AWE 2016 Wearable Tech Round-Up

It has been 1 week since Augmented World Expo (AWE). If you haven’t checked out my YouTube video taking you through the show floor, what are you waiting for? It’s right here. See robots, augmented reality clothing, hologram nails, and more!

In between shooting video and chairing the wearables stage, I caught up with old contacts and met some new ones all working on technology worn on the body. In episode 25 of the Electric Runway podcast, I share my conversations from the show floor at AWE 2016.

Companies Mentioned: 

1. Metaverse Nails

Dubbing itself as “glam wearable tech for the internet generation,” Metaverse Nails offers affordable nail are that comes to life on your mobile phone.

Learn more about Metaverse nails here. 

2. SubPac

I first met SubPac in Toronto when the company was just one guy and an idea—to translate sound into a physically immersive experience via a vest worn on the body. Today, the company has $6 million in Series A funding and offices in both the 6ix and the Bay Area.

SubPac has ambitions to enable all kinds of immersive experiences, from concerts to silent discos to movie theatres.

More on SubPac here. 

3. Machina 

Machina works at the intersection of digital and design. Its latest project out of the hardware accelerator PCH Highway 1 wants to extend the virtual reality experience to your body. Up until this point, VR has kind of been a head trip, but Machina wants to change that. Its Obe jacket (now in beta) aims to replace the controller in gaming by turning your body into the controller. Because isn’t that how we experience real life? Why should VR be different?

Check out Machina here. 

4. Nuheara IQBuds 

If startups like SubPac want to make sound physical, Nuheara wants to change the way you hear entirely.

Like the latest earbuds on the market, Nuheara’s IQBuds offer wireless listening via bluetooth. What makes this product special is its ability to augment the hearing experience. Noise cancellation technology enables the wearer to tune out surrounding sounds, or to turn down ambient noise and turn up voices, making it easier to hear the people around you. The company just took more than $1 million in pre-orders  from 3,300 Indiegogo backers.

More on Nuheara here.  

5. Myant 

When it comes to fashion tech, Myant is Toronto’s best-kept secret. In addition to producing their own lines of smart apparel, Myant is a solution for anyone who wants to integrate technology into their clothing. Their fully-integrated facility allows them to work on projects of all sizes and scopes—from small startups to large government agencies and retailers. Their design studio assists in creating wearables people actually want to wear, and robotic knitting machines make it easy for them to carefully and accurately integrate conductive threads into garments. But that’s justa good place to start!

Learn more about Myant’s offerings here.

6. Octagon Studios 

If companies like Myant want to help integrate technology into textiles, Octagon Studios wants to bring your clothing to life with augmented reality. They’re a creative IT and multimedia studio with offices in Ireland and Indonesia. They specialize in creating AR content. In the above Vine, you can see t-shirts they made in collaboration with Marks & Spencer. When viewed through the iPad, the animals and dinosaurs on the shirts come to life via image-recognition technology. So much fun!

7. Athos

Leaders in the field of smart fabrics, Athos believes that in the near future, the word “wearable” will become a thing of the past because technology will be so integrated in what we wear on an everyday basis. Their line of connected clothing gathers biodata and translates this information into meaningful insights you can actually use to improve your training.

Details on Athos on their website here.

8. Augment

Last but not least, I spoke with Augment, an end-to-end augmented reality platform positioning itself as an enterprise solution. Their software—which is used by brands like Coca-Cola and Loreal—lets you configure, manage, and view augmented reality content. When I spoke with CEO Jean-Francois, he showed me how a retailer might use the platform for visualizing products if they can’t be present in the store, or how the software can help with merchandising.

Get the scoop on Augment here. 

What did I miss? Tweet me @AmandaCosco + @Electric_Runway

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