|
January 2017
Key Enabling Technologies
Forecast for 2017
ISDM News and Opportunities
IAMUS Smart Cities Launch
Let’s Go Dizzy – The Story of the Oliver Twins
Immersive Video Technologies and Applications
Recent Article and Presentations
Upcoming
Events.
I wish you a very happy, healthy and successful 2017. The
beginning of every new year is an opportunity to look into the future and
imagine what it will bring. It is a time for both reflections on what has
been and resolutions about what could be. Ironically, last January I was so
engrossed in the Creative Industries Adaptive Roadmap (CRe-AM)
Project focusing on the future of creative technologies that I could not
find the time to produce my usual January newsletter with its predictions
for 2016.
In 2017, I expect a good deal of my time to be spent in the area
of digital medicine, health and well-being, trying to build a successful
European Chapter of ISDM and a strong partnership network to support its
development. I intend also to continue sharing my experiences and ideas
about Gamification and Disruptive Enabling Technologies for other key
sectors such as Education, Commerce, Environment and Society and already
have presentations and articles accepted for forthcoming journals and conferences
in Malaysia, Australia and Singapore.
I hope you find this newsletter interesting and thought-provoking
– best wishes for 2017
In this Edition
· Key Enabling Technologies forecast for 2017
·
International
Society of Digital Medicine News and Opportunities
· IAMUS Smart Cities Launch
·
Lets Go Dizzy –
the Story of the Oliver Twins
·
Immersive Video Technologies and
Applications
· Recent Articles and Presentations
·
Future Events Listing
Key
Enabling Technologies Forecast for 2017
Some of
the technologies that will shape our future and empower our creativity
Every year there seems to be more and
more innovative technologies being developed and launched for the consumer
market place. These technologies not only attract and empower users across
all generations, they also have enormous, often unforeseen and
unconsidered, potential to disrupt business and society. These are just a
few generic technologies which I expect to have important impacts in 2017.
Virtual Reality
(VR) products and services have
had a massive promotion over recent months. In 2017, I expect that some of
the technology-related barriers to growth of VR headsets will gradually
disappear and VR headsets become lighter, cheaper and more immersive.
Devices which make the creation of VR content and the control of navigation
in a virtual world will also become much more affordable and powerful. We
already have 360 degree and 3D video available in mass applications such as
Facebook and YouTube and I expect to see many more creative businesses
exploiting this opportunity.
Drones for professional use are also likely to
take off in a big way (excuse the pun) in the coming year, enabled by
developments in artificial intelligence and sensor technologies that not
only make the drones easy to use but also safe and reliable. Like the VR
products and services, drones will also benefit from advances in camera
technologies and, for consumer use, I expect the main applications to come
from making aerial videos and photos. On a personal note, I was very sad to
see that the company that developed my chosen drone (3DR Solo) are ceasing
manufacture and support for their drones. I have been very impressed with
the 3DR solo drone and will continue to use it for video and photography.
360 Degree
Cameras like the Theta S and
Samsung Gear 360 are likely to see increased competition in 2017 as it
becomes easier to publish immersive videos onto the internet and social
media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. I have just begun to explore
live streaming of 360 degree video via Youtube
and Google Hangout and although it is not straightforward at the moment, I
am certain that we will begin to see the use of live streaming of events in
360 degrees as commonplace by the end of the year. Unfortunately for me, my
rural home has such poor broadband connectivity from BT that it is very
difficult for me to explore and develop the use of these technologies in a
practical way.
Wearable Technologies such as smart watches and smart clothing
will see some interesting innovations in 2017 as their use for personal
health and well-being gathers momentum and new combinations of disruptive
technologies become possible. The most interesting recent example I saw was
“smart shorts” fitted with embedded sensors and vibration devices linked to
GPS and sat nav applications on the mobile phone.
These shorts have the potential to direct you to chosen locations by
vibrating on the side of the body representing the direction you need to
walk.
Smart Home
Technologies are also likely to
see a bigger penetration into the consumer market as more sensor devices,
better mobile applications, cloud computing and artificial intelligence
become increasingly affordable.
Voice Controlled Media Devices such as the Amazon Echo
smart speaker system are likely to see some interesting new applications in
2017 as the technologies which potentially limit their capabilities and
impact their costs become more powerful and increasingly affordable.
In summary, the technological constraints
which impact the functionality and costs of new devices will continue to be
eroded as the key technologies which are likely to shape our future develop
at exponential rates. Although I love the empowerment that all these
developments bring, I continue to be nervous about the impact of these
technologies on humanity and the implications of our growing dependence on
them.
International
Society of Digital Medicine News and Opportunities
The ISDM European Chapter Initial web page (www.isdm.eu)
It was in June in
Nanjing in 2016 that I found myself invited to the inaugural International
Society of Digital Medicine Conference to make a presentation on my
experiences of wearable technologies for health applications. Just six
months later, I am honoured to have the opportunity to establish the
European Chapter of ISDM.
To celebrate the
launch of the European Chapter of ISDM, there will be a special European
Edition of the Digital Medicine Journal featuring, papers, reviews,
editorials and letters from a number European members of ISDM to whom I am
grateful for producing submissions for the Journal in a tight timescale.
I am now in process
of choosing a base for a UK Digital Medicine Research Centre (UKDMRC) to
act as a hub to a European network of scientists, practitioners, academics
and technologists pioneering the application of digital technologies to
medicine, health and well-being. The primary focus of the UKDMRC will be
the study and exploration of which, where, when and how digital
technologies will impact the future of medicine, health and well-being. My
aspiration is to make membership of ISDM a respected and recognised
accreditation of those individuals and organisations pioneering the use of
digital technologies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of medical
conditions.
