The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is always a harbinger of cool technologies to come.
This marks the fourth year that several companies from Pittsburgh joined the action. While tablet technology, cameras and apps generated much buzz, spinout technologies from the
Quality of Life Center (QoLT) at CMU held their own reported Curt Stone, foundry director.
"We're in a section with digital health and health care projects," said Stone, "One of the things that has impressed me was our ability to communicate in a setting like this. People are really impressed with the quality of our projects."
First Person Vision, a next generation wearable camera, attracted a tremendous amount of traffic, he added. The technology incorporates audio and movement sensors on a headset camera that takes panoramic pictures, generally to analyze a subject's intended action.
Think healthcare, gaming and sports. Imagine seeing a Steeler's play unfold or replay through the eyes of Ben Roethlisberger. Or helping an Alzheimer's sufferer to remember the people they encounter in a day.
Origami Robotics, a company that created Romibo, a build-it-yourself robot for therapy, education and entertainment, also attracted a popular following.
The other companies included
VibeAttire, a musical technology that embeds censors into clothing to transducer sound into synchronized technology.
Fitwits is a hands-on interactive game that inspires healthy eating habits.
Finally,
Tiramisu Transit, a real-time, crowd-sourced bus-tracking mobile phone app developed for CMU's Traffic 21 transportation research initiative.
"Overall it was a fantastic experience for our center. It really begins to promote Pittsburgh as a place where very cool technologies are being developed."
Source: Curt Stone, QoLT
Writer: Deb Smit