TECH
TAP t r e n d s ac ro s s the planet
0513
TAP
Welcome to this edition of Tech TAP – taking a glance around the world at some of the latest and greatest tech stories and campaigns. Straight out of the blocks is Nike looking to revolutionise the use of 3D hologram technology with the launch of their new Holocube display in Amsterdam. Meanwhile, even before it is launched, Google Glasses gets a run for its money with the Telepathy One product looking to steal market share.
Coca Cola in Kenya turns green as they distribute solar kits to help power their marketing push. In the UK we see the launch of a bionic hand controlled by an I-Phone that could help transform the lives of amputees whilst Fujitsu launches a product called Fingerlink that effectively turns any surface into a digital keyboard or touchscreen. Incredible! All this and more inside this latest edition of Tech TAP.
Coca Cola launches solar initiative for Kenyan kiosks u
8
‘Terminator’ hand developed by UK scientists in Livingstone Lab u
9
Met Service transparent billboard gives real-time weather forecast u
10
LinkMe - The personalised smart message wristband u
11
British eccentric builds giant six-legged mechanical spider u
12
Create your own 3D projected map of Tokyo u
13
YouTube maps out videos rending across USA u
14
News Update: The latest product developments u
15
Contact us u
S
7
T
Tech company ‘telepathy one’ develops alternative to Google glass u
EN
6
T
Simple surfaces transformed into touchscreens u
N
5
O
Holographic ad gives live demo of Nike shoes on the street u
C
4
TechTAP / 0513
4
HO L O G RA PH I C A D G I V E S L I V E D E M O O F NIK E S H O E S O N T H E S T R E E T
Ads have certainly become even more high-tech and captivating than before as we can see from this latest Nike offering promoting their Free model. The campaign is the first in holographic 3-D advertising. The ad basically consists of a Holocube that shows
a hologram of the Nike Free moving around and bending forward and back to simulate its flexibility, which is the key feature of the shoe model. These holographic cubes are located in Amsterdam, in the Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein and Damrak areas. The holocube is transparent so
people can see the display from all sides. With the bright and dynamic display, it can certainly capture the attention of passersby. V i e w the v i d e o
u
M/view In a world where cities are packed full of billboards and posters, implementing some new, innovative digital technology can really help a brand to stand out; and this innovative Nike ad does just that. However, digital technology is not just all ‘bells and whistles’. The hologram technology in this campaign has a tangible purpose, demonstrating the product’s core feature and benefit (flexibility) in a way that perhaps a static poster could not. In addition to helping your ad achieve cut-through in a busy marketplace, brands should also consider how advances in technology can help to demonstrate a product truth in a way that would previously have been difficult.
TechTAP / 0513
5
Simple Surfaces T ransformed Into Touchscreens
M/view We’ve seen the connected device: this takes things to the next level. Whilst this has a thousand ramifications for the development of technology and interaction, what are the implications for brands? While this is all very new, Fujitsu claims that it could be utilised for gesture technology or integrated with touchscreen devices. Are we getting ever closer to a world like that portrayed in Minority Report? It appears so!
Fujitsu, the world’s third largest IT products and services provider, is taking a new approach in the endeavour to bridge the gap between the digital and analogue worlds by developing a user interface that allows for direct digital interaction with physical items like paper. FingerLink effectively turns whatever surface it’s on into a touchscreen and allows the user to select and digitize elements of any documents in its range using only your fingertips. Consisting of a fairly standard projector and a low-res webcam, the technology superimposes an interactive skin on the surface in front of it by first mapping out the area and measuring the borders of real world objects, such as a book, or several individual notes. FingerLink is then able to detect individual fingers, allowing the user to trace across the document and perform a variety of actions like selecting images or copying text.
