markets and the unique expectations European companies have as they adopt AI. Her leadership will help us deepen those relationships, accelerate our growth, and deliver even more value to customers across the region."

Schlegel will also help customers across Europe navigate rapidly evolving expectations around AI, data privacy, governance, and global content, while strengthening Smartling's regional partnerships.

"Europe is at a pivotal moment for enterprise AI. Some organizations are already deploying AI at scale, while others are determining where it can create the greatest business value. What unites them is the need to adopt AI responsibly, with the quality, governance, transparency, and trust European enterprises and their customers expect, and in alignment with the EU AI Act," said Schlegel. "Smartling already has strong customers, teams, and momentum across Europe. I'm excited to build on that foundation, get even closer to our customers in-market, and help organizations turn AI-powered localization into a trusted driver of global growth."

This fall, Schlegel will join customers and industry leaders across Europe as part of Smartling's seven-stop Global Ready Europe roadshow, from September 29 through October 9. The events will bring together senior localization, product, and marketing leaders to discuss AI translation strategy, executive buy-in, and the future of global content.

For more details, visit Smartling's Global Ready Europe event series.

About Smartling

Smartling is transforming how global enterprises create, manage, and scale multilingual content in the AI era. Its LanguageAI™ platform combines AI translation, workflow automation, and quality assurance infrastructure to help organizations automate multilingual content operations at enterprise scale. Trusted by leading global brands, Smartling enables companies to move faster globally while maintaining the quality, trust, and oversight required for enterprise AI translation. For more information, visit smartling.com.

Media Contact

Smartling
brianna@sixeastern.com

MCKINNEY, TX, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- ScienceSoft has published a prediction article based on its proprietary research into the adoption of predictive AI-powered wearables among older adults. ScienceSoft forecasts that by 2030, around 40% of people aged 55 and older may use wearable devices powered by predictive AI to flag warning signs of serious health conditions. These could include both medical devices and consumer wearables, such as smartwatches. Rather than diagnosing conditions or automatically triggering emergency services, such devices could prompt users and caregivers to seek timely clinical evaluation.

ScienceSoft’s research team assessed wearable adoption and ownership trends, barriers to use among older adults, the accuracy of wearable health measurements, and the applicability of machine learning to health risk prediction. AARP reported in 2026 that 36% of U.S. adults aged 50 and older owned a wearable device, suggesting that the technology already has a substantial adoption base. A 2025 study from the American Journal of Preventative Cardiology that used Fitbit and electronic health record data also showed that machine learning could predict all-cause hospitalization and cardiovascular risks with reliable accuracy. ScienceSoft predicts that adoption will grow gradually; however, device cost, usability, measurement reliability, privacy, and the ability to turn wearable data into clinically meaningful alerts remain key constraints.

ScienceSoft expects predictive wearables to develop primarily as a complement to clinical care, helping identify potentially concerning changes between medical appointments. For older adults and caregivers, this could mean earlier signals that professional evaluation may be needed. Healthcare providers could gain more continuous visibility into patient health and opportunities to intervene before some conditions worsen. Wearable manufacturers, medical device companies, and healthtech vendors could in turn see growing demand for accessible devices, validated predictive models, and infrastructure that securely connects wearable and clinical data — but their ability to limit unnecessary alerts and earn the trust of patients and clinicians will be critical.

Read the full article for a deeper look at supporting evidence, analysis of predictive AI capabilities, and assessment of the factors that may determine adoption by 2030. Journalists can also request a copy of the complete research for additional details.

Press Inquiries Welcome

ScienceSoft is an AI transformation and software engineering company that has worked with the healthcare industry since 2005. It has participated in more than 150 healthcare IT projects, including software development for wearables and other medical devices. The company’s healthcare IT consultants and solution architects are available to comment on wearable adoption, predictive AI in health monitoring, and the challenges of bringing these technologies into clinical use. For interviews or expert insights, visit ScienceSoft’s Press Room at www.scnsoft.com/press-room.

About ScienceSoft

ScienceSoft is an AI transformation and software engineering company with more than 150 successful projects for healthcare organizations in the U.S. and around the globe. Working in the medical IT field since 2005, ScienceSoft delivers secure, risk- and cost-aware, and highly interoperable software for clinical workflows, diagnostics, and patient outreach. Holding ISO 13485, 9001, and 27001 certifications, the company focuses on designing digital solutions that bring long-term clinical and operational gains despite diverse staff and patient expectations, shifting priorities, and legacy system constraints. For more information, visit www.scnsoft.com/healthcare.

Media Contact

Alexa Tsviatkova
ScienceSoft
adtsviakova@scnsoft.com

HOUSTON, TX, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- BrYet US, Inc. (“BrYet”), a biotechnology innovator focused on developing potentially curative therapies for advanced cancers, today announced AIFA approval of a first-in-kind cGMP manufacturing line for ML-016, the company’s lead clinical-stage cancer therapeutic. AIFA is the national public body that regulates medicines for human use in Italy, where BrYet’s manufacturing subsidiary is located.

The milestone clears an important manufacturing and regulatory hurdle for ML-016 and enables the production of clinical-grade drug product for BrYet’s upcoming clinical program in Australia. The ML-016 clinical supply manufactured on the newly qualified line was produced to the specifications required by the Australian regulatory authorities. Shipment of the clinical material to Australia is expected to begin shortly, supporting initiation of the approved clinical trial.

“Establishing a validated cGMP manufacturing process for ML-016 marks a critical milestone in our path toward the clinic,” said Lorenzo Pradella, CEO of BrYet Europe. “With this foundation in place, we are advancing ML-016 toward clinical evaluation for patients with difficult-to-treat primary and metastatic cancers of the lung and liver — an important step in our effort to address cancers where significant unmet need remains.”

“We engineered a customized, multipurpose pilot production line embedded with single-use technologies, specifically designed for our unique manufacturing process," said Giuliana Crema, BrYet Europe CMC Project Manager. "Securing regulatory approval for such an innovative setup represents a challenging major achievement that validates our approach to supply lyophilized, terminally sterilized ML-016 for clinical studies."

The manufacturing line was established in partnership with NerPharMa, a leading oncology contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).

“We are extremely proud of this achievement and of the strong collaboration with BrYet,” said Damien Parisien, CEO of NerPharMa and Benta Europe. “This milestone demonstrates what our teams can achieve together, and NerPharMa is fully committed to doing everything possible to maintain the success of this partnership and support BrYet as ML-016 advances into clinical development.”

“We are very grateful to our partners at NerPharMa for their support qualifying and validating the manufacturing line,” said Dr. Mauro Ferrari, President and CEO of BrYet. “This achievement reflects the momentum we are building at BrYet as we advance ML-016, establish the capabilities needed to bring its potential to patients, and look toward building out our pipeline of novel therapeutics. We believe our approach could represent a major advance in the treatment of truly devastating cancers.”

