Last week I attended Mobile Futures at Razorfish New York. Presented by Razorfish and NYC Media Lab, Mobile Futures featured an expo showcasing demos from 20+ NY-based startups, plus a panel discussion on how sensors, devices and connected services will change the mobile computing and consumer mobility experience over the next several years.
The startups showcased new sensors, more intelligent apps, mobile-connected smart objects, wearables, LTE, augmented reality, Ultra HD, flexible screens and more, providing insight into what’s on the verge of commercialization, what’s still in the lab, and what advances will change the nature of media and communications in the future.
On the cutting edge of display technology sits a company called Lumiode, a Brooklyn/Manhattan-based startup that’s part of Columbia Tech Ventures. Lumiode is working on the next generation of microdisplay technology for head-worn, high brightness, energy efficient, transparent, daylight-readable displays. Microdisplays are small portable displays used in head-mounted devices such as eyeglasses and goggles. They allow real-time information to be delivered to the user and can be incorporated into interactive augmented reality systems, for industry, first-responder, military and consumer use, according to Lumiode’s company website.
Lumiode’s CEO Vincent Lee, Ph.D, compared their new microdisplay platform to the glass in Google Glass, but said it’s more vibrant; 30 times brighter and 5-10 times more efficient than other technologies to be exact. It also would facilitate panoramic viewing, or augmented reality.
I also came across a company called Affectiva (@affectiva) showcasing its new facial recognition technology, Affdex. According to its representative, Affectiva is a 4-year-old advertising company looking to break into the mobile space with Affdex, which reads facial expressions to measure the emotional connection people have with advertising, brands and media.
Other participating representatives from NYC startups, tech companies, and university labs included:
- Tom Cramer, Mobile Practice Lead, Razorfish
- Deborah Estrin, Professor of Computer Science at Cornell Tech and former Director of the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing
- Manning Field, Director of Loyalty Innovation, Chase Card Services
- Carl Schulenburg, Founder & CEO at oomolo, Inc.
- Gil Zussman, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of the Wireless and Mobile Networking (WiMNet) Lab at Columbia University
For more information about NYC Media Lab visit www.NYCMediaLab.org. For more information about Razorfish visit razorfish.com.
