technology |
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Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself: Bump Application
Status: Currently Available
Business cards haven't changed much since their origins as "tradecards" in 17th century London, when they served as advertisements and maps to your business. But in an age of LinkedIn and other social media, using a paper business card can seem like using a rotary telephone or a mimeograph machine. If you're one of the millions of iPhone or iPod Touch users, though, this staple of the business world is making the quantum leap from the 17th to the 21st centuries. Bump allows you to exchange your information with a, well, bump of the fist.
First, you download the free application to your iPhone or iPod Touch, enter your phone number, address, and e-mail address, and add your photo. Once that's complete, you're ready to beam any or all of that information to another iPhone or iPod Touch user who also has the app installed with a simple fist-bump greeting gesture while you're both clutching your phones in your hands. With future versions planned for the Blackberry and phones with the Android operating system, you'll never have to worry about running out of business cards at a trade show again.
Source: Bump Technologies Inc., Mountain View, CA, 617-401-8909, www.bumptechnologies.com |
Cut the Cords: Powermat
Status: Currently Available
The promise of wireless energy has been with us for more than a century, ever since mad scientist Nikola Tesla lit special phosphorescent lamps at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, without benefit of any cables between the lamps and their power source. But for PDA, laptop, and cell-phone users who have to trip over their cords plugging into their booth's too-few electrical sockets to recharge their gizmos, that's been a promise too long deferred and denied. Now, the Powermat vows to change that. Debuting at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Powermat is a foldable (there's a non-folding version, too), 12-by-4-inch metal pad that plugs into an electrical socket in your booth - but that's where the wired part ends and the wireless part begins. Next, you simply fit your iPhone, iPod, Blackberry, and more into dedicated receivers the company sells separately, and then lay them down on top of the Powermat where it automatically begins charging the device. Capable of handling up to three devices simultaneously (there's also a built-in USB port that can accommodate a fourth device), the Powermat recharges them all. With electrical drops potentially costing hundreds of dollars, you can also save mucho moolah by eliminating the need for extra outlets to handle all the devices that need continual recharging.
Source: Powermat USA LLC, Commerce Township, MI, 888-856-6783, www.powermat.com
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Hooking Up: MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot
Status: Currently Available
Back in 1968, Arthur C. Clarke peered into the future with "2001: A Space Odyssey," where space explorers enjoyed Wi-Fi anywhere and everywhere. But even his crystal ball didn't foresee what a pain in the asteroid getting a reliable wireless broadband Internet connection on the road and in the booth could be. Fortunately, Verizon Communications Inc.'s MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot service makes Clarke's prediction more science and less fiction. About the size of eight credit cards stacked together, the Hotspot uses the 2-ounce Novatel MiFi 2200 to fetch its Internet signal from Verizon's 3G (high-speed) cellular data
network. Unlike cellular modems, though, the MiFi is portable and can rest in your pocket instead of having to take up a free slot on your laptop. To connect your laptop, just click on the power button, wait about 30 seconds, and you'll have a password-protected wireless hot spot virtually anywhere from coast to coast. Furthermore, that hot spot expands to form a 30-foot-wide bubble around you, allowing up to four co-workers within that range to connect. Working with laptops, smart phones, and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, the Intelligent Mobile Hotspot helps make the rough life of a road warrior a little smoother.
Source: Verizon Wireless, New York, 800-256-4646, www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband |
Inner Glow: Woven Light
Status: Currently Available
 Ever since German alchemist Hennig Brand first isolated phosphorus in 1669, scientists have tried to make everything glow in the dark from yo-yos and chewing gum to monkeys and dogs. Now it's textiles' turn. Woven Light fluorescent fabric is printed with a special photoluminescent ink that looks pale green under normal lighting, but when exposed to direct sunlight or ultraviolet light, the water-based ink radiates a rich green or blue. The 10-percent-cotton fabric can be used to make your booth's walls, upholstery fabrics, cushions, backdrops, lampshades, and desk chairs really shine.