ML-016 Overview

ML-016 is comprised of an amino acid polymer conjugated to doxorubicin with a formulation that includes BrYet’s proprietary Si-Plateloid™ technology, designed to target the vascular endothelium of blood vessels in the tumor microenvironment. The amino acid-drug conjugate is released into the tumor, where it forms exosome-like vesicles.

These “exosomoids” are designed to be preferentially taken up by cancer cells including those that have previously been resistant to therapy. Through the mechanisms of cellular trafficking, the exosomoid vesicles are intended to be transported to late-stage endosomes and lysosomes, where the increased acidity releases the cytotoxic agent into the cell nucleus.

BrYet has received Australian approval to begin its first-in-human clinical study of ML-016. The broadly scoped Phase I/II trial will enroll patients with any primary or metastatic cancer involving the lungs or liver, with the first patient dose expected to be administered in late 2026.

About BrYet US, Inc.

BrYet US, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company developing potentially first-in-class therapies for patients suffering from cancers for which there is no current curative treatment. BrYet Europe is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BrYet US that is focused on manufacturing ML-016, BrYet’s lead asset.

ML-016 is being developed for cancers of the lungs and liver, including advanced primary malignancies and metastatic spread from primary cancer that originates in other organs or tissue of the body. The company’s fundamental belief is that upon localization in the lungs and liver, these cancers acquire molecular transport phenotypes that are conserved regardless of site of origin and are largely independent of molecular mutations and their continued evolution. BrYet designs multi-component new chemical entities and formulations, which are directed against the fundamental aspects of these cancer-associated, organ-specific transport phenotypes.

The company’s proprietary platforms include the Si-Plateloid™ and the mathematical formalism for designing the multi-component drugs, termed Transport Oncophysics. BrYet believes that similar approaches may provide advances against other forms of presently incurable cancers, as well as other pathologies of the lungs and liver.

For more information about BrYet, visit bryetpharma.com.

About NerPharMa

NerPharMa is an Italian-based Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) specializing in the formulation and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms. Known for its expertise in handling high-potency compounds and complex manufacturing requirements, NerPharMa provides integrated services from clinical-stage development to full-scale commercial production. NerPharMa is part of Benta, an international healthcare group delivering integrated pharmaceutical manufacturing, CDMO services, and strategic healthcare solutions across global markets.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning BrYet and its business. These statements are based on the beliefs of, assumptions made by, and information currently available to the company’s management. When used in this document, the words “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “believes,” “plans,” “predicts,” “should,” “could,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from expectations. Factors that could contribute to these differences include the results of studies and clinical trials, regulatory approvals, challenges in clinical trials, the ability to retain employees, research and development expenses, reliance on third parties, intellectual property issues, competition, future funding needs, economic conditions, and other industry-specific risks. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, which are current as of the date of this press release. BrYet does not plan to update these statements unless legally required.

Media Contact

Dawn Cox
dawn.cox@bryetpharma.com

NEW YORK, NY, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Red Seat Ventures (RSV), a Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX) creator-led media company, today announced a strategic technology integration with Barometer, the AI-powered brand suitability and contextual targeting engine built specifically for long-form, premium and emerging media.

By integrating Barometer’s contextual analysis directly into Speakeasy, Red Seat Ventures’ proprietary hosting, distribution, and monetization platform, RSV enables advertisers to target content at the episode level. The integration unlocks more advertising opportunities in high-engagement, specialized genres while giving brands greater control over where their messages appear. Barometer’s AI evaluates each episode for tone, sentiment, and context prior to ad delivery, allowing RSV to make more inventory available across direct and programmatic campaigns.

“At Red Seat Ventures, we’re focused on providing creators the infrastructure and tools they need to build thriving, long-term businesses,” said Jeremy Price, SVP of Sales at Red Seat Ventures. “Premium podcast audiences are deeply engaged across every genre, but broad keyword blocking can unnecessarily limit monetization. By integrating Barometer into Speakeasy, we can evaluate content with greater nuance, giving advertisers the confidence to scale across our portfolio while unlocking more value for creators.”

Key highlights of the Speakeasy and Barometer integration include:

• Episode-level precision for all genres: Brand suitability episodes within top-charting series remain fully open to buyers, maximizing creator yield.
• Elimination of over-blocking: Advanced natural language processing distinguishes storytelling, journalistic reporting and nuanced discussion from actual brand risk, eliminating false-positive blocks that force advertisers to skip brand-appropriate inventory.
• Scale across audio and video: Supports custom brand suitability and contextual targeting leveraging the IAB Content Taxonomy and Barometer’s industry-standard brand suitability framework, preserving reach for brands across RSV’s network of tens of millions of monthly consumers.
• Native Speakeasy workflow: AI-driven classification operates within Barometer’s environment, enabling dynamic pre-release scoring and instant monetization upon publication.
• Continuous campaign monitoring: Barometer provides ongoing analysis and transparency, allowing Red Seat Ventures to monitor brand suitability performance in real-time and regularly optimize monetization strategies for creators.

"The biggest misconception in podcast advertising isn't reach — it's a lack of episode-level context," said Dr. Tamara Zubatiy Nelson, CEO and co-founder of Barometer. "Evaluating content dynamically at the episode level unlocks massive value for Red Seat Ventures, providing brand partners with access to highly engaged audiences safely and at scale." 

Red Seat Ventures represents more than 40 premium creators across true crime, comedy, news, sports, and entertainment, reaching tens of millions of monthly consumers across audio and video. The Barometer partnership marks another milestone in RSV’s continued expansion of creator-first technology and monetization capabilities. It follows recent announcements with Supercast and Kill Tony+, the announcement of Charlie Sheen’s Mostly Sheenius podcast, and support for Apple HLS, all designed to help creators safely unlock more inventory across direct and programmatic channels.

Barometer’s episode-level targeting capabilities are now live and available for direct insertion orders and programmatic buys across the Speakeasy platform.

About Barometer

Barometer is a premier, third-party, AI-powered contextual engine with best-in-class brand suitability and contextual targeting solutions for premium and emerging media channels. They help the largest brands in the world responsibly activate at scale in impactful channels like podcasts and generative AI. 

About Red Seat Ventures

Red Seat Ventures partners with top creators, brands, and media companies to develop unique, impactful digital properties. We offer our client-partners an unparalleled combination of investment capital, growth strategy, monetization and skilled management, all of which enable the rapid launch of new shows and businesses. As part of Fox Corporation, RSV is committed to fostering innovative content that resonates with audiences worldwide.

Media Contact

Ella Reznick
Barometer
press@thebarometer.co

Seana Sullivan
Red Seat Ventures / Fox Corporation
seana.sullivan@fox.com

IRVINE, CA, September 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- TORRAS, an innovative consumer electronics brand known for pioneering magnetic stand phone cases, is adding two new models to its lineup: Q3 Air Pro and Q3 Rugged. These new phone cases mark a shift toward smarter phone protection that combines reliable protection, practical functionality, and refined design without unnecessary bulk. The TORRAS Ostand Q3 Air Pro is compatible with the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max. In addition to these models, the Q3 Rugged is also compatible with the iPhone 18 Fold.