We are now inviting
ISDM members to nominate outstanding individuals and organisations to apply
for membership status and also offering the opportunity to non-members
involved in these technologies and applications to apply for membership.
Applications and nominations for membership will be reviewed every 3 months
and a portfolio of membership benefits is under development.
Anyone interested
in ISDM membership can contact membership@isdm.eu
for more details
IAMUS Smart Cities Launch
Oliver Goh and the IAMUS team at their Smart
Cities Launch Event in Klaipeda, Lithuania
It was a great
pleasure and honour to be invited to the launch of a Smart Cities and
Cultural Technologies Centre held on December 16th in Klaipeda,
Lithuania. The IAMUS (named after a Greek God) centre is led by Oliver Goh
and its mission is to become a leader in smart technologies for cities and
buildings, thus boosting the local economy and building the creative
potential of young Lithuanians in the Klaipeda area.
Klaipeda is a
beautiful town with a fascinating history. Located on the Baltic sea, it is
blessed with a harbour that does not freeze in Winter. It is this location
and climate that has been responsible for its strategic importance as a
trading post and a stopping place for many cruise ships in the summer.
Klaipeda is shortly due to be the Cultural Capital of Lithuania with
aspirations to become the cultural capital of Europe in 2022. A successful
IAMUS centre demonstrating advanced creative uses of technology is an
important aspect of these plans.
Oliver Goh and I
collaborated on an initiative called SHASPA which used disruptive
technologies to blend physical and virtual spaces. In 2008, we were already
demonstrating the use of mobile devices and virtual environments to manage
smart homes as part of our collaboration. Click here
to watch as 360 degree video of the actual launch ceremony.
The launch event
with Oliver and his team led by Asta Lubyte was a great success and provided me with an
opportunity to renew my acquaintance with Guitar Hero, including a bit of
“air guitar” jamming with an excellent jazz saxophonist “real musician”.
To learn more about
IAMUS, visit https://www.facebook.com/iamusiot/
Let’s Go Dizzy – The Story of the Oliver Twins
A New Book from the Oliver Twins, Founders
of Blitz Games and Games Industry Legends
I was lucky to
receive an early Christmas present from Andrew Oliver – a pre-release copy of
his and his twin brother, Philip’s book charting their distinguished
history as pioneers of the British Independent Games Development Industry.
I recall first meeting Andrew in the 1990s when he spoke at a Chamber of
Commerce event and our acquaintance was renewed when I visited Blitz Games
during my time at De Montfort University.
Indirectly, Blitz
Games had a big influence on my career, since it was a lady called Mary
Matthews, then working at the West Midlands Regional Development Agency but
later at Blitz Games, who played a large part in the establishment of the
Serious Games Institute (SGI) at Coventry University where I became the
Founding Director in 2006.
At the SGI, we had
most contact with Trusim, the Serious Games
Division of Blitz Games, who did some really innovative work, especially in
the medical simulations area.
The SGI sponsored
the Oliver twins in their award of honorary degrees and I will never forget
the pride that their parents felt when they saw their sons being honoured
in this way.
Let’s Go Dizzy is a
great exploration of video games history and a very human story. You can
obtain copies from Fusion Retro Books (www.fusionretrobooks.com)
ISBN 9780993131585.
Immersive Video Technologies and Applications
Example 360 degree still image from
Theta360.com (Click here to view in
360)
One of the most
promising growth opportunities for 2017 and beyond is the use of technology
to enhance and share sensory experiences. Virtual Reality, Augmented
Reality and Mixed Reality are all examples of how technology can extend,
enhance and share experiences with other humans in ways that independent of
space and time. I believe that human beings have a fundamental need to
communicate and share their experiences with other humans. The tools
available to empower us to do this have been very limited throughout most
of human history. Most of the disruptive developments in history can be
traced back to quantum advances in communication technologies which break
down the barriers of time and space.
Language, writing,
roads, books, canals, railways, telegraph, telephone, aviation, cinema,
television and the internet have all had a major impact on the status quo
and today we have at the disposal of much of the civilised world
unprecedented access to technologies that allow us to share our experiences
with a global audience.
The use of social
media like facebook and YouTube to post photos
and videos generates exponentially increasing communications traffic and we
now stand on the edge of yet another quantum leap with consumer access to
high quality 360 degree video that will enable us to not only record and
archive experiences that can be shared with generations to come, but also,
as time goes by, to be able to share them in real-time, as described
earlier in this newsletter.
Click here
to view Klaipeda Christmas decorations in the market square and here
to experience a drone flight over the frosty fields of Northamptonshire.
Recent Articles, Presentations and Papers
A comprehensive list of archived articles,
presentations and videos can be accessed at my website – http://www.davidwortley.com/conferences.html
Upcoming Events Listing
Below is a list of
forthcoming conferences – also accessible at http://www.davidwortley.com/events.html
If you would like any
presentations, videos or documents circulated to my network, I am happy to
provide this service free of charge for any material relevant to readers of
this newsletter. If you are interested, contact me at david@davidwortley.com.
Best
Wishes for a Better Future for all Mankind
David Wortley FRSA
Founder and CEO GAETSS – Gamification and Enabling Technologies
Strategic Solutions
Shaping the Future of Business and Society through
Human Development and Motivation
President of the European
Chapter of the International Society of Digital Medicine
Landline: +441327811827
Mobile Phone : +447896659695
Email : david@gaetss.com,
president@isdm.eu
Skype: davidwortley
Web: http://www.gaetss.com
If you no longer wish to receive these
newsletters, simply reply with the word UNSUBSCRIBE and I will remove you
from the mailing list.
|