i3 - May/June 2017 - 30

Under Armour's other big reveal, the Tom Brady-endorsed
Athlete Recovery Sleepwear, is not connected, but how long
until that changes? Like fitness, sleep is an area filled with
opportunities for data collection, and a company that can put
sensors into running shoes surely can figure out how to weave
them into pajamas. Google's Jacquard technology puts touch
sensitivity into fabric, like the jacket it developed with Levi's last
year. The tech is nearly invisible, and that's how to get everyone
comfortable with wearing devices. The next few years will prove
that people want wearable technology, they just don't want to
look like they are wearing a "Bat Belt."

Robird keeps
flocks of
birds away
from airport
runways

system deploys an automated drone when sensors in solar-powered lights on the lawn detect
movement. The homeowner, whether in bed
or away on vacation, can then use the drone's
camera and an app to see who's approaching.
Automation raises intriguing possibilities for
drone use, offering a compromise of sorts
between the dangers of amateur piloting and
the cost of hiring professionals.

FUTURE OF TRAVEL:
SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE

DRONES BEING PUT TO WORK
Drones seemed to move so quickly from military uses to consumer
devices that most people haven't thought much about more practical applications - aside, perhaps, from aerial photography. But
the next wave of innovation in this space will involve tasks.
Measure, a Washington, DC-based startup, raised $15 million in
January to pursue its drone-as-a-service model. More will follow.
Commercial drones require skill and a license to pilot, and most
companies won't need drone services frequently enough to warrant
an investment in hardware, insurance and staff.
One of our favorite products at CES 2017 was the Robird,
a drone designed to look and maneuver like a real bird of prey, with
flapping wings and all. A terrific example of biomimicry in product
design, Robird provides a cheaper, more effective and environmentally friendly method for keeping flocks of birds away from airport
runways, farms and anywhere else they can cause damage.
The Associated Press recently estimated that 70,000 gulls, starling,
geese and other birds have been slain by shooting
or trapping near New York City's three airports
since 2009, the year that US Airways pilot "Sully"
Under Armour's
Healthbox
Sullenberger was forced to land in the Hudson
includes a
River after colliding with a flock of geese.
data-collecting
Not all practical applications will call for prowristband with
touchscreen
fessional pilots. The Sunflower Home Awareness
30

MAY/JUNE 2017

Disney World's MagicBand is a wristband
that connects with a vast but mostly invisible
network of hardware and software designed
to make park visitors' experience nearly frictionless, mostly by reducing or eliminating
wait times for everything from popular rides
to restaurant service. Carnival Cruise is taking
the concept further with its OCEAN (One
Cruise Experience Access Network) system
introduced at CES 2017. The Ocean
Medallion, which travelers receive before even
reaching the ship, connects to a network that
will use machine learning to anticipate guests'
desires and present options. This Medallion
helps their guests become "Ocean Ready."
"Personalization begins at home," said John
Padgett, Carnival's chief experience and innovation officer. "It's based on a guest genome
that evolves multiple times per second.
The guest genome evolves in real time, creating experience intelligence. It empowers us
to maximize each and every guest's interaction and experience."
Personalization is the key. Many of us have
some reservations about technology that
tracks our whereabouts. If the system can
learn when not to help, like a butler attuned
to the employer's moods, the benefits will
overcome the doubts. As Wired said of the
MagicBand, "No matter how often we say
we're creeped out by technology, we tend to
acclimate quickly if it delivers what we want
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

https://atap.google.com/jacquard/ https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/bands-cards/ https://clearflightsolutions.com/methods/robirds

i3 - May/June 2017

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