The new TORRAS Q3 series was designed to solve real-world problems faced by iPhone users: a bulky case that feels uncomfortable, a workout that requires a fixed camera angle, an outdoor moment that is difficult to capture without a hands-free setup, and a phone exposed to drops while on the move.

Traditional rugged phone cases often relied on thicker, heavier layers to improve drop protection, resulting in designs that could feel like holding a brick. The added bulk can increase hand fatigue and make a phone less comfortable to hold for extended periods, particularly during outdoor activities like running or hiking.

In recent years, there has been a broader shift toward lighter, better-engineered, multifunctional gear that fits more naturally into everyday routines. As smartphones become pricier and more sophisticated, and magnetic accessory ecosystems become more common, users increasingly want slim protective cases that combine practical functionality with strong protection.

How the TORRAS Ostand Q3 Air Pro Airbag System Works

The Q3 Air Pro features Air Duet Dual-Layer Airbag Protection. It is a two-stage cushioning system inspired by layered performance-sneaker cushioning. It has an outer hollow air chamber that intercepts the initial impact of a drop, while the inner high-elasticity layer disperses any residual shock before it reaches the phone. AirDuet™ manages impact in two stages for more credible protection without relying on excessive bulk.

TORRAS was able to achieve a slim profile with the dual-layer airbag phone case using material engineering. The case was constructed with a Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) frame alongside upper and lower dual-layer TPU airbags, while the backplate was constructed with polycarbonate (PC). These materials offer improved toughness at lower material density compared to previous materials.

In a laboratory test, the Q3 Air Pro was dropped six times from a height of 5 meters (approximately 16 ft) onto a solid wood surface. No visible damage was recorded on either the case or the phone, and all buttons remained fully functional. In a separate creator-led stress test, the Q3 Air Pro was subjected to 104 drops from a height of 1.2 meters within one hour. The iPhone 17 Pro showed only minor frame scratches. The case is designed to provide drop protection of up to 16 ft, while its secure-grip design helps improve control during one-handed use, movement, outdoor activities, and use with bike mounts.

In addition to offering protection without unnecessary bulk, the Q3 Air Pro was engineered for everyday functionality. The magnetic phone case provides up to 18 N of magnetic force to support magnetic wallets, power banks, car mounts, bike mounts, and other compatible accessories. Its integrated 3-in-1 Ostand supports stand, hang, and snap use, with 360-degree horizontal rotation and up to 180-degree vertical adjustment.

Q3 Rugged Was Engineered for Maximum Protection Without the Bulk

TORRAS believes that heavy-duty protection should not require users to compromise on appearance or everyday usability. Consequently, the Q3 Rugged phone case was designed for users who prefer the traditional rugged outdoor phone case look without the bulk. It brings protection, grip, integrated construction, refined design, and practical functionality into one complete system. The Air Cushion corners absorb shock while helping the case retain a lighter, cleaner profile.

The Q3 Rugged was designed for functional minimalists who want professional-grade, heavy-duty protection without the excessive bulk of a traditional rugged case. Stand it, hang it, or snap it; one case functions as a fitness phone accessory and adapts to travel and outdoor life. In terms of construction, it features a PC backplate with a two-shot overmolded TPU frame for maximum toughness. It delivers a simple, refined look, rather than the exaggerated bulk of traditional rugged protection.

TORRAS is building the next generation of magnetic phone cases where protection is smarter, not simply bulkier. Every design decision responds to three essential consumer needs: easy to hold, easy to use, and easy on the eyes. At the same time, TORRAS is introducing the idea of Ostand Shot — turning the integrated Ostand into a tool for easier hands-free shooting and spontaneous content capture. By bringing protection, functionality, and creative freedom into one design, TORRAS helps users capture and create wherever life takes them.

About TORRAS

TORRAS creates technology accessories that combine protection, thoughtful engineering, and practical everyday function. Across Q3 Air Pro and Q3 Rugged, the brand challenges the idea that better protection must mean more bulk, while using Ostand to make hands-free use and spontaneous content capture part of daily life.

Media Contact

Hazel He
Head of Marketing, TORRAS, U.S.
turbohealyssa@torras-global.com

MCALLEN, TX, September 8, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- ContactPoint 360, is advancing an outcome-based model for enterprise customer experience that measures outsourced operations against business results such as retention, sales, revenue recovery, and customer satisfaction rather than relying mainly on cost-per-contact and staffing metrics.

The customer experience and business process outsourcing company says its programs have generated $16 million through upselling and cross-selling while reaching 107% of client CSAT goals across its accounts. ContactPoint 360 is using those results to support a broader model in which customer service teams are judged by the commercial value they protect or generate.

“Enterprise leaders are looking beyond traditional cost arbitrage and asking what their customer experience operations are actually producing for the business,” said Gary Batara, Head of Marketing at ContactPoint 360. “The conversation is moving toward retention, revenue performance, customer satisfaction, and measurable outcomes.”

Traditional outsourcing contracts have often focused on labor rates, average handling time, service levels, and cost per interaction. ContactPoint 360’s outcome-based CX model adds business measures that examine what happens after the interaction, including whether a customer stays, completes a purchase, accepts an upgrade, resolves an outstanding balance, or receives a resolution that reduces repeat contact.

The company applies that model across customer care, sales, collections, technical support, and other customer-facing programs.

ContactPoint 360 reports that its programs have produced measurable results in several areas. In one collections engagement, the company says its use of a machine-learning-powered accounts receivable platform, supported by human agents, helped reduce bad debt while supporting 24-hour automated payment processing. In a separate outbound program using voice AI and speech analytics, ContactPoint 360 reported higher sales per hour, fewer rejected transactions, and lower employee attrition.

Those examples form part of the company’s wider effort to connect customer experience spending with financial performance.

“Cost efficiency still matters, but it cannot be the only measure of a customer experience operation,” Batara said. “Our focus is helping clients connect service activity to outcomes they can measure across revenue, retention, and customer performance.”

ContactPoint 360’s flagship Omnichannel CX Management service supports that model across voice, chat, email, and social channels. The company uses AI-supported routing, real-time quality scoring, analytics, and performance monitoring to help direct interactions and maintain consistent service across customer touchpoints.

The company says its model depends on both technology and employee performance. ContactPoint 360 reports a 50% reduction in attrition across selected programs and uses a quality assurance model that scores customer interactions across channels rather than relying solely on limited samples.

Employee retention is treated as part of the operating model because experienced agents can build stronger product knowledge, improve consistency, and handle more complex customer situations. ContactPoint 360 links those employee measures with customer outcomes such as satisfaction, retention, and sales performance.

Its customer experience operations serve enterprise organizations across several sectors. Publicly identified clients include Tennis Channel, Flair Airlines, Auto Approve, and Achosa Home Warranty.

