Category Archives: Accessories

Wonder Painter – Tech Podcasts Network Best of CES 2020 Award



Wonder PainterThe Tech Podcasts Network team awards its TPN Best of CES 2020 Award to Wonder Painter.

As a kid, almost everyone imagined themselves as the protagonist in their favorite stories. Heck, most adults do it when they read. However, those picture books never actually feature your face, right? Wonder Painter has created a technology that can directly bring any drawing or photo to life. The technology can allow publishers to use the reader’s drawing or photo as an integral part of their storytelling experience.

Imagine a story about two kids going on an adventure – it’s a fairly standard kids book concept. However, using Wonder Painter’s technology, that story can feature you and your best friend as the kids going on said adventure. During the story, the two of you need a horse to get across a large field. Simply draw your own horse and the drawing comes to life as your transportation. This is nearly every kid’s dream scenario and it is now a possibility.

The company has published a few demo apps to the Apple App Store to show off the basics of what their technology can do. While these demos are a ton of fun, the really important part is the technology. It is available in a platform-agnostic way, making it possible to build for the web, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, macOS, and more. The company licenses this technology to content creators to allow them to make their own products and services more interactive. They are currently working with LG, Baidu, Alibaba, and more to make interactive applications a reality.

If you want to see the technology in action, check out the Wonder Painter apps in the App Store or the company’s website. You can also learn about the SDK, Cloud service, and ask for a private demo of the development tech.

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URGONight – Talking Sound (TPN Picks Best of CES 2020 Award)



URGONightThe Talking Sound awards its TPN Picks Best of CES 2020 Award to URGONight.

Have you ever had a period of time where you just couldn’t sleep at night? Maybe a week leading up to a big event like CES. Maybe you’ve got a big project at work that you’re worried about. Maybe you can’t figure out what’s going on, you just can’t sleep. That’s where URGONight comes in. Their product is a training device for your brain that helps you learn to get into the right state to sleep.

Rather than the common scenario of wearing a device while you sleep, which can negatively affect your sleep, URGONight is worn during the day. Even better, it is worn for only a few minutes per day. It does this using an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor combined with brain exercises on the connected app. The device is based on existing technology that was previously only available to those who took the time and expense to go to a sleep clinic.

Early testers seem to love the device. The fact that it doesn’t require wearing the device to bed is seemingly the most popular feature. The fact that it doesn’t use any wave emissions or sounds is a big deal, too, though. Because it doesn’t try to make any changes through the device itself, it can create ease of mind for the user. And, even without any electronic stimulation, users could see lasting results, thanks to the guided exercises. Those exercises are recommended based on the readings of the device with the intention to help you sleep faster and better.

URGONight is not currently publicly available, but it is coming. If you want more information about the company, the product, or want to sign up for updates, you can check out the company’s website.

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Voiceitt – The Tech Ranch (TPN Picks Best of CES 2020 Award)



VoiceittThe Tech Ranch awards its TPN Picks Best of CES 2020 Award to Voiceitt.

Over the past few years, we have seen a variety of products that provide language translation services. These products are great for traveling abroad or if you find yourself in a situation where you don’t speak the language. Most of these products require communication within a very limited set of parameters in which even strong accents can be a problem.

But what if you communicate in a non-traditional way? How can you easily communicate with people who are not used to your style? Millions of people have vocal disabilities, due to stroke, cerebral palsy, and other causes. That is where Voiceitt comes in – it provides a way to verbalize communication for people of all abilities. The product is based on the idea that verbal communication is an essential human need, whether you’re ordering food or telling someone “I love you.” For those who have limited speech capabilities, the limitations are difficult to overcome.

Voiceitt is designed specifically to understand and respond to non-standard and dysarthric speech. This is accomplished through a mobile application, which is currently in a closed beta phase. It allows for face-to-face, real-time communication with friends, family, and people around you. This can bring an aspect of everyday life for most that was previously unavailable, helping to build stronger and more meaningful connections.

If you are one of more than 10 million people in the United States or Europe who suffer from speech disabilities or are the caretaker of one of the 8 percent of children with a temporary or consistent communication disorder and would like to join the beta program, you can apply to join on their website.

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BinoViz is building technology to expand the reach of human vision



BinoViz Limited Vision CorrectionVision is a tricky thing. We usually think of it as a constant, where everyone sees the same thing the same way. However, the reality of vision is that many people see things differently. One of the biggest differences is caused by color blindness, which causes people to not be able to distinguish between two colors. Red-green color blindness alone is present in 1 in 12 males. Despite this high percentage of the problem, we still use color as a primary part of daily life. BinoViz is building technology to help people who see colors differently differentiate colors.

