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ig things are happening in the fast paced times in which we live, and we are proud to bring you front and center with our finest issue of Innovation & Tech Today yet. From the largest innovation show in the world, CES, to the center of the Apple universe, MacWorld/iWorld, and the largest event celebrating STEM and science on earth, the USA Science and Engineering Festival, I&T Today lifts the curtain on the front edge of innovation for our readers. As we celebrate our expanded quarterly distribution to the front of every Barnes & Noble magazine section in North America, we invite you to enjoy our magazine, join the discussion in our online forums and share your favorite stories at www.innotechtoday.com. We will present an expanded array of interactive content, with opportunities to win passes to the events we attend and, even more importantly, free products from our advertisers and contributors. You want gift subscriptions for your friends? No problem, as we aggressively build our subscriber base to match our print distribution. What makes this publication different? How about the fact that this is YOUR publication, as well as the fastest growing multimedia magazine that celebrates innovation, with four different themed issues a year? Since energy and transportation are such integral, intimate and immediate parts of our lives, we crafted this issue with equal parts passion and curiosity as we discussed the fast-paced dynamics of both. What does the future hold for alternative energy, once dismissed as a novelty but now embraced as part of the solution by almost every major energy company in the world? Or, are you tired of draining the checkbook at the gas pump? Automobile manufacturers and new innovative companies are flooding the marketplace with alternatives to the gas guzzlers of yesteryear. Electric vehicles and hybrids are not going anywhere. Turn our pages, and you’ll find more. Drones that deliver cases of beer. 3D printers that build homes. Connected cars, infotainment and wearables becoming commonplace. 3D and 4K Ultra HD TV’s ready to complete your man cave. Smart home technology progressing into smart farming and irrigation. The internet of things connecting us all with Bluetooth simplicity. Gaming turning into experiential entertainment. Facial recognition. What is this, cats and dogs living together? It’s an exciting new world in which we live in, and we are honored to bring it all to you. We hope you will enjoy this spring issue delivered by our editor, Robert Yehling, and his ace crew of writers, along with Mary Racila, our creative director. They are our creative forces, and have been with I&T Today since Day One. Finally, without our advertisers — the “innovators club,” as we like to call them — we wouldn’t have grown so fast in such a short amount of time. Here is to the spirit of innovation driving prosperity, and all those making it happen. Cheers!

Charles Warner Publisher 2

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

Contents contents 02

156

2014 Preview

Quick Bytes From the Publisher

156

Special Preview: 2014 MacWorld/iWorld

162

Product Revolution

165

Gift Guide

DEPARTMENTS 10

Metric Mania

Quick Bytes

Communications

Point of Purchase

Smart Homes

Young Tech

Security

Education

Wearing It

Women in Technology

Social Media

Point of Purchase

I&T TODAY CONVERSATIONS 46

Gary Shapiro, Consumer Electronics Association

Scott Painter, TrueCar.com

126

Brian Russell, Zephyr Technology

Gary Shapiro, CEA

Young Tech

Innovation & Tech Today

Wearing It Spring 2014

FEATURES

Welcome to the New Space Race

contents

106

Extravaganza in Vegas

Private industry and the government are working closely to develop more manned and unmanned space business, with Space X and Virgin Galactic leading the way.

Connected Cars. Home Automation. Robots. Drones. Wearables. 3D Printing. 4K UHD Television. All converged in Las Vegas to showcase technology’s leap into the future. — By Robert Yehling

112

Toward Total Connectivity

The ‘Internet of Things’ Comes to Cars The Connected Car Expo in L.A. and International CES in Las Vegas proved one thing: connected cars are not only big news, but also big business — and ready to explode. — By Michael Coates & John Faulkner

118

People Energy With all the focus on new technology in our lives, what about us? A look at how we’re using technology and fitness to increase our own energy. — By Lee Bell & Kelsey Elgie

130

NAMM’s Music Industry Celebration The National Association of Music Merchants show drew nearly 100,000 attendees with its enticing mix of tunes and technology. — By John Faulkner

What’s Next For Electric Cars? Throughout the past century, we’ve seen numerous starts and stops in electric car technology. Now, both the technology and business have strong footholds — and getting stronger. — By Michael Coates

What’s Next for Keystone? The Keystone XL Pipeline has been making waves for five years. What is behind the fight? A special Innovation & Tech Today report. — By Lisa Lunney

We have just begun moving into a Brave New World where, by 2020, 50 billion devices will be connected to each other — and we’ll be at the center. — By Rosemary O’Brien

Welcome to the New Space Race

134

The Selfie Explosion! — By Nicholas Guzzo

Next Generation of Air Traffic Control How is our Air Traffic Control system working to keep our skies safe with the ever-growing number of passengers? A special report. — By Mark Frye

Solar’s Top 25 Some of America’s biggest companies have made solar a centerpiece of their energy positions, outfitting their offices and stores throughout the U.S. and world. — By Hannah Brott

96 100

‘What’s Your 10-20?’ The Cloud!

This Will Be Entertainment! International CES 2014 featured reception, clarity, and entertainment choices that make our current audio and video set-ups seem primitive. — By Aaron Halda

142

The Future of 3D Graphic Display

146

BlizzCon 2013 Gaming Feast Thousands of Warcraft, Diablo and Starquest conquistadors and cosplayers gather for one of the most innovative — and colorful — gaming conventions. — By Aaron Halda

Opening Up to the Wind & Sun

More transportation companies run their logistics through cloud computing. How ubiquitous will it be as Cloud Transportation Management Software grows? — By Stephanie Clarke

136

154

Changing (Shipping) Lanes Both personal and commercial marine transportation figures to become cleaner and more efficient, thanks to a fouling release system created by Fujifilm.

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

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Shane Brisson Peter Gietl Dave Van NIEL Carlos Hernandez Nicholas Guzzo Aaron Halda Stephanie Clarke Kelsey Elgie Domier Lisa Lunney Teri Bayus Lee Bell Hannah Brott Mark Frye Amanda Leach Rosemary O’Brien Jason R. Rich Michael Coates John Faulkner Hannah Brott Curtis Circulation Company, LLC

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SPECIAL THANKS TO IDG World Expos and Macworld/iWorld, Gary Shapiro/CEA, Tesla Motors, Clarion The V Foundation for Cancer Research, INPEX, Randy Manzo, Zinio, Bjorn Brunvand, Christy Laramy, BTFL, Chris Voss, Lloyd L. Rich, P.C., Joe Huffstutler, Jan Johnson, CEO Space, 4imprint, Choppers, The Cova Hotel, Blue Heron Media, Olivia Sellke/CEDIA, FUJIFILM, Xenith Helmets, Zephyr Technologies, Mary Sullivan and mikeroweWORKS, Jeff Folsom, Martha Halda, The USA Science & Engineering Festival, Larry Bock, National Girls Collaborative Project, Apple, Inc., John Hourigan/Arrow Electronics, Dreamstime.com, Susana Tatar/Nvidia; David Lowry/Auria, Lisa Kaz /L.A. Auto Show, Jenna Finn and Maria Kennedy/Keland Partners, Claire McAdam/UpnP Forum; Lefty Tsironis/L.A. Auto Show, The Lipping Group, Abby Phillips and Katarzyna Zuzak

This publication is dedicated to the dreamers, the innovators, the collaborators and the doers who can’t be bothered by those saying it can’t be done. Nicholas and Aria, the future is yours!

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

Metric MANIA Roscoe Wind Farm, USA

781.5

96.19%

Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, USA

Walney, U.K.

845

367

Jaisalmer Wind Park, USA

Germany

400

Alta, USA

(PLUG-IN HYBRIDS, BATTERY POWERED)

Electric Drive Market Share

3.81%

15,531,609 (Source: Electric Drive Transportation Association)

Gansu Wind Farm, China

504

2013

ELECTRIC DRIVE SALES

5,000

Greater Gabbard Wind Farm, U.K.

2013: 96,702 2012: 52,945 2011: 17,500

TOTAL VEHICLE SALES:

1,320

400

(Source: Green Car Reports)

% OF VEHICLES SOLD, 2013

(Oak Creek-Mojave)

Anholt, Denmark

(Source: 20 13 Global Wind Rep ort)

ELECTRIC CAR SALES

1,064

BARD Offshore 1,

Standard Vehicle Share

495,530 HYBRIDS

WORLD’S LARGEST ONSHORE WIND FARMS

London Array, U.K.

49,008 PLUG-IN HYBRIDS

(in Megawatts)

630

47,694 BATTERY-POWERED

WORLD’S LARGEST OFFSHORE WIND FARMS

592,192 TOTAL (Source: Electric Drive Transportation Association)

ENERGY MIX BY FUEL TYPE, U.S.

2007

2013 % 8.6 Nuclear

% % 6.4 8.4 Renewables Nuclear

% 23.4 Natural Gas

Oil

5 % Biofuels 4

9.4

39.3

Coal

Wind/Solar/Geothermal Power Generation

% Renewables %

22.5%

Biomass/Solar/ Geothermal Water Heating

36.7%

Oil 18.1% Coal % 27.2 Natural Gas

Traditional Biomass

Hydropower

51% TOTAL RENEWABLE

ENERGY USE, 2013 (Source: Energy Transitions)

(Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration)

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

Quick Bytes Compiled by Hannah Brott

Space X Prepping for Human Transport SpaceX, a privately held company that “designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft,” is aiming to be the first private company to carry humans to the International Space Station (ISS) with its Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX made history with the Dragon and Falcon 9 in May 2012 when Falcon 9 launched the unmanned Dragon into the correct orbit to successfully exchange cargo with the ISS. Dragon, a free-flying spacecraft, was designed from the beginning with the plan to deliver humans to space. SpaceX’s rocket-spacecraft combination recently passed a “milestone” safety review that put it on track to reach its goal of a crewed flight by 2015. The next Dragon/Falcon 9 flight tests are scheduled for later in 2014.

Beer Delivery by Drone Lakemaid Beer, a brewer based in Stevens Point, WI, had an innovative idea: to use drones to deliver beer from local bait and beer shops to ice fishermen across the region’s frozen lakes. What a great use for technology that is generally portrayed in a negative light, right? Unfortunately, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) didn’t agree. “We were a little surprised at the FAA interest in this, since we thought we were operating under the 400foot limit,” Lakemaid managing partner Jack Supple told NPR’s Bill Chappell. According to Chappell, FAA regulations “don’t currently allow drones to be used for commercial delivery,” leading it to pull the plug on Lakemaid’s future drone plans for now. The Lakemaid initiative, along with an announcement from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos of plans to use drones for local Amazon deliveries, has led the FAA to schedule reviews of its regulations on commercial use of drones.

Bill Gates Jumps Off Board, Back Into Action Bill Gates has stepped down from his position as chairman of Microsoft’s board, a role he has held since 1981, long before he relinquished his role as the company’s CEO. What does this mean for the software giant? First, it doesn’t signify Gates’ exit from the company and into retirement. He’s actually going to be busier, stepping into the role of technology advisor to Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer’s replacement as Microsoft’s new CEO. “I’ll have over a third of my time available to meet with product groups, and it’ll be fun to define this next round of products working together,” Gates said of his new position. “The opportunity for Microsoft is greater than ever before.”

Pitching for Tech Influence When President Obama called together America’s brightest technological minds to help solve the website snafu that plagued the Nov. 1, 2013 launch of the Affordable Care Act, there was more to the meeting than 25 leaders doing their patriotic best to help America. The technology industry threw its hat into the political lobbying ring on an unprecedented level in 2013, with the top ten tech firms ponying up $61 million — a 16 percent increase over 2012. Google led the way with $14.06 million spent. Seven of the top ten increased their lobbying from 2012, with Apple (72 percent increase) and Facebook (61 percent) leading the way. Ironically, Google’s lobbying investment fell by more than 14 percent. Many companies are represented by lobbying associations. The busiest was the Internet Association (IA), which represents Yahoo!, Amazon, AOL, Airbnb, Uber, and more. In November, the field became more crowded as four top tech lobbyists, Trey Hodgkins, Erica McCann, Pam Walker, and Carol Henton, jumped ship from lobbying firm TechAmerica to join the rival Information Technology Industry Council. Lobbyists tried to influence bills that included: fighting patent trolls; limiting government agencies’ and private companies’ ability to track a person without her or his knowledge; and halting the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of phone records, Internet usage and other metadata.

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

Quick Bytes Display Computing – By Mist? You’ve seen the giant flat screens, seemingly floating in thin air, in shows like NCIS or movies like Iron Man. I remember watching Tony Stark flick designs around a transparent screen and thinking, “Whoa. It would be so awesome if that technology were real.” Turns out, it is real, and will become commonplace in the not-so-distant future. In late 2013, Russian designer Max Kamanin launched Displair, a system that displays interactive images comprised of air and tiny water droplets (so tiny that they release no moisture). The mist “screen” can respond to about 1,500 hand movements and displays 3D images using infrared technology, with no need for special glasses. The technology is already in use by a few big companies like Google, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola, but Kamanin and his team see a future for Displair in medicine, given that it is a hygienic alternative to a touch screen.

The Power of Work Videos Forbes recently reported in a survey that 75 percent of executives watched at least one “work-related video” per week. What’s the significance of this, you ask? According to Christine Sheppard in Bundle Post, the proverbial barrier between your marketing efforts and a CEO’s or VP’s eyeballs is completely dissolved. YouTube videos provide executives with direct material for inspiration, partnerships, knowledge, information and valuedrivers, according to the article. Forbes reports that 65 percent of CEOs will visit the marketer’s website for more information after viewing the video.

Top 10

Robotic Medical “Teams”? Robots are sending waves through the medical industry, collectively revolutionizing medical practices all over the world. One is even small enough to travel through blood vessels to clear plaque and could be used to deliver cancer drugs directly to tumors soon. Several robots simulate different aspects of a doctor’s presence; another makes therapy easier and more fun for developmentally disabled children while tracking their progress; one can feed a patient who needs assistance with eating; one assists paralyzed patients and their caretakers by helping them walk or balance; and two more maximize healthcare efficiency by replacing cart-pushing hospital employees. Look for our extensive coverage of medical robotics in the Summer 2014 issue of Innovation & Tech Today.