Source: Kathy Schicker, London, 44-0-7904-197595, www.kathyschicker.com; Material ConneXion Inc., New York, 212-842-1679, www.materialconnexion.com
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Brain Wave: Epoc
Status: In Development
Manipulating matter with the human mind has spanned the mythical (the magician Merlin levitated Stonehenge across the sea from Ireland to England) to the military (Special Forces soldiers tried assassinating goats with the power of their thoughts). We can't psychically ship prehistoric monuments or telepathically terminate farm animals yet, but Emotiv Systems' Epoc is getting close. It uses a wireless "Tron"-style headset whose sensors allow you to mentally play games on your computer by reading and interpreting your conscious thoughts and emotional states. After donning the cap for the first time, the 16 sensors wirelessly connect with a program you load on to your PC. The software automatically begins creating a baseline of your mental and emotional states (from tense to relaxed) and facial expressions (including grimaces and winks), measuring the unique pattern of electrical activity that corresponds to each mental state or expression. The Epoc software also asks you to think of 13 various actions, such as "push," "pull," "lift," and "disappear." When you're done, you'll be ready to play with telepathic commands, but the Epoc will also change the game when it detects boredom or irritation (e.g., when you grimace). With current versions limited to video-game play, future versions will probably work with applications from e-mail and word processing, to lead management programs and presentation software. Attendees could mentally shuffle through your product line in any order or combination, and put items through their paces in whatever way they like. Then, if Epoc senses a client is growing bored, it could change its pace or offer alternatives. With Epoc, you'll definitely give your booth's visitors something to think about.
Source: Emotiv Systems, San Francisco, 800-604-3060, www.emotiv.com |
See-Through Stone: Luccon
Status: Currently Available
Chief engineer Scott of the Starship Enterprise revealed the formula for transparent aluminum in "Star Trek IV." But truth became stranger than science fiction when scientists from Oxford University actually created the sci-fi substance. Now natural stone has received the same see-through treatment. Called Luccon, the miracle material is made with precision grinding technology that slices slivers from stone blocks as thin as .028 inches. The stone is then embedded with optical fibers that allow light to pass through it. Finally, the translucent material is laminated onto pliable, nonwoven fabrics to create structures that are as strong as stone but as flexible as Twizzlers candy. Available in limestone, marble, and granite versions, Luccon comes in customizable sizes suitable for furniture, walls, partitions, and other exhibit components. With Luccon, you'll be able to turn your booth into a real trade show rock star.
Source: Material Art GmbH, Hagen, Germany, 49-2-331-340-2940, www.materialart-gmbh.de
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The Shining: Planilum
Status: Currently Available
Sometimes the most futuristic technology comes from the most primitive past: The concept of harnessing a naturally light-emitting material goes back as far 7,000 years ago, when the Japanese and West Indian Islanders captured fireflies to emblaze the night. Now, a mere 70 centuries later, Planilum recaptures the ancient beauty of those illuminating creatures. Hailed as the first light-emitting glass, Planilum comprises four layers of a special glass, with the rare gas Xenon and serigraphed phosphors sandwiched between them. Just .8 inches thick, the material shines for 50,000 hours, or nearly 14.3 times as long as LED lights. Since it emits about the same amount of heat as the human body, it doesn't require the shades or diffusers you'd need with halogen or incandescent bulbs. That means Planilum can be integrated into virtually any part of your exhibit from walls to floors, turning it into a light for sore eyes.
