In the latest edition of AndNowUKnow’s print publication, The Snack Magazine, we featured six innovative technologies that just might one day influence the future of the industry.
Check out The Snack article by clicking here, or read the full article below:
Future Tech
Robotic arms and life-logging cameras? Believe it or not, the next generation of high-tech products is already upon us. Straight from science fiction and into reality, we’ve assembled some of the most exciting ideas from innovators and researchers all over the globe. Gestural control, wearables, and robots are just the beginning. Check out these innovative technologies and what they could mean for the future of the industry...
Leap Motion...turns you into a tech maestro, literally. It tracks the position and movement of your hands and fingers so you can interact with anything you see on a screen or monitor. There’s already several apps available that allow you to create, explore, play games, and even make your own custom gestures. Combine Leap Motion with a keyboard and you can have unparalleled precision over your computer. Though it’s not quite yet at the technological level you’d see in the film ‘Minority Report,’ this sleek little device gives us hope that complete gestural control is just around the corner.
Robotic arms...in produce? Maybe someday. This robotic arm, dubbed “Ultra-Fast,” can catch anything. It analyzes and predicts an object’s shape and trajectory about a hundred times per second, allowing it to catch pretty much anything that will fit in the palm of your hand. Plus, it’s so advanced that researchers have been able to teach it how to consistently catch a certain part of an object if needed. Imagine placing this friendly robotic arm under a tree so it catches apples, oranges, and more before they fall to the ground. The possibilities are seemingly endless.
Narrative’s Life-Logging Camera...is a wearable device that snaps two photos every minute, allowing you to relive each moment of your life in a personal timeline that’s automatically organized for you. It’s easy to miss those funny or enjoyable moments with your peers, but now you don’t even have to think about it.
SIGMO...translates speech into 25 different languages. If you’re ever traveling on vacation, away on a business trip, or at a produce convention overseas, SIGMO can instantly translate foreign speech and speak back to you in your native language.
Wall-Ye...is the world’s first robotic vineyard pruner. Using an iPad application, a grower can move the robot up and down vineyard rows to prune grapevines. Wall-Ye is the size of a lawnmower, and clippers in its “hand” make precise cuts, using three cameras to guide each one. On-board software records every cut from season to season.
Oculus Rift...is a virtual reality headset that can create a digital supermarket in your own living room. The headset is able to track your head’s movement, allowing you to look around and interact with the virtual world much like you would in real life. Who knows, maybe someday shoppers will login and browse virtual produce aisles filled with fruits and veggies.