ContactPoint 360 supports clients through 12 global strategic centers and provides service in more than 31 languages. The global network allows the company to provide customer support across time zones while applying shared operating standards across markets.

For enterprise buyers, the outcome-based model changes how outsourcing performance can be evaluated. Traditional cost measures such as cost per contact and average handling time remain part of the scorecard, but ContactPoint 360 encourages clients to measure them alongside retention, sales conversion, customer satisfaction, recovered revenue, and other business results.

A customer interaction can therefore be assessed according to what it produces rather than only how quickly or cheaply it was handled. A support call may prevent a cancellation. A billing conversation may recover an outstanding balance. A customer inquiry may create an opportunity for an upgrade or additional service.

ContactPoint 360 says the model requires closer reporting between a provider and its clients. Companies need clear definitions for outcomes such as recovered revenue, retained customers, and sales generated through service interactions. Those measures can then be compared against operating costs and traditional contact center metrics.

The company is positioning outcome-based CX outsourcing as part of a broader move toward greater accountability in enterprise customer service. Rather than treating outsourced customer operations as a fixed expense to reduce, ContactPoint 360 is encouraging organizations to examine how those operations affect customer value and financial performance.

The company reports $100 million in revenue and 20% year-over-year growth, while supporting enterprise organizations across North America and other markets.

ContactPoint 360’s model places the focus on what customer experience operations produce for the business. For enterprise leaders, that means evaluating providers across a wider set of commercial and service measures instead of using cost reduction as the primary measure of success.

About ContactPoint 360

ContactPoint 360 is a global customer experience and business process outsourcing company founded in 2007. The company provides omnichannel customer care, technical support, sales outsourcing, collections, back-office services, multilingual support, workforce management, quality assurance, and AI-supported customer operations. ContactPoint 360 serves enterprise clients through 12 global strategic centers and supports customer interactions in more than 31 languages. For more information, visit contactpoint360.com.

Media Contact

Asad Mirza
pr@contactpoint360.com

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 8, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- South African sea salt company, Oryx Desert Salt, announced its expansion into U.S. Whole Foods Market stores amid growing consumer scrutiny over microplastics in traditional sea salt. Now in approximately 485 stores, the salt provider has held onto this listing for around five years as part of its expansion into over 23 countries. Consumers are paying more attention to pantry staples, and this attention applies to salt as publishers have documented potential contaminants in sea salt.

The Research: Plastic Salt?

Sea salt is created by evaporating salt water, leaving behind the salt once the water is gone. As a byproduct, what is in the water is then within the salt. This can include microplastics.

A 2015 study conducted at East China Normal University in Shanghai hypothesized there was a connection between microplastics and sea salt. The research tested 15 brands of sea salts, lake salts, and rock/well salts from supermarkets across China. The study concluded that sea salts contained more evidence of microplastics compared to other salts tested.

A different study published in 2018 provided further evidence of the relationship between microplastics and sea salt. Participants tested 39 salt brands from around the globe, including 28 sea salt brands from 16 countries on six continents. After testing, the report concluded that sea salts once again contained the highest quantity of microplastics.

Specifically, unrefined salts were linked to plastic content in rivers and microplastics in the surrounding seawater. The 2018 study was referenced by National Geographic in an article reporting that as much as 90% of table salt, as of 2018, contained microplastics.

What Makes Oryx Different

Oryx Desert Salt initially established its salt process with the intention of bringing a pure salt from an uncontaminated, pristine source to the market. Exactly because of that source, it also circumvented microplastic contamination in its salt. The company uses a 5,000-hectare pan from an underground brine aquifer in the Kalahari Desert to make this possible.

There, three subterranean streams are filtered through Dwyka rock formations and into the brine aquifer. It is fairly isolated, with the nearest town approximately 155 miles away.

The surface temperature of the desert can reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, leading the pumped brine to crystallize in around four weeks. Post-crystallization, the salt is packed with no bleaching, additives, or anti-caking agents.

The process and later expansion were all made possible by one woman in South Africa with a dream of bringing the ancient process to tables around the world.

About Oryx Desert Salt

Samantha Skyring founded Oryx Desert Salt in 2011, selling her home in Johannesburg to fund the company. In the beginning, Skyring bought 34 tonnes of Kalahari salt and hand-packed the earliest grinders from home, where she was raising her son as a single mom. Initially self-funded, she sold to farmers' markets, independent delis, health shops, and restaurants in South Africa. In 2013, what followed was 12 years of mentorship and investment by Evolve Capital — brothers Ian and Garth Solomon — also 5 years of support from Pape Funds, which supported Skyring in growing the business and building her vision. During the pandemic, the business lost 60% of its revenue. Instead of retreating, Skyring focused on acquiring Whole Foods Market as a retailer. Her efforts earned Oryx Desert Salt a national listing with Whole Foods in September of 2021. Since then, distribution has scaled. Oryx is available from other major retailers such as Amazon and World Market, and even supplies sachets to JetBlue and Amtrak passengers. Skyring was recognized with South Africa’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2024. Oryx Desert Salt remains founder-led and stays true to its original mission of being an alternative to conventional table salt and sea salt. For more information, visit oryxdesertsalt.com and follow on Instagram. 

Disclaimer

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. References to third-party studies on microplastics in sea salt are for informational context only and do not constitute direct clinical testing or health guarantees regarding specific product outcomes.

Media Contact

Samantha Skyring
sam@oryxdesertsalt.com

NORFOLK, VA, September 8, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- VisualZen, Inc. today established VZOS.com as the public home for VZOS®, its orientation management platform for colleges and universities.

VZOS represents the continued evolution of VisualZen’s work alongside higher-education orientation professionals. Rather than assuming colleges and universities operate orientation through a common model, VZOS is designed around a reality VisualZen has encountered repeatedly through its work with institutions: orientation programs differ in how they organize people, processes, programming, responsibilities, and institutional systems.

“Orientation may look simple from the outside, but the professionals responsible for it know how much work happens behind the event,” said David Morales, founder and CEO of VisualZen. “Our job is not to tell an institution what its orientation model should be. Our job is to understand the model it has chosen and determine where technology can appropriately support the people operating it.”

VisualZen has worked with higher-education institutions and orientation professionals since 2001. That experience has exposed the company to a wide range of orientation operating models and responsibilities, including orientation registration and reservations, student preparation, personalized scheduling, pre-advising, check-in and attendance, family and supporter programs, student leader processes, communications, and coordination across campus offices and systems.

That breadth has shaped VZOS as an Orientation Management Platform rather than software built around a single orientation event or standardized institutional process.

An institution may use VZOS for a focused operational responsibility or across a broader portion of its orientation journey. The appropriate footprint depends on the institution’s model, existing technology environment, responsibilities, and decisions about where the platform should play a role.

“We’ve learned that the important question isn’t whether one system can do everything,” Morales said. “It’s what each institution needs its orientation operation to do, which systems should own which responsibilities, and how the people doing the work can be supported without forcing their program into somebody else’s model.”

