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SoftBank Focuses On The Layout Of The Metaverse With AOS To Create A Brand-New Future

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Recently, Softbank Ventures Asia publicly announced that it has begun to focus on Metaverse and invested in the AOS project. It will cooperate with AOS to connect and integrate more Metaverses in AI, NFT, robotics, and other fields, and carry the development of large-scale killer applications.

The enthusiastic investment in Metaverse has not subsided, but it has risen again. The technology giants have all entered the Metaverse. Facebook plans to fully transform into Metaverse before 2025, and will set up a product team to accelerate investment in VR/AR and the creator community; Bytedance, which has always believed in Striving for Miracles, merged Mutong Technology for 4 billion USD, and begin to lay out the Metaverse; Axie Infinity builds NFT games based on the Metaverse, subverting the traditional game mode and becoming a phenomenon-level game product; miHOYO, the developer of “Genshin Impact”, formed an AI scientist inverse entropy team, and self-developed Avatar Luming to explore the brain-computer interface. Through investment, miHOYO has successfully deployed the social Metaverse Soul; the Internet industry is renewing and iterating rapidly, and companies need to attach importance to meet unknown concepts and challenges or be left behind by the times.

In the Metaverse era, everything has virtual avatars. The concept of Metaverse seems to be still in the mist today, but the prelude to the new era has been opened, and it is closer than you think.

The popularization of the term Metaverse was cited from the novel Avalanche by American science fiction writer Neil Stephenson in 1992. In his book, he used the word Metaverse for the first time without foundation and described it as a parallel universe projected from the real world through technical means such as the Internet. However, anyone who has watched the movie “Ready Player One” by the great director Steven Spielberg should probably understand this concept. Like the “Oasis” in the movie, the company has created a realistic virtual world outside of the real world. Every player in the real world has another identity in the virtual world, establishes another social circle, and leads another life. Although the Metaverse is only a virtual world, its immersion is so vivid that you will think it is the real world and enjoy life in this new world.

AOS (Artificial Intelligence Operating System) is the first operating system developed by Canada Unicorn Park, based on the underlying blockchain technology to connect the Metaverse. By building a Metaverse bridge online, and using robots as an intelligent carrier offline to build an ecosystem between Metaverses and provide a new experience for integration with Metaverse and the real world.

Based on AOS, users could create an AI NFT that has autonomous consciousness and advanced self-learning capability; And it also gets influenced by the distributed personality database on the chain to build character, and gradually complete neural network-style self-learning and improvements. Most of all, the distributed character database is based on the “Book of Changes” and appropriately constructs the character of AI; users can inject their favorite characters, personalities, voices, etc., into their own AI NFT, and tame it to learn more skills. AOS encourages users to integrate more characters and personalities, combined with NFT to create different artistic values. The custom AI itself has NFT attributes. Users can customize the appearance of AI on the network, and can also authorize access to a third-party character customization system, such as specific character images and voices, and third-party NFT star voices and appearances, packaged in the form of NFT used for trading and collection.

AOS connects the first-generation physical carrier, the AI four-wheel driving robot Mars_1 with the Metaverse and the real world, creating a new user experience.

Mars_1 is a highly integrated artificial intelligence robot product. Its appearance is in the form of a four-legged driving robot dog. It adopts an original five-layer motion control technology and several technical indicators are in a leading position in the global industry. Mars_1 has integrated the Internet of Things, 5G, virtual reality/augmented reality, intelligent driving, swarm intelligence, and other technologies. Mars_1 will obey commands and gradually be closer to a dog and then become to a good assistant to humankind.

On the road to the Metaverse, AOS always hopes to leave a strong and colorful stroke in its own way. Connect the Metaverse through AI and map out the experience and lifestyle of the future. For the world that people dream of, high-intelligence AI coupled with linkage with robots will be an indispensable component of this era. As the aboriginal and basic units of the Metaverse, these virtual species based on AOS will continue to establish connections with us beyond human beings in the infinite space and time of the future, transcending the fetters of races.

Sun Zhengyi believes: “We are about to experience the biggest change in human history. AI will eventually replace human beings. This is not only reflected in knowledge but also in intelligence. This change will happen in this century, and then in the next 30 years, there is no doubt that our focus is on AI, intelligent robots, and the IOTs.” Based on this analysis and judgment, SoftBank has frequently carried out large-scale layouts in the fields of AI, intelligent robots, and  IOTs. Start from all aspects to create a powerful robot empire. Today, SoftBank’s industries have completed the layout of the future of the new Internet field as Sun Zhengyi said in the past, and completed more than half of the investment of unicorn companies on a global scale, laying a foundation for the subsequent development of the IOTs in the world.

