Kazooloo is a start up focused on augmented reality games, combining a gaming experience with a physical board and a smartphone application. The board comes to life opening a portal into the Kazooloo dimension and releasing fierce creatures into reality. http://www.kazooloo.com/...
The EPFL+ECAL Lab, at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, explores with its Gimme More project how to tell stories and create content with AR – in other words, how to give this technology the status of a real media. End users must perceive content, messages and emotions, not a technical demonstration. Gimme More show is the winner of International Design Festival Berlin Award and was presented In several prestigious locations, like Eyebeam, NYC and the Royal College of Art in London. Based on a research project, it is constantly evolving and comes to AWE 2014 with five installations. With a constant and key focus: to better understand perception principles of an emerging media bridging the real and the virtual worlds, and to create unique narrative and interaction principles for AR. The Art Installations will be presented during the AWE Expo on May 28-29th, 2014 in room 201 on the 2nd floor at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Gimme More is curated by Nicolas Henchoz Director of EPFL+ECAL Lab. Photos Courtesy http://www.archdaily.com/ ...
Leap Motion CTO and Co-founder David Holz is CTO and Co-founder of Leap Motion, a company breaking down the barriers between people and technology to realize the full potential of both. Using Leap Motion’s unique combination of hardware and software, users can interact with their computers using natural hand and finger movements in the air. Prior to co-founding Leap Motion, David contracted for NASA’s Langley Research Center and conducted neuroscience research while at The Max Planck Institute. David studied Applied Math at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and left his PhD program to co-found Leap Motion....
VP Strategic Partnerships & Technology, eyeSight With 14 years of experience in software development and R&D management roles, Amnon leads eyeSight’s R&D as an expert in software systems architecture and application design. Before joining eyeSight, Amnon led the development of hyper spectral imaging applications for the Earth and Planetary Image Facility, a NASA affiliated research laboratory. Prior to that Amnon held various R&D positions for Check Point Software, where he contributed to the design and implementation of flag-ship products such as FireWall-1. Amnon holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Bio-Infromatics from Ben Gurion University in Israel....
Piyush Modi, PhD, manages the Collaboration Mobile Research Labs at GE Software and is responsible for researching and delivering convergence, communication, and collaboration enabling platforms and technology solutions. His lab researches mobility aware collaborative experiences and related solutions to connect GE managed workforces, partners, and customers with all relevant information sources (Humans, Machines and Systems) “just in time” to dramatically improve their work effectiveness across the Industrial Internet. Before joining GE, Dr. Modi served as a CTO of British Telecom (BT) Global Services accounts where he led customer innovation and developed multi-vendor solutions to transform Procter & Gamble’s global infrastructure spanning networking, collaboration, mobility, voice and security technology verticals. Prior to that, Dr. Modi served as the Sr. VP of Engineering at IP Unity, where he was responsible for building and leading a global R&D team to conceive and deliver a carrier grade Media Server, Application Server and related Unified Communication, Conferencing and Collaboration solutions for 500+ service providers. Piyush started his career at AT&T Bell Labs, where over a period of 13 years, he researched, developed, and transferred Speech Recognition and Natural Language Understanding solutions from research into products and services for all the major AT&T business units resulting in many technology innovations, patents, and cost savings of several hundred million dollars annually. Piyush holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Speech Recognition) from Rutgers – New Jersey, a MS in Computer Science from University of Tennessee and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, India....
As the Culture Chair of the event, Brian Wassom will help coordinate “Augmented Breakfast” round table discussions on each morning of the conference. Between 8:00-9:00 on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, gather with us in Ballroom G+H near registration for a chance to get one-on-one conversations or group discussions with thought leaders and opportunity providers in the Augmented World – all over an augmented breakfast. Brian will personally be leading conversations on recent AR-related legal developments. Come here to see what’s happening with IP litigation, privacy, facial recognition, and more as it relates to the augmented world, and get a chance to share your views. There will also be tables hosted by companies looking for talent and looking to meet new hires, artists discussing their projects, community building discussions, and more. Plus, because there’s still time before the conference, you still have the opportunity to request or suggest a roundtable topic that you’d like to see! Submit a request for a round table here: ...