Tech Lobbying Firms (in spending and change from 2012)

(SOURCE: Clerk of the House of Representatives)

1. Google $14.06 million (-14.7%) 2. Microsoft $10.49 million (+29.7%) 3. Facebook $6.43 million (+61.2%) 4. Amazon $3.46 million (+38.3%) 5. IBM $7.06 million (+45.6%) 6. Yahoo! $2.78 million (+1.0%) 7. Apple $3.37 million (+71.7%) 8. Cisco $3.12 million (+16.4%) 9. Intel $4.39 million (+18.2%) 10. Oracle $5.99 million (+4%) Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

Communications By Stephanie Clarke

Communication from the Sky? Maybe The rules over when airline passengers must turn off their portable devices have engendered a bitter debate between passengers and carriers — especially in the business world, where real-time connectivity and quick responses often mean the difference between converted and missed opportunities. After years of dragging its proverbial feet, the FAA has finally caught on to the growing number of tech-savvy fliers, and those dependent upon their portable devices for business. In 2013, the FAA put together an advisory panel to review relaxed restrictions on certain devices, then announced rule changes in late October. Here is the issue: According to research firm Gartner, consumers will purchase more than two billion portable devices. A disproportionate amount of those consumers are also air travelers. While pilots have cited instances where portable devices could have been responsible for some cockpit instruments to malfunction, the evidence isn’t conclusive. Key words: could have been. Now, the FAA is asking airlines to certify that their airplanes can tolerate interference from these portable devices. “This is great news for the travelling public, and frankly, 16

a win for common sense,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), who has pushed for the changes. While the changes are a significant leap forward for the FAA, which normally moves at a glacial pace, they still do not allow you to call your spouse or textclose a deal in the middle of take-off. In fact, there is little change to connectivity users. What the new rules will allow you to do is play music, read, input, and play games on your device throughout the flight. This is good news for frequent fliers such as Judith Mabry, actuarial consultant for Aon-Hewitt. “Policies were not consistently enforced,” she said. “This often causes confusion for fliers on what the policies are and when they need to be followed. I’ve often seen passengers attempting to shut a Innovation & Tech Today

device off, and flight attendants focusing their attention on one passenger. This can be embarrassing at times. The business traveler needs to be as productive as possible, which means relying on electronic devices, especially when flying.” Passengers will still not be allowed to use devices that require a wireless connection of any kind once the doors are closed. However, that figures to change. Almost immediately after the new FAA rules were announced, Jet Blue and Delta Airlines submitted plans to try a high-capacity Wi-Fi service for lower altitudes, giving passengers the ability to use electronic services throughout the entire flight. (Presently, we’re at the mercy of the various airlines’ onboard Wi-Fi systems, which don’t kick in until the planes climb above 10,000 feet). The good news? About half the Delta planes are now fitted with the lower-altitude system. Bad news? The other half aren’t — and you won’t know which plane carries it unless you ask ahead of time. This is a change in the right direction for an advanced aviation service, which, at times, moves very slowly when trying to catch up to its tech-savvy customers.

■ Spring 2014

P oint of Purchase By Lee Bell

A Peek Under the Hood of Kiosks During the past 30 years, we’ve seen big change in the prevalence and versatility of kiosks. We use kiosks to purchase movie and Amtrak tickets, to spit out boarding passes, or to enjoy multimedia experiences at national parks and museums. Mike James has observed these changes from a much different position. He’s the driver of The Kiosk Group CEO Mike James most of them. The founder and CEO of The Kiosk or vision-impaired, can’t use Group either created kiosks,” James said. “That’s or brought out most of discrimination, according to the technology and solutions the Americans with for today’s kiosks. Disabilities Act. I worked with “To me, it’s been a slow, steady the National Park Service growth during the past 30 years,” Media Group to make the said James, who began developing touchscreen experience kiosk software and interactive possible for blind or vision-impaired design in 1981. “Companies are people, and so anyone can reach the finding it cheaper to have a kiosk touchscreens, no matter if you’re in for certain purchases or functions a wheelchair, if you’re a small kid than an employee; you see that with you can reach it.” airline boarding passes. It’s espeJames also has worked with the cially common now, since we’re all U.S. Army, Marriott Corporation used to touchscreens from our and many Fortune 500 companies. smartphones and iPads.” Current Kiosk Group clients include James’ footprint stamps a great adidas, Nike, Coca-Cola and a deal of the kiosk technology and number of museums. use in this country. Working with “We work on different solutions IBM, he developed the kiosks now for different kiosk experiences,” used by Amtrak. He also developed James said. “For example, when the disabled access kiosks used by you’re at a museum or national park, the National Park Service at many you have a multi-touch experience. of its 388 parks, monuments and That won’t work for a transactional historical sites. kiosk. With transactions, the goal is “It drives me crazy when people to make a one-click experience, as in wheelchairs, or who are hearingfast and clear as possible. We put it 18

Innovation & Tech Today

to the ‘grandma’ test: if she asks questions, we build the solutions into the software. If it’s easy for her to use, we’ve done our job.” James and his elite Kiosk Group team have developed hundreds of interactive multimedia programs for interpretive exhibits, transactional kiosks and training programs. James also developed the Comm1 software for pilots, which gives him the deepest personal satisfaction. “You know what the worst experience is for small-plane pilots? Communicating with air traffic controllers,” he explained. “We’re on the same frequency as big airlines, which makes it hard to get in a word edgewise. Comm1 gives you auto-commands in certain sentences and numbers you, as a pilot, know are important. People tell me it’s changed their flying and their lives.” His latest creation, Kiosk Pro, makes it possible to create kiosks with an iPad. The Kiosk Pro platform offers all the tools, and works with content files such as HTML, JavaScript, CSS and even PDFs. “Rather than spending $6,000 or $7,000 for a kiosk, people can now spend $1,000 to $1,500,” James said. What’s next for this software wizard? We’ll find out soon. The Kiosk Group’s latest creation will be announced and launched in Spring 2014. ■ Spring 2014

Smart Homes By Robert Yehling

Lighting the Way — By LED You would think the most innovative lighting expert in the nation would hail from somewhere like northern Minnesota, Prudhoe Bay or, like Thomas Edison, New Jersey and New York. That’s where people crave light while enduring months of cold and long, dark gaps between sundown and sunrise, right? Not necessarily so. To find today’s top inventor-innovator, Lighting Science Founder and Chief Technology Officer Fred Maxik, point your GPS south and head to Satellite Beach, on Florida’s Space Coast. Not only do rockets blast off from here, but also the world’s leading manufacturer of advanced LED lighting, Lighting Science, and its product division, Definity Digital. Maxik’s inventions are not only numerous, but practical and costcutting. He has pulled more than 100 patents for various lighting systems, none more impressive than the array Lighting Science and Definity Digital have designed for smart homes. They include the LSR 3-4, Roadmaster and PAR30SN lamps for coastal residential and commercial; and Glimpse Recessed, Glimpse Indirect, Gimbal PAR and highly efficient lamps for residential use. When you move inside, Maxik has developed six specific solutions, which range from 40- to 75-watt equivalents. The beauty of these products? They all are LED lighting. A far more resourceful way to illuminate rooms and homes, not to mention 20

Fred Maxik, Lighting Science healthier for the eyes and body; optical control is a priority, with cool, blue light the primary ingredient. For example, the Awake & Alert, which replaces a typical 65-watt lamp bulb, uses just nine watts. Its average life, based on three-hour-perday use, boggles the mind: 22.8 years. The light feels softer than sunlight, warm in its tone yet cool in its temperature. Furthermore, the bulbs are shatterproof and recyclable. So, every 23 years or so, you can recycle. Awake & Alert is just one of the home-based products with this cutting-edge technology. The others are Good Night, which promotes the body’s ability to produce sleepinducing melatonin; MyNature Coastal, which gives coastal wildlife natural beach-house lighting to get from shore to ocean; and MyNature Grow, which works for greenhouses year-round. “For the first time, solid-state LED technology gives us the ability to Innovation & Tech Today

control light — its intensity, duration, and spectrum — in ways never before available from nature or from light bulbs,” Maxik says. Maxik and his team have developed products to control lighting not only in residences ranging from duplexes to 15,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art automated homes, but also aboard the International Space Station, in numerous commercial and industrial operations, residential horticultural lighting, security lighting, and roadways. In all cases, the buyers — homeowners, municipalities, organizations, NASA — save untold amounts of money, because these lights draw far less electricity, and they do not die. The benefits go far beyond cost savings. As a triathlete, Maxik thinks long and hard about how his creations can optimize health. Since lighting affects sleep and health, he’s used LED technology to work naturally with the body and outside environment. The results? Greater focus, improved sleep, and more relaxed working and living environments. When we tested the Awake & Alert versus a typical light bulb on tired eyes, an amazing thing happened: reading time tripled with the LED bulb, retention was higher and high alertness continued until a deep sleep finally took over. Next up? The Rhythm Downlight, a lamp controlled by a smartphone app that will adjust blue light to a user’s sleep schedule. ■ Spring 2014

Young Tech By Larry Bock

Inspiring the Next Generation Through STEM

The U.S. Science & Engineering Festival, including NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins (far left) and 250,000 of his young friends.

Kids are more impressed by our adult actions than by our words. If we are to inspire young learners to become the next generation of innovators in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), we must put more action at the K-12 level. We can start by exposing kids to exciting role models in STEM fields, which can go a long way in motivating students by helping to translate often-dry textbook learning into action-oriented, hands-on experiences of how science is applied in the real world. We must also act to help change many negative attitudes that kids often hold about scientists, engineers and mathematicians. These and other concerns — fueled by our culture’s lack of emphasis on STEM innovators and their achievements — led me to cofound the USA Science & Engineering Festival six years ago with Ray O. Johnson, the Chief Technology Officer of Lockheed Martin. The Festival — the nation’s largest celebration of scientists and 22

engineers, with more than 3,000 hands-on activities and 100 stage shows — is premised on a simple fact: Society gets what it celebrates. If society puts more priority on celebrating Hollywood celebrities than the important work of scientists, guess who our kids will choose as heroes and role models? When it comes to inspiring kids in STEM, schools cannot do it alone. It takes partnerships with a host of entities in society, including industry. Which is why the Festival, which takes place April 25-27 at the Washington Convention Center, has teamed up with such high-tech leaders as Lockheed Martin (the Festival’s Founding and Presenting Host); InfoComm International (the host of the Festival’s Nifty Fifty school speakers program), and Northrop Grumman and Medimmune (presenter of the Festival’s X-STEM Symposium, a TED-like conference for kids). As testament to the Festival’s growth, we have over 400 new organizations participating for the first time. This Super Bowl of STEM Innovation & Tech Today

also features a book fair, career pavilion, and dozens of contests, including EPA’s P3 Sustainability Challenge. We will also debut the XSTEM Symposium April 24, where numerous renowned role models will share their insights for the price of a matinee movie ticket. Luminaries will include NIH director Dr. Francis Collins; John Holdren, President Obama’s Science Advisor; Anousheh Ansari, the world’s first female private space explorer; Bill Nye the Science Guy; Dirty Jobs’ Mike Rowe; basketball legend and STEM motivator Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; National Geographic Brain Games host Apollo Robbins; famed MIT bioengineer Angela Belcher; and Jack Andraka, the high school student who developed a diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer. Join us at the Festival. Inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators starts with these science stars. ■ Larry Bock is the co-founder of the USA Science & Engineering Festival.

Spring 2014

Security By Amanda Leach

Why the Mega-Breach of Target Should Scare Us What happens when Christmas shopping goes wrong? When someone other than yourself has your debit card information? Make that someone who has the information of tens of millions of customers? Officials are still sifting through the onion layers beneath the massive security breach of Target. It compromised the payment and personal information for as many as 110 million people, who were victimized by an estimated 40 million credit and debit cards whose data was pilfered between November 27 and December 13, 2013 — the height of the holiday shopping season. If you have shopped there recently, your eyes have (hopefully) been glued to your bank statements and credit report — and you’ve paid for your most recent purchases by cash or check. After two months of investigation by the Secret Service and malware experts, it was announced February 7 that a Target heating and air conditioning contractor, Fazio Mechanical Services, provided the firewall opening that the hackers exploited. Investigators only realized this when Fazio realized that it, too, was hacked. “Like Target, we are a victim of a sophisticated cyber-attack 24

operation,” company president Ross Fazio said. “We are fully cooperating with the Secret Service and Target to identify the possible cause of the breach.” According to investigators, the hackers used vendor credentials they somehow stole from Fazio Mechanical Services. The credentials enabled them to sign on to Target’s system, bypassing the fortified outer firewall. Once inside, they were able to take advantage of far less stringent security to put their malware to use, gaining an entry point to the debit and credit card data. Target jumped on the problem as soon as it was revealed. The organization closed the access point through which the criminals entered the site immediately. Then they hired a third party company Innovation & Tech Today

to look into the source of the problem — which was how the connection between the hacking of Fazio Mechanical Services and Target was uncovered. However, Target still faces lawsuits, a soured reputation for protecting customers’ data, and also federal investigations. Unfortunately, Target’s breach points toward an ever-growing sense of bravado among sophisticated hackers to hit major chains and their millions of customer data files. In 2013, retailers made up 45 percent of all data breach investigations, by far the sector’s highest number. That doesn’t factor in the 50 percent of breaches that go undisclosed, according to enterprise malware analysts. Security breaches and scams are very likely to become more common. Some are so brazen that they’re spinning right off Target. Individuals posing as Target customer representatives have been calling to offer relief for the cyberattack, and then asking for personal information to issue credits or refunds — including credit card and social security numbers. What can companies do to prevent this? Many are upgrading the tools that help them monitor for any types of holes in their security Spring 2014

systems. These programs will scan and identify where there is a possibility for infiltration. The company can then fix this area and prevent any type of compromise. Others are using encryptions to help prevent customer information

from being released. The most diligent companies are monitoring their accounts closely to look for any type of warning signs that point towards a security breach. This will allow them to hurry up and fix the situation before it escalates.

As SAP solutions engineering expert Rick Smith pointed out in the Winter 2013 issue of Innovation & Tech Today, “When they craft the system that will enable them to stay ahead of the curve and the competition, they might provide killer solutions — but open their backdoor wide to hackers, cyber terrorists, moles, worms and other enemies of the IT enterprise. Why? Because they bypass the one element that ensures no solution or financial data will be compromised — network security.” If the Target breach isn’t a clarion call for all organizations to toughen up their network security, what will be? Until companies do bolster their systems, hackers will get more sophisticated in their approaches, design harder-to-detect malware, and continue to make off with the most treasured data in our pockets. ■

Education By Rosemary O’Brien

One School’s Answer to Connectivity in the Classroom We live in a world of total connectivity — but are our classrooms keeping up? Do our children learn how to use this technology early or effectively enough to keep up with the rest of the world’s children? According to reports from the U.S. Department of Education, they don’t. American teens lag behind the international average in math, while scoring average in science and reading. It’s a different story in Manor, Texas. Steve Zipkes, founding principal of Manor New Technology High School in the Austin suburb, is doing his best to see that the children in his schools match up with the high-performing Asian countries. Tasked by Gov. Rick Perry to create a curriculum that reaches under-performing students, Zipkes has developed Think Forward PBL, a curriculum around project-based learning. Manor specializes in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), combined with humanities, fine arts and physical education. Teachers challenge students by collaboration, communication and problem solving in every subject. Open since 2007, Manor New Tech has graduated four classes — and every student has been accepted into college. They are so successfully innovative that 26

school years. “I want them to burn it up,” says Zipkes. “I don’t want it back! I want them to use it for everything they do in school and at home. They do their school work on it, keep their contacts in it, create presentations, take notes — everything they do, they do with their iPad.” Almost every subject is integrated and collaborative. Students use every technology available, including their smartphones and even Google Steve Zipkes Glass. Zipkes proudly boasts of President Obama paid a visit in his schools’ sense of organized, 2013 to see for himself what Manor multi-tasked chaos, in which New Tech was doing differently. students are working on a project, Zipkes’ goal is to reach students talking about a project, and figuring on several levels in order to make out how to utilize the technology to learning more active, rather than drive it. By the time they reach the passive experience they may college, students have created more have been used to before walking than 200 presentations, making through Manor’s doors. “We are an them proficient in both learning and independent school district built communicating their areas of focus. “For the first time, technology is upon the idea that students need forcing education to change instead to be challenged and that takes of education just adapting to techcreativity on the educators’ nology,” according to Zipkes. “We part,” he says. are creating a level playing field that “We say if students are using easily allows for embedding 21st technology, why not let them use it century skills and not only focusing in school rather than simply on content.” regurgitating information taught to American students may not utilize them while they sit passively and enough technology in their classlisten?” Zipkes points out. rooms, but in Manor, students are To that end, every student in not only constantly exposed to techManor is issued an iPad, which nology, but thriving as a result. ■ they use throughout their high Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