As a world-renowned “Animation Kingdom”, Japan has an irreplaceable influence in the global animation field. After half a century of development, the Japanese animation industry has formed an extremely large system, making Japan the world’s largest animation production and exporting country, and it also around animation IP to derive cultural and creative products, such as GK. With the development of smart technology, they also work hard in the direction of intelligence for GK. Headquartered in Japan, SoftBank has a unique geographical location and is deeply immersed in Japanese IP culture. This collaboration with AOS will further promote the combination of the GK industry and the AI​industry, and provide AOS with a steady stream of IP resources. Users’ favorite characters such as Luffy, Conan, Sailor Moon, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Inuyasha, etc., can inject their image and personality into AI to create your smart figure. Each AI figure is a unique individual, and different parameters also create different expressions and styles. At the same time, when users have more exchanges with AI, they will gradually become familiar with the user’s temper and preferences and adjust their apparent personality in real-time and dynamically making it infinitely close to the form that we want to see eventually.

The product made by a single company is not enough to be called a Metaverse but constitutes an ecological system. With the deep participation of users, if it is successful in collective efforts to build a more interoperable system, and it can be transformed into different layers, then it should be called a Metaverse. AOS is committed to becoming the link between the physical world and the virtual world, as a bridge between various Metaverses to connect the Metaverse and continue to build a new Metaverse ecology. This will be the top priority in the next stage of the development of the Internet after the mobile Internet.

What kind of world will mankind be in the future? SoftBank Asia and AOS have worked together because of the same concept for Metaverse and jointly created such a grand concept, standing at the forefront of the Metaverse economic tide, seizing opportunities, embracing the new future, and believing that with their win-win cooperation, they will give a perfect answer for the world.

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Press Release

JUMO and Standard Bank launch Social Finance Framework to scale inclusive finance in Africa

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Cape Town, South Africa, September 11th, 2026, FinanceWire

Designed to support the mobilisation of sustainable funding for financial inclusion and economic empowerment across Africa.

Banking technology company JUMO has launched a new Social Finance Framework (SFF) in partnership with Standard Bank’s Sustainable Finance team. The framework aligns with internationally recognised sustainable finance guidelines and provides a transparent structure for raising social finance, such as social loans and social bonds.

This will fund financially inclusive lending activities on JUMO’s technology platform to positively impact underserved individuals, micro enterprises and SMEs across the nine African markets JUMO operates in. With an addressable lending opportunity and a scalable, technology-enabled platform, JUMO is well positioned to deploy capital efficiently across high-growth African markets. The framework is also supported by a positive second party opinion from Endiligence.

Founded with a vision to close the access gap in financial systems for emerging markets, JUMO has built AI-powered technology and lasting partnerships with financial institutions and telcos to expand access to financial services for communities traditionally excluded from formal banking systems. JUMO has demonstrated rapid and accelerating scale, with over $10bn in lifetime disbursements and more than 317 million loans delivered since inception. This is underpinned by 79% year-on-year growth in disbursements and record monthly volumes. The platform delivers measurable inclusion outcomes, with millions of new-to-bank customers, significant participation from youth, women and rural populations, and meaningful exposure to low-income segments often excluded from formal finance.

The framework supports funding for eligible social activities including:

  • SME and microenterprise financing
  • Employment generation
  • Economic empowerment
  • Access to responsible digital financial services

JUMO operates digital financial ecosystems across multiple African markets, with further expansion planned across the continent.

“The launch of the framework represents an important milestone in JUMO’s sustainable finance journey and underpins our core commitment to responsible lending,’ says JUMO CEO Paul Whelpton. ‘It enables a broader pool of development finance institutions, impact investors and sustainability-focused funders to access transparent and measurable social impact opportunities in Africa.”

“The framework standardises the governance, reporting and impact measurement processes intended to provide investors with confidence that financing is directed towards eligible social activities aligned with global sustainable finance standards,’ says George Karamitsos, VP of Sustainable Finance for Standard Bank. ‘The framework provides a credible, transparent vehicle to channel institutional capital into JUMO’s proven platform at scale.”

By combining JUMO’s technology-driven banking infrastructure with sustainable finance principles, the jointly established framework aims to accelerate access to responsible credit and unlock economic opportunity for millions of underserved consumers and businesses across the continent.

Capital directly supports underserved populations, including youth, women, rural communities, and low-income individuals, with clear evidence of improved livelihoods.