VZOS continues the platform lineage of VisualZen’s longstanding VZO technology while providing a clearer identity for where that work is going. Institutions using VZO are not being asked to abandon the platform or adopt a predetermined new model. VZOS reflects the continued evolution of the platform and VisualZen’s orientation-focused work.

The new VZOS.com makes that identity public and provides a place for colleges and universities to understand the platform in the context of the work they already manage. It also includes Orientation Insights, a collection of useful writing for higher-education professionals examining operational responsibilities such as orientation registration, check-in and attendance, personalized scheduling, pre-advising, orientation leader applications and selection, parent and family programs, and how orientation software can fit different institutional models.

Those Insights draw from VisualZen’s ongoing learning alongside orientation professionals and are intended to make portions of that learning useful beyond the institutions directly working with VisualZen.

VZOS is available to colleges and universities evaluating how technology can support the orientation model they already operate or are intentionally evolving.

About VisualZen

VisualZen, Inc. is the company and steward behind VZOS®, an orientation management platform for colleges and universities. Since 2001, VisualZen has worked alongside higher-education professionals to support the operational work involved in orientation and incoming-student onboarding. VisualZen helps institutions use technology at the scale their orientation model requires, from focused operational needs to broader portions of the orientation journey. VisualZen is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. For more information, visit vzos.com.

Media Contact

David Morales
Founder and CEO, VisualZen
david.morales@visualzen.com
+1 855-676-3546

NEW YORK, NY, September 8, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Newbridge Marketing, the Lake Oswego, Oregon-based agency known for connecting brands to more than 10 million college students across 2,000+ campuses nationwide, announces strategic growth investment from Primetime, the sports and marketing platform owned by Balius Partners.

For 21 years, Newbridge has built its business on showing up where students actually are. That means campus tours and mobile activations, NIL athlete partnerships, student ambassador programs, and a dedicated collegiate media network, all built to put brands directly into the daily rhythm of campus life. The agency's experiential work extends into sampling events, pop-up retail, and grand-opening activations for national brands, backed by a track record that includes recognition for standout work with names like Stanley, Jack Link’s and The North Face.

The investment follows two other recent moves for the platform: a stake in BASE Sports Group, which connects national brands to youth sports facilities and events, and the acquisition of Boostr Digital Displays, a manufacturer of LED scoreboards and display systems used across scholastic sports. Together with Newbridge, the three businesses give Primetime a connected presence at every stage of a young person's life in sports and school, from the rec league to the quad.

"Newbridge is the exact kind of company we want to power the Primetime platform," said Chris Goulakos, founder and Managing Partner of Balius Partners, the private investment firm behind Primetime. "They've built real, trusted relationships on campuses across the country, with a creative process that connects with college consumers instead of talking at them. As AI reshapes so much of how brands try to reach people, we believe Newbridge's ability to create real, in-person moments makes them more valuable."

"Newbridge has a dual mission: make a positive impact in college students' lives, and create real joy through experience," said Steve Schubert, CEO and co-founder of Newbridge Marketing. "Primetime and Balius Partners bring the resources and long-term thinking that will help us grow while staying true to what makes Newbridge work. Just as importantly, they get our culture and how we operate. Over 21 years, we've built something we're proud of, and we couldn't be more excited about what's next with Chris and his team."

Newbridge's current leadership team will stay in place, continuing to run the business under the Newbridge name. They'll now be backed by a board with experience from CBS Sports, Chick-fil-A, Expedia, Fanatics, the NFL, Nielsen, Omnicom, Paramount, and Vizio, along with continued investment in talent, technology, and new capabilities from Primetime and Balius Partners.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Primetime

Primetime is a Balius Partners-owned sports and marketing platform focused on building an integrated ecosystem of businesses serving the youth, high school, college, and community sports and marketing landscape. Primetime partners with founder- and operator-led companies that help brands, schools, universities, venues, events, and local communities connect through sponsorship, media, display, experiential, and engagement solutions. Primetime’s platform includes BASE Sports Group, a national youth sports sponsorship sales agency, and Boostr, a provider of sports digital display solutions for schools and universities. For more information, visit primetimeholdco.com.

About Newbridge Marketing

Newbridge Marketing is an award-winning experiential and college marketing agency headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The agency specializes in integrated brand experiences that combine campus marketing, live activations and digital media to help brands connect authentically with Gen Z and college consumers. Newbridge has relationships across more than 2,000 college and university campuses and has produced over 1,000 marketing campaigns for leading national brands. The agency has been recognized by leading industry organizations for excellence in experiential and college marketing. For more information, visit newbridgemarketing.com.

About Balius Partners

Balius Partners is a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm that partners with owner-operators and management teams to support long-term growth. Balius provides strategic capital, operational perspective, and partnership-oriented support to businesses seeking to scale while preserving the entrepreneurial focus, customer relationships, and execution discipline that made them successful.

Media Contact

office@newbridgemg.com

BERLIN, Germany, September 8, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- bixdo, an optoelectronic beauty care technology brand, is exhibiting at Messe Berlin from September 4–8, 2026, in Hall 14, booth H14-101. Its presentation demonstrates how light- and energy-based care can become an intuitive, sustainable part of everyday home routines.

Smile Care Built Into Brushing

bixdo’s Glossonic Brush AIR centers on “whitening while brushing.” The device combines an integrated 460 nm visible blue light with light-guiding filaments to direct light toward the enamel surface. Paired with a non-peroxide PAP (phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid) toothpaste enriched with hydroxyapatite for enamel support, the system gently oxidizes surface stains during normal daily brushing without requiring separate strips or trays. bixdo describes the formula as gentle on enamel and suitable for sensitive teeth.

The Glossonic Brush AIR offers a slim, pen-style design with four brushing modes, providing a lightweight option for travel.

Complementing the toothbrush, the Pocket Water Flosser brings a compact, travel-ready approach to interdental cleaning.

Scalp Care Through Everyday Combing

bixdo’s scalp-care device combines dual-wavelength blue (470 nm) and red (655 nm) LED modules with transparent, light-guiding comb teeth. The comb teeth guide light to the scalp as users comb, bringing light-based care into a natural daily habit.

Facial Beauty Made for Real Life

For facial skincare, bixdo presents hands-free LED masks, full-coverage light-therapy panels, and compact handheld devices. Grounded in clinical testing, the brand integrates non-invasive energy modalities — including LED phototherapy, radiofrequency (RF), microcurrent, and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) — into ergonomic daily tools. Handheld devices support quick, targeted touch-ups, while hands-free masks allow users to read, rest, or work during treatment.

A Connected Home Beauty Ecosystem

bixdo’s ecosystem offers users flexible care without complex procedures: blue-light whitening while brushing, light-based scalp stimulation while combing, and targeted facial care that fits busy schedules. Familiar form factors and straightforward controls make advanced personal care easier to maintain over time.

More information is available at bixdo.com.

