In the Shibuya section of Tokyo, Henn na cafe, a robot coffee shop, features a machine (made by the US manufacturer Rethink Robotics) with a robotic arm, automatic coffee maker, and screen displaying an avatar’s face. It greets visitors in Japanese. “Hello, would you like delicious coffee?” it says. The robot will then scan the QR code of the...
Augmented reality is proving to be a useful tool for learning. A new app called Music Everywhere can teach you how to play the keyboard through AR—and it can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store for free. Co-founded at Carnegie Mellon’s ETC with Seth Glickman, Fu Yen Hsiao and Byunghwan Lee, the software provides such an effective solution...
Miquela Sousa is an influencer like any other, except for one big difference – she’s a virtual avatar that exists only online. She rocks Supreme, Prada and Chanel, and attends exclusive events with other influencers. But she’s isn’t real in the traditional sense of the word. She’s 19, half Brazilian, half Spanish and based in Los Angeles. She...
The CLOi line of robots from LG will soon be assisting humans at hotels, airports and shopping malls.
Developed to coincide with the 2018 Winter Olympics, the LG CLOi robots each boast a barrel-shaped body and a circular interface display. The new line, with an eye towards high-end markets, includes the Serving Robot, which can deliver...
People looking to purchase Super Bowl tickets via StubHub's iPhone app will now see a new "AR" option that lets them bring up a 3D model of the stadium and its surrounding area. The idea, according to StubHub CTO Matt Swann, is to give ticket-buyers a way to better plan their Super Bowl experience well before they ever set foot in Minneapolis....
Intel and NBC will bring 30 Olympic events to virtual reality. 18 of those will be streamed live in VR, a first for the Winter Olympics. The remaining 12 events will be available as video on-demand (VOD) the day after the event is over. The live events will be presented in rich,180-degree stereoscopic views thanks to Intel’s True VR system....
Australian research group CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) will be using aquatic drones to explore the Southern Ocean. The government agency has announced a partnership with San Francisco-based Saildrone, and will be utilizing three of the startup’s unmanned vehicles for the next five years. The Saildrones...
Researchers at the UK’s Cosmetic Science Group at London College of Fashion have been exploring the use of additive manufacturing for a whole new industry and application: makeup. In a newly-published study in the Journal of Dermatology and Cosmetology, they describe the use of 3D printing to produce personalized lipstick. The work involves...
Adding solar technology to electric vehicles is an ideal evolution in theory, but for many in the industry, practicality remains an issue. This skepticism hasn’t stopped a Dutch startup from developing Lightyear One, a vehicle that has the ability to be powered by just sunlight. Their revolutionary development earned them the new Climate Change...
AI-enabled point-of-sale kiosks are being rolled out at CaliBurger, a fast-casual chain that CEO John Miller describes as “a tech company that makes great food”. The first time customers order using the in-store kiosks, they’ll be prompted to attach their face to their account using NEC’s NeoFace biometric facial recognition software.As...