About JUMO

JUMO has developed AI-led financial technology that enables banks to offer a new generation of digital credit and savings products to millions of entrepreneurs in Africa. JUMO works with partners, such as banks, e-money operators and payments providers, to facilitate high-tech information and money management systems.

Since its founding in 2015, JUMO has disbursed over $10 billion to 40 million people in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Benin and Cameroon. JUMO’s administration of over 317 million individual loans has proven that microcredit in Africa is imperative, impactful and sustainable.

With unmatched speed to market and low infrastructure costs, JUMO aims to bring banking to everyone, everywhere, at any time.

www.jumo.world

Media enquiries

comms@jumo.world

About Standard Bank

The Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets, operating in 21 African countries, 4 global financial centres and 2 offshore hubs.

Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, we are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with share code SBK, and the Namibian Stock Exchange, share code SNB. Standard Bank has a 163-year history in South Africa and started building a franchise outside southern Africa in the early 1990s. Our strategic position, which enables us to connect Africa to other select emerging markets as well as pools of capital in developed markets, and our balanced portfolio of businesses, provide significant opportunities for growth.

As at 30 June 2026, Standard Bank Group had 19.5 million clients, employed over 50 000 people (including Liberty) and had over 1 200 points of representation and over 5 600 ATMs across the African continent. The group’s largest shareholder is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank, with a 19.7% shareholding. In addition, Standard Bank Group and ICBC share a strategic partnership that facilitates trade and deal flow between Africa, China and select emerging markets.

For further information, go to http://www.standardbank.com

Social Finance Framework Objectives

The framework serves five key strategic purposes:

Unlock Institutional & Impact Capital

The framework creates a credible structure through which global investors, DFIs and banks can fund sustainable lending activities on JUMO’s platform with confidence.

Scale Financial Inclusion and Social Impact

It supports funding for underserved individuals and SMEs who often lack access to traditional banking products.

Create Credibility Through International Standards

Alignment with globally recognised sustainable finance principles provides transparency, governance and market credibility.

Enable Repeat Sustainable Funding

The framework streamlines future social financing transactions and creates long-term fundraising efficiencies.

Position JUMO as a Sustainable Fintech Leader

The framework elevates JUMO beyond a fintech lender into a recognised sustainable finance platform supporting inclusive growth across Africa.

Contact

Head of Content and Communications
Rose Cohen
JUMO
rose.cohen@jumo.world
+27 83 6750354

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Press Release

Shute Family Foundation Aims to Surpass 200k Raised for Tunnel to Towers at 6th Annual 9-11 Golf Tournament

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The Shute Family Foundation will host its 6th Annual 9/11 Charity Golf Tournament on September 11 at Saint Anne Country Club, aiming to surpass $200,000 raised for Tunnel to Towers. The event will honor veterans and first responders and feature a live painting and charity auction by Master Disney Artist Rob Surette.

FEEDING HILLS, MA, August 24, 2026 – The Shute Family Foundation is proud to announce its 6th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, taking place Friday, September 11, 2026, at Saint Anne Country Club in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts.

This premier regional event will bring together golfers, veterans, first responders, business leaders, and community supporters from across Western Massachusetts and Central Connecticut to honor the memory of our nation’s fallen heroes while raising funds for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

To date, the Shute Family Foundation has raised an incredible $184,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. With a fundraising goal of $50,000 for this year’s tournament, the organization is on track to surpass the $200,000 lifetime fundraising milestone.

“Reaching this $200,000 milestone on the anniversary of September 11th is a testament to the incredible generosity of our local community,” said Dave Shute, founder of the Shute Family Foundation. “Our mission is to support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation in its vital work providing mortgage-free homes to our nation’s catastrophically injured veterans, Gold Star families, and families of fallen first responders. We invite everyone to join us this year and help us surpass our biggest goal yet.”

The tournament will feature a four-person scramble with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. In addition to a premier day on the course, participants will take part in a powerful opening ceremony honoring local military members and first responders, followed by awards, raffles, and a live charity auction.

A highlight of this year’s event will be a live speed-painting performance by world-renowned Master Disney Artist Rob Surette of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Surette will create an original patriotic work of art live during the tournament. The completed piece will then be auctioned, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the foundation.

Tournament registration, corporate sponsorship packages, and direct donation opportunities are currently available, with space filling quickly.

To register a team, secure a sponsorship, make a donation, or learn more about supporting this milestone event, visit www.theshutefamilyfoundation.com.

