Here’s what you missed at the 2020 Emerging Tech Hub Virtual Showcase!
Both technology and innovation are becoming more important than ever, as the spread COVID-19 has changed how we live and work. As we face these changes, we need to come together to keep an eye on the horizon for what is next.
The Emerging Tech Hub at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery leverages partnerships more effectively for a new competitive advantage. The Hub’s unique partnership with HyperX and Hyper Innovation allows for the ability for individuals to come together and maximize their strengths, explore new opportunities, and have shared learning experiences. Offering the ability to accelerate innovation, Hyper Innovation creates value from ecosystem connections, identifies new opportunities, and allows for rapid testing of novel concepts within the Emerging Tech Hub. . Kevin Ponto, UW-Madison faculty and Director of the Emerging Tech Hub, spoke about the Emerging Tech Hub’s encouragement of a partnership between UW-Madison’s campus and the outside community, through multi-disciplinary collaboration and unique ways of working with industry partners and campus faculty. The Emerging Tech Hub offers a space for tech nights, industry learning and work sessions, hackathons and challenges, as well as innovation and leadership summits.
HyperX, a multi-disciplinary student run org, focuses on exploring and experimenting with new tech, building skills, creating novel learning experiences, and offering students opportunities for unique collaboration opportunities with industry partners. HyperX Madison is a growing student organization on the UW Madison campus that provides students with a low barrier to entry access to a safe space for open collaboration and exploration around emerging technologies. Students are invited to bring their own ideas for exploration, or team up to work on semester long projects. Mentorship from local tech experts, startups, and corporations is provided to students at weekly work sessions, offering them unique opportunities for engagement.
The showcase highlighted the budding student projects that are being developed through their work with HyperX!
The showcase highlighted the budding student projects that are being developed through their work with HyperX!
Predictive Analytics for Injury Risk Reduction and Performance Optimization in Sports
The first project introduced was completed by Lilian Stenz. Interested in swimming the best race ever? Lillian’s project explores swimmer injury risk prediction for avoiding chronic shoulder pain using data she collected and analyzed. She is looking into swimmers maintaining efficient movement patterns, optimizing their stroke count, as well as predicting performance statistics. Lillian’s data was presented on Axicor’s predictive analytics platform. Axicor is a data analytics company from Green Bay Wisconsin focused on sports optimization and improving healthcare through predictive analytics and data analysis.
“What other kinds of insights would you look at with other data sources?”
Lilian responded that she would be looking for other possible metrics, an emerging trend is doing pre-tests on athletes to assess their risks (imbalances, scoring low on functional movement patterns (squats or stepping over a hurdle).
SANDRA, CEO OF HYPERINNOVATION
Augmented Reality and Location-based Services
Moving on to the second student project, Michael Gira and Jack Cai, along with their teammates, are researching Augmented Reality/Location-Based Services through their indoor navigation app: Clairvo. This app offers a navigated 2D, augmented reality experience, in which users can download the app to help them find a difficult indoor location at event venues.
“How does IndoorAtlas work? Does it require beacons?”
Michael and Jack responded by explaining that their technology is very flexible, in that “only a floor plan is needed, therefore, there are no need for beacons.”
REPRESENTATIVE FROM KOHL’S DEPARTMENT STORE
“What is the largest venue to date?”
Michael and Jack said that their old high school building was the largest place, and that they are looking for more locations to test on.
VERIZON REPRESENTATIVE
Learning by Doing, not by Lecture with Holos
A sponsor of HyperX, Holos, is making it easier for teachers and students to create immersive learning experiences. Run by Tyler Waite and Dan Borkhus, Holos is a company that is passionate about providing educational institutions with a better understanding of the world through developmental software and virtual reality. They are currently focused on the K-12 and defense markets. Holos’ creators hope to change the way that people interact with computers through “bringing the computer into our world,” as stated in their mission statement. Dan and Tyler spoke about how their program has allowed for AR/VR learning in the US Air Force. Rather than spending thousands of dollars to build each training experience, Holos provides virtual 3D models of the equipment they are learning about. Now more than ever there is a need for solutions that enable rich immersive learning at a distance. This technology allows for tangible learning available at a distance, learning that would originally take place in the classroom with the teacher and their students. Holos is bridging the gap between physical and digital learning.
“What are the benefits for using VR rather than traditional modes?”
Holos followed up by highlighting how cost will be limited as VR replaces assets that are tied to a physical location. VR also gives people better hands-on learning experiences to learn quicker, in a more enjoyable way.
SANDRA, CEO OF HYPERINNOVATION
Creating Engagement, Hosting, and Participating in Virtual Events with Mobile Platforms with Virtual Race
Another sponsor of HyperX, Cockpit Mobile, developed by Brandon Humbolt, was introduced as creating engagement, hosting, and participating in virtual events with mobile platforms. Focusing on the new reality that is COVID-19, Cockpit Mobile has implemented a virtual platform for race companies and racers of physical race events. Through this technology participants enter into a race, then race, by themselves, and record their time. They then send those results to an event director for manual entry, and the rewards they earn are then sent to them. Knowing that large, in-person events will likely be cancelled for the foreseeable future, Cockpit Mobile is aware that event companies need to have their races, otherwise they risk charge backs and refunds. Brandon spoke to his company’s choice to pivot alongside their customers, and create a new platform that allows racing related companies to be kept alive by virtually hosting their racing events. The current problems Brandon addressed are that the virtual race system requires multiple apps of communication, leader boards must be manually created and set, and there is a lack of community. Cockpit Mobile’s newest venture, Virtual Race, offers one platform for viewing and participating in race through built-in participating tracking and timing, leader boards that are automatically created and updated as others finish, and features for sharing stats on social media and with other participants, such as posting a selfie at the end of the race.
“What is an example of something that went wrong and you changed it to continue forward?”
Brandon spoke about his realization that he needed to pivot in order to accommodate the changes brought about by COVID-19.
BRIAN SAMSON, AN AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE REPRESENTATIVE
“Can this platform be used for other sporting events?”
Brandon said that currently Cockpit Mobile is focusing on biking and racing, but in the future it could be used across other events such as triathlons.
SANDRA, CEO OF HYPERINNOVATION
In the closing of the showcase, Sandra emphasized the importance of the sponsors of HyperX: Cockpit Mobile, Terso, Axicor, Holos, and Hyper Innovation and thanked them for their participation and support of the Emerging Tech Hub Initiative.
Visit the showcase landing page to view the showcase recordings and for more information!
Make sure to check www.hyperxmadison.com for upcoming Emerging Tech Hub dates. Contact [email protected] to learn how to get involved or with questions. In addition, interested companies can reach out to follow up with presenters.
