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#TechTuesday: Jay Kay's 3D helmet, Hyperloop's rival, Electronic/Air Ink and other stories

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Jamiroquai and the 3D-printed light-up helmet

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London designer Moritz Waldemeyer based his headgear he created for the lead singer of Jamiroquai, “Jay Kay,” on an endangered animal. Waldemeyer designed the hat for the Jamiroquai's frontman, who is known for his elaborate headwear, to wear in the music video for the brand's latest track, “Automaton.” Waldemeyer, who has previously created laser effects for Ellie Goulding, a laser suit for Bono and a set of customised guitars for Ok Go, wanted the design to reference the pangolin, an endangered animal known for its scaly shell. Each scale on the 3D-printed hat is individually motorised and illuminated, allowing lights and movements to be sent across its surface – an effect Waldemeyer describes as looking like the wearer's “nervous system.” Waldemeyer and his team worked alongside Jay Kay throughout the entire design process. Having created a parametric model, they invited the musician to change its shape, angle and number of scales on a screen in real time. Once the team had finalised the design, each part was 3D-printed before being assembled together with the motors and LED boards. It's a truly insane and remarkable looking piece of kit that truly only one man could pull off.

 

Tiger bring art made from pollution to some of the world's smoggiest cities

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After a 2016 pilot program in Hong Kong, premium lager Tiger Beer is bringing art derived from Air-Ink, the ink created from air pollution, to venues around the world. The tour will start in London and continue to Berlin, New York and Singapore. Along the way, resident artists in each city, including Buff Monster, KristopherH, Patrick Vale, Paul Davis and Die Dixons, will use Air-Ink to create artwork symbolising “a bright future for our cities’ streets and inspiring others to take action.” The ink that is being used in the 2017 campaign was harvested mainly from vehicles and chimneys from the pilot in Hong Kong, as well as in India and several test trucks that are part of the London activation. According to Anirudh Sharma, inventor of Air-Ink and co-founder of Graviky Labs, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) spinoff that says it builds high-impact technologies, the process of creating Air-Ink begins by retrofitting a proprietary device onto the exhaust pipes of cars. More than 203 gallons (770 litres) of Air-Ink have been harvested to date, which is equivalent to CO2 emissions from driving a diesel vehicle for 2.3 years without a break, which is in part what inspired the project extension. In addition, Tiger Beer chose the cities it did because it felt the need to focus on places where the technology was needed. The murals will be on display from about mid to late April, 2017.

 

Publicis forge Strategic Alliance with Microsoft

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Publicis Groupe and Microsoft have announced a strategic alliance designed to combine its robust marketing and data capabilities with Microsoft Azure and the Cortana Intelligence Suite to help enterprise businesses leverage the power of online and offline data to reimagine their digital operations at scale. The partnership comes on the heels of significant investments made by Publicis Groupe in data and artificial intelligence, and further builds on its Power of One strategy of putting its clients at the centre of its business model. Clients will now have access to a new class of Platform-as-a-Service with the expanded launch of COSMOS AI, SapientRazorfish’s marketing intelligence platform, now offering extended reach and activation through the Azure Marketplace. Accessible to all agencies across the global network, clients can now leverage AI to learn, reason and predict the customer journey through timely, relevant brand experiences.

 

Apple launch Clips to rival Snapchat and Instagram stories

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Apple has announced the launch of its new video editing app Clips, which is set to rival Snapchat and Instagram’s stories function. The app, which can be used on both iPhone and iPad, lets users create multi-clip videos without timelines, tracks or complicated editing tools. Clips adopts several user interface (UI) features which are similar to both Snapchat and Instagram’s stories. These include a download button which allows you to save a version of the video to your photo and video library, and a hold to record button which appears at the bottom of the screen but is more prominent in both size and colour than in the other two apps. Users are able to touch this single button to shoot live video and take photos, or add them directly from their photo library. They can then add Snapchat-style filters such as a comic book effect, emojis, shapes and full-screen posters with animated backgrounds. A live titles function allows the user to add animated captions and titles which are generated automatically as they speak, appearing on-screen in sync with their voice. Several dozen music soundtracks are also available to add to clips, which automatically adjust to the length of the video. Videos created on Clips can be shared via iMessage, as well as on Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms. Apple has also announced a special edition of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus handsets in a red aluminium finish, to mark the tech company’s more than decade-long relationship with AIDS charity (Red), and an updated version of the iPad with a brighter 25cm retina display. Clips will launch on the App Store from April and will be free to download, while the the updated iPad is available now and the Product(Red) special edition iPhone will be available online and in-store from this week.