The chosen theme for AWE 2014 has been described as: Make the World More Interactive. Why, you ask? Because an interactive world makes everything we do more engaging, productive, and ultimately more fun. Ok, that sounds cool, but what does it really mean – an Interactive World? What’s new about it and why now? Fact 1: 2014 is clearly emerging as the year of the wearable. Fact 2: The Internet of Things is becoming huge and valued by corporations like Cisco at over 14 trillion dollars. Fact 3: Augmented Reality have turned a corner and is showing real value. That’s all great – but what’s the motivation to unify these 3 emerging technologies into one story? How are these technologies transforming our lives? What is this interactive world? When you hear the term “interactive” – you think computers right? So what does it have to do with the physical world? In the last 30 years – since the Apple Lisa – the word “Interactive” has indeed been defined as a 2 way communication with a computer: A graphical user interface on a screen, controlled with a keyboard and a mouse. But if you keep going back in time, the first use of the term “Interactive” according to Webster’s Dictionary dates way back to 1832 with the original meaning defined as: “acts upon another person or thing”. I think that’s fascinating; think about it – for a million years humans learned by interacting with their surrounding environments. It was nature’s way to evolve us to what we are today. And that need to interact with the world has been imprinted in our DNA. I look at the last 30 years as a diversion; we have been hostages to screens, big and small… We now have a chance to break away and get back to the real world. So I did some more digging for new and fresh definitions of the term “Interactive” and found some interesting results. “Interactive” is now described as “Being able to manipulate or control the world.” Unlike what you may think, it is not about evil geniuses trying to take over the world but about creating a digital layer to enable us to interact with the physical world: with people, places and things. An interaction layer typically manifests itself with 3 elements: a device, an intuitive interface, and a communication method with objects. I see these 3 elements as: Wearable tech, Augmented Reality, and The Internet of Things. Ask any digital native and you’ll see 2 conflicting needs: On the one hand, we want computers to get smaller and cheaper while getting better and faster at improving our lives and work. Wearables are exactly that – mini computers on track to shrink and disappear onto our bodies. On the other hand, we want bigger and sharper displays; we want to see more and better (and preferably in 3D). And we also want a more intuitive interaction with the content at hand. But if computers are so small (take a smart watch for example) where are we going to hide these big screens? And how are we going to interact with them? There isn’t much touch area on a smart watch. How do we bridge this gap in expectations? The answer lies in the Interactive World, where augmented reality and natural interactions serve as the interface between wearables and the World. Augmented reality is the new display and the new mouse. There are many different methods for digitally blasting photons into our eyes at high definition: Smart phones, smart glasses – whether see-thru, video-thru, or virtual retinas. It could also be in the form of a virtual mirror, or through projection mapping on a nearby surface. When it comes to interaction, a slew of new input methods have emerged: Voice, gestures – whether detected by visual sensors such as a 3D camera, or body sensors like the Myo Arm band. We can also track head and gaze movement, and even use mind control as an interface. These interaction techniques are currently competing on the limited real estate on our heads and bodies, and will start disappearing into our clothing and eventually into our anatomy. Take a warehouse picker with a pair of smart glasses above. His wearable shows him an augmented reality visualization of how to navigate around the warehouse to find an item for shipment. When the item is picked and is visually recognized, the wearable device updates the back end system and kicks of the appropriate business process. Augmented Reality serves as the interface between the warehouse picker’s wearable and his world. Here’s a guy at his home with a wearable device that tracks his gestures and tells the internet-connected-blinds to rise. Once again, Augmented Reality serves as the interface between the wearable and the world. Augmented Reality provides the new display and the new mouse and it helps bridge the gap in expectations: Small computers? Big screens? Natural interactions? No problem! So let’s meet at AWE next week and help make the world a more interactive place. Because if we succeed – our life and work will be more engaging, productive, and ultimately more fun It will be AWEsome. ...
Amit Moran is a Software Engineer at Intel Corporation. He is currently part of the Perceptual Computing Advanced Technologies team in Israel, focused on strategic path-finding. In the past 3 years Amit has lead several novel experiences and usages, leveraging from Intel’s RealSense™ program; during which he has been inventing, designing and prototyping innovative concepts for interacting with our computing devices. Amit holds a MSc degree in Software Engineering from Institute National de Science Appliqué (INSA) de Lyon, France. He is a co-author of several patents in the AR and perceptual computing (NUI) domains....
