i3 - March/April 2018 - 30

2018 A Catalyst for Innovation
20

BEST IN TECH

SMART CITIES

CAR TECH

A look at a few promising
startups at CES
By Mark Chisholm and Jeremy Snow

EUREKA
PARK

THE EUREKA PARK MARKETPLACE, SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE

Foundation and Techstars, is the flagship startup area at CES that provides an exclusive opportunity for entrepreneurs to launch a new product
or service. The Eureka Park Marketplace at CES 2018 was the biggest
ever with more than 1,000 companies showing off their original business
models. i3 spoke to 10 entrepreneurs, eager to share their innovative ideas.

4. NGENO
1. IMINNOV

2. MINDTRONIC AI

3. BINARYBOTS

IMInnov, a French company, showed its connected safety solution for
equestrians. The EQUISURE
system combines a wearable device fitted to a rider's helmet, a GPS sensor
attached to the horse's
bridle, and a smartphone app, connected
via Bluetooth. IMInnov
General Manager and
Co-Founder Catherine
Chaventré explains: "If
the rider has an accident
and falls off, then the system will detect the fall,
determine the strength
of the shock, pinpoint the
GPS location of the accident, and send this information in a text message
to a preregistered number
on the smartphone
app." If the horse continues on without the rider,
it can be tracked via
the GPS sensor.

Mindtronic AI is a mobility
platform based on artificial intelligence and 3D
vision. The company
brings an INTERACTIVE
3D USER INTERFACE to
vehicles through its holographic cluster "NOAH."
When considering the
user experience in a vehicle, "We thought, why not
use AI technology to
change the user experience and make it greater?
Make it safer," explains
Ran Gao of Mindtronic AI.
Winner of an Innovation
Award at CES 2018, drivers link their smartphone
to the vehicle cluster, then
use facial gesture control,
eye tracking and facial
recognition to interact
with the technology.
Drivers can even start
their car with a smile.

Binarybots showcased its

MARCH/APRIL 2018

ROBOTICS KITS FOR CHILDREN.
"We're trying to help every
child from the age of
five up learn not only how
to code, but also about
robotics and the Internet
of Things," explains Chris
Burgess. Children build
robots using the kits that
include cardboard and
plastic components, and
boards that feature
a speaker, light sensor, programmable LEDs and two
touch sensors. The kits also
include a pocket-sized computer kids can code: the
BBC micro:bit. The "Planet
Totem" robots launched at
CES with a tortoise, crab and
spider that each have a specific functionality. "Each of
these unique characteristics
are important, because the
children can own it, play with
it and understand that it's
an animal as well as a toy -
so it inspires them to build
more," Burgess explains.

NGeno, a Polish startup,
showcased the SMART
PATCH, a tiny sticker
that allows users to measure temperature, heart
rate, oxygenation and
hydrogenation through
an app. To start monitoring your vital signs,
just stick the patch onto
your skin. NGeno's Dr.
Rafal Mrowka says it is
perfect for infants, children and amateur athletes. He adds, "This is
important because if you
have a child, or are an
active person, you need
to know this info, especially since hydrogenation can have an impact
on your wellness."

5. SENSE ARENA
Sense Arena from the
Czech Republic, showed its
VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) IMMERSIVE TRAINING PLATFORM

for athletes that develops
cognitive processes and
physical skills using a hockey
environment. "We're showcasing our ice hockey
product, which is great from
the perspective that the
virtual stadium reacts to
everything that the player
does within it - the stickhandling, the shots, and the
passing," explains Bob Tetiva,
project director and managing partner at Sense Arena.
Co-developed by Dr. Tomas
Peric of the International
Ice Hockey Federation and
Filip Pesan, head coach of
the Czech Republic's
National Junior team, the system combines training software with a HTC Vive VR
headset and a Vive controller, attached to a hockey
stick. A basketball version
is also under development.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

http://ngeno.com/ https://www.binarybots.co.uk/ http://www.mindtronicai.com/ https://equisure.eu/ https://www.sensearena.com/

i3 - March/April 2018

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