Outside of print, it’s not clear what kind of applications FingerLink would have with other types of physical items, but the company does suggest that perhaps there are potential future applications when used in conjunction with gesture-controlled technology or possibly with other interactive touchscreen display systems. Until now, this type of enhanced user experience has required special sensors embedded into objects which made any mainstream application impractical. Fujitsu was able to simplify the process, making FingerLink an entirely commercially viable endeavour that it hopes to bring to market sometime in 2014. V i e w the v i d e o
u
TechTAP / 0513
6
tech company ‘T e l e pathy on e ’ d e v e l ops alternative to G oogle glass Telepathy One is a next generation wearable device that could become a sleeker and cheaper alternative to Google Glass. A couple of notable difference between the two units is that Telepathy One lacks a glass display, opting instead for a micro projection unit, and it utilizes in-ear speakers for audio rather than a bone conduction transducer.
at SXSW earlier this year and you can see how the attendees reacted to Telepathy One by clicking the video below. V i e w th e v i d e o
u
There is no release date yet, but considering all of the anticipation around the product, Telepathy One is probably one of several alternatives we’ll see prior to the Glass release later this year. Telepathy One is designed to provide steady visual information in a natural and safe way. It connects wirelessly with smartphones and tablets, enabling you to control what you view and use a variety of apps. The device also features an integrated camera and a low power consumption design. It was demonstrated
M/view ‘Wearable technology’ is one of 2013’s biggest digital trends. From the rumoured Apple ‘iWatch’ to Google’s much-hyped ‘Glass’, this trend reflects that fact that digital communications are no longer being limited to mobile telephony devices. However, this technology remains very new and is still a long way from mass production and, crucially, mass adoption. For brands looking to invest in digital, focusing on current digital tools that are being utilised by the majority of shoppers are far more important channels – for now...
TechTAP / 0513
7
Coca Cola L aunche s Solar Initiative for K enyan K iosks The Coca Cola Company has rolled out a project for the distribution of solar panels to operators of the firm’s soft drink kiosks. This project will see owners of Coca Cola kiosks enjoy access to clean, affordable energy to power small scale needs like light, charging phone and radio. The Managing Director of Nairobi Bottlers Limited Patrick Pech said the project will have considerable social, environmental and financial benefits. “The project is being scaled up in the next 12 months to an estimated 2,000 small scale businesses in Nairobi and its environs,” Pech said during the launch on Wednesday, which is in partnership with One Degree Solar. “As a company, we value partnerships that impact positively on the lives of our customers and business partners, and that’s why we believe this project with One Degree Solar will go a long way in helping retailers and
kiosk owners extend their operating hours, reduce their operating costs, and experience the numerous benefits of renewable energy,” Pech said.
“With so many microenterprises and households without power in Kenya, some of these kiosks have literally become beacons of light in their communities.”
Pech further said that the project will help light areas without electricity and that they had adopted a power project that is affordable. “Approximately half of the 1.3 billion people living without electricity globally are in Africa,” Pech revealed adding that this was as a result of increase in both energy and population, “the lag in provision of electricity is expected to cause an increase in the number of people without access to power in Africa.”
Pech said although the country had made significant gains in the provision of access to electricity for the 40 million Kenyans, so far only 25 percent of Kenyan households have access to grid electricity with the government targeting to raise this to 40 percent by 2020.
“Solar-charged Bright-box powers up four light bulbs and charges several phones per day. It’s great to see the system lead to such meaningful benefits for entrepreneurs and small business owners.” Gaurav Manchanda, Founder of One Degree Solar said.
TechTAP / 0513
8
‘Terminator ’ H and D eveloped B y UK Scient i sts i n L i v i ngston e lab The first person to be fitted with the prosthetic that can be controlled by an app says it can “even do things a real hand can’t”. A new bionic hand that can be controlled with an iPhone could offer amputees the closest thing yet to having a real hand again. The i-limb Ultra Revolution claims to offer wearers unparalleled realism with advanced dexterity, versatility and incredibly lifelike hand movements.
by the wearer’s muscle signals and which can move automatically into position as part of a pre-set grip pattern.
hand, which was a passive device that fitted over what remained of his left hand.
Built-in Bluetooth functionality allows an app on a user’s iPhone to store and transmit up to 24 pre-programmed grips or gestures.
“I really didn’t use it very much,” said Patrick. “It didn’t provide me with any new function, and I had become very comfortable using my left hand in my day-to-day life anyway.”
One of the first customers is 16-year-old Patrick Kane who contracted meningitis aged nine months old.
The hand was developed in the UK by prosthetic design company Touch Bionics, based in Livingstone.
Doctors were forced to amputate Patrick’s right leg below the knee as well as all of the fingers of his left hand and part of each finger on his right hand.
Among the features are a motorised rotating thumb which can be controlled
But it was not until he was nine years old that he was given his first prosthetic
Now, after a visit to Touch Bionics, Patrick has become the first person in the UK to be fitted with the Revolution which he says has given him functionality he never before thought possible.