Wearing It By Robert Yehling

One Earphone Company’s Commitment to Quality One cool, crystal clear morning outside Philadelphia, David Lowry and a friend took a swift trail ride. Lowry was wearing earphones, listening to rock music; his friend wasn’t. Suddenly, both men jammed on their brakes. They reached a blind crossroad, and a fire engine raced past. “We stopped short, literally at the same time,” Lowry David Lowry , Auria recalled. “Even though I had my headphones in, I knew That leads to the alldirectionally the fire engine was important third factor coming from the right. That to me is — safety. Every critical. You hear the directionality wearable balances (or of the sound.” should balance) comfort Lowry is the founder and and function with safety. developer of Auria earphones, one For sports headphones, it’s of of the most advanced portable paramount importance for an listening systems at International obvious reason: awareness of your CES 2014. His story, and that of his surroundings, whether mountains, products, speak to two prevailing city roads or crowded boardwalks. concerns of the wearables industry: “With our phones, you can hear Does the product fit properly? Does ambient sound simultaneously,” it enhance your experience while Lowry says. “You have full also providing safety? awareness around you, rather than “We had a few primary goals being blocked out. As cars come by, during the 2½ years we spent we would say it’s not responsible to developing our sports headphones,” wear headphones, unless you have Lowry pointed out. “First, to keep the awareness around you.” headphones from falling out during Like an increasing number of motion and sweat. Then, we wanted product developers moving into them to be comfortable for hours, wearables, Lowry lives what he especially for marathoners, triathdevelops. He is a long-time letes and people who train a lot. competitive runner who has According to our research, about 80 switched over to short-course percent of people get headphone triathlon. Furthermore, he’s a pain within 5 to 25 minutes. musician with extensive knowledge That’s not conducive to having of acoustics and technology, and the a good experience.” attuned ear to go along with it. 28

Innovation & Tech Today

Consequently, Auria headphones cover both sides, from acoustical quality to secure fit when perspiration builds. They work with the ear lobe, rather than the inner ear, assuring that sweat can escape rather than build up inside. You can also hear the surrounding environment, and adjust the volume with a lever on the headphone wire that is easily reachable when running or cycling. Best of all, the acoustical quality doesn’t change as the workout continues. “There is an innate ergonomic problem: the minute the headphones start to move between your ear canal, and your tragus and antitragus, the notch between your ear lobe, the frequencies that get to your ear change,” Lowry said. “That’s the main reason why people tend to crank the volume up, and why they eventually hurt their ears. We have different sizes, and we use a spacer so the headphones don’t move. It’s safer. You don’t have to crank it up. What we deliver from the speaker is the same quality that will end up in your head.” Within this story lies a key element as the wearable explosion continues: hitting the marketplace with safer, higher quality products that meet specific needs with cutting-edge technology, rather than diving in for a quick sale. ■ Spring 2014

Women in Technology By Lisa Lunney

How Lisa Kaz Connects with Cars retired, and as a result, I took over running the company. This provided a natural opportunity to reevaluate our business, its operations, and to forge our vision for the future. Consequently, we took a hundred-year-old show, and modernized and improved on just about every aspect of the business. I am proud of our team and what has been accomplished in such a short period of time.

As director of the L.A. Auto Show, the second largest car show in the country, Lisa Kaz sits in the catbird’s seat when it comes to emerging automotive technology and the auto industry. In 2013, the L.A. Auto Show debuted the Connected Car Expo (CCE), which was wildly successful, attracting over 16,000 people and media coverage from over 58 countries. Kaz, who lives near L.A., is a woman with great ambition and an even greater motivation to leave her imprint on the world of technology. She took time out of her busy schedule to offer a glimpse behind her success, and why she is one of the automotive industry’s true 21st century visionaries. LISA LUNNEY: Can you tell us a bit about your background? What are some of your greatest dreams, and strongest motivators? LISA KAZ: I started out studying computer science in college because I loved playing video games. I thought it would be ideal to get paid while designing and playing games. But, by the time that I graduated, the companies that were hiring programmers were all military related. I did not want to work in that area, so I got a sales position selling software and hardware packages to video stores. I was enjoying the excitement of sales and traveling the country, but life always seems to have a course of its own, in spite of our plans. When 30

Lisa Kaz, L.A. Auto Show my grandfather, who ran auto shows, fired his entire staff, I was called upon to help him. Although I was content with my sales position, I agreed to work for him. He turned out to be a great mentor, and I was blessed to spend the next ten years working with him. Eventually, I took over his company. LL: What are some highlights from the past year, and what are you most excited about for 2014? LK: This past year has been a major transition for me personally, as well as for our company. My business partner and the auto show’s general manager of 25 years Innovation & Tech Today

LL: What were the main goals you set out to achieve? LK: My main focus was launching Connected Car Expo. In response to the rapid changes that new technologies are fueling in the automotive industry, we saw a huge need to bring together the various fragmented industries under one roof to network, form partnerships, learn about the latest innovations and technologies, and to have a platform to launch new products in front of the world’s automotive media. LL: Where do you see the future of Connected Cars in five years? LK: Technology has dramatically shaped many aspects of our lives — how goods and services are delivered, how we communicate, how we are entertained. Now technology is set to not only change how we drive, but also revolutionize transportation as a whole, especially as society becomes (Continued on Page 62)

Spring 2014

Social Media By Teri Bayus

The Bluetooth Special Remember Blue Light Specials? My family would hang out in Kmart waiting for that announcement, peaking over rows of toilet paper to find the blue beacon and get the sale of the day. Now, in 2014, we have a retail solution to consumer responsiveness that is more exciting and promising than a flashing blue light. It started with Apple releasing iBeacon Bluetooth with its iOS 7 upgrade for iPhones. iBeacon is an indoor positioning system offering a new class of low-powered, low-cost transmitters that can notify nearby customers of your company’s presence on their smart phones. These devices can send coupons, specials, appointments and more within a 50-foot radius of their location. Already used in the Apple Stores, Trader Joe’s and Macy’s,

they are dialoguing and customizing consumers’ retail experience. The iBeacon works on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Retailers buy the transmitters (as low as $25), and customers opt in to the businesses’ app to receive the signals. It is a location-aware, context-aware, pervasive small wireless sensor beacon, but the marketing opportunities are endless. iBeacons could send notifications of most used or on-sale items based on consumer data, and it could enable payments at the point of sale (POS) where people don’t need to remove their wallet or card to make a payment. PayPal is close to releasing their app to use with BLE. While this has unfathomable business applications, merchants will have to buy a transmitter. They’ll also need to be judicious in their use in the beginning, as giving Estimote BLE transmitter

Innovation & Tech Today

up this privacy is still an opt-in process and will only succeed if perceived as a huge benefit. The client service functions are phenomenal, as your staff will not have to worry about the collection of money and can focus entirely on customer service. Other applications can set up an app that pays for your meal at a restaurant the minute you order it, including tip. Or, you can stop at an event poster and buy tickets in a single tap. Some novel applications include digital editions of popular magazines placed in the customers’ Newsstand app. A bakery could announce what just came out of the oven, while a hotel can offer special treats for guests like a wine tasting. My favorite proposed purpose is eliminating the need to type passwords over and over again. The possibilities are endless and exhilarating. Businesses can buy the BLE devices now and get creative. This low-cost gizmo will continually beam out a Bluetooth signal, running for up to a year on a small watch battery. The beacon allows the smallest of businesses to track customers, make recommendations, and offer discounts to customers’ pockets. Units can be purchased at Texas Instruments. ■ TERI BAYUS is a serial entrepreneur who has owned over 20 businesses. She is a teacher and writer who directs numerous marketing and social media campaigns for businesses. More at www.teribayus.com.

Spring 2014

Extravaganza in Vegas Connected

Cars.

Home

Automation.

Robots.

Drones.

Wearables. 3D Printing. 4K UHD Television. Olympic gold medalists, rock music icons and industry giants. The Polar Vortex. All came together in Las Vegas to showcase technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leap into the future at an unforgettable International CES 2014.

Story by Robert Yehling Photographs by Robert Yehling & Aaron Halda

CES

It started as soon as the plane landed, while waiting in the McCarran International Airport taxi line that moved at glacial speed — before global warming. “You’re at CES?” sports agent, Melbourne Marathon and USA Masters Half Marathon Championships producer Mitch Varnes asked. “I’ve got a friend there from Florida, Fred Maxik. You gotta talk to him. He holds a hundred patents in LED lighting. His bulbs last 20 years or something. Look him up.” “Do you know how many inventors and innovators are here? How many booths I need to see —” “I met him at a triathlon. He’s a little out there, ponytail and all, but pretty amazing. Find him and tell him we’re friends.” “— How many interviews I have? How much ground I need to cover?” “Sure, sure … but check this guy out.” Click. As the taxi line crawls, out comes an appointment calendar that looks like John Nash’s walls in A Beautiful Mind. Add one more name to the miasma of booth numbers, contacts and times (a good contact, as it turned out. See page 20).

After spending thirty minutes re-writing the schedule into something legible (which, of course, will get changed, over and over again … and again), it’s time to get in the cab. A half-hour later, after being dropped off at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the doors open to International CES 2014, the ultimate fantasyland for techies everywhere and the heart of everything you want to know about our individual and collective futures. Walking the show means several miles of exercise daily (a great endorsement for the Digital Health TechZone), taking in the future of lighting, listening, driving, watching, communicating, printing, exercising, diagnosing, and seemingly every other participle connected to our daily lives. Which is the point of the recordbreaking 2014 show: we’re moving into an era of full connection, from The Internet of Things to connected cars to automated homes. Why not celebrate it in (Continued on Page 38)

Robotics loaded up with wearables and 3D TV were on full parade at International CES 2014. 36

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

CES

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Technomecca, along with 20,000 new products, 3,500 exhibitors, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, former NBC Today Show co-anchor Katie Couric, and 150,000 other new friends who turned out? Yet, while entering the North Hall on day one, something felt different: where were those 150,000 industry professionals who eventually showed up? Turns out many were stuck in airports back east, thanks to the Polar Vortex. The result was an unusual show dynamic, in which the busiest days weren’t the first two, but the last two. Once the hordes of halffrozen, weather-bound attendees arrived, beginning the afternoon of Day Two, Las Vegas lit up and the four convention center halls swarmed with wall-to-wall visitors from around the world. Let’s not forget Eureka Park, the showcase for budding start-ups and entrepreneurs, which grew to three dedicated areas down the road at the Venetian, again pulling the Strip into the middle of the show. Where to begin? That’s a tough

call, because there were enough story angles and architectures at International CES 2014 to keep Frank Lloyd Wright or Philip Johnson busy for a decade. Given the explosion of interconnectivity in the past 12 months, all of which falls under the umbrella called “The Internet of

A three-wheel concept car. Things,” we’d have to start there. On Day One, more than 20 industry leaders gathered for The Connected Summit, a panel discussion on The Internet of Things in which they offered various perspectives on how this is shaping up for consumers (see related story on page 50). One of the fascinating points was that, like almost

Innovation & Tech Today

everything else in the consumer world, you and I still control and monitor our own lives (the NSA notwithstanding). Surprising as that might sound, the devices only connect to us if we press the buttons and hook them up. With an estimated 50 billion devices expected to be interconnected by 2020, there will be a lot of hookups in the coming years. Which leads to one of the hottest and most exhibited technologies at International CES 2014 — connected cars. In one year, this product group went from a few exhibitors to taking up most of the North Hall and several lobbies, as well as heavily influencing the audio and GPS technology exhibits. Never mind the fact that app builders are moving into a workload that may match or even exceed the manic build-out following iPad, iPhone and other tablet and smartphone releases. Ford, Mazda, GM, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Veleo, Kia, Audi, BMW and other major manufacturers showed off their dashboards — not to mention alternative vehicles ranging from hydrogen cell cars to two-wheeled vehicles with car-like cabs that

Spring 2014

stand upright without kickstands. They were integrated with social media, next-gen GPS systems, distracted driving limiters like Cellcontrol, and features such as knowing the driving habits and tendencies of each driver of the car, planning alternate routes to avoid bad weather, traffic jams and accidents, gas efficiency, and even adjusting to specific driving conditions. If your kid takes your ubersmart car beyond the grocery store run you asked him or her to make, you can click onto your smartphone app, find their location, and catch them in the act. “And this is just the beginning,” said a BMW

exhibitor. “What we’re doing now is baby steps compared to what it will be like in 12 to 18 months.” Her point was well made in the Tech Titans keynote address by Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of AUDI AG. “I envision a future where cars drive themselves and where roads might one day guide vehicles,” Stadler said. He also announced partnerships with Nvidia, Tegra K1 and AT&T. Another impressive exhibit came from Econav, a guidance system introduced by Spanish personal electronic company Vexia, that allows drivers to reduce their fuel consumption by up to 19 percent,

reduce CO2 emissions by a similar amount, and help you with routing. “You input the details — type of vehicle, type of fuel and occupancy level — and Econav helps you save money on fuel, cuts your carbon emissions, analyzes various route options, and provides a readout of cost and cost savings,” said Nilo Garcia, CEO of Vexia’s parent company, Crambo S.A. So much for using Thomas Brothers maps. The other beauty of connected cars came to light through the other exhibitors, folks like Kenwood, JBL, American Hi-Fi, Cadence Acoustics, (Continued on Page 40)

on the green

on the streets

on the water speeCup is a Siri/S Voice Activated Portable Bluetooth Surround Sound Speaker with gesture control. This portable 8” tall speaker is designed to play music and be a hands-free speakerphone in your car, home, office or on the go. Using the audio out provided auxiliary cable you can also connect directly to your car or home stereo system for enhanced sound quality and without losing the portability of your phone, tablet or other Bluetooth device.

MFi Manufacturing Licensees 6.0 for iPhone 5

CES

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more important than using have been two of the key drivers. Powerbass, and Samsung. That’s wearables to monitor health and A perfect example is Humetrix, right: audio speaker and major wellness)? Wearable exhibitors which introduced the upgraded electronics companies, side by side rolled out every feature you could iButton 5.0 App to support with their hosts. Loading iPods imagine, from reading texts on caregivers by managing multiple into stereo systems, or watching watches, activity YouTube on the dashmonitoring, Qualcomm’s board? These are minor Mirasol color display compared to what’s on the technology, and the option horizon (see related story of using dial pads or apps — on page 58). all on and in watches. Also, After that mind-spin, the fashion world is another most impressive beginning to influence area was the Digital Health wearables, providing a TechZone, one of 25 different angle of style to TechZones at the show. It complement the almost 100 felt very crowded in that percent focus on functionsection of South Hall, and ality during these for good reason: exhibitors embryonic, critical and traffic increased by 40 developmental years (see percent over CES 2013. related story on page 118). Once upon a time, say less Polar and iFIT anchored the The Digital Health Tech Zone. health records, produce annotated than ten years ago, a medical Something special at the Polar medical records, and receive school student would receive, on updated notes and records from fitness technology booth. Make that average, eight hours of nutrition doctors and hospitals directly on someone special. Amidst the smart and fitness instruction as it mobile devices. What a smart way watches, cycling and running pertained to serving patients. That to cut into one of the most troubling wearables, and oversized signage of would be one day out of four years, mortality statistics in the U.S.: not eight credit-hours. Since then, the industry leader, stands a 200,000 deaths are preventable collaboration and integration has diminutive sports legend — sevenevery year. improved greatly between the time Olympic medalist Shannon The Digital Health TechZone also medical, fitness, and health/ Miller, America’s sweetheart at the showcased a considerable portion of wellness worlds; technology and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the wearable market (what could be the explosion of sports medicine (Continued on Page 42)

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

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the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history. Now 37, very fit and striking, Shannon signs autographs, poses for photos, and talks with attendees. On the table sit her two Olympic gold medals from 1996, one for team all-around, the other for balance beam. She readily engages in conversation, full of the pep and irresistible smile that lit up the world eighteen summers ago. (Of course, it’s easier to smile when you’re doing a promotion than when Bela Karolyi, the U.S. women’s gymnastics coaching legend, is giving you a Iron Curtain frown-growl at the bottom of the balance beam.) “It took awhile to heal completely after I retired from gymnastics,” she said, “but beyond that, I’ve kept staying in shape and fitness at the forefront of my life as much as possible. Good health and fitness give you so much — a sense of who you are, more opportunities to do strenuous things as you get older, and the confidence to try them.” Like many great Olympians, Shannon hit a few bumps between Atlanta and today. She married and divorced, met and married

John Falconetti in 2007, then successfully battled ovarian cancer before, in 2013, giving birth to their second child.

