Event Tech

February 18, 2013

1. Robots That Socialize

Machines are getting smarter. They may not be like the androids seen in I, Robot—yet—but researchers are building devices that not only mimic human behavior, but also react to their environment. With advances in such technology at places like the Georgia Institute of Technology, can the idea of socially intelligent machines acting as event ambassadors be that far off? There have already been attempts to introduce robots at experiential gatherings, including at Bacardi's 2011 Like it Live promotion in New York.

Photo: Jika González/BizBash

2. Furniture That Tweets

Machines don't have to be mobile to be intelligent, as is the case with the TweetingSeat, a product U.K.-based designer Chris McNicholl created. The interactive park bench is activated when someone takes a seat, uploading images from two cameras to a live Twitter feed. Imagine interactive furniture that automatically snaps shots of guests and creates content for social media platforms.

Photo: Courtesy of Chris McNicholl

3. Photo Booths That Make 3-D Models

The idea of 3-D printing has come a long way, and now there are devices that can produce three-dimensional objects like clothing, jewelry, and headphones. A couple of companies are taking the concept to the consumer space with photo booths that can print miniature figurines of its subjects, like Japanese creative agency Party's Omote 3D pop-up, or replicas of people's heads, like the one MakerBot debuted at its New York store.

Photo: Courtesy of Omote

4. Indoor Clouds That Predict the Weather

Bringing clouds indoors sounds like something out of Harry Potter, but Micasa Lab, a division of a Swedish furniture manufacturer, has developed a product that combines liquid hydrogen with hot water to create a circulating cloud of steam around a lamp. What's really unique about the Nebula 12 is that it can use meteorological data to change its form and color, serving as a three-dimensional weather forecast.

Photo: Courtesy of Micasa Lab

5. Floating Touch Screen Displays

Touch screens have made computers with keyboards and mice look clunky. And now there's a company making touch screen monitors seem out-of-date. Displair is a device that uses "touchable" air, that is, a thin stream of air infused with microscopic water particles, to display images. What's more, users can interact with the air, navigating the screen with their fingers. It's essentially a touch screen without the screen, which, if used at events, potentially could eliminate the need for bulky computer stations.

Photo: Courtesy of Displair

6. Interactive Projections Mapped in Real Time

Projection mapping—also known as 3-D mapping—has become a wildly popular tool for event marketers, and a Microsoft Research project extends the use of that technology even further. Designed as a form of immersive entertainment, a prototype dubbed IllumiRoom captures the forms and layout of a room via a Kinect for Windows camera and, with a projector, expands the visuals beyond the screen in real time. The system can even make it look like a room is moving.

Photo: Courtesy of Microsoft Research

7. Paint That Reacts to Temperature Changes

Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde and construction company Heijmans Infrastructure have come up with a way to make roads better for drivers. The Smart Highway concept not only includes roads treated with photo luminizing powder (which absorbs energy from sunlight to glow in the dark) and lanes that can charge battery-powered cars, but also dynamic paint that becomes visible when temperature fluctuates. In the prototype, snowflakes appear when it's cold and the roads are slippery, signaling the changing conditions to drivers. The paint could have interesting event applications, whether it's to highlight an entrance or exit, or change the look of decor.

Rendering: Courtesy of Daan Roosegaarde and Heijmans

8. Robots That Make Sculptures From Sand

Imagine temporary structures made from sand or soil. That's what Petr Novikov, Inder Shergill, and Anna Kulik from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia did when they developed Stone Spray. The project involves a robotic 3-D printer that binds soil or sand to construct solid, if temporary, architectural shapes. It's eco-friendly, too, as the robot can be powered by solar energy.