M/view The advent of medical technology is progressing at an impressive rate and will change the lives of thousands of people. What’s interesting about this bionic hand however is its integration with a mobile app and the wider trend of the connected device. We have already seen thermostats that can be controlled remotely via mobile and smart fridges that send recipes to smartphones. Connected devices show just how important smartphones are becoming not just to communications, but to the very way we interact and engage with the world around us.
TechTAP / 0513
9
M etService T ransparent B illboard Gives Real - T ime W eather F orecast This transparent billboard for a New Zealand weather service has been mocked up to look like a page in a web browser. It frames actual weather conditions, emphasizing the message that their forecasts are the most accurate out there. Created by agency Y&R NZ for MetService, and located outside their office in Auckland, the billboard frame is a simple and clever way of advertising the service’s real-time weather reports. Y&R’s managing director, James Hurman, talks about the billboard’s popularity:
content sharing site imgur. com, was buzzfeed.com‘s ad of the month, made it to reddit’s front page, and even got written about by The Sun. MetService is a small client the agency’s had for years and the idea is to try to get as much return on their spend as possible, hence trying to see if we could make a billboard work in a different way and generate exposure well above and beyond the norm. V i e w th e v i d e o
It’s been liked something like 30,000 times on Facebook, had over a million views on
M/view This billboard in New Zealand demonstrates that, whilst not a ‘digital’ execution, the strength of this idea lies in its talkability. 30,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook, over a million views on content sharing site imgur.com, a feature on reddit’s front page and being named buzzfeed.com‘s ad of the month demonstrates that offline creativity can generate huge online publicity courtesy of today’s digitally-connected protagonists.
u
TechTAP / 0513
10
LinkM e - T he Personalised Smart M essage W ristband LinkMe was born out of a pretty simple concept - how can we personalize the special moments in our lives in a unique and fun way? From our previous work on miniature, flexible billboards applied to popular consumer products, we repeatedly heard feedback about how cool it would be to apply the technology to a bracelet. In 2011, we commenced the development and a year later the production of LinkMe. LinkMe connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and when someone sends you a message - via the dedicated LinkMe app - the words pop up on the bracelet.You can also set it to receive social media updates
With LinkMe, you can send a message with your smartphone via an easy to use app that will in turn be displayed on LinkMe. It’s that simple – in meetings, in class or when you have your hands full, you’ll be able to receive the messages that matter to you most. In addition to receiving the messages you want, LinkMe can notify you of alerts you choose. You can “symbolcode” these notifications, meaning you can choose your own set of characters that LinkMe will display to represent a particular person or situation. See the video below for an example. One of the pledge categories is for a LinkMe enabled to solely receive customised notifications and alerts. View the video
u
TechTAP / 0513
11
British eccentric builds giant six - legged mechanical spider
A giant-mantis robot with hydraulic legs has been unveiled by a designer who spent four years creating it.
“It’s an entertainment vehicle,” he said. “But I hope it will inspire people.”
“It’s not about miles to the gallon, it’s about gallons to the mile,” he said.
Matt Denton, from Hampshire, estimates his “very expensive toy” has cost him hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The project was only initially intended to take 12 months, Mr Denton, who usually specialises in small-scale animatronics for the film industry, said:
“It wasn’t built to be efficient and fast. It was built to look cool and insect-like and fun.”
He says a mining company and a marine research organisation are now interested in his design and he hopes it might be used at science fairs. During its development the machine had one outing, at a music festival, where Mr Denton says it was well received.
“I’m a software and electronics engineer so this was out of my area - I had to learn fast.” The robot, driver-operated by joysticks within a cockpit, can only travel at 1.5km/h (1mph) and manage a distance of 5km on a 20-litre (4.5-gallon) tank of diesel.