Source: Saazs Institute, Paris, 33-155-35-06-06, www.saazs.com
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Touch and Go: Touchable Holography
Status: In Development
Promoters of "Bwana Devil," the first American-made, three-dimensional color movie, promised audiences its 3-D technology would deliver "A lion in your lap! A lover in your arms!" That was a bit of Hollywood hyberbole then, but it might be an understatement tomorrow. Last September, researchers from the University of Tokyo demonstrated the Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display that makes it possible to touch 3-D images. Using low-energy ultrasound waves that create "pressure fields" around still or moving projected images, the Tactile Display simulates the shape and feel of any 3-D object. Even better, you'll be able to simulate any physical action - e.g., pressing buttons, turning handles - so many exhibitors will be able to demo much of their product line, from cars to cell phones, without the costs and hassle of shipping or drayage to worry about. From now on, illusion will feel an awful lot like real life.
Source: University of Tokyo, Department of Information Physics and Computing, Tokyo,
81-3-03-3812-2111,
www.alab.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~shino/index-e.html |
Round and Round She Goes: Media Globe
Status: Currently Available
In Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," people of the future bought walls for their homes that turned the usually blank canvas into a pleasing and programmable show of light and data. With the Media Globe, however, that future is now. Resembling a giant, high-tech Magic 8-Ball, the Media Globe is an inflatable sphere that uses six projectors to display videos, images, text, panoramic photos, and more - but without the usual warping of visuals that occurs when you cast them over a round object. Approximately 12 feet high and 12.5 feet in diameter, the Media Globe can be programmed to project virtually any kind of information on its surface in reaction to attendees' movements, body heat, or voices. Using various sensors or cameras you hook up to the Media Globe, for example, you could set it to automatically display your booth visitors' images whenever they step within a certain distance of your exhibit. You could also direct attendees to refreshments the second the ambient temperature rises
beyond a certain point, or run videos of product demos as soon as a set number of people gather in your space. A futuristic technology available now, Media Globe will no doubt expand your sphere of influence on the trade show floor.
Source: Strukt GmbH, Vienna, Austria, 43-1-236-6236, www.strukt.com
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The Big Picture: Cheoptics360
Status: Currently Available
 Three-dimensional images have come a long way since Polaroid Corp. manufactured 2 million special eyeglasses for a short 3-D movie on how to build a car for Chrysler Corp. at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. Today, Cheoptics360 has taken 3-D technology to new heights, displaying computer animation and film content indoors or out, with images as crisp - and as large - as feature films on the silver screen. Created by Danish engineers, the four-sided, inverted-pyramid-shaped unit's projectors make the visuals appear to float in mid-air, meaning your in-booth video presentation could be broadcast via a tableau visible to attendees virtually anywhere in the show hall. Even better, the images look the same no matter which angle they're viewed from, regardless of the light conditions (a typical snafu with traditional 3-D displays), giving your promotional videos that extra dimension your competitors will lack.
Source: ViZoo A/S, Albertslund, Denmark, 45-33-12-29-00, www.vizoo.com
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Heavy Metal: VeroMetal
Status: Currently Available
 We have hair, cheese, and suntans that come out of a spray can, so why not metal walls? VeroMetal is a sprayable metal/polymer composite that can make virtually any material take on the texture of a metallic surface. Available in steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and other finishes, the spray paint creates the appearance of a hard alloy over a variety of substrates, from foam, plastic, and wood to Fiberglas, ceramics, and paper, giving your exhibit walls or components the sleek permanence of metallic surfaces without the weight of, well, heavy metal.
Source: VeroMetal GmbH, Übach-Palenberg, Germany, 49-221-716-73 61, www.verometal.com |
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Spy Detector: PrivateEye Professional
Status: Currently Available
PrivateEye Professional keeps your laptop safe from snooping eyes in your booth. Using your computer's Webcam, the software program takes a snapshot of your face while you're working on your PC. Then, whenever you look away, the software scrambles the image onscreen, making it a visual mess. If someone peeks over your shoulder while you're working on a price quote or a proposal for an attendee, PrivateEye Professional catches them in the act, then opens up a thumbnail video window in the corner of your screen that displays the snooper's face for you.