About bixdo

bixdo is an optoelectronic beauty care technology brand that translates light- and energy-based research into practical home devices. The company develops clinically evaluated solutions across oral hygiene, scalp care, and facial skincare designed to integrate seamlessly into daily personal care routines.

Disclaimer

bixdo products are cosmetic personal care devices intended solely for wellness and cosmetic enhancement. They are not medical devices and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any dental, dermatological, or medical condition. Individual results may vary. Consult a healthcare or dental professional prior to use if you have underlying medical conditions or sensitive skin/teeth.

Media Contact

Ningning Chen
marketing@bixdo.com

WASHINGTON, DC, September 8, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Lionfish Tech Advisors announced the publication of "The Call for a Digital Golden Dome," a policy and economic report outlining the urgent need for Operational Software Assurance, a newly defined cybersecurity category, across the United States Department of War and federal infrastructure. The report details the critical vulnerabilities inherent in memory-unsafe software, such as C and C++, which forms the foundation of modern weapon systems, power grids, and financial networks.

With a full rewrite of this legacy code estimated to cost up to $34.5 trillion, the analysis proposes Embedded Runtime Security as a practical, immediate alternative. This approach protects deployed, hard-to-patch software from exploitation at runtime, effectively immunizing national security assets without requiring source code changes or costly system recertifications.

The Escalating Threat to Memory-Unsafe Infrastructure

For decades, the United States has built its military and civilian infrastructure on software written for speed rather than security. The report highlights that memory-safety defects account for approximately 70% of serious vulnerabilities and 75% of zero-day exploits. The proliferation of artificial intelligence has drastically accelerated the discovery and exploitation of these flaws, outpacing the government’s ability to issue patches. Embedded, safety-critical systems often sit offline or air-gapped, turning traditional patch management into a liability that leaves mission-critical assets exposed to machine-speed adversaries.

The Digital Golden Dome Strategy

Lionfish Tech Advisors introduces the Digital Golden Dome, a policy framework centered on software memory protection. Rather than waiting for patches or attempting multi-decade rewrites that could cost up to $34.5 trillion, this discipline applies runtime exploit mitigation directly to compiled binaries and firmware. The technology continuously reshuffles a program’s memory layout, ensuring that an attacker's predictable exploit path fails instantly at runtime. Crucially, this mitigation deploys without altering source code or system behavior, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming recertifications across safety-critical systems.

Key highlights from the intelligence report include:

• Zero source-code changes: Applies runtime exploit mitigation directly to compiled binaries and firmware without requiring source code modifications or compiler updates.
• 98%+ attack-surface reduction: Reduces usable return-oriented programming (ROP) attack chains by greater than 98% on software carrying over 1.6 million candidate gadgets.
• Proven vulnerability neutralization: Field measurements demonstrate that runtime protection neutralizes 49% of overall fielded vulnerabilities and 77% of critical-severity vulnerabilities.
• Targeted threat coverage: Directly neutralizes memory-safety defects, which account for approximately 70% of serious vulnerabilities and 75% of zero-day exploits in compiled code.
• Broad defense fleet applicability: Mapped across more than 140 funded programs spanning 19 Department of War components, representing $87 billion in FY2026 procurement and $159.5 billion in the FY2027 budget request.

Economic Efficiency and Policy Action

Adopting Operational Software Assurance represents a massive efficiency gain for the federal budget. The report models that a 25% adoption rate across addressable defense and federal programs could yield approximately $1.4 billion in annual cost avoidance related to patching, sustainment, and recertification. Lionfish Tech Advisors urges the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of War to fund software memory protection as an enterprise standard. By leveraging existing acquisition pathways like Software Fast Track and the Iron Bank registry, the government can immediately modernize its defense posture.

"The United States must stop paying thirty to one hundred times over to rewrite what it can protect, and stop paying in perpetuity to patch what it can immunize," said Rob Smith, CEO of Lionfish Tech Advisors. "Artificial intelligence is finding flaws in our fielded systems faster than any human pipeline can fix them. Runtime protection is the only control that scales with this threat."

"The strategic shift underneath all of this is the move from detect-and-respond by default to prevent-by-default," said Brad LaPorte, former Gartner analyst and Lionfish advisor. "We are building a physical dome to intercept missiles, and our software deserves the exact same logic. Operational Software Assurance ensures that our mission-critical systems stay certified, available, and lethal, even when under sustained cyber attack."

About Lionfish Tech Advisors

Lionfish Tech Advisors is a global IT advisory firm specializing in competitive intelligence, buying decision recommendations, and market analysis. Powered by a team of former Gartner analysts, the firm leverages an AI-driven, human-verified architecture to deliver accurate, real-time insights for enterprise technology buyers and vendors. For more information, visit www.lionfishtechadvisors.com.

Media Contact

info@lionfishtechadvisors.com

LOS ANGELES, CA, September 8, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Keep Converting, the AI-native conversion optimization platform for e-commerce, today exited stealth with a $2 million pre-seed round led by Nuwa Capital and COTU Ventures, and disclosed an average 64% conversion-rate lift across active client deployments in the United States, Europe, and the Gulf.

E-commerce brands have spent a decade competing on traffic — SEO, paid ads, influencer reach — and AI-driven discovery is now reshaping where shoppers come from: ChatGPT answers product questions, Perplexity surfaces brands. The channel keeps changing, but one problem hasn't been solved: when a shopper finally lands on a product page, 98% leave without buying. Keep Converting was built to close that gap.

Keep Converting is an AI-powered platform that builds a fully personalized website experience for every individual visitor in real time. A shopper arriving from a ChatGPT recommendation for “the best running shoes for sore feet” sees a product page that leads with comfort, support, and runner reviews. A shopper arriving from a TikTok ad for the same brand sees an entirely different page — built around the moment, the creator, and the trend that brought them there. Same product, same brand, two different experiences — generated and served instantly, refined on every visit.

The platform has produced thousands of product page variants for brands across consumer electronics, home appliances, beauty, fragrance, lifestyle, and accessories. On a single product page, multiple AI-generated versions run side by side, with Keep Converting's closed-loop system continuously promoting the version most likely to convert and generating fresh variants as it learns. Keep Converting is pre-integrated with Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Zid, Salla, and other major commerce platforms — client setup takes approximately 10 minutes, and most brands see measurable conversion lift within two weeks of going live.

“Everyone says AI will kill the merchant website. We bet the opposite. Shoppers still want to visit the site, see the real product, and connect with it before they buy. So Keep Converting transforms every product page into the form that speaks to each shopper, and lets the site win the AI shift instead of just surviving it. We've now proven it works, and the next chapter is bringing it to every merchant,” said Mohammad El Mougi, founder and CEO of Keep Converting.

Mougi previously served as Chief Product Officer at Vezeeta, the leading health-tech platform in the Middle East, and earlier led marketing at Vodafone. Co-founder Manuel Prinz previously served as Head of Product at TikTok Shop US and on the product management team at Walmart.

