Made the trip out to NY, NY for the Engadget Engage Event. Which was way more fun than most events that Mike brings me to. This event is like an inventor’s fair where the new and innovative products get to be shown and explained. I really enjoyed this event because of the diversity of the products being shown, and it wasn’t all open-source companies like OSCON. It crazy large event floor either. I could comfortably talk to every booth and have time for a talk or two all in one day. Which didn’t give me the panic, we will never finish feeling. Got to see some neat inventions, like the “Grow Cubes” http://m.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/10/computer-assisted-aeroponic-growing-future-urban-farming/7207/ Which uses social media recipies for growing different vegitables in a box with a rotating slats. Everytime the slat rotates the computer senses what it being grown and doses out the nutrients from that recipe and the proper type of light to get that plant growing good and strong. They might not have won the prize to further this invention, but it’s a really cool idea!
There was a therapy/assistance product on display to help get paralyzed people out of the wheelchair and moving those legs again. The EKSO GT Suit is an exoskeleton suit that helps train people who can’t walk, walk again. This is a device that as of now is only to be used with a therapist for support/stabilization, because it does train the body to walk, but it doesn’t have a correctional access to prevent the patient from falling. I was highly impressed by the man in the wheelchair giving demos, strapping in and walking around. There is so much hope for the future which companies like this working hard to change the world. http://eksobionics.com/
There was 3d printers of all types too! One used a liquid resin that prints the items with a much higher resolution, and hardens the resin with uv-light. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/formlabs/form-1-an-affordable-professional-3d-printer They are based out of cambridge and invited us to their office party this weekend! Sweet! There was the other 3d printers which involve melting plastics and layering the plastic as if you cut out each layer on a piece of paper and stacked them all up. There was also different type of scanning equipment for making 3d models of people. In the future, we might be able to print our own cake toppers complete with the actual bride and groom, instead of store bought bride and groom that look nothing like you. http://captureddimensions.com/weddings/ Some professional studios are already doing this.
There was the arm piece of a Mech that a man with a dream is trying to build for Mech racing in the year 2016. This was very neat and had just one of the arms/legs moving for the show. The only problem is, this piece is huge and it’s only at 1/3rd scale. It’s only part of a VERY LARGE Mechanical beast. http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/gonzo/building-a-giant-mechanical-exoskeleton-one-six-foot-leg-at-a-time-15880279 It was so powerful and exciting. Mike worries that someday this device will be what we will have to run from, but the man in the flight suit assured us, that it doesn’t have a brain, it has a pilot. He hopes to race them someday. He’s well on his way!
Aside from booths there was many speakers that graced the Engage stage. LeVar Burton was there, giving a talk on how technology has changed from tv to ipads and how he’s moved his reading rainbow from tv to ipads to keep the kids engaged. We also got to hear the inventor of LOL Cats (I can haz cheeseburger). We also saw Reggie Watts Perform, who is a comedian/musician. Mike even got to meet Ben Heck, who inspires Mike to make different projects by watching some of his youtube video electronics projects he posts. (Step by step how to do.) Very fun!
There was so many fun and innovative booths happening throughout this event! I had a great time and I am so happy I was able to go.