#AWE2014
2013 Auggie Award™ Winners Announced!

2013 Auggie Award™ Winners Announced!

Auggie Awards™ Winners Announced! 6 Auggie Award™ winners announced this week at the Augmented World Expo award ceremony. Additional winners were announced for Best AR Startup (Startup Launchpad) and Best Hardware Startup (From The International Hardware Startup Meetup competition.) The 4th Auggie Award™ Competition is where the best of the best in the Augmented World competed for the one-of-a-kind Auggie Trophy and $20,000 in cash prizes in 6 categories. Following 87 nominations, over 1500 voters determined the 5 finalists in each category. A judging panel selected the winners and awarded the prizes during the Auggie Award Ceremony on June 4th. The Auggie: One of a kind hand made art sculpture by artist Sigal Arad Inbar Winners Best Augmented SDK For Developers Augmented Reality Software Developer Kits for any platform (mobile, PC, Projection, etc.) Winner: Vuforia by Qualcomm Finalists   Best Augmented World Mobile App Mobile apps with Augmented reality such as AR browsers, games, apps for education, etc. WINNER: Hermaton – Enter the Grid by Sahar Fikouhi (Darf Design) FINALISTS   Best Augmented Marketing Campaign AR marketing campaigns for major brands launched on any platform (mobile, PC, Projection, etc.) WINNER: GOLD STREETWEAR by GIOVANNI LANDI FINALISTS Best Augmented Solution for Enterprise AR solutions for enterprises and industrial applications on any platform (mobile, PC, Projection, etc.) WINNER: Otolift Stairlift B2B tools by TWNKLS FINALISTS Best Augmented World Video Concept videos that depict a future world with augmented reality (design fiction) WINNER: Sight by Eran May-Raz & Daniel Lazo from Bezaleal Academy of Arts FINALISTS Best Augmented World Hardware Hardware products such as eyewear, gesture devices, wearables, stationary installations, etc. WINNER: Sphero by ORBOTIX, INC. FINALISTS Best Augmented World Start-up In the Startup Launch Pad session 5 AR Startups pitched their companies in front of a VC panel and competed for the award and $5000. The winner was selected by the panel and announced during the Event Wrap-up. WINNER: Robert Wang – CEO, 3GEAR SYSTEMS Contenders Best Hardware Startup (International Hardware Startup Meetup and Competition) Winner: OpenFuelCell Carlos Uranga (CEO, H2MDK) Contenders List of contenders who participated in the first international Hardware Startup Meetup and Competition That’s it – submissions for the AWE 2014 awards will be announced later this year!...

Sphero

Sphero

Nomination for Auggie Award: Best AR Hardware Creator: Jon Carroll Organization: Orbotix, Inc. =*=*=*= Description: Sphero is a completely new type of gaming system. It’s the world’s first robotic ball that you control with a tilt, touch, or swing from your smartphone or tablet. You can drive Sphero, play tabletop and multiplayer games, hold Sphero in your hand to use it as a controller for on-screen gameplay, learn basic programming, and even explore augmented reality. Using Sphero as a moving augmented reality fiducial opens up entirely new realms of augmented reality gameplay. The game is no longer tied to a printed AR marker or SLAM lock, allowing the user to move freely from room to room. Where to find it: http://www.gosphero.com Platforms: Mobile, Internet of Things Additional Screenshots:...

Sphero AR SDK

Sphero AR SDK

Nomination for Auggie Award: Best AR SDK Creator: Fabrizio Polo Organization: Orbotix, Inc. =*=*=*= Description: The Sphero Augmented Reality (AR) SDK is used to overlay a live view of the real world with virtual content. For gaming applications in particular, the goal is to render 3D content into the live scene so that it appears to be realistic and authentic. That’s where Sphero rolls in. Augmented reality gameplay with Sphero is simple and seamless for two reasons – Sphero is a robot, and Sphero is round. This allows us to employ a robotic fiducial, which provides never-before-seen freedom in characterizing the visual environment (since by definition a robot is a reprogrammable machine). With no auxiliary fiducial markers, Sphero can be effectively found and tracked at a distance, at any angle, and when partially obscured. A ball is the same from every angle, after all. Sphero AR also has the ability to impact the real world, whereas traditional augmented reality is limited to the screen. Not only can we make Sphero interact with virtual objects (collect coins, run over monsters, etc.), but we can also make Sphero respond to these objects (bumping into invisible walls, hitting fictional oil slicks). Just wait till you’re holding Sphero in your hand, looking at an augmented reality character through the screen of your device. It’s pretty awesome. Where to find it: https://github.com/orbotix/Sphero-AR-SDK Platforms: Mobile, Internet of Things Additional Screenshots:...

Sharky the Beaver

Sharky the Beaver

Nomination for Auggie Award: Best Mobile AR App Creator: Jon Carroll Organization: Orbotix, Inc. =*=*=*= Description: Sharky the Beaver is the first app ever to let you take a virtual 3-dimensional character for a walk around your house by using a moving fiducial. In this groundbreaking augmented reality app for Sphero, watch your robot come to life as a beaver named Sharky. Control Sharky from your iOS device as he stomps around to funky beats. You can even interact with the real world by launching virtual cupcakes into Sharky’s mouth. Where to find it: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sharky-beaver-for-iphone-ipod/id578983310?mt=8 Platforms: Mobile, Internet of Things Additional Screenshots:...

Orbotix

Orbotix

  We create connected toys, fusing emerging technology with the latest innovations in robotics to offer a new kind of open play experience. With our smart robots and open software we hope to inspire the next generation of inventors and programmers.   Founded by Ian Bernstein and Adam Wilson, passionate robotics and software engineers, we create fun robots that bring innovative mobile and augmented reality games to your smartphone. Based in Boulder, Colorado, the Orbotix team takes fun very seriously. http://www.gosphero.com/...

Jon Carroll

Jon Carroll

Director of Software, Orbotix, Inc. Jon has been developing mobile applications for 5 years with apps on the iOS store the day it opened. He has released over twenty apps since then in various categories including a #1 selling app. He is currently leading the software efforts at Orbotix creating mobile apps and games for Sphero, the smartphone controlled robot. His team is working to redefine augmented reality and gaming on mobile devices with robots. Jon considers himself a software engineer with a passion for user experience and design. He has a masters degree in Telecommunications from the University of Colorado. When not creating video games or playing with robots, Jon enjoys pictures of cats with funny captions and skiing....

Fabrizio Polo

Fabrizio Polo

Computer Vision Engineer, Orbotix, Inc. After a decade in pure mathematics, Fabrizio has joined Orbotix in the startup world, engineering new computer vision algorithms to back cutting edge augmented reality games. Originally a firmware team member, Fabrizio still contributes heavily to the robotic control system, the on-robot sensor fusion algorithms and factory calibration systems. A compulsive problem solver with a programming problem, Fabrizio rarely sees the light of day. On those rare occasions when he’s not working on his hobby language project you will find him playing disc golf....