Olympic gold medalist Shannon Miller Today, she owns and operates Shannon Miller Lifestyle Health & Fitness For Women, a fabulous site that features tutorials, tips, radio programs, events and blogs — with Shannon doing much of the speaking and interviewing. Another TechZone buzzing with

Innovation & Tech Today

wall-to-wall traffic was automated home technology. Besides a dedicated TechZone, smart home core and accessory development heavily influenced exhibitors throughout the show. Major components and systems popped up in security and home entertainment consoles, along with the increased integration of network, cable and online TV services, gaming, audio (wireless multi-room speakers were big hits), app development, tablet, heating/ cooling, kitchen appliance, indoor and outdoor lighting, and landscaping systems. “You’re really seeing the growing popularity and focus on smart home technology at this particular CES,” one exhibitor said. “Even where we are, outside the TechZone itself, more than half the people visiting our booth ask how our products directly relate to the automated home. That’s never happened before at this show.” If you want to cause a population swarm that looks like a beehive immediately after the queen is coronated, go to the CES home entertainment, audio and gaming TechZones. From moment one (Continued on Page 44)

Spring 2014

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live-streamed booth activity to a Facebook page — wirelessly. The beat goes on. The 3D printing TechZone drew a large crowd, with two of the most notable bits of news coming from Makerbot, which

until the last bell, it was game-on (see related story on page 136). After fighting the massing hordes to reach the booths, among the more impressive home entertainment product sets were digital imaging and home video (watch out for the DarbeeVision Demos Phase HD processing station and SeeSpace’s InAir Interactive TV), and audio products such as active soundbars, the ultra high-quality speakers that are long, thin and run on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Now to wearable video cameras. Let’s just say that GoPro ignited a small revolution for those with an up-close-and-personal mentality. Vievu, a developer of bodyworn Sculpteo CEO and co-founder video cameras, launched a wearClement Moreau able video camera that can latch announced the first quality 3D onto users’ belts, lapels and printer in the $1,000 range; and pockets. Another company, Sculpteo, which has greatly Looxcie, brought along the expanded its cloud-based 3D printing Looxcie 3 video camera, which service for businesses requiring attaches anywhere on the body massive unit runs of small products and can shoot everything from to fill-in orders for products that business meetings to arduous trail would incur prohibitive costs reruns like the Western States 100starting their production lines. mile race in California’s Sierra “We’ve seen a lot of growth in both Nevada mountain range. In one of areas,” said director Clement Moreau. the coolest demos, a Looxcie rep

Innovation & Tech Today

“We have been able to show businesses that it saves them a lot of time, money and materials to have experts in 3D printing produce their products, such as ourselves. Where they may purchase a $3,000 or $5,000 machine, and have to worry about quality control, we run larger orders off our $100,000 machine. All they do is order and wait to receive their products.” After a week of posing with robots, grabbing promotional giveaways from 3D printers, listening to celestial headphone and speaker sounds, and taking in some of the most insightful tech summits on the planet, time to unwind by traveling into the stratospheric world of 4K UHD and 3D TV. What a perfect diversion — and learning experience. Two hours were spent watching 3D television without glasses, where lions jumped out of screens, cities lit up and flashed before our eyes, Big Ben chimed as if we were standing directly beneath, and mountain climbers descended harrowing precipices. After that, it was onto

Spring 2014

systems every TV addict would love to take home, ranging from three-section wraparound screens to 105-inch flatscreens with exquisite picture quality. “I just bought my new flatscreen six months ago, and it’s already hopelessly outdated,” I&T Today Entertainment Editor Aaron Halda lamented. Then we found the sounds, Panasonic speakers that were like having an eight-speaker stereo system on our ears. There was music to the lower left, music to the upper right, backbeat in the middle for those who passed through the heyday of six-stack stereo systems with four-foot speakers, the 1970s and 1980s,

and are now in 2014 — the arrival point of Marty McFly in Back to the Future — here’s a news bulletin: your new stereo system can consist of a tablet, iPod or smartphone and speakers like these. You can have it all for less than two pounds (weight, not British currency).

We will see the International CES product parade make its release rounds throughout the spring, summer and fall. As consumers become more accustomed to hearing about The Internet of Things, smart homes, connected cars, watches that play music and monitor heartbeat simultaneously, 3D printing and TV resolution that puts you at the 50-yard line, they will once again be fundamentally overhauling their technology. The beauty and bane of it? We’ll be doing it all over again in a couple of years. Welcome to the world where technology development has sped past the creative dreams of science fiction.

■

interview

Innovation & Tech Today Conversation with

GARY SHAPIRO President and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association Interview by Charles Warner, Innovation & Tech Today Publisher

(Editor’s Note: This is the second part of our exclusive conversation with bestselling author and Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro. We caught up with Mr. Shapiro for this conversation following International CES 2014.)

Yet, the money flows to four-year colleges that often produce unemployable kids.

CHARLES WARNER: It’s great to talk with you again, Gary. GARY SHAPIRO: Yes, a lot has happened since we last spoke! We had our International CES 2014 … and you put out your winter issue. I learned a lot from your last issue, especially the article about the man in Washington (Larry Bock) who’s putting on the (USA) Science and Engineering Festival for young people, some of the statistics you printed, the article on jobs and unemployment … I found it pretty compelling. CW: We were fortunate enough to interview Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs for that issue, and he talked about 3 million unfilled tech and skilled labor jobs in this country. GS: Yeah, that’s true. I recently had an op-ed in U.S. News & World Report about job skills, and I was inspired by some of what Mike said in there. I got a response immediately from someone who asked, “Why aren’t we giving out student loans based on the relationship between what someone is studying and the viability of them getting a meaningful position from their college education?” I totally agree. CW: It seems it would be so obvious and easy for us to see this … but we don’t. GS: Well, part of it is political. Germany is an example of someone who’s very strategic in how they educate and what they do. I actually talked to a group of community college presidents who feel very underappreciated by society. I understood their points-of-view. They’re providing classes that, quite frankly, lead to a lot of jobs. 46

CW: What specific dynamics make the U.S. such a global leader in innovation? What impresses you most about the types of innovations our industries are making right now? GS: Innovation is in our blood as Americans. We encourage people to think big, to be creative, to take risks and go after their dreams. One great thing about America is that we don’t punish failure the way a lot of other nations do. This encourages people to take smart risks, because if they fall, they can get up again and start over. Our free speech culture also encourages innovation, by allowing and even supporting thinking outside the box. Industries are constantly improving their products, not just to meet consumer demands but to anticipate them. The idea is always to make life better. You see it with driverless cars, where the goal is to make us all safer, to open our roadways, save us time and even save us money, since not everyone will have to own a car — which is also good for the planet. The most successful innovators always have that in mind: how do we make life better? CW: Let’s move on to International CES 2014. The show drew more than 150,000 attendees. What elements of the show make it memorable for you? GS: We had over 3,500 exhibitors, all of which felt they had some products that were innovative. It’s the world’s largest innovation event. So innovation is one theme. The other overwhelming theme from this year was collaboration. A lot of businesses come there to look at dealing with other businesses — and not only in their industry. We didn’t have just the consumer electronics

Innovation & Tech Today

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Spring 2014

— different clusters of hotels and convention centers, with categories and zones within each.

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industry. We had the automotive industry, drones, wearable technology, the measured self — lots of exercise and lifestyle equipment, as well as Ultra HD, robotics, 3D printing … we went from a few 3D printing exhibitors in 2013 to over thirty this year. We had so many different areas, that no matter who was there, I don’t think they could honestly say they truly saw most of the show. You’d need two or three weeks to cover the whole show. CW: A couple of features we thought were most impressive were the groupings into the different tech zones, and the app you designed for people to use from their tablets and smartphones. GS: Logistics is very important to us, and we have to be innovative, too, so we put a lot of time and thought and money into those things. And we always try to change. For example, next year’s show is going to be different than this year’s show. We’re going to have a Tech East and a Tech West. There will be major areas of the shows

CW: You’ve just told us one new feature of next year’s show. Can you give us a sneak peak of emerging technologies that you think will make a bigger presence at International CES 2015? GS: You’re the first person to ask me that question! (laughs) I think you’re going to see a lot more development in drones, in wireless technology, and sports and fitness technology. 3D will continue upon its path. Then there are things we haven’t yet anticipated. A company that innovates something doesn’t constitute a category, but one of the advantages we offer are the tech zones, which bring quite a few companies together into a category that more people pay attention to. One of the things we finally pulled off in 2014 was to have universities exhibit products they thought were cool. We expect that to grow. Right now, we’re trying to limit attendance so we can assure attendees of a great experience. We always try to balance logistics with what we want our show to be, how we want it to grow. We have a big advantage in working with a city, Las Vegas, that has three of the ten biggest convention centers in the country, and more hotel rooms than anywhere in the world. CW: Finally, Gary, how do you feel International CES 2014 reflects the dynamics of what is happening in the electronics and technology worlds? We’re always going for a perfection we’ll never get, versus trying to make it a phenomenal opportunity for people to be invigorated, excited, just totally amped about the future. I think we’re on this innovation wave that’s going to take off and be very, very good. Like (Innovation & Tech Today) points out, innovation is what we’re about, it’s our future, and it’s solving the world’s biggest problems. ■

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

CESBy the Numbers

They came from more than 100 countries — and they came in huge numbers. A breakdown of the week at International CES 2014:

1.92 million Square Footage of Exhibit Space

150,000

Total Attendees

35,000

from Outside U.S.

(SOURCE: Consumer Electronics Association)

3,500 Exhibitors

20,000 New Products Showcased

25 Different TechZones

Product Categories

13 5 3

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U.S. Dept. of Commerce officials in attendance FCC officials in attendance

U.S. Congressmen in attendance

Foreign Ambassadors in attendance

Toward

TOTAL CONNECTIVITY By Rosemary O’Brien

One of the buzz phrases in 2014 is “The Internet of Things.” Get used to it: we have just begun moving into a Brave New World where, by 2020, 50 billion devices will be connected to each other — and we’ll be at the center. The Internet of Things is a hot topic in the tech world these days. Loosely translated, it means anything that can be connected and tracked on an Internet structure. For the mere mortal, it means your phone talks to your house, which talks to the parts of your house (think refrigerator, heating and cooling systems, etc.), which can inform your doctor, and so on. It’s the direction in which wearables, connected cars, robotics, drones, computers, home entertainment and gaming systems, and seemingly everything else is headed. The possibilities are seemingly endless, so what does it all mean? “We’re in the middle of the Internet of Things,” says Andrew Femrite of Arrow Electronics, a Fortune 150 global provider of products, services and solutions 50

with more than 100,000 supply channel partners — in other words, with a finger directly on the pulse of interconnectivity. “It’s a huge

tidal wave, and we’re starting to hear from every supplier now. They’re looking at ways to connect all of the stand-alone electronic devices today to each other, in a bigger connectivity scheme. What it means to you and me is that we’ll have more gadgets, smarter cars, smarter homes, all connected through the Internet.” To illustrate Femrite’s point, January’s International CES 2014 show brought together more than 20 CEOs and decision makers in its opening-day Connections Forum. The companies feature disparate products and platforms, even coming from different industries. However, their comments and insights present a clear and compelling message: If we want to be viable consumer and business-to-business players in the future, we need to find (Continued on Page 52)

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ways to connect our platforms, devices and product features to each other. The transportation hub for all of these connected devices? The Internet. “At Arrow, we believe that by 2020, 50 billion things will be connected to the Internet,” says Arrow Electronics’ John Hourigan. “This is where it’s going. We’re right in the throes of it, because our suppliers are in the throes of it.” Players in the Interconnectivity Game Great minds and visionaries are figuring out how to tap into the rich possibilities of the Internet, 30+ years after the first networks reached out and found each other. Companies in every industry are not only getting involved, but in some cases, moving at warp speed to get to market with their interconnected platforms and products. Why? Try a quick question: one year ago, had you heard the term “connected cars”? Or “smart accessories,” or “interconnected wearables”? What many considered science fiction in 2012 and even 2013 is now science fact. A few examples:

• Kevy works with cloud apps such as MailChimp and Salesforce and eliminates the need to manually transfer data in order to start using information as one, unified system. “Kevy allows anyone to integrate and sync data in less than 10 minutes — no IT knowledge required,” according to Kevy’s Marketing Coordinator Kylie McKlveen. • Board Vitals, Inc. collects abnormal medical cases and uses that information to help re-train and certify physicians and other health professionals. According to CEO

Daniel Lambert (L), CEO of Board Vitals, Inc. 52

Daniel Lambert, they use an algorithm to identify the cases that can be used in training. • Then there is Verizon Wireless, which runs the gamut of smart accessories. “These include inexpensive home security cameras, fitness monitors, pet trackers, devices to track and diagnose your car and so much more,” according to Doug Glenn, Account Manager of Strategic Vertical Sales. • MentorMate creates Bluetoothenabled kitchen and bathroom scales that analyze nutrients from over 8,000 food items. This allows for the creation of a food journal which helps track your weight and BMI (Body Mass Index). • Savor operates a new deal, discount and coupon site that makes it possible to find a deal or coupon on your PC at work, save it, and then access it on your tablet once you get home. (Continued on Page 54)

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The hardware behind these apps and processes is not to be discounted in the discussion of interconnectivity. GreenPeak Technologies makes chips that are integrated into devices for the home such as motion sensors, remote controls and door locks, just to name a few. “With the GreenPeak chips, these devices can communicate with each other,” according to Cees Links, CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies. They can be monitored and controlled with a smartphone from any place in the world. Science Fiction? Interconnected technologies are widely used. Companies are continually expanding their range of use throughout the world, from technology and business to education and the home. As Internet information, applications and even cloud computing become more connected, opportunities for information sharing will also expand exponentially. “In our case, the information we collect now is not only peerreviewed, but peer-reviewed hundreds of times,” according to

Lambert of Board Vitals. “We take massively unstructured data and turn it into useful diagnostics. The Internet of Things is not just about connecting two devices, but about knowing what information to collect and analyze.” More connectivity at higher speeds is driving greater user enjoyment and productivity. Verizon’s 4G LTE creates even greater bandwidth and speed with its new AWS technology, according to Doug Glenn. Verizon’s innovation centers in California and Massachusetts sponsor the Powerful Answers Initiative, which engages with developers to continue to explore new technologies, solutions and connections. Business is integration, but the downside of cloud apps that people use every day in business is that the information exists separately. Companies such as Board Vitals, Kevy and even Savor enable that information to flow between entities. “In the case of Kevy, we allow that data to flow back and forth between cloud apps and across platforms, the ultimate connectivity for businesses that utilize cloud apps,” says McKlveen.

