![1 94](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/11/1_94.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Photo: Courtesy of VDA Productions
2. Furniture That Tweets
![2. Furniture That Tweets](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/tweetingseat172.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
1. Robots That Socialize
![1. Robots That Socialize](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/img_9189.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
3. Photo Booths That Make 3-D Models
![3. Photo Booths That Make 3-D Models](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/main_omote3d.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
![4. Indoor Clouds That Predict the Weather](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/8827291140126.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
![5. Floating Touch Screen Displays](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/8jwadr7vuk8.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
![6. Interactive Projections Mapped in Real Time](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/illumiroom_hi_res.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
![7. Paint That Reacts to Temperature Changes](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/1443_4720_image.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
![8. Robots That Make Sculptures From Sand](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/shelter_beach.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
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
![Fotofilip Dg Grohe 8719](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/05/fotofilip_dg_grohe_8719.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Photo: Filip Wolak
![Fotofilip Dg Grohe 9099](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/05/fotofilip_dg_grohe_9099.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Photo: Filip Wolak
![Fotofilip Dg Grohe 9115](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/05/fotofilip_dg_grohe_9115.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Photo: Filip Wolak
![During New York Advertising Week's five-day run, AOL set up its activation in the Liberty Theater. The promotion was tied to the company's new campaign and was designed to directly engage attendees on a personal level.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/10/i_2rs5mdp.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
During New York Advertising Week's five-day run, AOL set up its activation in the Liberty Theater. The promotion was tied to the company's new campaign and was designed to directly engage attendees on a personal level.
Photo: Courtesy of AOL
![The virtual interactive concierge, affectionately referred to as Vic, debuted at New York's Advertising Week. The digitally rendered avatar was displayed on an 80-inch plasma screen, where it interacted with attendees by answering questions.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/10/i_mxr9xbw.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The virtual interactive concierge, affectionately referred to as Vic, debuted at New York's Advertising Week. The digitally rendered avatar was displayed on an 80-inch plasma screen, where it interacted with attendees by answering questions.
Photo: Courtesy of AOL
![Vic also interacted with attendees online, answering questions via Twitter.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/10/i_gx5zhbp.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Vic also interacted with attendees online, answering questions via Twitter.
Photo: Courtesy of AOL