“At TikTok Shop and Walmart, I watched the world's best commerce teams ship one personalization framework after another and still hit the same wall — a recommendation engine here, a banner test there, none of it touching the page itself,” said Prinz. “Keep Converting is the first platform that rebuilds the actual experience per shopper. That's the unlock.”

The $2 million pre-seed will fund onboarding the next wave of merchants and growing the engineering team behind the platform's cross-client intelligence — every visit anywhere on the network sharpens performance everywhere. Merchants interested in joining the next cohort can request access at keepconverting.ai.

Key Facts

• Company: Keep Converting
• Website: keepconverting.ai
• Founded: 2025
• Founders: Mohammad El Mougi (founder and CEO), Manuel Prinz (co-founder)
• Funding to date: $2 million pre-seed
• Lead investors: Nuwa Capital, COTU Ventures
• Product: AI-generated, per-visitor personalized product pages for e-commerce
• Average conversion-rate lift: 64% across active client deployments
• Pre-integrated platforms: Shopify, Zid, Salla, and other major commerce platforms
• Setup time: Approximately 10 minutes
• Pricing model: Pay-on-results and subscriptions
• Markets served: United States, Europe, Gulf region
• Verticals served: Consumer electronics, home appliances, beauty, fragrance, lifestyle, accessories

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Keep Converting?

Keep Converting is an AI-native conversion optimization platform. It generates a fully personalized product page for every individual e-commerce visitor in real time, replacing one-size-fits-all product pages with experiences tailored to where each shopper came from and what they're looking for.

How does Keep Converting work?

Keep Converting runs multiple AI-generated versions of each product page side by side and uses a closed-loop system to continuously promote the version most likely to convert, while generating fresh variants as it learns. The platform is pre-integrated with Shopify, Zid, Salla, and other major commerce platforms, and merchants typically complete setup in about 10 minutes.

What results has Keep Converting delivered for merchants?

Across active client deployments in the United States, Europe, and the Gulf, Keep Converting delivers an average 64% conversion-rate lift, measured against each merchant's original conversion rate. Most brands see measurable conversion lift within two weeks of going live.

Who funded Keep Converting?

Keep Converting raised a $2 million pre-seed round, led by Nuwa Capital and COTU Ventures. The round funds merchant onboarding and engineering hiring for the platform's cross-client conversion intelligence.

How do merchants get started with Keep Converting?

Merchants can request access at keepconverting.ai or hello@keepconverting.ai. Keep Converting charges only on results or subscription — no upfront fees.

About Keep Converting

Keep Converting is an AI-native conversion optimization platform that builds a personalized website experience for every e-commerce visitor in real time. The platform delivers an average 64% conversion-rate lift, charges only on results or subscription bases, and is pre-integrated with all major e-commerce platforms — client setup takes approximately 10 minutes. Keep Converting serves a growing cohort of brands across the United States, Europe, and the Gulf. For more information, visit keepconverting.ai.

Media Contact

Manuel Prinz
Keep Converting
pr@keepconverting.ai

YEREVAN, Armenia, September 7, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Unibank has launched Armenia’s first hybrid investment offering, allowing investors to become shareholders and gain access to perpetual bonds carrying a 13.25% annual coupon for the first 36 months, after which rates adjust to government bond yield benchmarks.

The bank has issued AMD 3.9 billion in total valuation of ordinary shares at a placement price of AMD 390 per share. The minimum investment amount is AMD 1,014,000 (USD 2,733), reflecting the Bank's strategy of making share ownership accessible to a broad base of retail investors. Unibank's free float currently stands at 10.7%.

The hybrid investment solution combines the income generated by perpetual bonds with the long-term growth potential of equity. Since Unibank’s IPO in 2015 — the first public offering by a bank on the Armenia Stock Exchange (AMX) — its share price has increased by approximately 70%.

Shareholders have also benefited from steadily increasing dividends. The average dividend yield over the past three years exceeds 12%. Dividend distributions increased from AMD 4.1 billion based on the 2023 financial results to AMD 7.8 billion for 2024 and AMD 9.3 billion for 2025.

“We believe hybrid investment products will play a larger role in meeting investors’ demand by combining the predictable income of perpetual bonds with equity growth potential. The current share issuance marks our tenth placement since becoming a public company. Investors continue to trust us as they have seen tangible returns and a clear long-term strategy. We have consistently delivered a return on equity above 20%,” said Gagik Zakaryan, Chairman of the Board of Unibank. 

For 25 years, Unibank has earned the trust of its customers and investors through consistent financial performance and innovation. The bank reported net profit of AMD 9.8 billion for 2025 and AMD 4.5 billion for the first half of 2026. As of June 30, 2026, total assets exceeded AMD 419 billion, up 15% year-on-year, while the loan portfolio reached AMD 284 billion, an increase of 27% compared with the same period a year earlier.

Today, Unibank serves approximately 30% of Armenia’s bankable population and according to 2025 results, ranks among the country’s top five banks by POS lending volume and holds the leading position by the number of POS loans issued.

Digital transformation remains one of the bank’s key strategic priorities. Unibank was the first bank in Armenia to introduce an AI-powered credit-scoring platform, which now processes around 600,000 unsecured consumer loan applications annually. The bank is actively implementing new technologies such as biometric identification for digital onboarding and expanding online lending.

Moody’s also upgraded the outlook on Unibank’s B1 long-term deposit ratings to Positive from Stable. The ratings reflect the Bank’s strong asset quality, robust profitability and limited reliance on less-stable funding. 

"We remain committed to delivering sustainable growth, strengthening shareholder value, and expanding investment opportunities. Armenia’s capital market is entering a new stage of development, with growing demand for diversified investment solutions and broader participation by retail investors. We are seeing a clear shift in the way people manage their savings, as more individuals look beyond traditional deposits and view investing as an essential part of their financial planning. Our goal is to continue expanding the range of investment solutions available to investors by offering products that combine different sources of return with greater flexibility in managing risk," said Zakaryan.

The investment offering will remain open until September 9, 2026.

About Unibank

Unibank is one of Armenia’s leading technology-driven banks, committed to delivering innovative financial services that meet the evolving needs of its customers. It offers comprehensive retail and business banking services, along with Private Banking solutions tailored to high-value clients. To learn more, please visit www.unibank.am.

Disclaimer

This material is for informational purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Dividend yield is calculated based on dividends paid over the past three years and does not guarantee future dividend payments or their amount. Dividend payments are subject to approval by the General Meeting of Shareholders of Unibank OJSC. Ordinary shares represent equity capital and are not insured. Funds raised through the issuance of the bank’s perpetual bonds are guaranteed by the Deposit Guarantee Fund in the amount and under the conditions established by the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On Guaranteeing Compensation for Bank Deposits of Individuals”; however, perpetual bonds represent subordinated debt with unique capital and liquidity terms distinct from traditional bank deposits. The share prospectus was registered by Decision No. 1/210A of the Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia dated May 13, 2026. The program prospectus for perpetual bonds was registered by Decision No. 1/427A of the Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia dated November 26, 2025, while amendments to the program prospectus were registered by Decision No. 1/228A dated May 22, 2026, and Decision No. 1/282A dated June 29, 2026. Investors may obtain printed versions of the share and perpetual bond prospectuses, as well as accompanying documents, at Unibank’s Head Office and branches. Electronic versions are available on www.unibank.am.