Verizon’s 4G LTE 54

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Impact on Consumers & Business “Patients understand that their data will change the way medical education works, so they tend to embrace the concept,” according to Lambert. “On the other hand, in a world where all devices are connected, people are justifiably concerned about anonymity. We make sure that patient data is kept confidential.” As for the smart home, GreenPeak’s Links says the dream is quickly becoming a reality. It is driven by cable operators, such as Cox, Verizon Wireless, Time-Warner and AT&T, who are already rolling out security or energy management packages connected via the cable box or gateway. According to Links, there is an insatiable appetite among consumers for higher speeds and broader bandwidth. “We’re also seeing many more ‘smart’ consumer and business machines ready for connection right off the production line,” says Glenn. He believes there are many advantages to this interconnectivity as it relates to safety, efficiency, productivity, etc. “Soon, refrigerators will be able to automatically send us a text when we are low on milk or the washing machine will alert us and its manufacturer when maintenance is needed.” According to Lambert, “More devices will be connected, but we will start seeing more universal profiles that will define what can and cannot be shared on an individual basis.” It seems to be happening already, but more people will connect to the Internet from a mobile device rather than a traditional desktop, according to David Bakke, Tech Expert from MoneyCrashers, a financial fitness website. Along with that, wearable technology will continue to expand rapidly, which Spring 2014

“Over the next several years, we will help folks monitor and will see a rapid expansion for improve their physical health. This devices that connect not only to the was evidenced at International Internet, but to each other to collect CES 2014, where the iFit segment of the show, tying together wearables, sports, fitness/health, and medical solution providers, grew by 300 percent from 2013. “You’ll also see social media users taking better advantage of video chat services, such as Google Hangouts and Facebook video chat, in order to communicate about everything,” The InBody booth at International CES 2014 shows the interconnectivity between fitness, health, says Bakke. wearables and computers. Consumers and Photo by Bob Yehling businesses alike will expect a seamless, and process data and to provide connected experience. That analytic services to that end,” connectedness will need to be according to Dana Blouin, Ph.D. different pieces of the puzzle student and researcher at SIIT– working seamlessly together.

Thammasat University. Blouin believes the home automation market is just starting to reach its stride, and also sees an upturn in

“It’s a huge tidal wave, and we’re starting to hear from every supplier now. They’re looking at ways to connect all of the stand-alone electronic devices today to each other, in a bigger connectivity scheme.” — Andrew Femrite, Arrow ElEctronics

wearable tech as it connects to multiple devices and sends data back to cloud-based services. (Continued on Page 56)

(Continued from Page 55)

The Downside? Very Little The future of connectivity is leading us to enhanced learning, according to Glenn of Verizon Wireless. “Mobile technology is having a bigger impact on our lives than ever before in history,” he says. “We are witnessing a once-in-a-millennium transformation in education, with the migration from printed textbook to digital content used on tablets and laptops, for one thing.”

being used an effective tool in the learning initiative. It’s about accessing that tool or company, in the case of business, whenever and wherever they happen to be. “We’re seeing a vast improvement in education through what we’re doing,” says Lambert. “Physicians have reduced their study times by 18 percent due to the hyperconnectivity we’ve created.” Bakke sees this hyperconnectivity playing a role in

“As we are able to get more devices connected, there will be more options created for ways to interact and to improve education.” Interconnectivity and wearables meet athletics. Photo by Robert Yehling

When you think about it, isn’t connectivity in technology merely a reflection of how our brains operate? For instance, when you visit a foreign country, you bring together maps you’ve studied, shows and articles you’ve watched and read, conversations you’ve had with friends, and perhaps pieces of the language you studied in school. That combines geography, history, language, sociology, travel experience and maybe archaeology or science, depending on your interests. That’s our natural ability to interconnect. Ultimately, connectivity is the most important component, making whatever learning device 56

Jay Miller, Creative Director at MentorMate, believes we will measure the value of connectivity in terms of context. “While emerging devices such as Google Glass are innovative and thought provoking, their true usefulness will come to bear once developers and designers are able to customize them for specific needs,” he says. “Imagine a ski helmet that measures speed, altitude, temperature and heartbeat.” Mobile connectivity is already present. As it develops further and the newest high-speed networks and innovations kick in, it will have a place in every industry and area of our everyday life. Are we overconnected? Maybe, but the consensus among these industry leaders is that our connectivity will urge us forward and help us succeed in business, education, health, home life, and transportation, and will make our daily lives richer and more vibrant if they have anything to say about it. ■

— Dana Blouin rEsEArchEr

improving education and socialization, and researcher Dana Blouin agrees. “As we are able to get more devices connected, there will be more options created for ways to interact and to improve education,” he says. He doesn’t think human life will suffer, but rather improve on a more connected planet that allows us to make better decisions using information from more devices. “It will open up all types of new experiences for students much in the same way as having access to the Internet did when it first entered the classroom,” says Blouin. “Total connectivity ultimately levels the development playing field by allowing equal access to information,” adds Glenn. Innovation & Tech Today

ROSEMARY O’BRIEN is a Senior Writer for Innovation & Tech Today and a longtime business writer. She is based in New York. For more information, visit her websites at www.PocketParksNYC.com and www.RosemaryOBrien.net. (ROBERT YEHLING also contributed to this article)

Spring 2014

The ‘Internet of Things’

Comes to

CARS By Michael Coates and John Faulkner Photographs By Robert Yehling

Over a two-month period, the Connected Car Expo in L.A. and International CES in Las Vegas proved one thing: connected cars are not only big news, but big business — and ready to explode Historically, auto shows have been about bling — the latest models polished to an unreal brilliance glowing under unnatural lighting in an indoor arena. Which is not to say that the shows ignore technology. Advances in multiple airbags, crumple zones and consumer features like automated lift gates and whiz-bang audio systems are part of the spiel heard from every display stand. But those dialogues are directed at one thing — selling you an example of what they’ve got on display. The 2013 Los Angeles Auto Today’s new cars connect to your social Show took a different turn during media, smartphone, music choices, navigation its press preview. Before it got to — and life. all the new model previews, the show presented a separate event, and technology that will be on cars Connected Car Expo (CCE), focused in the near future. According to LA on the technology of the future — a Auto Show director Lisa Kaz, it also look at the newest innovations was a smashing success, drawing pumping out of R&D departments, 16,500 people. If ever there was an 58

Innovation & Tech Today

indicator of how huge connected cars will be for product and app design, the Connected Car Expo was it. The program gave a good indication of where the automotive and technology industries are today and where they’re heading as quickly as they can. What they discussed you will be seeing in a few years on cars you can buy. Here are some highlights: The Internet of Things Is Here As already pointed out in Innovation & Tech Today (see pages 46-52), the “Internet of Things” has landed in most cars. Now, it’s going to take over. Nokia, now a part of Microsoft, is already working with Mitsubishi on using HD radio technology to deliver more and better quality traffic and weather information and even real(Continued on Page 60)

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time fuel prices. Next up, according to Ogi Redzic, VP of Connected Driving at HERE, a Nokia business: • Maps “that go beyond what is currently available — a High Precision Map — a map with an unprecedented precision and accuracy of, for example, road attributes, curvature and lane width.” • Software that can “make sense of not only the information of the driving environment in and around the vehicle, but extend the horizon to include information from vehicles in the surrounding area.” • Software that can model human behavior based on “how people drive and behave in various driving conditions … (such as) … weather, road conditions or road characteristics.” The end result of these technology advances (with some additional hardware and software) could be an automated car on which automakers are willing to put their names and, these technologists hope, the vehicles to which drivers will be willing to turn over their trust — and the wheel.

Audi Connect

Four Technologies About to Change the Automotive World Four developing technologies are predicted to be game changers for the automobile, in much the same way they will affect our broader society. In this realm, the auto will not be the leader, but can be expected to be a fast follower as soon as it becomes clear that these

technologies will enter the fabric of our lives. The four are: • The cloud • Machine learning • Natural language processing • Data analytics The list was referenced by Pranish Kumar, Group Program Manager, Windows Embedded Automotive at Microsoft. As Shel Israel and Robert Scoble (who were not at CCE) pointed out in their recently published book, Age of Context, the five converging forces of social media, mobile, big data, sensors and location-based technology are starting to shape the lives of more and more people and beginning to find a home in cars. The era of automotive personalization is transitioning from the “old days,” when color and accessory choices at the time of purchase served as personal touches, to today, when a consumer will plug in his or her smart phone, and the vehicle dashboard and infotainment layout will transform to reflect personal preferences. Talking to your car will take on a whole new significance. (Continued on Page 62)

Kenwood, the stereo manufacturer, featured on a Ford Mustang door panel? Yes, you’re reading it right — and reading into how cars are becoming a platform for many different product groups. 60

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WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

The connected dashboard (Continued from Page 60)

Beyond that, future cars could know when to start themselves up each morning for the commute, preheat the car, and set the preferred morning station or desired entertainment. The car would also know if it snowed overnight, or if there was an early morning accident clogging the primary route. If that happened, an alternative route and extra time might be needed. The car would alert its owner accordingly. This, of course, is without delving into the realm of the fully automated car, where even the

increasingly urbanized. From a drop in driver’s licensing among young people to car-sharing, from e-mobility to autonomous vehicles, transportation and the car in particular is ripe for disruption. With autonomous and near autonomous vehicles on the horizon, we are seeing and will continue to see dramatic improvements in safety, emergency response times, traffic patterns and congestion, parking, and the need for nearby parking lots (when you can simply summon your vehicle when you are ready to leave, the need for a close parking space diminishes). I believe the rise of the connected car will parallel the rise of connected cities. Already we are seeing plans for major cities to become “smart cities,” and the global market for smart city technology is expected to exceed $20 billion by 2020. It’s all part of what we’re seeing as far as the “Internet of Things”; everything is converging to a

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point of technology based on the Web, and the car is going to be a big part of this. Hopefully cities will benefit by becoming less congested, safer, and greener as these efficiencies improve. LL: What advice can you offer to other women working to make a name for themselves in technology? LK: Women are increasingly holding positions of influence in business and technology. Just a couple of weeks ago, we saw Mary Barra become the first female CEO of a major global automaker (General Motors). This is good news for women. At the end of the day, business decisions and partnerships are made by people. People like to do business with people they like, respect and trust. Network with other women in your field. Attend conferences and trade shows, join and become active in relevant organizations. Be solution oriented. Everybody likes being around problem solvers. And continue always to learn. ■

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“More than 50 percent of the new cars sold in 2015 will be connected via either an embedded or tethered system.”

driving would be done with minimal human input, per Google’s well-publicized experiments in 2012 and 2013. At the Tipping Point Connected Car Expo keynoter Jim Farley, Ford’s Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Sales and Service, told the group that the technology and automobile industries stood at a tipping point in their relationship. This, he explained, is because auto companies aren’t used to working in the open collaboration that is common in the tech world, and the tech world is not used to working with the safety concerns and constraints of the automotive environment. In a message that resonates with much of the work now taking place in Silicon Valley, Farley said that both sides realize the potential of their collaboration — and the tipping point they must overcome. A full lineup of speakers at CCE elaborated on the tipping point,

— Brian cooley cnEt

from Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Hyundai and BMW. They were joined on stage with tech company representatives from Google, Intel, Verizon, Airbiquity, Sprint, Continental and Cisco, the aforementioned Microsoft/Nokia speakers, and representatives of smaller companies.

Tipping Point Issues: Standardization, Driver Distraction and Privacy As Kumar said, “For the intelligent car to reach its fullest potential there must be a consolidation that accrues to a standard set of technologies, platforms and experiences.” Much has happened with other vehicle technology over the years. Given the representation at the conference and ongoing work, it looks like the two groups are moving in that direction rapidly (at (Continued on Page 66)

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least in auto industry terms; the tech industry may not see progress from the same vantage point). The challenge remains for automotive brands to maintain their identity while standardizing enough equipment to make operation safe and customer-friendly. We’re not even to the Beta vs. VHS stage. Right now, we’re at a stage similar to the early days of the automobile at the start of the 20th century, when we were trying to figure out where to place the steering wheel, pedals and controls. The difference, of course, is that today’s decisions could affect millions, while those of the last century inconvenienced hundreds at the most until standards were sorted out. Brian Cooley, CNET Editor at Large and one of the moderators at CCE, observed that “more than 50 percent of the new cars sold in 2015 will be connected via either an embedded or tethered system,”

that virtually all new cars will have the capability of being connected, but that connectivity is expected during the decade to encompass interconnected cars as well. Audi’s current connected package creates a Wi-Fi hotspot in the car and includes music streaming and navigation systems using Google Earth, Google Street View and online traffic information. In addition, Audi has demonstrated fully automated cars and other semi-autonomous features such as self-parking cars (done with the driver outside the vehicle), which holds a tantalizing promise for the coming decade. ■

With connected cars, even trunk speakers are stylized.

but most of those systems remain islands unto themselves in different vehicles. During CCE, Audi announced it would be building 1 million of its own connected vehicles by 2015 (it already has 200,000 on the road). Within 10 years, the expectation is

MICHAEL COATES is an internationally recognized expert in automotive environmental issues, focusing on advanced technology. He has been a key participant in automotive marketing and publishing for more than three decades, including work with Chrysler, the U.S. Council for Automotive Research, General Motors, Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen, BF Goodrich and others.