About the Shute Family Foundation

The Shute Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to uniting communities across Western Massachusetts and Central Connecticut in support of America’s heroes. Through its flagship annual golf tournament, the foundation has become a leading regional contributor to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, helping ensure that the sacrifices of military service members and first responders are never forgotten.

David V. Shute, Founder
The Shute Family Foundation
413-896-1122
ShuteFamilyFoundation@gmail.com
www.theshutefamilyfoundation.com

 

Media Contact

Organization: Shute Family Foundation

Contact Person: Dave Shute

Website: https://www.theshutefamilyfoundation.com

Email: Send Email

City: Suffield

State: Connecticut

Country: United States

Release id: 48949

The post Shute Family Foundation Aims to Surpass 200k Raised for Tunnel to Towers at 6th Annual 9-11 Golf Tournament appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section

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Press Release

Airwheel SE3SX AI Wheel Luxury Suitcase Wins 2026 WGA for Smart Electric Riding Carry-On Hand Luggage

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HONG KONG, CHINA – The SE3SX Cabin Suitcase recently received the Silver Award in Product Design at the 2026 WGA Wonder Global Design Award, standing out among numerous international entries. The recognition highlights not only its distinctive industrial design, but also Airwheel’s continued exploration of how intelligent technology can be integrated into real-world travel.

airwheel_smart_electric_cabin_luxury_Ai_suitcase_01

Rather than treating luggage as a passive container, Airwheel is developing it as an active mobility device—combining electric drive technology, intelligent controls, connected features and premium design in a compact carry-on format.

From Traditional Luggage to Intelligent Mobility

For decades, the fundamental concept of luggage has remained largely unchanged: pack belongings, pull the handle and walk.

Airwheel approached the problem differently.

The company recognized that the most physically demanding part of many journeys does not necessarily happen during a flight or train ride. It often occurs while travelers move through expansive airports, railway stations, exhibition centers, hotels and transportation hubs, carrying or pulling luggage over long distances.

airwheel_smart_electric_cabin_luxury_Ai_suitcase_07

The result was a new product category that combines luggage with personal mobility.

The Airwheel SE3SX Electric Riding Cabin Suitcase allows users to transition from conventional pulling to powered riding. Equipped with a high-performance brushless motor, the suitcase can reach a riding speed of up to 9.9 km/h, providing an alternative way to move through appropriate travel environments.

Its intelligent riding handle integrates key riding controls, allowing users to manage acceleration, braking, steering and reverse functions with a relatively intuitive control layout. This approach reduces the learning curve while making the riding experience feel more like a compact personal mobility device.

airwheel_smart_electric_cabin_luxury_Ai_suitcase_03

For Airwheel, the objective is not simply to make a suitcase that can move. It is to make luggage more useful once travelers leave the airport gate, hotel lobby or railway platform.

SE3SX: Where Intelligent Design Meets Practical Engineering

The SE3SX combines mobility with a structure designed around both riding and luggage protection.

Its motorized front wheel uses a retractable structure that can extend the wheelbase by approximately 180 mm when riding. The longer wheelbase is designed to enhance stability and handling, helping the suitcase maintain a more controlled riding experience across suitable indoor and outdoor surfaces.

The suitcase body uses an ABS+PC composite construction, reinforced with an integrated aviation-aluminum frame structure. With a maximum load capacity of 95 kg, the design balances the requirements of riding stability with the everyday demands of carrying personal belongings.

This engineering approach reflects a broader philosophy behind the SE3SX: intelligent functionality should not come at the expense of practicality.

A Smart Suitcase still needs to function as luggage. A Luxury Suitcase still needs to look refined. And an Electric Riding Suitcase still needs to provide a reliable and intuitive riding experience.

SE3SX brings these elements together in one 20-inch travel platform.

Intelligent Interaction Beyond the Physical Ride

airwheel_smart_electric_cabin_luxury_Ai_suitcase_03_

The evolution of the SE3SX does not stop with electric mobility.

Through its dedicated intelligent APP, users can access key operating information such as riding speed, battery level and accumulated mileage. Riding speed can be adjusted within a range of 0.1–9.9 km/h, allowing users to select a more suitable pace for different environments.

The APP also extends control beyond basic riding.

Users can remotely control the suitcase’s retractable structure, customize its lighting experience and access additional intelligent functions. The built-in ambient lighting supports 8 colors and 9 lighting effects, allowing the suitcase to develop a distinctive visual identity while reinforcing its technology-oriented design language.

