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Airline security in the cloud: Richland, Wash.-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is helping to take on a major friction point in international travel. The lab has developed tech that analyzes scans of checked luggage mid-flight, so travelers arriving in the U.S. can avoid a repeat trip through security for connecting flights.
Big biotech patent ruling: A federal judge has ordered Guardant Health to pay more than $245 million to Seattle biotech TwinStrand Biosciences and the University of Washington over DNA sequencing technology developed at the UW. The judgment follows a 2023 jury verdict that Guardant willfully infringed two patents covering TwinStrand’s Duplex Sequencing, developed by a team including co-founder Jesse Salk — a molecular biologist and oncologist, and the grandson of polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk. Guardant is vowing to appeal.
CarFax for the home: Digs, a Vancouver, Wash., startup building AI software for residential construction, raised $25.3 million in a Series A led by Builders FirstSource, the nation’s largest building materials supplier. Under a five-year deal, the Fortune 500 company will fold Digs’ platform into its digital ecosystem, putting the tools in front of 140,000 builder clients.
Amazon delivery automation: The e-commerce giant is developing an internal initiative called Project Tetromino to build “fully automated” delivery stations, according to an internal planning document obtained by Business Insider. A key technology could come from Boxbot, an Alameda, Calif.-based robotics startup that uses AI to sequence packages for vehicle loading up to 10 times faster than manual methods.
No controller needed at new gaming spot: Immersive Gamebox is opening its first Pacific Northwest location, south of Seattle at Westfield Southcenter mall this week. Designed for groups of two to six players, the venue uses projection mapping, touch-sensitive walls, 3D motion tracking, and spatial audio to create controller-free, immersive gaming environments.
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