Mr Denton said he was inspired by science fiction to create the “walking” machine. “But legs are very inefficient - the wheel was invented for a reason,” he added View the video
u
TechTAP / 0513
12
Create your own 3 D projection mapping o n To kyo skyl i n e w i th Tokyo sympho ny Creative director Tsubasa Oyagi has conjured a dazzling interactive website for Japanese property developer Mori Building that allows users to create their own virtual light show, projection-mapped onto a miniature model of Tokyo. The project, Tokyo City Symphony, was created to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Roppongi Hills, one of Japan’s largest property developments. Visitors to the website can ‘compose’ an eight-second snippet of music and light show using their computer keyboards. Certain keys correspond to one-second building blocks of music that accompany more than 100
pre-shot lighting designs projected on the 1:1000 scale, handcrafted model of the city. Visitors can also choose from different themes - the ‘Future City’, ‘Rock City’ and ‘Edo City’. Put together the eight seconds create a personalised light show and music harmony, which is then added to the everexpanding, infinite overall ‘symphony’. Users can also share their work via social media, and since its launch on April 23 the symphony has grown to 22,880 seconds - made up of 2,860 individual contributions. V i e w th e v i d e o
M/view Digital technology empowers consumers to create: and co-creation presents huge opportunities for brands to engage with consumers in new and innovative ways. As well as giving consumers a great experience, great digital executions spread virally through peer advocacy on social networks, which has been responsible for nearly 3,000 people engaging with the platform.
u
TechTAP / 0513
13
Yo uTube M aps Out V id e os Trending Across U S A
th is !
When we filtered the results to focus on the youngest demographic (those 13-17), the map filled up with the same clip from Family Guy.
ve
The map feature is an extension of the YouTube Trends dashboard, which also lets users search for popular videos by age, gender and location (though not overlaid on a map.) It’s currently only available for the U.S., but in a blog post, YouTube suggested it might roll out elsewhere in time.
lo
Google, which owns YouTube, unveiled a new feature that maps out videos trending right now in cities across the U.S. You can filter the results by the gender and age of viewers, as well as by choosing to see videos trending by the number of shares verses the number of views.
e
When we focused on an older demographic (those 45-54), the map filled up with the True Blood Season 6 trailer.
w
It just got a little easier to see which videos people are watching elsewhere in the country.
TechTAP / 0513
14
news update : The latest product developments
H 9 Portable L ighting Tool C an B e Worn on the Palm
LG to Launch S martphone With a Fle x ible S creen
M icrosoft launches Xbox O ne to replace the 3 6 0
The H9 Portable Lighting Tool illuminates to increase the visibility of your immediate surroundings. If you think about it, it’s remarkably clever that a lamp could be worn on the body, especially on a part that carries out the majority of tasks.
LG announced (during its financial results call) plans to launch a smartphone with a flexible OLED display in Q4 2013, though no details about the device were disclosed.
Microsoft is refreshing its Xbox console brand for the first time in eight years with the launch of Xbox One, which the company claims will use cloud technology to provide an “all in one” home entertainment system.
In addition the solar-chargeable H9 Portable Lighting Tool is made of a flexible glass fibre fabric that doesn’t limit your mobility. With this glowing glove the act of reaching for something in the darkness becomes a more successful exercise when your source of light can approach the item that you seek. Alternatively, Luisa Baldassari’s invention can be donned outside of the home and used as a practical piece of equipment on the job. For instance might we see Police officers and airport staff wearing them to make their gestures more noticeable? Plus it’s ideal for strapping on during evening jogs and bike rides to keep yourself safe and seen.
Making an entirely flexible smartphone is a daunting task; instead, it’s thought that the screen could extend over the device’s edges, similar to a recent Samsung prototype.
Despite the explosion of mobile gaming, Microsoft is having to move beyond its core proposition to ensure the Xbox brand continues to grow.
Samsung has also reportedly been working on an even more advanced flexible smartphone, though there’s no word when such a device might hit the market.
The launch of the Xbox One comes after PlayStation’s unveiling of its new PS4 console in February, which disappointed many due to a perceived lack of new features.
The announcement goes hand in hand with the recent revelation from LG’s head of mobile marketing Won Kim, which said “something different and something unique” is coming later this year, though that device (whatever it may be) is penned for a Q3 release.
Gold members of the Xbox Live service already reportedly spend more time watching videos rather than playing games.
Furthermore, LG has recently announced it would be launching OLED TV’s with curved screens in the “second half” of this year.
The Xbox One will include live TV functionality and also integrate Skype to allow on-screen group video calls.
TechTAP / 0513
15
Want to get in touch? email us your news & views tap@momentumww.com http://blog.momentumww.com/blogs/wwtap
Sources: Brand Republic, Trend Hunters, PSFK, Kickstarter, Fast Company, BBC News, Sky News, Mashable, Brand Republic