San Francisco’s premiere supernatural side show The Mystic Midway will be hosting a transmedia performance at the Augmented World Expo in the Santa Clara Convention Center’s upper mezzanine on May 28th in the afternoon. Entitled “Search for the Mysticon Codex” the performance is an interactive environment that explores the intentions and consequences around mixed reality technologies and the people who make and use them. Barron Scott Levkoff, Mystic Midway creator and director said, “We are very excited to be leveling up our use of technology in this performance, uniting our traditional theater and performance know-how with augmented reality, 3D printing, laser-cutting, drones, sound sculpture and more!” The Mystic Midway is known for its past performances on the West Coast at The Edwardian Ball San Francisco and Los Angeles. “Search for the Mysticon Codex” will have over a dozen live performers, live music, and multiple setpieces that call on participants to explore their intentions and decisions around mixed reality technology. The Hobo King in Midway Alley invites participants to share a frank and get real. The Snake-Oil Salesman has some vaporware to sell you from his Medicine Wagon. The Lady Fortuna offers insight and intuition from her Fortunas Oracular. At the center of it all is the Infinite Gameboard with a puzzle that players may solve at the behest of the Technomagi. The Airship WONDER awaits on its dock, its flight powered by the hopes of participants. Mr. Nobody draws out the fears of participants who dare to enter his Swamp Shack. The Miraculum offers a stage to use the Sonic Mirror to contribute to the performance sound sculpture. Many more wandering characters like the Harlequin, The Jester, The Blue Mystic and more will guide, entertain, confound, and inquire those who’s path leads them through the Midway. “We are very excited to be working with Tish Shute and Ori Inbar who have commissioned this performance for the Expo,” said Marty Caplan, Producer for the Mystic Midway. “And the generous sponsorship of Metaio via Trak Lord is allowing us to integrate physical and digital performance at the location in amazing new ways!” To learn more about the Mystic Midway, visit http://www.mysticmidway.com To learn more about the Augmented World Expo, visit http://www.augmentedworldexpo.com To learn more about Metaio, visit http://www.metaio.com About The Mystic Midway Founded by Barron Scott Levkoff, the Mystic Midway’s mission is to create authentic social experiences in venues as diverse as corporate conventions, progressive civic events, and underground parties. Using a hybrid of dramatic arts, technical wizardry and archetypal storytelling we create social magic! We are a transmedia event and media production group that makes magic to support the wonderful talent and...
MYSTIC MIDWAY represents a community of artists, technologists, game designers, performers and cultural visionaries who believe that by EMBRACING the current tech wave hitting The Bay Area, we can reinvent ourselves as CHAMPIONS for integrated solutions in keeping the innovative, creative spirit of San Francisco alive and well. San Francisco’s premiere supernatural side show The Mystic Midway will be hosting a transmedia performance at the Augmented World Expo in the Santa Clara Convention Center’s upper mezzanine. Entitled “Search for the Mysticon Codex” the performance is an interactive environment that explores the intentions and consequences around mixed reality technologies and the people who make and use them. Barron Scott Levkoff, Mystic Midway creator and director said, “We are very excited to be leveling up our use of technology in this performance, uniting our traditional theater and performance know-how with augmented reality, 3D printing, laser-cutting, drones, sound sculpture and more!” The Mystic Midway is known for its past performances on the West Coast at The Edwardian Ball San Francisco and Los Angeles. “Search for the Mysticon Codex” will have over a dozen live performers, live music, and multiple setpieces that call on participants to explore their intentions and decisions around mixed reality technology. The Hobo King in Midway Alley invites participants to share a frank and get real. The Snake-Oil Salesman has some vaporware to sell you from his Medicine Wagon. The Lady Fortuna offers insight and intuition from her Fortunas Oracular. At the center of it all is the Infinite Gameboard with a puzzle that players may solve at the behest of the Technomagi. The Airship WONDER awaits on its dock, its flight powered by the hopes of participants. Mr. Nobody draws out the fears of participants who dare to enter his Swamp Shack. The Miraculum offers a stage to use the Sonic Mirror to contribute to the performance sound sculpture. Many more wandering characters like the Harlequin, The Jester, The Blue Mystic and more will guide, entertain, confound, and inquire those who’s path leads them through the Midway. To learn more about the Mystic Midway, visit http://www.mysticmidway.com...