Additional functions include low-battery reminders, Bluetooth disconnection alerts, cruise control, intelligent remote control and programming-oriented features.

Together, these capabilities transform the suitcase from a mechanical travel accessory into a connected intelligent device.

The idea is simple: instead of forcing users to adapt to complicated technology, the technology should gradually disappear into the experience.

Apple Find My Adds Another Layer of Travel Security

Connectivity also plays an important role in modern travel.

The Airwheel SE3SX supports Apple Find My, allowing compatible Apple devices to help users locate the suitcase through the Find My network. When the suitcase is within an appropriate nearby range, users can also activate a sound to assist with locating it.

For travelers moving through crowded airports, railway stations, hotels or other busy environments, location-based connectivity can provide an additional layer of reassurance.

The feature reflects a wider shift in how people think about travel equipment. A modern suitcase is no longer isolated from the digital ecosystem surrounding its owner.

It can be connected, monitored and managed as part of a broader intelligent travel experience.

Designed for Real-World Travel

Advanced technology only becomes meaningful when it works within real travel conditions.

The Airwheel SE3SX adopts a 20-inch carry-on format, measuring approximately 530 × 360 × 236 mm, making it compact enough for everyday business trips, leisure travel and other mobility scenarios.

The product is equipped with a 73.26 Wh lithium battery and incorporates a modular, removable battery design to facilitate handling and inspection where required. The battery has passed International safety certification.

A TSA-compatible combination lock further supports international travel, while an external USB output interface allows users to recharge mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and Bluetooth headphones during a journey.

These details demonstrate an important principle behind SE3SX: intelligent travel technology must remain connected to the realities of travel.

An Award That Recognizes More Than Appearance

The 2026 WGA Wonder Global Design Award evaluates product design across multiple dimensions, including creativity, aesthetics, functionality, practicality, market impact, emotional impact and problem-solving.

The SE3SX Silver Award therefore represents recognition beyond visual design.

Its combination of electric mobility, intelligent interaction, structural engineering and travel-oriented functionality demonstrates how a familiar everyday product can be reconsidered through technology.

For Airwheel, international design recognition has become part of a longer journey.

Since entering the intelligent mobility field, the company has continued to invest in areas including electric drive systems, intelligent control, structural design and human-machine interaction. Airwheel has accumulated more than 600 patents globally and has developed a portfolio spanning intelligent mobility products and smart travel equipment.

The company’s products have also received recognition from international design and innovation programs, reflecting its ongoing efforts to combine technology with practical product design.

Building a Broader Intelligent Travel Ecosystem

airwheel_smart_electric_cabin_luxury_Ai_suitcase_09

SE3SXD Ai Luxury Suitcase is the flagship expression of this philosophy, but it is not the only product in Airwheel’s intelligent travel portfolio.

The SE3SL+ Airport Suitcase extend smart riding technology to different travel preferences, combining riding functionality with features such as intelligent APP connectivity, Apple Find My and USB charging.

The SE3miniT Boarding suitcase focuses on a lighter and more compact riding experience for users who prioritize portability and flexible urban mobility.

For travelers requiring additional luggage capacity, the SE3T expands the concept into a larger 24-inch format with approximately 48 liters of storage capacity and a riding speed of up to 13 km/h.

Airwheel also extends intelligent riding technology into family travel with the SQ3S and SQ3S children’s smart riding suitcases, creating a different approach to mobility and entertainment for younger travelers.

Together, these products demonstrate that Airwheel’s vision is broader than a single electric suitcase.

The company is building a product ecosystem around the idea that travel equipment can become more intelligent, more connected and more responsive to individual needs.

The Next Step in Intelligent Travel

The evolution of luggage is no longer limited to lighter materials, larger wheels or additional storage.

The next generation is increasingly about interaction.

From Smart Suitcase to AI Suitcase, from traditional carry-on luggage to Electric Riding Suitcase, Airwheel is exploring how technology can give everyday travel equipment new capabilities without making the experience unnecessarily complicated.

The Airwheel SE3SX represents one step in that evolution.

It combines powered mobility, intelligent control, connected functions, premium construction and carry-on-oriented design in a single platform—turning the suitcase from something travelers simply pull behind them into something that can actively participate in the journey.

For Airwheel, the future of travel is not simply about arriving faster.

It is about making the entire journey smarter, easier and more connected. And with the SE3SX, that future is beginning to take shape—one journey, one innovation and one intelligent suitcase at a time.

Media Contact

Company: Airwheel

Contact: Media Team

Email: Jonas@airwheel.net

Website: https://www.airwheel.net

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