Media Contact

lusine.khachatryan@unibank.am
+374 10 712222

BERLIN, Germany, September 6, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Smartphone accessory makers at IFA 2026 are broadening the role of the phone case, adding stands, magnetic attachments and grip features as consumers use their devices for filming, navigation and travel.

The shift reflects changing expectations in an established category. As phones increasingly serve as cameras, maps and communication tools away from fixed workspaces, consumers expect cases to support viewing, filming, navigation and mobile creation as well as absorb impact. At IFA, TORRAS presented the Q3 Air Pro as its response to the practical demands of travel, outdoor activity and content creation. The appearance marked the product’s first major international trade show showcase and reflected TORRAS’ wider effort to build an international presence around products developed for specific user scenarios.

Protection remains the starting point. TORRAS said the Q3 Air Pro’s sealed, Dual-layer Air Duet™ structure is designed to absorb and disperse the force of a drop. Alongside that protection, a ring built into the case rotates and locks at different angles, providing adjustable hands-free positioning without the need for a separate stand.

Ostand Shot is TORRAS’ concept for combining magnetic attachment with the rotating stand to support hands-free shooting and mobile creation. The magnetic mounting function allows the case to attach to compatible metal surfaces, while the stand helps users maintain the desired viewing or shooting angle. A traveller can keep a route in view without holding the phone, while a creator can frame a shot and record hands-free. By reducing the need to hold or repeatedly adjust the phone, the design is intended to give users greater flexibility while navigating, filming, or creating on the move. For TORRAS, the concept reflects a broader effort to develop products around the way people use technology across travel, outdoor activity and creative work.

TORRAS said the matte finish and textured sides were developed for outdoor handling in sweaty or dusty conditions. Within the Ostand range, the Q3 Air Pro addresses outdoor activity and mobile creation, while the lighter Q3 Air and entry-level Q3 Rugged extend the same protection-and-stand format to commuting, travel and routine daily use. TORRAS is using the Ostand format as a common platform that can be adapted to different levels of protection, mobility and everyday use.

TORRAS estimated that 1,500 people visited its stand during the five-day event, giving the company an opportunity to observe how international visitors responded to products designed for travel, outdoor activity and hands-free use.

For case makers, competition is expanding beyond drop protection to how easily a phone can be used in different settings. TORRAS is drawing on the way people film, navigate and communicate while moving, applying those observations to products for travel, sport, outdoor activity and creative work. The strategy gives TORRAS a way to compete beyond protective hardware by using familiar mobile accessories to reach consumers whose needs increasingly span mobility, hands-free use and content creation.

About TORRAS

Founded in 2012, TORRAS is an innovative consumer electronics brand dedicated to creating high-quality products and tech-driven lifestyle experiences. Its product portfolio spans mobile accessories, charging solutions, and smart lifestyle products designed to bring greater freedom and creativity to everyday life. TORRAS products and services have reached more than 100 million users across over 148 countries and regions. For more information, visit torraslife.com.

Media Contact

Claudia Peng
TORRAS Europe Regional Marketing Manager, Lechuang Tiancheng Technology (HK) Co., Limited
marketing@torras-eu.com

BERLIN, Germany, September 5, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- The Xcanbot Mate X has been recognized in two categories at the IFA Innovation Awards 2026: Winner of Tech for Good & Accessibility, and Honoree in IFA NEXT & Emerging Tech. The awards were presented Sept. 4 at the IFA Innovation Stage.

The Mate X is a seated mobility robot for everyday life. It exists for a simple reason: for many people, getting around has quietly become the hardest part of the day.

The rider chooses a destination, and the Mate X drives there on its own. A fused sensor array of LiDAR, time-of-flight and camera vision monitors a full 360 degrees around the vehicle, tracking obstacles and pedestrians and adjusting course without the rider needing to touch the controls.

The category matters as much as the win. Tech for Good & Accessibility is not a horsepower category; it recognizes technology that widens who gets to use it. That is a precise description of the Mate X design brief: treat personal mobility as consumer technology — complete with the industrial design, interface and retail experience the phrase implies — instead of a clinical device dispensed through a medical channel.

"People in this market have spent years being handed equipment that looks clinical and feels clinical," said Zhanbin Li, founder and CEO of Xcanbot. "We set out to build the one they would choose for themselves. An award in this category, of all categories, tells us the idea landed."

Twelve sensors — an area-array LiDAR, dual line LiDARs, a time-of-flight sensor, six cameras and ultrasonic sensors — give the Mate X 360-degree awareness. An electric seat lift raises the rider up to 7 inches (18 centimeters), enough to reach a shelf or meet someone at eye level. It offers a range of up to 18 miles (30 kilometers) on a 453.6 Wh LFP battery, and the camera and LiDAR data used for navigation are processed directly on the device rather than uploaded.

The second recognition, Honoree status in IFA NEXT & Emerging Tech, places the Mate X on the show's list of products considered early signals of where consumer technology is heading.

Visitors can ride the Mate X and watch the autonomous mode in operation at Booth CCBB-154 until IFA closes Sept. 8. Media appointments can be booked through the contact below.

From Berlin, the Mate X moves to REHACARE International 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany (Sept. 23–26, Booth 1A57-3), marking its first appearance before European distributors and care professionals. A crowdfunding campaign is planned, with Europe as the first market; registration is open at launch.xcanbot.com.

Xcanbot exhibits at IFA Berlin 2026 (Booth CCBB-154) and REHACARE International 2026 (Booth 1A57-3).

About Shenzhen Xcanbot Co., Ltd.

Xcanbot is a consumer robotics company headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Its machines are built around one idea: autonomous navigation applied to the parts of everyday life that cost people the most time and freedom.

The XcanMow Mix 2000 robot lawn mower navigates via LiDAR and camera vision without a perimeter wire, RTK antenna or base station. The Mate X seated mobility robot drives itself to a chosen destination while monitoring 360 degrees around the vehicle. Both run on XcanSense, the company’s in-house LiDAR-vision navigation system.

For more information, visit launch.xcanmow.com or launch.xcanbot.com.

Disclaimer

The Xcanbot Mate X is a consumer personal mobility device and is not classified or registered as a medical device or power wheelchair. Statements regarding its features have not been evaluated by health regulatory authorities. Individuals with severe mobility impairments or medical conditions should consult a qualified healthcare provider or occupational therapist to determine appropriate assistive technology needs.

Media Contact

Cici Si
Marketing Manager
sishi@xcanbot.net