Clarion NX604 Introduces Intelligent VOICE Powered by Google Clarion’s all new NX604 is the flagship of the Clarion’s Multimedia line-up but what makes it special is that it is the first model in the US, offering a unique voice recognition system. Clarion’s NX604 introduces Intelligent VOICE powered by Google when it ships in May 2014. Intelligent VOICE utilizes natural language comprehension, noise elimination, and a series of proprietary Clarion voice recognition improvements to find results even when searches include ambiguous or abbreviated words. It also provides users with the ability to search for destinations or categories by simply talking the way they would talk to a human - no need to communicate in complicated prompts to expect accurate results. The NX604 also features excellent audio and video performance, a navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and access to its Smart Access cloud. MSRP of $1,099. Street price expected around $849. Go to www.clarion.com for more information. 66

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What’s Next For

ELECTRIC CARS? By Michael Coates Photographs By Michael Coates

Throughout the past century, we’ve seen numerous starts and stops in electric car technology. Now, electric car technology has a strong foothold — and it will get stronger. The current iteration of electric cars is only slightly more than two years old (we’ll set aside the robust electric car market of 100 years ago and attempted revivals in the interim). Tesla made a splash with its lithium-ion powered electric version of an English Lotus Elite, but the market breakthroughs came from Japan’s Nissan Leaf, a purpose-built fivepassenger pure electric compact, and the surprise American contender from Hamtramck, MI, the range-extended four-passenger electric Chevy Volt. This past year, the Tesla Model S has been burning up the EV sales charts. It continues to add new orders around the world, as the California-based company builds numbers that approach what the industry considers “mass production.” 68

While sales have fallen short of lofty expectations (some set by government “enthusiasts,” rather than experienced automotive marketers), the record is clear that plug-in cars (pure electrics, range extenders like the Volt, and plug-in hybrids) have been selling at a rate exceeding what hybrid cars experienced when they were first introduced more than a decade ago. Look at the headlines: Fiat announced its spunky 500e was Innovation & Tech Today

sold out for the year. Wait lists formed when Honda dropped the price on its Fit EV. Nissan shifted production of its Leaf to its Tennessee plant where it was co-located with a new battery plant, and reduced prices on the Leaf spiked sales. Nissan and Honda are engaged in a spirited battle for market share, continuing a 35-year rivalry for the American buyer. According to interviews with Nissan field personnel, the company is now seeing the “second generation” of Leaf buyers, environmental devotees or early adopters of new technology. With its reduced purchase price (augmented by state and local incentives) and high visibility, the Leaf is now attracting buyers intrigued by the economics of an electric car when it fits their (Continued on Page 70)

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lifestyle. This is clearly an avenue the market untouched by electrics. to success for plug-in cars. New models in new market segEV enthusiasts see the upward ments could expand the influence trajectory of sales continuing at the of electrics. Other than Elon Musk pace of the past year (90 percent of Tesla hinting that he’d like to increase compared to 2012). produce an electric truck, we’ve Detractors, who appear to include several automakers, point to plug-ins total market share (a little more than one-half of one percent for the year) and the fire sale mentality of cars being sold at prices significantly below their cost of production as a harbinger. Given the mandates for zero emission vehicles in California and elsewhere, incentives from governments around the world and a growing core of enthusiasts dedicated to electric drive, EVs are not likely to go away anytime soon. What is Elon Musk, Tesla Motors their next step? We see three distinct possibilities: New Models? The first two possible routes for electric cars are two variations on the “more is better” theme: If 10 pure electric models are good, then 20 is better. More models offering more familiar nameplates, and greater variety, could be the key to boosting electrics into more of a mainstream role. The current EVs tend to be small cars, with the outliers being a large sedan, the Tesla Model S, and an SUV, the Toyota RAV4 EV. The rest of the pure EVs are compact or smaller sedans, missing the sweet spot of the market — the midsize sedan. Plug-in hybrids cover a larger swath of the models, including midsize cars and wagons, but large station wagons, pickup trucks of any size, vans and minivans, and standard-size SUVs have no plug-in options. That leaves a big chunk of 70

becomes a mainstream vehicle. Currently, plug-in sales are roughly split four ways between the Leaf, Volt and Model S, with the remainder scattered among other offerings. Two models on the horizon appear to be aiming to become the Prius of EVs — the upcoming Model E from Tesla, and GM’s as-yet unnamed “Tesla fighter.” The former is a smaller, $40,000 sedan with all of the range attributes of the larger Model S. The latter, as envisioned by outgoing GM CEO Dan Akerson, is a $30,000 range-extended EV with a 200mile all-electric range. Given Tesla’s image or GM’s aggressive specs, either of these models could remake the perception and sales of the plug-in segment.

New Batteries? The GM-proposed model incorporates the car’s batteries — potentially a major part of the next big thing. Other than Tesla, the basic battery pack in an EV is relatively small, but still quite heavy and expensive. Scientists are working intensively to change both sides of that equation, dropping weight while increasing power density and reducing costs. Up to this point, Tesla Model C concept car batteries have been subject to steady, if incremental heard minimal interest from major improvement, but work on new automakers launching models in chemistries (such as lithium-air) is these as-yet virgin markets. promising to deliver a truly new Specialty manufacturers have generation of electric cars. offered low-volume aftermarket However, the timeline for these products aimed at some of these breakthrough batteries is usually segments, but the expense of scaling set on the 5- to 10-year horizon. up a battery for larger vehicles Tesla and GM announcements appears to be keeping most hint that the timeline might be automakers on the sidelines. moving closer, not surprising given Another approach is a model that the amount of attention and money takes the market by storm and (Continued on Page 72) Innovation & Tech Today

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focused on batteries during this past decade. In spite of some very public failures, the battery industry appears to be moving forward. The fruits of its labors will likely be in showrooms by late 2015, if the prognosticators are right. The undercarriage of the New batteries, of course, could Toyota Fuel Cell car (right). be dropped into an existing model or incorporated into a next differentiated because generation or whole new model. they produce their Either path takes the electric car electricity on into its next generation. board from hydrogen through a chemical New Path? reaction, rather than storing it in a The third pathway would take battery. They are the bird in the electric cars in a quite different hand for automakers, answering the direction. Fuel cell vehicles are limited range, quick refueling and electric vehicles (FCEVs), applicability to multiple platform

challenges of current battery cars. You could consider fuel cells a mature technology, since itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been around for 150 years. Cost and size reductions, along with durability and cost improvements, have

advanced fuel cells to the point where automakers claim a fuel cell car could be profitable in volume within a few years, at a price premium similar to a dieselelectric hybrid.

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This discussion may be moot, however. Hyundai detailed its 2014 aggressive fuel cell sales plans at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, and Toyota has already How small is small? This concept car shows announced a 2015 what’s possible. on-sale date for its fuel cell sedan and shown a concept version. Among the other key players, Honda has shown its upcoming fuel cell in concept form, while Daimler/ Mercedes and General Motors have put hardware in consumers’ hands and are expected to be competitive with their models in the next five years. Don’t count out Ford, Nissan and BMW, who are in coalitions with the market leaders to share fuel cell technology Fueling up is an entirely different experience for hybrid car owners. advances. ■

Who Are They? Here is a list of the automobile manufacturers and service providers of alternative fuel vehicles that meet qualification standards set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and/or qualify under Federal Tax Credits:

The First Electric Car Boom It’s so easy to think of electric cars and hybrids as a made-for-the-21st century phenomenon spirited by Prius and blasted toward the stratosphere by Tesla. However, we would then turn our backs on a colorful time in American history when cars first hit the streets in larger numbers. Gas- and electric-powered cars battled for supremacy in the ad pages of the nation’s top magazines of a century ago, spurred on by supreme industrialists Henry Ford, on the gas-powered side with his Model-T, and omas Edison, touting electricity. In 1910, Edison predicted, “In 15 years, more electricity will be sold for electric vehicles than for light.” It didn’t work out that way, but consider this: In 1900, 28 percent of all cars produced in the U.S. were electric. Compare that to 2013, when electric cars carried 3.8 percent market share. Why? Electric cars didn’t need to be hand-cranked, like their gaspowered counterparts. ey were also far more convenient than public transportation — or, God forbid, horses and carriages. Ironically, it was the invention of the electric starter that ended the necessity for hand cranking, enabling the faster, rangier, sexier and less expensive gas-powered cars to seize the market.

How did the industry position electric cars? Check this wording from a 1910 Baker Electric Ad that appeared in e Literary Digest: “e Aristocrats of Motordom” Every Baker Electric, from the dignified four-passenger Coupe to the racy Runabout, represents the highest attained degree of silence, safety, elegance and dependability. e Baker Electric, with its superior speed and mileage capacity, instant readiness for use and economy of maintenance, is the ideal car for city and suburban use. e fanciest electric car was the 1912 Hupp-Yeats Imperial, which sold for $5,000 (about $110,000 in 2014 dollars). Its advertisements, like many others, touted a mixture of lifestyle luxury, driving comfort, and cutting-edge technology. e Columbus Electric and Raush & Lang Electric models focused on conveniences for women, and also claimed the cars were accident-proof (portending connected cars or Google’s driverless car?). In 1911, Baker Electric produced a car that exceeded 200 miles on a single charge. Compare that to the 2014 Nissan LEAF, which needs to charge every 75 to 100 miles. e first electric car peak came in 1912, when more than 30,000 cars were on the streets. However, the landscape was already shiing, as Ford sold 200,000 of his Model-Ts that year alone. By the end of World War I, electric cars were practically obsolete. e 15year run was haughty, technologically advanced and rife with potential. Now, a century later, the curtain opens for the next electric car boom. Given the environmental factors, this one will likely last much longer. — Robert Yehling

QAFMV AMP Electric Vehicles American Honda Motor Company Audi BAF Technologies BMW BYD Motors Coda Cummins Westport, Inc. Daimler Trucks North America Fiat Ford Motor Corp. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. General Motors Kia Motors Mack Trucks, Inc. Mercedes-Benz Mitsubishi Nissan Opel Peugeot Renault Schwarze Industries Smart USA Subaru Tesla Tink Thomas Buses, Inc. Toyota Volkswagen Wheego

2014 Audi Q5 (SOURCE: Internal Revenue Service, Alternative Energy News)

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

A Home for Your Connected Devices Now that connected cars and alternative fuel vehicles are becoming the norm, rather than the exception, what are we going to do with our devices when we bring them with us? Sure, we can keep our smartphones in our laps or the passenger’s seat, or our iPads backed against the steering wheel. Scratch that remark for iPads. Now you can mount them on the floor, dashboard, in a cupholder, an extended mount, or even on the headrest if you’re riding in back.

Then there is the heavy-duty mount, a favorite of truckers and first responders. It can elevate from six to 24 inches with an arm that can be angled in any direction, and a mounting plate that enables you to position the holder to your desire. PadHoldr is one of the most versatile device solutions … but get ready for an avalanche of new products in the coming year. All of these innovations come through PadHoldr, which has taken one of the problems of any connected car — where do we put our devices? — and created 1,300 vehicle-specific dash kits. For instance, the vehicle-specific dash mount, such as the Social Pad Holder, can be bolted and bracketed to your dash without drilling a hole. You can then pick a swivel, or 6-, 9- or 12-inch arm to place your tablet exactly where you need it — in reading position, but out of the driver danger zone.

interview

Innovation & Tech Today Conversation with

SCOTT PAINTER TrueCar.com

Our information-based economy has increased transparency for paying customers considerably. Nowhere is this more apparent than the automobile industry, where car dealers face customers who already know what they want — and what they will (or won’t) pay for it. As sticky as that sounds, one web-based company makes it much easier. TrueCar.com has created a communications platform for car-buying customers and more than 7,000 certified dealers built on fact-based analytics, actual prices, and customer savings. The customer can configure the car, shop for any major brand, then head to the dealership and purchase. Everyone wins. To date, TrueCar.com and its dealers have completed more than 1 million transactions. In 2013, 2 percent of U.S. auto sales ran through TruCar.com. We spoke with TrueCar.com CEO Scott Painter about why buyers and dealers are smiling a little more after working with the communication platform. INNOVATION & TECH TODAY: Scott, could you give us a quick sketch of your background? SCOTT PAINTER: I’ve run quite a few start-ups, based on the same premise: buying a car is time-consuming and frustrating. I’m about as much of an entrepreneur as you can get. By now, I’ve had about 14 auto-related businesses. All, in one way or another, have focused around making car-buying easier. I&T TODAY: How are car dealers really doing in this apparent bull market? SP: Dealers are under more pressure to survive and thrive than ever. Margins are at an all-time low. The average consumer thinks dealers make about 15 percent. The average dealer, according to the National Auto-mobile Dealers Association, makes 2 percent. The business is a lot harder than people think. I&T TODAY: How have you leveraged the change in consumer shopping? SP: Most of what’s happened in the past 10 years has been focused on shopping, and providing customers with 76

product information. That’s great; it’s changed how people buy cars, for example. By the time most people get to the dealership, they tend to know quite a bit about the product. They’re not looking for as much help from the salesperson about how fast will it go, how will it corner, or how much is cost of ownership. Those details are usually readily available. I&T TODAY: Could you break down how your approach works for the customer, the dealer, and the manufacturer? SP: Sure. Where we’ve changed the game is that we make the buying experience dramatically better. We do it with three things: 1. We publish what everyone else paid for their car. This information simply hasn’t been available before. Previously, we relied on tools like Kelly’s Blue Book, but we publish what people paid — actual transaction data. The result is that you can be a first-time car buyer, go to TrueCar.com, and in under a minute, you’re a cost expert. 2. Dealers understand that today’s consumer is in charge of their buying experience, and customers expect transparency. Dealers have to re-set that trust. They do that by providing upfront pricing information and guaranteed savings. On TrueCar.com, you can see the upfront from the dealers in our certified network. 3. The certified dealers all try to get you in and out of the dealership in under an hour. That’s a lot different than the nightmare stories we’ve all heard, or exper-ienced, about being stuck at the dealership for six or seven hours. I&T TODAY: Finally, what one thing has made it possible — and necessary — for consumers and dealers to work more closely together? SP: Transparency. Transparency creates a marketclearing environment, where you can’t get away with overcharging. Nor do you need to go to the bottom and give it away. If a customer sees what others are paying, and that you’re showing a fair price, that’s going to result in a sale. We can help dealers by giving them the same information on pricing we give consumers, so they can price their cars fairly, competitively, but sustainably. That — R.Y. outcome works for everybody. ■

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

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The Next Generation of

Air Traffic Control By Mark Frye

How is our Air Traffic Control system working to keep our skies safe with the ever-growing number of passengers? Through technology. A special report. Our nation’s Air Traffic Control system is in the midst of a major makeover — with a long-range vision attached to it. In 2004, the Federal Aviation Administration launched project “NextGen,” which seeks to update the antiquated Air Traffic Control infrastructure. The project, which aims to be complete in 2025, is slated to help reduce delays, increase system capacity, and increase the fuel efficiency of the aircraft using the system. Similar projects are ongoing in other parts of the world. The amount of technology required to enable NextGen is immense. So why embark on such an ambitious project? Demand for the national airspace system is rising rapidly, and the delays at major hub airports are increasing. In fact, the FAA estimates that by 2030, there will be 1.2 billion airline passengers using the National Airspace System, a 69 percent increase from 2010. Since the aviation sector accounts for 5.2 78

O’Hare International Airport, Chicago

percent of our nation’s Gross Domestic Product, paying close attention to this sector is imperative. The main thrust behind NextGen is a complete shift from groundbased radar and navigation to satellite-based technology. A government mandate requires that, by January 2020, all aircraft in the U.S. be equipped with an Automatic Dependent Service Broadcast (ADSB) transponder. This will, in effect, Innovation & Tech Today

render ground radar obsolete. Although the 2020 date is likely to slip, the eventual switchover will mark a monumental day in aviation history. Current ground radar, which air traffic controllers use to see aircraft on their scopes, sweeps the sky once every 12 seconds. When aircraft are traveling over 500 miles per hour, a lot can happen in 12 seconds. To compensate for essentially being blind for 11 of these 12 seconds, controllers add extra spacing between aircraft in order to maintain system safety. Under the NextGen system, controllers will get refreshed information every second. This extra precision will allow controllers to safely reduce the required distance between aircraft, increasing the capacity of our National Airspace System and decreasing delays. Furthermore, pilots in NextGen aircraft will have access to the same radar scope that the controller has, increasing safety (Continued on Page 80)

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margins. The Air Traffic Control center in Houston, TX has already started using the procedures over the Gulf of Mexico. With cooperation from the helicopter operators using that airspace to fly to oil platforms, reduced separation and more direct routing is now available. Another important part of the NextGen upgrade is the switch to satellite navigation for pilots. In the past, pilots used ground station beacons and distance measurements from those beacons to plan arrivals, approaches, and departures at many airports. This resulted in a “wedding cake” shaped departure and arrival procedure, whereby pilots descended to a new altitude when they reached a certain point, leveled off, then did it again at the next point. This approach procedure increased fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and pilot workload. Under NextGen, pilots can get more precise vertical and horizontal position indications, enabling more continuous, fluid descents with one fixed power setting. It also results in a much smoother flight for passengers. As of January 9, 2014, there were 3,364 precision satellitebased instrument approach procedures already in use at 1,661 of the nation’s airports, with more being added daily. The infrastructure required to conduct these precision GPS approaches to our nation’s runways involves more than just the GPS satellites already in existence. Part of the NextGen costs involve augmenting these satellite signals with new ground-based systems for increased precision. The first, WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System), is a network of 44 various ground stations located throughout 80

