See Fashion x Wearable Tech Show 2018
On the 13th March 2018, the Wearable Technology Show opened its doors to showcase the future innovations in IoT, AI and VR/AR at the Excel in London.
See Fashion was front and centre of the action, as we hosted the Emerging Technology Stage. Leading companies and disruptive start-ups such as Accenture, Amazon and See Sense gave their insights on the latest developments and challenges in emerging tech.
Here are 5 key things we learnt:
- Expect more from AI
See Fashion took part in the “Getting Smart with Artificial Intelligence” panel with Hugo Pinto from Accenture Digital and Alice Little from Century Tech, where we discussed the potential of AI for automation in education, retail and industry. While advances in machine learning has enabled chatbots, recommendation engines and intelligent forecasting systems, we have barely scratched the surface of AI. Enterprises and consumers should expect AI to become even smarter in anticipating our needs, as we begin to capture, process and apply more meaningful data from our increasing interactions with smart devices.
“The holy trinity of disruptive technology is IoT, Blockchain and Artificial intelligence working together.” — Hugo Pinto, Accenture.
2. We will move from screen to Surface Interactions
Aditya Chhabra from Vodafone UK predicts that technology will move beyond screens, increasing interaction with every day items not only through touch but voice and images as well. Max Amordeluso from Amazon Alexa Skills also demonstrated how developments in voice technology is allowing digital assistants like Alexa to enhance the customer journey, solving customer questions, create new ecommerce channels and improve brand affinity.
“Machine learning will define the interfaces of the future” — Aditay Chhabra, Vodafone UK.
3. Facial Recognition Technology will transform the retail store
At the “Maturity of the connected market” panel, our co-founder, Ivana Ojukwu, discussed how sensors and facial recognition technology will help retailers understand and react to customer needs in the store. Retail spaces will be able to identify shoppers to adapt product displays, pricing in real-time, as well as anticipate when a customer requires assistance. In essence, retailers will be able to offer a data-driven concierge service.
Karen Boswell from Adam & Eve DDB showed an exciting application of this technology in “The Oak Mirror”. Oak Labs is transforming the fitting room with interactive mirrors that can identify what products you are wearing, suggest similar styles, call for assistance and enable purchase.
As the divide between the digital and the physical world disappears, there will be more screens, all clicks will be intertwined, and your consumers will be in control. Not you!
4. Do we rely on technology too much?
During the “Enhanced living — Technology Enriching Lives” panel, we heard interesting perspectives on this matter. The panelists agreed that we cannot avoid the increasing ‘digitization’ of our everyday interactions, but there needs to be a balance. Head of innovation & wearable technology at Swarovski, Daniel Egger, highlighted that technology is and should be purposeful but firms need to be transparent about the data they collect from their customers. Dr. Richard, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, also stressed the benefits of technology in improving communication or building independence for specific groups e.g. individuals with autism.
“We need to understand which technologies create meaningfulness…technology should serve us.” — David Egger, Swarovski.
5. Human 2.0: Technology within the body
What if our hands could become our keys, wallet AND health trackers? Steven Northam, Director of BioTech, talked about RFID implants that we insert in our bodies could make our lives more convenient. And for individuals with disabilities, this could lead to increased independence. Steven himself, said he doesn’t even need keys to start his car anymore, he just puts his hands on the steering wheel. Crazy or ingenius? If Steven is on to something, the implications of human RFID implants for retail could be immense…
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