Photo: Courtesy of Stone Spray

At the check-in table, organizers gave each guest an R.F.I.D. card and invited them to link it to their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

For the 15-minute tasting experience, guests sat at one of two 25-foot tables made of walnut and black glass.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

A personalized welcome message appeared in front of guests when they put their R.F.I.D. cards into a designated slot of the tasting mat on the right.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

The interactive tasting tables, created by Havas Adrenaline and Moey, displayed information about the products being tasted. Guests who had linked their R.F.I.D. cards to their Twitter and Facebook accounts could also use buttons on the tasting mat to instantly share the experience on social networks.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

As a Johnnie Walker "Master of Whisky" talked about the different flavor palates of the Black and Double Black labels, the table displayed the ingredients and aromas in the different types of scotch.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

At the Gold Label Reserve bar, bartenders served cocktails of the Scotch mixed with craft sodas dispensed from custom siphons.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

In addition to sampling cocktails made with Johnnie Walker products, guests could also taste the whiskey straight.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

A card catalog displayed coasters with recipes for the cocktails served at the event.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

In one corner of the venue a video explained the brand's history. A map and nautical decor to reflected its introduction to a worldwide audience by ship captains who carried it around the globe.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

A pixelated version of brand's logo illuminated a tall panel in the back of Fair Market.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

Taste of Toronto

At IMG’s inaugural Taste of Toronto festival in July, attendees used R.F.I.D.-enabled cards to purchase food and beverages from vendors at the event. The cards were provided by IntelliPay, a division of Intellitix. Guests could go online before the event to load money onto the card, and they could also add funds at stations throughout the festival. At the end of the festival, balances remaining on cards were donated to Second Harvest Food Rescue. Each individual’s online account also provided a history of all food and beverage items purchased.

Photo: Courtesy of Intellitix

Tomorrowland

At the Tomorrowland music festival, which took place in Belgium over two weekends in July, R.F.I.D. wristbands replaced admission tickets and also provided a way for the 60,000 daily attendees to connect with one another. Prior to the event, festivalgoers registered their wristbands online and linked them to their Facebook accounts. At the event, if two people near each other pressed the heart-shaped button on their wristbands at the same time, each person's Facebook name was stored in the cloud and then sent in an email to the other person. So each attendee received a daily email of anyone they had met throughout the day. Organizers also illuminated the lights on the bracelets in coordination with some of the musical acts.

Photo: Stijn De Grauwe

C2MTL

For Montreal’s C2MTL—Commerce & Creativity conference in May, Connect & Go created badges embedded with U.H.F. tags. Unlike N.F.C., which is intended for very close communication, U.H.F. tags can be read from as far away as 30 feet. As the 4,000 attendees passed through the main entrance, U.H.F. readers embedded in the gates instantly read their badges and alerted security personnel with either a green or red light to indicate whether they were approved to enter. Organizers also hung three U.H.F. “chandeliers” on the show floor. The devices could read attendee activity within a 30- by 30-foot zone, tracking when people arrived, how much time they spent in the area, and who else was there. Organizers received real-time information on tablets, so they could make adjustments as necessary, for example to ensure the most heavily trafficked food stations had enough staff and products.

Photo: Jimmy Hamelin

EMC World

At EMC World in May in Las Vegas, organizers used N.F.C. badges from ITN International to manage the distribution of conference bags filled with valuable gifts such as GoPro cameras and iPods. As attendees went to the bag pickup area, staff scanned their badges with a smartphone to determine which bag they should receive. The data was stored to ensure that the badge could not be used to obtain additional gift bags. ITN’s system also saved the activity so if a badge had to be reprinted, it still indicated that the attendee had received a bag.

Photo: Courtesy of ITN International

Ryder Cup

At the Ryder Cup, set for September 23 to 28 in Scotland, guests will use R.F.I.D. wristbands from Intellitix for a variety of interactive experiences. In partnership with Active Scotland, a government initiative to promote physical activity, guests will be encouraged to walk the course and check in at various stations for a chance to win prizes. The wristband will track the distances they cover and will also post updates to social media. Guests will also be able to give a “virtual high five” to either the European or United States team by touching their wristbands at specified points, which then registers their support on a leaderboard. Guests who own BMWs will be able to use their wristbands to enter the company’s “Owners’ Cafe” at the 10th hole and spend preloaded tokens.

Photo: Courtesy of Ryder Cup

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

At the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee in June, organizers partnered with Microsoft to allow guests to create a photo history of their festival experience. Prior to the event, guests went online to register their R.F.I.D. wristbands and link them to a Microsoft OneDrive account. Then each time they swiped their wristbands at photo booths around the event, the pictures automatically uploaded to the online account. Guests could also swipe their wristbands at stations near each stage to receive a photo of the performance in their OneDrive accounts. Intellitix provided the wristbands.

Photo: Courtesy of Bonnaroo Arts and Music Festival