North America that seamlessly integrate to increase GPS accuracy to within 7 meters (22 feet). It also provides pilots enough vertical position information to allow them to fly to as low as 200 feet above the ground, depending on the specific airport. A second augmentation system, GBAS (Ground Based Augmentation System), will be installed at only the nation’s most important airports. This system is airport-

specific and increases the GPS accuracy to within 1 meter in both the horizontal and vertical axis. This will allow pilots to fly an aircraft to a runway in near zerovisibility conditions. The WAAS system has already been installed, and the GBAS system is currently operational at the Newark Liberty and Houston Intercontinental airports, with United Airlines 737-800’s and 737-900’s being the first to be equipped with the necessary avionics. Another important NextGen upgrade involves Information Technology (IT) and data sharing. The sharing of data such as weather, air traffic control delays, flight plans, etc. will soon be accessible through a System Wide Information Management (SWIM) network, which is being Innovation & Tech Today

developed under NextGen. A unified weather picture will be available across the entire network. Furthermore, the errors associated with misunderstood clearances or language barriers will be drastically reduced when communication between air traffic control and pilots transitions from radio voice communications to direct-tocockpit text messaging and acknowledgement. Sharing data more cohesively and communicating more effectively will lessen our controllers’ workloads and allow them to make better decisions, especially during bad weather. Since we are 10 years into the NextGen upgrade and have spent millions of dollars already, there is some skepticism about its merits. After all, delays haven’t really decreased, and air travel is as frustrating as ever. Although the cynicism is completely understandable, there are reasons for this. For example, during busy periods at our nation’s busiest airports, our controllers are tasked with controlling a mix of modern, sophisticated, WAAS-capable aircraft, as well as older non-equipped aircraft. When our controllers get busy, they mostly resort to using the older procedures, because switching back and forth would add to their workload. Furthermore, ground radar is still the primary means for controllers to see aircraft, so the minimum separation between aircraft has not yet changed, and overall system capacity remains the same. Once all aircraft are upgraded with NextGen-compliant avionics and all pilots are trained on the new procedures, you can expect your travel experience with the nation’s airlines to improve dramatically.

■ Spring 2014

Generating Electricity with Our Own Energy More and more products, devices and systems are geared toward enhancing our fitness, health and energy. Why not add a human powered portable generator, a quite personal form of alternative energy? Ask and you shall receive. K-TOR designs and manufactures human powered portable energy generators that use our own biomechanical energy to provide reliable, sustainable power. These generators deliver sustainable, green power no matter the circumstances — whether natural disasters, search and rescue missions, blackouts, or other emergency situations. On top of that, they work for backpackers, boaters, hikers and outdoor

enthusiasts. They are compatible with portable electronics, communication equipment, and more. Now the big question: How do they work? K-TOR generators come in two forms, the Power Box pedal power generator ($195) and Pocket Socket hand crank generator ($65). Power Box won the 2011 CES Innovation Award in the portable power category. You pedal as if you were on a stationary bicycle, generating up to 20 watts of electricity — enough to power up an iPhone in minutes. Further, it weighs less than five pounds. The Pocket Socket hand crank generator follows the same principle as the Power Box

— only you crank by hand to deliver the 10 watts and 120 volts of power. It can charge virtually all hand-held, portable and tablet devices, as well as flashlights and GPS navigation devices. Talk about coming full-circle with producing and delivering energy ourselves … — L.B.

Solar Goes

Mainstream … BIG-TIME By Hannah Brott

Twenty-five familiar organizations now make solar a centerpiece of their energy usage, outfitting offices and stores throughout the U.S. and world. Here's a special look at their initiatives. Considering all the ways increase over the first half that change for the sake of of 2012. The 25 companies our planet is said to hinder with the highest solar large corporations, it is capacity (we’ll talk more quite a breath of fresh air to about these guys in a realize that commercial minute) collectively solar energy is more installed enough to power feasible than ever — and about 73,400 average that some of the largest U.S. American homes — 445 companies are now primary MW — before August 2013 movers and shakers. Apple has built the nation’s largest end user-owned, onsite alone. As of September One reason? A trend all 2013, the total (residential solar array to help supply their Maiden data center. corporations like — and commercial) installed Courtesy of Apple reduced costs. “The average solar capacity in the U.S. is price of a completed commercial PV 10,250 MW, which is enough to business that used to seem (photovoltaic) project has dropped power 1.7 million average inevitable. Now, by going solar, by 30% since the beginning of the American homes. To put it in SEIA says businesses can predict 2011, making solar more affordable perspective: that’s equivalent to and secure solar energy rates at or than ever for American businesses,” taking 2.1 million cars off the road below the rate of conventional says the Solar Energy Industries or planting 262.5 million trees. In energy for decades at a time, Association (SEIA) in its annual its U.S. Solar Market Insight report making it much easier to budget for Solar Means Business report, which for the third quarter of 2013, SEIA these costs. it develops in partnership with the says that “2013 is likely to be the According to the Solar Means Vote Solar organization. first time in more than 15 years that Business report, commercial The constant fluctuation and lack the U.S. installs more solar capacity installation of PV systems in the of visibility of conventional energy than world leader Germany.” U.S. in the first half of 2013 totaled prices presents a struggle to every (Continued on Page 84) 3,380 megawatts (MW), a 40 percent 82

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Although businesses of every shape and size are using solar energy, SEIA’s report focuses on the largest companies for the sake of simplicity. Who are they? Let’s take a look:

➤ Walmart. With 89.43 MW in 11 states, Walmart has the highest solar capacity of any company in the U.S. SEIA states that Walmart’s impressive solar portfolio is, remarkably, only enough to power about 5 percent of its facilities. In its annual Global Responsibility Report, Walmart reports that in locations where the company has solar energy systems installed, they provide 15 to 30 percent of the electricity the store needs. The massive chain manages this by blanketing store rooftops with as many solar panels as possible. Walmart’s solar program has reduced its energy costs by more than $1 million, according to a 2013 press release.

➤ Costco. The warehouse chain has just over half the solar capacity as Walmart, with 47.06 MW in six states. This is enough to power 17

The average price of a completed commercial PV (photovoltaic) project has dropped by 30% since the beginning of the 2011, making solar more affordable than ever for American businesses. — solAr EnErgy inDustriEs AssociAtion

percent of its facilities, according to SEIA. According to Costco’s 2009 Corporate Sustainability Report (the most recent available), it had 19 solar energy systems installed by the end of 2008. SEIA’s Solar Means Business Report states that the company, as of mid-2013, has 78 solar installations, indicating significant growth in Costco’s solar portfolio over the past five years. Costco’s main use of solar energy is onsite: rooftop solar panels that power the store or distribution center on which they’re mounted.

➤ Kohl’s. This retail giant is not far behind Costco, with 44.72 MW in 12 states. Kohl’s fills 12 percent of its power needs with solar energy, according to SEIA. The company reports that as of October 2013, it had 148 solar power systems installed, and that the systems were capable of meeting about 40 percent of each store’s electricity needs. Kohl’s solar energy capacity would be enough to power 3,852 average American homes for a year, and the reduction of its carbon footprint by its use of solar power is equivalent to taking 6,653 cars off the road. Using a combination of onsite production and purchasing renewable energy from other sources, Kohl’s is one of a handful of large companies that has reached the goal of being powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

➤ Apple. The makers of iEverything have installed 40.73 MW of solar capacity as of mid-2013. Apple isn’t included in SEIA’s geographic diversity (defined by SEIA as number of states with solar installations) or percentage rankings. They have solar installations in fewer than four states, and their facilities are less than 5 percent solar. At the end of 2012, Apple installed the world’s largest end user-owned, onsite solar array at its data center in Maiden, NC, which mainly stores cloud data. This added another 20 MW to Apple’s solar capacity portfolio. A second 20 MW array was projected to be operational by early 2014.

➤ IKEA. Although IKEA falls into

100th Walmart solar installation on Store #2479 in San Diego, California. Courtesy of Walmart 84

Innovation & Tech Today

the number five spot on SEIA’s solar capacity ranking with 35.08 MW in 20 states, it holds the top spot on the ranking by percentage, powering 89 percent of its facilities (Continued on Page 86)

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with solar energy. In its annual sustainability report for 2012, the company reports 75 solar installations on stores and distribution centers, each of which is capable of meeting from 10 to 15 percent of a store’s electricity needs — and up to 100 percent for a distribution center. IKEA hosts, owns and operates all of its solar arrays. The corporation’s pledged goal is to be completely energy independent by the year 2020.

renewable energy resources for a total of 45.5 MW of renewable energy capacity. Johnson & Johnson has set its sights on reaching 50 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2015.

MW of solar energy capacity among 37 installations across seven states. The company completed the installation of a 2.2 MW rooftop solar array at its distribution center in London, OH in 2012, which now provides about half of the distribution center’s electricity. Staples now fills 100 percent of its energy needs with renewable forms of energy through onsite energy production and power purchase agreements with companies like SunEdison Solar.

➤ Macy’s. This is another retail ➤ Campbell’s. This iconic producer of soups, snacks and juices (among many other products) had 12.20 MW of solar capacity as of mid-2013. Its solar capacity is installed in three U.S. states and at one facility in Belgium. The largest operation is at its manufacturing facility in Napoleon, OH, where a 10 MW solar array provides about 15 percent of the electricity needed to run the facility. Like a few Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals other companies on our list, division is home to the largest solar panel site Campbell’s hosts its solar arrays, in New Jersey. Courtesy of Johnson & Johnson but those arrays are owned, operated and maintained by ➤ McGraw-Hill Companies. SEIA another company (also referred to reports that McGraw-Hill’s solar as a power purchase agreement). ➤ Johnson & Johnson. This capacity is 14.11 MW. In its 2011 Campbell’s has set a goal to get 40 company, whose name has been Corporate Responsibility and percent of its total energy from familiar to American consumers for Sustainability Review, the renewable sources by the year 2020. more than a century, has 17.43 MW company reports that its solar Currently, it gets only 8 percent of of solar capacity. According to capacity “reduce(s) its overall its energy from such sources, but SEIA, this is enough to power 21 carbon emissions by nearly 10 has plans underway for more percent of its facilities. Johnson & percent — the environmental renewable energy projects that are Johnson, like Apple, is not equivalent of taking 2,500 cars off projected to bring that up to 32 included in SEIA’s geographic the road.” McGraw-Hill’s entire percent by 2015; solar will account diversity ranking. In its annual solar capacity is produced by one for 4 percent of the overall increase. Sustainability & Citizenship Report, very large solar array, which spans the company reports that it 50 acres at McGraw-Hill’s East ➤ U.S. Foods. This foods distributor currently has 26 solar installations. Windsor, NJ campus. has a total of 11.28 MW of solar Johnson & Johnson’s solar capacity energy capacity spread throughout grew from 4 MW in 2009 to its ➤ Staples. According to the Solar California, New Mexico, Arizona current capacity, a 435 percent Means Business Report, this office and New Jersey. The company increase. It employs solar and other supply retailer has a total of 13.66 (Continued on Page 88) giant in the process of going solar. Macy’s has 20.78 MW of installed solar capacity in five states, and powers 5 percent of its facilities with solar energy. In its 2013 Social Responsibility Report, Macy’s reports that it had a total of 41 solar power system installations by the end of 2012 and was expecting another six to 14 systems to be installed in 2013 (no data was available on the status of these installations as of Innovation & Tech Today’s deadline). The systems are mounted on top of Macy’s stores, distribution centers, and online fulfillment centers.

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

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completed its first solar installation, a 1.18 MW system at its San Francisco warehouse, in April 2011 and has quickly amassed an impressive solar portfolio.

America Really Is

Greening

Recent statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency bear out what has become more and more obvious before our eyes and in our lives: America is greening. A few quick measures on how much the landscape has changed since 2008, according to the EPA, the Solar Foundation and Greentech Media: Americans have REDUCED their annual gasoline consumption by

5 BILLION GALLONS

2X+

The usage of

COAL a so-called dirty fuel, has DECREASED

Wind power has more than doubled to 60,000 megawatts - enough to power nearly

20%

20 MILLION HOMES

150 COAL PLANTS

More than have been shut down in the past five years — great for the environment, but economically devastating for numerous rural communities.

The global solar industry’s capacity has grown from 25 gigawatts in 2008 to 130 gigawatts in 2013, and is expected to exceed 200 gigawatts in 2015. In 2013, the U.S. became the fourth country to exceed 10 gigawatts of cumulative solar capacity. In 2008, that number was 2 gigawatts. The solar industry is growing at 10 times the rate of the broader economy. The economics of solar have changed entirely: More than 60% of new solar customers install to save money, versus 8.3% who cite mitigating climate change as a reason.

10X

Solar firms are adding 60

➤ Bed, Bath & Beyond. This company began installing solar energy systems at its stores, distribution centers, and corporate offices in 2010 and has built a solar portfolio totaling 11.27 MW. The company completed 15 solar installations in New Jersey and Massachusetts in 2013, each of which would provides at least 20 percent of the energy needed to run a particular facility. A few even produce 100 percent of the facility’s energy. Bed, Bath & Beyond entered into power purchase agreements in 2012 to partially power two stores in New Jersey with solar energy.

➤ Kaiser Permanente. This health care company pioneered solar installations among American health care facilities in 1980, embarking on one of the largest solar energy projects at the Santa Clara Medical Center. Now, Kaiser Permanente’s solar portfolio has grown to 10.28 MW installed at 11 locations across California, including six medical centers, five medical offices, and one distribution center. The company’s solar capacity provides about 7 percent of the total energy used at the facilities. In May 2013, Kaiser Permanente stated that it “recently embarked on a project to deploy 15 megawatts of solar power on 15 Kaiser Permanente facilities across California,” equivalent to taking more than 3,000 cars off the road. The company also reports that it has begun making investments in other forms of renewable energy in California, Maryland and Washington, D.C. (Continued on Page 90)

NEW WORKERS PER DAY.