 

Uber pulls self-driving cars after crash in Arizona

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Uber has pulled its self-driving cars from the roads after an accident left one of the vehicles on its side on an Arizona street. The Volvo SUV was in self-driving mode at the time of the crash, on Friday last week (March 24). No one was hurt. Uber's self-driving cars always have a human in the driving seat who can take over the controls. The company pulled its self-driving vehicles off the road in Arizona at first, followed by test sites in Pennsylvania and California - all three states where it operated the vehicles.

 

Hyperloop One rival unveils new designs for high-speed transport system

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has revealed the initial designs for its high-speed transport system’s capsules, which will transport passengers between cities at speeds of more than 700mph if the project is successful. HTT is a rival company to Hyperloop One, which is headed up by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Both companies are in the process of developing technologies capable of transporting people or cargo at near-supersonic speed in vacuum-sealed pods. While Hyperloop One has started construction on a test track in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas, carrying out its first public prototype test at the site in May 2016, HTT has opted to initially focus on developing Hyperloop’s passenger capsule. HTT has revealed that it is now starting construction work on the pod. It is working with Spanish aerospace and automotive engineering company Carbures to manufacture them. Measuring 2.7 metres wide and 30 metres long, the designs show that the pod would be able to hold 28-40 passengers and travel at speeds of 760 mph. HTT is also currently building an 8,000-metre test track in Quay Valley, California. The finished design for HTT’s first passenger capsule is set to be officially unveiled in 2018.

 

Tech-savvy generation demands the high street to up its game

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Bricks and mortar stores have to do more to satisfy tech savvy shoppers and improve the in-store experience, according to new research. A new retail report by mobile technology solutions provider Apadmi, found that consumers would like to see retailers make better use of technology in-store. Nearly half (46%) now expect stores to offer free WiFi and one in five shoppers want retailers to use technology that will provide a more tailored shopping experience while they browse in-store - like an app that notifies them of nearby offers or provides product recommendations or reviews Speed and convenience are top priorities for today’s high street consumer. Being able to pay for items through an app to avoid queues appealed to over a quarter of shoppers surveyed in the report If retailers cannot implement “just walk out” technology, where customers can purchase items through an app without the need for cashiers like that used by Amazon Go, consumers would, at a minimum, like to purchase products through an app and then pick up their items in-store (26%). With one in ten UK consumers downloading more retail apps in the last 12 months than they did in the previous year, the research highlights the shift towards online and mobile technology and the need for retailers to now offer a unified, omnichannel experience.

 

The e-ink Calendar that sync to your Google account

The traditional wall calendar has been given a high-tech upgrade, thanks to a clever use of electronic ink from a Japanese inventor. Created by Japanese designer Kosho Tsuboi, the Magic Calendar looks like it’s made of paper, but is actually a subtle smart screen. The calendar, currently only in prototype stage, works as an e-paper screen that syncs with Google Calendar, effectively giving an internet-connected twist to the standard wall-hanging day planner. Part of Google’s Android Experiments program, it uses an ‘e-ink’ display (similar to that found in Amazon’s Kindle) to update automatically with entries in Google calendar apps. Android Experiments Objects showcase is a case for how the IoT can take a household item and make it fantastically more useful. The video also shows other uses for the device. There’s a point where the Magic Calendar appears to display a world time zones map, and another where it displays a full-screen cooking recipe.

 

POSSIBLE build 2050.earth interactive portal to raise cybersecurity awareness

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POSSIBLE Moscow has developed the 2050.earth interactive portal for Kaspersky Lab, to help raise awareness about the associated cybersecurity issues that the future may hold. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the cybersecurity company has launched an interactive project that invites users to discuss the world of the future, the opportunities it brings and the threats it might cause. Earth 2050 brings together men and women from artistic and scientific backgrounds, dreamers and innovators, to predict changes in the world, as well as technology and cyber threats in the upcoming 30 years. POSSIBLE Moscow has created an interactive experience that features the most popular forecasts and theories – including some from the world’s top scientists and futurists – and invites designers from all over the world to interpret these scenarios, showcasing their vision for our future. Earth 2050 divides the planet into geographical areas, with each including a forecast on a certain aspect of society’s life. Many locations are complemented by futuristic images and even 360-degree panoramas. Any designer, illustrator or artist can upload his or her work to the site and members of the public can comment freely on whether they believe certain predictions will come true. Earth 2050 is active for a year.

 

WhatsApp's privacy protections questioned after London terror attack

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Chat apps that promise to prevent messages being accessed by strangers are under scrutiny again following last week's terror attack in London. On Sunday (March 26), the home secretary, Amber Rudd, said the intelligence services must be able to access relevant information. Her comments followed the discovery that Khalid Masood appeared to have used WhatsApp minutes before carrying out his killings. Rudd has summoned WhatsApp's owner, Facebook, and other technology companies to a meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to ensure that security officers get the data they need in the future.

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