Some people are still more cautious at work, home, and in social settings following the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies. Case in point: eating out. The good news is the restaurant business is getting an infusion of technology, as the nation is returning to pre-pandemic lifestyles. Americans are spending about $70 billion each month dining out; 34% of people come together at casual dining restaurants once a week, and 49% of food expenditures are spent on grabbing a meal away from home. To help the restaurant industry be more efficient, as the cost of food and labor skyrockets, new technology offers the ability for two-way ordering where both customers and the server can order and add items to the table. me&u flex is not just a digital menu but one that is intelligent and highly personalized to the ordering experience for both the customer and venue. Here is how this can help in manufacturing: Enhance order flow and free server time. No orders are left behind and meals are delivered together. Easy way to split the check and calculate the tip without doing the math. Looking to the future, the National Restaurant Assn., has some optimistic predictions as well. Continued industry growth in 2023 is estimated to translate into $997 billion in sales. The workforce is expected to increase by 500,000 jobs and will exceed pre-pandemic employment numbers. Technology will certainly help fill in the…

If you want to see true innovation, look to what is happening in the U.S. Army. As an example, the organization is using technology that leverages sensors and effectors, connecting and fusing multi-service sensor data to multi-service weapons. Consider this. Northrop Grumman Corp.’s IBCS (Integrated Battle Command System) is part of the Army’s air and missile defense modernization strategy. IBCS provides a modular, open, and scalable architecture that integrates available assets in the battlespace onto a common, integrated fire control network, regardless of source, service, or domain. This architecture offers integration of current and future systems as well. Here is how this can help: Deliver decision-quality fire control data across joint networks. Increase situational awareness. More time for decision making. Looking to the future, integration is key here. IBCS has integrated or demonstrated integration on numerous sensors and shooters from all U.S. service branches and allies. Additionally, IBCS can integrate more systems given its open architecture. This will allow the U.S. and its allies to move beyond interoperability and instead reach multi-domain integration, which is required today and in the…