The company has developed the first Binocular Video Tone Mapping (BVTM) framework, which takes advantage of the way the brain fuses paired images into a single visual. By using this technology, which is similar to how movies produce a modern 3D visual, they can extend the range of color that is perceivable. For those with color issues, it can produce a different contrast to the colors that are presented, allowing them to determine the difference between red and green, or blue and green, and the colors produced by combining them with others. For those who see colors normally, it does not negatively impact the visual.

The company is starting with the entertainment industry, as it affords the most opportunity to apply color technology. Nowhere else do we see as many varying colors in such a short period, and nowhere does color have such a huge impact. Think of the movie Avatar, which revolves around blue people on a green planet. For someone who cannot distinguish blue from green, the movie didn’t get exciting until everything caught fire, introducing red. But, by introducing a new level of contrast, even these people can enjoy the film.

To learn more about BinoViz, check out their website.

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DaDJ App is bringing awareness to smaller musicians and their music



If you are a fan of a mainstream musical artist, it is really easy to follow their career. If you want to see them perform live or listen to their sets, it is as simple as opening a streaming app or checking a ticket site. However, if you’re a fan of a smaller artist, it can be really difficult to follow their career. Sometimes they post on Facebook, sometimes on Instagram, sometimes on Twitter – and sometimes they don’t post at all. How can you find out where your favorite DJ will be this weekend? DaDJ App is the answer.

This platform has a couple of purposes, but primarily, it is an opportunity for DJs to get their name and their music out to the world. For fans, it creates a more direct line of communication. The DJs can post where they will be playing, whether it is a public or private event, and can even make tickets available for their shows – all in one place. They can even make a selection of their music available for fans to enjoy.

On the other hand, the platform also gives DJs a way to interact with venues and event promoters to find new places to perform. Whether you own a bar or club or are hosting a private event, you can find a DJ for your purposes. Because the DJ posts their music, you can get an idea of the type of set that they perform. Because they post where they are playing, you can go see them live to ensure their stage persona matches your needs. Then, once you find your match, you can hire them right on the platform. If you’re hosting a public event, the DJ can then sell tickets for you.

DaDJ App is in public beta right now, with an overhaul coming in December. To get more information about the platform, check out the company’s website.

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Curiato is helping to prevent bedsores and other skin problems



Curiato Smart Bed SheetsIt’s hard to believe that, with all of the technology in a modern hospital, or even in our smartwatches, the part of the body that is completely ignored is our skin. This is despite our skin being the largest organ of the body and the first line of defense that we have against disease and injury. Patients all over the world enter medical facilities for other issues, but develop skin issues while there, all because it is difficult to track. Fortunately, Curiato noticed this problem and has developed a product to help solve it.

The company has developed a smart bedsheet, which is capable of detecting pressure, temperature, and humidity. With those 3 data points, the platform can detect, predict, and prevent injuries like bedsores. While everyone has heard of bedsores, almost no one knows exactly how big the problem of skin issues is. In North America alone, 7 people die every hour from skin issues like bedsores. Yes, you read that right: 7 people die every hour from fairly easily preventable skin issues. However, detection has always been the problem, but Curiato helps to fill that skill gap.

While bedsores may be where the company is starting, they believe that the technology can be used for far more. The intention is to use the platform as a marketplace of ideas and applications. Using the data collected by the existing hardware, other applications can use it, combine it with other data, and make even more powerful platforms. Imagine if the patient management system that helps run an assisted living facility could have Curiato built-in directly. If a patient doesn’t move for an extended period, an ALF employee could be alerted to prevent a permanent or life-threatening injury.

The platform is currently in clinical trials and they hope to begin rolling it out soon. For more information, check out the company’s website.

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Granthika brings continuity management to authors of fiction



Granthika Fiction Author ToolsFor authors of fiction, several issues can make the experience challenging. Some of those issues end up making the final work frustrating for the reader. We’ve all gotten into reading a book series or watched a television series in which a known fact, about a character or a location, is contradicted – not because of plot development, but because of the difficulty of maintaining the details of a universe that doesn’t exist (did Michael Scott go to college or not?!). For those writers who want to prevent this issue, there is Granthika.

Normally, writers keep a notebook or a separate document with the individual details of the development of the world or universe being created. However, no one is ever able to maintain all of the details. When did two characters first meet? Who started working at Dunder Mifflin first: Jim or Pam? These types of questions can take the reader or watcher out of the action, but Granthika can help prevent it. Using natural language processing, the software can essentially read a book and begin to build a timeline and fact database for the author.

While this is great for a solo author, it has a particular value for a universe with multiple authors. It doesn’t matter if it is two authors working together on a book, or an open-source universe like Isaac’s Universe, created by Isaac Asimov and contributed to by authors all over the world. When a rule is created, or experience documented, that data can be shared with the other authors, to prevent continuity issues or storylines based on false accounts.

