Category: Emerging Trends

The Moby Mart

The Moby Mart is set to turn every parking space in the world into a new 24-hour store. About the size of a small bus, the store carries a selection of everyday products like snacks, meals, basic groceries, and even shoes. To use the store, you have to download an app, register as a customer and use your smartphone to unlock the doors.

The store is currently undergoing trials in Shanghai, thanks to a collaborative effort between Swedish startup named Wheelys Inc and China’s Hefei University. For now, the trial prototype is stationery i.e. based permanently in a carpark. But the company says that it is currently working with tech companies to develop its self-driving technology as seen in the below video.

For more information visit www.themobymart.com.

The Animated Print Ad

Kitchen appliances manufacturer Miele has created a two in one induction hob that prevents thick air from collecting in the kitchen by sucking the air downwards.

To demonstrate this technical innovation, McCann Germany created a print ad that when exposed to light simulated the two in one promise of Miele’s induction hub.

The intelligent car from Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz has recently announced that all of its 2016 and 2017 vehicles in the US would now be able to connect with both Amazon and Google’s digital voice assistants.

With the help of this integration Mercedes owners can now instruct their Amazon Echo or Google Home to remotely start or lock their vehicles, as well as send addresses to their in-car navigation system. The video below however shows Mercedes-Benz creating an intelligent ecosystem around its cars with the help of cutting-edge technology.

Mercedes isn’t the first automaker to recognise the potential of artificially intelligent
third party digital voice assistants. At CES earlier this year, Ford unveiled its plan to roll out Alexa-equipped vehicles. Around the same time, Hyundai announced a new partnership with Google to add voice control through the Google Home.

Jaguar launches in-car cashless fuel payment

In a world-first, Jaguar and Land Rover owners can now pay for their fuel via the touchscreen of their car at Shell service stations. Rather than paying at the pump or queuing to pay in the shop, installing the Shell app via InControl means drivers can simply drive up to any pump at participating Shell service stations, select how much fuel they require and pay with PayPal or Apple Pay on the vehicle’s touchscreen.

For more details visit http://bit.ly/2lOZfcC.

The world’s first emotionally powered store

To help tackle the stress of Christmas present-buying, eBay with the help of American technology firm Lightwave, opened a pop-up store in central London that aimed to inspire shoppers to reconnect with the emotional spirit of giving. By using intelligent bio-analytic technology and facial coding, eBay recorded which products provoked the strongest feelings of giving. Then through personalised emotion reports they suggested the gift that stirred the most feeling.

Gatebox: The Virtual Home Robot

Move over Alexa, Siri and Cortana. Gatebox is set to be the worlds first virtual home robot. Gatebox’s first character, “Azuma Hikari” is a fully interactive holographic girl, who at her most basic can control your smart home equipment. Additionally, she can recognize your face and your voice, and is designed to be a companion who can wake you up in the morning, fill you in on your day’s activities, remind you of things to remember, and even welcome you back when you return home from work.

Gatebox is currently availble for pre-order to customers who speak Japanese in Japan and USA for around $2,600 per unit. For more details visit gatebox.ai.

Amazon Go

The way we buy groceries in stores is going to change forever! The first Amazon Go store is due to open to the public in early 2017. To use the service, people living in Seattle will need to install the Amazon Go app, log into their account, and then simply put goods from the shelves into their bags and walk out.

According to Amazon, the store and shelves are equipped with “computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning” technology that can detect when products are removed and returned to the shelves. And only when the customer actually leaves the store is their account charged.

Volvo Concierge Services

Volvo is one carmaker that is actively experimenting with new ways (Volvo Keyless Cars and Volvo In-Car Delivery) to move beyond simply building and selling cars. In their latest effort, Volvo has created a service ecosystem around its cars that give its customers access to various third-party service providers to remotely fuel up, get a car wash, service the car, and more.

The heart of the Volvo Concierge Service is the digital key, a one-time-use location- and time-specific key that allows service providers access to the vehicle. This is a big advantage as it keeps the car secure and keeps owners from needing to meet someone and hand over the key. The supplier, whether that’s a refueling company or a valet parking attendant or Volvo itself (for oil changes and other maintenance), use an app that remotely unlocks the car and allows the engine to turn on.

The Volvo Concierge Services are currently being tested in the San Francisco Bay Area with owners of the new Volvo XC90 SUVs and S90 sedans.

Microsoft HoloLens redefines elevator maintenance

The future of elevator maintenance is here. ThyssenKrupp recently announced the implementation of Microsoft’s Hololens out in the field where its technicians and engineers will benefit from minimized delays and matchless workflow. Fusing cloud computing and digital IoT solutions with an augmented reality interface, ThyssenKrupp will facilitate real-time prediction of repairs and component replacements while priming their experts on potential issues before they arise.

100% Real Virtual Reality

To launch Old Irish, a new craft beer with a unique Irish recipe in Georgia, ad agency Leavingstone came up with the idea to give the people in the streets of Tbilisi a virtual tour of Ireland. While the people were busy exploring the Irish nature, streets of Dublin and a typical Irish bar virtually, they quietly brought the whole virtual reality Irish bar experience out into the real world. The results…