Source: Oculis Labs Inc., Hunt Valley, MD, 410-891-1701, www.oculislabs.com
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Breaking the Sound Barrier: Audio Spotlight
Status: Currently Available
 In the past, when people such as Joan of Arc and Edgar Allan Poe heard disembodied voices in their head, they ended up consumed by madness. Now when you hear sounds no one else does, you'll be consumed by marketers - thanks to the new Audio Spotlight. The acoustic contraption wraps sound in a narrow beam, and then "shines" the sound right into an attendee's ear up to 660 feet (more than two football fields) away. Over modest distances - like those in a booth - only the attendee you target can hear it, with the sound volume dropping 90 percent for another attendee standing just one step outside the beam. Simply connect an audio source to the processor/amplifier, turn it on, and then aim it at your target, who will be all ears for your message that can be as loud as 100 decibels (but just to them) when they walk in front of the beam. Audio Spotlight might seem ear-ie at first, but if you want a novel way to reach customers, you may find it's a sound investment.
Source: Holosonic Research Labs Inc., Watertown, MA, 617-923-4000, www.holosonics.com
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Power Play: Nuclear Batteries
Status: In Development
Invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800, the battery has become an unavoidable but necessary part of every exhibit manager's arsenal. Yet, even with 3 billion dry-cell batteries sold every year, they haven't evolved much since Ben Franklin coined the term for the device in the late 18th century. That's about to change radically though, with implantable, biodegradable, edible - and now nuclear - batteries on the horizon. University of Missouri researchers are developing a nuke-powered battery roughly the size of a penny that can provide a power density six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries. That means laptops and cell phones that can run a decade or more without being recharged.
Source: University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 573-882-8353, www.missouri.edu |
Motion Pictures: Video-in-Print (VIP)
Status: Currently Available
The technological wonders predicted in the movie "Minority Report" seemed as distant as 2061, the year in which the film was set, including newspapers that "play" stories as easily as your smart phone plays YouTube clips. Now that marvel has leaped from tomorrow to today with Video-in-Print (VIP). VIP is a digital technology that can be embedded into your literature. The wafer-thin screen - a mere 2-by-1.5-inches - speaker, and battery are fit into a cardboard insert that can stand alone or be integrated into your usual literature. Like a musical greeting card, once an attendee opens the insert, the VIP starts playing video about, for example, your company, product, or service for 45 to 180 minutes. VIP comes with a rechargeable battery, as well as a mini USB cord, which slips into a jack on its back. That means customers can play your video repeatedly long after the show is over, and even load their own video content onto what is a screen already branded with your identity. Now when you want your literature to speak for you, it literally can - loud and clear.
Source: Americhip Inc., Los Angeles, 310-323-3697, www.americhip.com
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Out of Sight: Invisible Materials
Status: In Development
From H.G. Wells' "Invisible Man" to Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, being unseen is in everyone's sights. Recently, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered "metamaterials" that bend light to effectively turn any object imperceptible to the human eye. When these products hit the market, you'll be able to cover objects or people to create surreal scenes, such as staffers visible only from the waist up or product displays that fade in and out.
Source: University of California, Berkeley's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, Berkeley, CA, 510-643-0638, xlab.me.berkeley.edu
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Stick to it: Metaklett
Status: Currently Available
Ever since its 1948 invention, Velcro has saved exhibitors time and money by dispensing with the need for nails and screws for fastening objects to virtually any surface. But its weaknesses - heavy weights and high temperatures - adversely affect the hook-and-loop fastener. Those drawbacks are a thing of the past with Metaklett, a steel, Velcro-like invention. Roughly as thick as the Velcro you're familiar with, 1 square meter of the metal strips can support as much as 35 tons and withstand heat up to 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit. Yet for all its steroid strength, Metaklett pulls apart and refastens time after time so quickly and easily that it won't be long before you're, well, stuck on it.
Source: Reinz-Dichtungs GmbH, Neu-Ulm, Germany, 49-0-731-7046-0, www.metaklett.de |
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