Granthika is currently in an open beta phase, and an author can try it out today. To get in on the beta, or to find out more about the software, check out the Granthika website.

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Bottega makes VR and AR available to cheaper and lighter hardware



Bottega VR ProcessingAugmented Reality and Virtual Reality are technologies that have taken the world by storm. Games like Pokemon GO have made AR a daily activity, and platforms like Oculus and Steam VR have made deploying VR games to the masses possible. However, both of these technologies require a substantial amount of rendering power to make the graphics of a quality that is engaging. This means that many devices, including middle and low tier mobile phones, are out of contention. That is unless the developer uses Bottega’s technology.

While normal games and apps require the graphics to be rendered in real-time on the device being used, Bottega allows these games and apps to offload a hefty portion of this rendering to remote systems. Unlike systems like Microsoft’s Project xCloud, however, Bottega does not use live remote rendering servers. Instead, the system pre-renders portions of the graphics. This allows the app or game to load the graphics from hot storage, which is far cheaper than powerful rendering servers. Storage, even hot storage, is fairly cheap in the grand scheme of cloud services, and taking advantage of this can be a major cost saving for the developer.

By implementing this technology, AR and VR can be brought to smaller and lighter technology. Inexpensive phones can now access features that were withheld from them. Even better, standalone VR and AR headsets, like the Oculus Go and the Microsoft HoloLens, can be made significantly lighter. This can usher in a new era of VR and AR experiences that do not require bulky hardware or tethered computers. All it will require is an internet connection. With the impending launch of 5G network connections, this will be able to be made mobile, as well.

Bottega is currently in an early testing phase but hopes to be ready for a wider rollout in the near future.

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ChiKeey helps you and your loved ones connect with your emotions



ChiKeey Digital Mood RingWho remembers the mood rings of the ’70s? They were all the rage and in the day the first year sold 20 million units. Fast forward to today and the technology available to improve on the idea. Guiliana Kotikela is the founder and CEO of ChiKeey which is modernizing the mood ring of the ’70s and ’80s. It is a biometric digital mood ring made to show emotions that allows you to connect with people.

On the ring, there are bio-physiological sensors that help you to understand yourself and in turn, understand others. Determining factors are the way you speak, skin temperature and the sweat that is emitted from your skin, and even your blood oxygen level. In the testing, the vocal biomarkers were found to be 90% accurate in 100 different trials. As of now, 8 different moods can be detected: fear, anxiety, desperation, joy, ecstasy, frustration, contentment, and neutrality.

In her previous job, Guiliana traveled a lot and had to leave her children home. While skyping with a daughter in the evening, she always asked her how her day was and felt that a quiet “fine” was not quite accurate because there was no eye contact from her daughter. Two days later the school called her to say that the girl was being bullied. That incident is what prompted the idea for this ring. Now there is relief on the mothers part because she can immediately know what her daughter’s mood is and if there is a problem.

Mood sharing is made possible through the connected app. The wearer has the option to share their readings in real-time with the friends and family of their choosing. These people can respond based on the moods shown. For example, if you see that your bestie is having a hard time, you can call them up and offer to bring over ice cream to make it better! Connections with friends and loved ones are important to our overall daily well-being.

This product is available soon. For more information go to their website.

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In with Hal, who can be a lifesaver and out with impersonal assistance



Hal Personal AssistantThis is the age of everything internet. When someone wants to look up something or find out information or directions, they Google it or look to Siri, Cortana or Alexa. Now there is Hal, which stands for Human Artificial Intelligence instead of AI, which is Artificial Intelligence. There was a time when people wanted advice on things or had to vent, they wrote to”Dear Abby”. Today they write to Hal but you text him.

In this time, many people are constantly talking to computers which has created a form of isolation. This can lead to all kinds of problems for them. They have minimal contact with people and can sometimes go to a dark place, which can then result in severe loss of normalcy in their behavior. In an episode of Boston Legal, Jerry Espenson famously called 411 just looking for a human voice but was instead greeted by a computer asking “city and state, please.” Because Hal is powered by a person, he has even been able to prevent suicide because the person can talk it out and get to a better place.

Being Hal is a paid position, just like an Uber driver. The position of Hal is paid by the interaction with the user. The longer you are interacting with the user, the more you get paid. The cost for the user is $3.99 per month unlimited usage. The availability of Hal is 24/7 and always there when the user needs him. There is a tool inside the app where the user can store information from previous chats that they may need to refer to for later use, such as a favorite restaurant or the best place to visit in certain cities. This can be very helpful for anyone traveling with any frequency, or who entertains a lot.

Hal is available now but for more information go to the website.

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