Technology

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 And now there's a company making touch screen monitors seem out-of-date.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.

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.

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.

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.