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➤ Volkswagen. This purveyor of

➤ Safeway. This chain of grocery

some of the most iconic cars in American history has installed 9.60 MW of solar capacity as of mid2013. Volkswagen’s entire solar portfolio is contained in the largest solar installment by an automaker in the world. Volkswagen finished construction of its Chattanooga, TN manufacturing plant in January 2013, complete with a 33-acre solar array that provides approximately 12.5 percent of operational energy.

stores, which also operates under the banners of Vons, Pavilions, Carr’s, Randall’s, Tom Thumb, and Pak ‘n’ Save, has built a solar portfolio of 7.02 MW in six states since its initial solar installation in 2007 at its Dublin, CA store. Safeway now has solar power installed at 35 stores, each of which

➤ L’Oréal. This cosmetics

➤ Walgreens. The largest drugstore chain in the U.S. has 8.86 MW of solar energy capacity spread across seven states. Walgreens has put empty roof space to work at 156 locations so far, and announced in June 2013 plans to install another 200 solar energy systems at stores in California and the Northeast. Each rooftop system supplies between 15 and 20 percent of the energy needed to run the store. Walgreens is currently Solar panels on the roof of the L’Oréal plant in ranked second in terms of Piscataway, New Jersey. Courtesy of L’Oréal number of solar installations (behind Walmart). Its new project, provides about 20 percent of the when finished, will propel it store’s electricity. Of those 35 securely into the top spot. While the installations, 13 were installed company’s commitment to during 2013, and the company renewable energy is impressive, it is intends to continue expanding its important to note that there are solar portfolio. more than 8,000 Walgreens stores across the U.S. ➤ FedEx. Adding some more diversity to our list is FedEx with ➤ Target. This retail giant’s solar its 6.97 MW solar portfolio. FedEx portfolio totals 8.39 MW as of midhas a total of six solar installations, 2013. Target’s solar energy capacity each of which produces 30 to 80 is a sum of 26 solar installations, percent of the energy used by its mostly located on store rooftops assigned facility during peak hours. throughout California. The The company’s solar energy company describes its investments systems are installed at several of in solar technology as part of its its distribution hubs in California, effort to create energy along with one in Woodbridge, NJ, independence in each store. and one in Cologne, Germany. 90

➤ Intel. This technology innovator and giant reportedly has 6.87 MW of installed solar capacity as of mid-2013. To date, the company has 16 solar installations spread throughout Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Israel, and Vietnam. In 2013, Intel’s renewable energy purchasing commitments added up to 100 percent of its electricity use in the U.S.

Innovation & Tech Today

producer entered the solar energy game in 2011, a little behind most companies on our list, but has managed to install eight solar energy systems with a total capacity of 6.84 MW since then. The systems are installed at numerous locations throughout New Jersey, plus one in Arkansas and one in Mexico. In October 2013 (after the production of SEIA’s report), a press release on Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire’s website reported that the company had “installed more than 9.7 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic systems (2.5 million solar cells) in its U.S. facilities” in the preceding 18 months.

➤ General Motors. SEIA reports that this automaker’s solar portfolio totals 6.70 MW, spread throughout five states, that provides 38 percent of the company’s total energy needs. GM reports that it “houses a total of 33 MW of solar power at seven facilities and host[s] two of the five largest rooftop solar arrays in the world,” according to the company website. GM states that 2.1 percent of the energy it uses in the U.S. is from renewable sources. In October (Continued on Page 92)

Spring 2014

The Ultimate Screen Cleaner for your Tablet

THE iSLIP

Leading mobile accessories cleaning innovator Cooper-Product.com has designed a revolutionary, innovative and patented electronic tablet screen cleaner called The iSlip. The iSlip combines fashionable microfiber® fabric with an elastic band that seamlessly attaches to your tablet so you never misplace it. Available in a variety of trendy colors and patterns, the iSlip is durable, can be washed and is affordably priced. The iSlip will also clean the glass of any electronic device including: Cell Phones, Laptops, Glasses, Navigation Screens and Cameras. The iSlip Screen Cleaner comes in a variety of sizes to fit iPad 1-4, iPad Mini, iPad Air, Kindle Fire HD 8.9 & Kindle DX, Samsung Galaxy 10.0 & Tab™ 2 10.1, Microsoft Surface, Nexus 10, NOOK® HD+, and any 8- to 10-inch screen-size tablet. Machine washable (up to 15 times), and warranted for 6 months of normal use, the iSLip is also an ideal platform for promotions, trade shows and marketing campaigns. Apple iPad, iPad Mini and iPad Air are registered trademarks of the Apple Corporation.

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2013, the company announced that it would have 40 MW of solar installed at its facilities worldwide by the end of the year. The discrepancy between numbers reported by SEIA and those reported by the company is unclear. Neither SEIA nor GM could be reached for clarification.

➤ Toys “R” Us. The country’s largest toy store chain has 5.68 MW of solar energy capacity installed on the rooftop of its Flanders, NJ distribution center. Solar panels cover about 70 percent of the more than 1.2 million square foot facility, harvesting enough energy from the sun to meet 72 percent of that center’s electricity demands. As part of its power purchase agreement with the company who installed the solar panels, Toys “R” Us will retain enough renewable energy certificates from the project to completely power its Times Square store with renewable energy.

➤ White Rose Foods. This distributor of Gain laundry detergent, Minute Maid and Tropicana juices, and Chef Boyardee (among others) has a single, 4.89-MW solar energy system installed atop its Carteret, NJ facility. The system is owned, operated, and maintained by New Jersey-based KDC Solar, which sells the energy produced from the solar energy system back to White Rose Foods. The solar energy generated is enough to fulfill 100 percent of the facility’s needs.

➤ Toyota. The third automaker on our list began its 4.37 MW solar portfolio in 2002 with a .536 MW solar energy system installed on top of its South Campus headquarters in Torrance, CA. Since then, Toyota has added several more solar installations in four U.S. states, plus additions in

Japan, Thailand, Belgium, and the U.K. Its most recent project, according to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, is a system installed at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Plant in Blue Springs, MS that went live in April 2013.

➤ Dow Jones & Company. This business and financial news company’s 4.10 MW solar capacity is accounted for by one impressive solar energy system at its 200-acre campus in South Brunswick, NJ. Dow Jones & Company is the first on our list to use solar panels as shade for its 230,000 square feet of parking space. The system was installed in 2010 and supplies about 15 percent of the facility’s overall energy needs. ■ HANNAH BROTT is the Editorial Assistant of Innovation & Tech Today.

Fastest Growing Solar Power Companies During the past few years, thousands of companies and brands have incorporated solar energy into their overall energy use plans. They’ve made headlines, impressed customers, and cut deeply into their energy costs. What about the companies that deliver the goods from behind the scenes, the clean-energy companies? Like any other service that is provided outside the public eye, they receive very little fanfare — and yet, without them, it wouldn’t be possible for the Top 25 solar companies, or anyone else, to capitalize on the four-fold increase in renewable electricity since 2010. Here is a list of the top ten clean-energy companies in America, and their almost unbelievable, astronomical growth since 2010:

1. Sparc — 12,863%

6. Sol Systems — 3,716%

2. Silver Springs Networks — 5,867%

7. Populus — 2,685%

3. ThinkLite — 5,525%

8. Astrum Solar — 2,665%

4. Solar Alliance of America — 5,337%

9. BrightSource Energy — 2,415%

5. Next Step Living — 3,890%

10. PanelClaw — 1,790% (SOURCE: Inc Magazine)

Innovation & Tech Today

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Feeding the

SOLAR BOOM When UMA Solar started the solar business to distributors and points in common between each conceptualizing pool heating, hot certified dealers alike through incatch the eye: technologically water systems and solar electric person and online training programs. advanced, cutting-edge engineering; systems in the mid-1980s, total There’s more. The company has and environmental soundness. annual global solarvoltaics also created an innovative, cooperPrivate residents can choose from a production was off the charts. As ative marketing program tailored to variety of array sizes and colors that in, not yet on the charts. The that dealer, a great personal touch. match their rooftop and blend best industry was so embryonic and Some of the features include within their neighborhoods. solar energy use so little automated, localized that the entire global direct-mail Value of the global solar power market from 2001 to 2022 megawatt usage didn’t programs, an online (in billion U.S. dollars) 125 123.70 register a beat. dashboard for realCompare that to time responses, 100 91.60 today, when total global dealer-focused 79.70 megawatt production press releases, 75 71.20 runs at about 40,000 customizable 50 MW per year — enough literature, merch36.10 to power millions of andise and apparel, 29.60 25 20.30 homes and businesses. search engine 15.60 11.20 7.20 As one of the marketing programs 3.50 4.70 0 3 industry’s denizens, to capture qualified 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2022 UMA Solar has grown leads, and branded (SOURCE: Worldwide; Clean Edge; 2001 to 2012) from humble beginnings program training. to serve more than 600 Consequently, their Certified Dealers nationwide from dealer network continues to grow. Products alone don’t define UMA five distribution centers. Never has the solar market been Solar’s industry imprint or influHow has UMA Solar stayed in the better or busier than now. As the ence. While we generally use the game so long, and why do they economy continues to green, the term “solar system” to describe the continue to drive quality of both demand for new or retrofit solar combination of solar energy product and service? projects will continue to climb. With solutions in businesses or homes The short answer: simplicity. UMA Solar and other solution (well, and to describe where we live When you look at the four major providers driving the technology, in space, too), the same could apply product categories that UMA Solar expect to see the megawatt numbers to the company’s interconnected provides — pool heating, hot water soar off the charts — this time, approach. They provide one-stop systems, electrical systems, and toward the sun itself. shopping and turnkey solutions, water pre-heating — two basic ■ while focusing intently on teaching 94

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What’s New with the

Wind & Sun (ENERGY)? By Robert Yehling

“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” — Thomas Edison, 1931 Thomas Edison knew his power sources. The man who made the incandescent light bulb universal, thus starting our fix on coal- and oilpowered electricity, also foresaw those finite fuel sources running low. Even a century ago, when he was touting electric cars over their gas-powered counterparts (see page 68), he looked toward renewable sources to fill the energy needs of a growing world population. His prescience is coming to light — no pun intended. The five-yearold plan of the Obama Administration to bring in more wind and solar is working (notwithstanding the administration’s draconian program of exporting billions of dollars of dirty fossil fuels like coal and petrocoke to China and other environmentally toxic countries). In 2013, renewable energy sources (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal 96

and hydropower) accounted for 37.16 percent of all new domestic electrical generating capacity, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The two leaders were solar, which added 2,936 megawatts of capacity, and wind, which added 1,129 MW. More than 100 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions have been eliminated due to wind power. “Renewable energy sources are leaving coal, oil and nuclear power Innovation & Tech Today

in the dust as new sources of electrical generating capacity while challenging natural gas’ current dominance,” Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign, said on the American Wind Energy Association blog. “The growth of renewables is likely to accelerate as the costs for new solar and wind, in particular, continue to drop.” Several new projects and initiatives bear out the rapid pace of expansion. The extension of the Production Tax Credit of 2013, and its up-front tax relief of 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, has enabled the industry to build an unprecedented number of new wind farms. As of January 2014, there were 12,000 wind power megawatts of new generating capacity under construction — enough to power 3.5 million homes. Another 60 (Continued on Page 98)

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power purchase agreements were signed by utility companies, totaling 8,000 MW. The big entrants into wind power include Texas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, Colorado and Michigan. “Kansas wants to be known as the renewable state,” said Gov. Sam Brownback, heretofore a long-time supporter of big oil. The benefits of wind became apparent during the Polar Vortex, February snowstorms and other events of the brutal winter of 201314. When electricity and natural gas prices spiked by 10 to 50 times normal prices across the MidAtlantic and Great Lakes states, wind energy output lessened the pain, providing direct energy savings of $1.5 to $2 million per hour, according to the Department of Energy. Simultaneously, wind energy (the price of which has dropped by 43 percent since 2009) helped drive down the price for new electricity and natural gas sold into the market, keeping the markets in check. The spikes plummeted as quickly as they rose. The added wind power kept lights and heat on for numerous consumers who might otherwise have lost it due to maxed-out electricity and natural gas usage. More big news came as Punxsutawney Phil dug his mug out of the ground and predicted six more weeks of winter: Principle Power, Inc. of Seattle was greenlighted to produce the United States’ first offshore wind farm to use floating turbine technology, similar to an existing system in Portugal. The 30-megawatt project will be sited 18 miles off the shore of perpetually windy Coos Bay, OR. The turbine towers will rise 600 feet from ocean to blade tips. They will be connected by electrical cables and have a power cable to 98

transmit electricity to the mainland. The towers will also ride on floating platforms, since they cannot be burrowed into the ocean floor, 1,400 feet below the surface. It is estimated that permitting will take two years, with hopes that the wind farm will be up and running in 2017. Production also dominates the news in solar power. In the third quarter of 2013, photovoltaic (PV) installation reached 930 MW, up 20 percent from 2Q13, making it the second largest quarter in U.S. history. While the utility sector accounted for more than half of total MW hours, residential installations posted the largest quarterly output, with 186 MW installed, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The United States ended 2013 by installing more annual units than world leader Germany for the first time in a decade. The U.S. welcomed 4.3 gigawatts of cumulative photovoltaic capacity, up 27 percent from 2012 overall — and 52 percent in the residential sector. California, Arizona and North Carolina led the way among individual states. Consequently, the national system average price dropped 16.4 percent from 2012 prices. While there is still great variance in state-by-state Innovation & Tech Today

solar energy pricing, the large overall decline reflects the everincreasing capacity of solar — and its growing usage by both residential units and utilities. Who drove the newest commercial and utility solar installations? San Diego Gas & Electric, which constantly tries to raise prices and often gets successful pushback from its 3.3 million customers. SDG&E utilizes the four highest-capacity solar farms in the third quarter of 2013, two of which were developed by LS Power, including the very large, 124 MW Arlington Valley Solar Energy II facility. The others from which SDG&E offputs were built by EDF Renewable Energy and Tenaska Solar Ventures. Of the other six utility-based projects completed, three offputters come from California, two from North Carolina, and one from Nevada. As for the mega-facilities, the Ivanpah solar power tower project in the California-Nevada Mojave Desert was supposed to go online in December, but as of early February, bugs were still being worked out. According to sources, very little power transmitted through their lines in January. The world’s largest solar thermal plant (392 MW) will supply SDG&E and Pacific Gas & Electric with power under longterm purchase agreements. ■ Spring 2014

‘W hat’s Your 10-20?’

THE CLOUD By Stephanie Clarke

More transportation companies are running their logistics through cloud computing. How ubiquitous will it be as Cloud Transportation Management Software grows? You’ve picked up a new load, and are ready to drive it cross-country in your 53foot semi. You’ll be hitting rough weather patches, weigh stations, and the regulation truckers hate more than any other — required rest periods. So you grab your map, plot out your route, log your weights, radio in your status … Not anymore. That system of trucking is disappearing under cloudy skies. As in cloud computing, which now can host and store every conceivable bit of data that comes from a load run. That includes monitoring driving time and time off the road. Numerous companies are starting to incorporate their shipping and transportation logistics into cloud software to help streamline the shipping and transportation processes. This allows them to sell a SaaS (Software as a Service) to companies around the world that

are looking for a solution to their shipping and transportation needs. Using cloud technology to simplify the shipping and transportation sectors allows for the company to have real-time updates and make instant changes, no matter what size load they are trying to move. Transportation Management Software, or TMS, combines the services of manufacturers, distributors, shippers, and transporters into one convenient location that everyone

in the transportation chain can access. These companies are creating programs to bring together many different components of a shipping and transportation company. The main impact of this type of cloud system is to allow smaller, cashtight companies to handle their own shipping and transportation needs inhouse. These companies can turn to Cloud TMS to find people that will help them arrange their shipments, transport them precisely where they need to go, and keep everyone fully apprised of the location during all phases of the transportation, no matter what situation the shipment may encounter. Current Companies Offering Transportation Management Software There are many companies offering their version of this type of software, each with their own (Continued on Page 102)

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unique looks, user interfaces, and setups that any company can configure the way it would like. Think of it as building your own app with one of the online app platforms — only to serve an entire fleet of trucks and the entire network involved with shipping. One of the leading companies in this type of cloud-based software is Unisource. Its partnership with VisionShip allows their software to be fully customized to meet any company’s needs, cover all shipments no matter where they happen, and assign each portion of the process their own role. These roles can be customized for each shipment, company, or person, allowing each person within the transportation chain to update their information accordingly. The rest of the group can see real-time updates during each phase of the process. Oracle, IBM, and Descartes OneView have their own version of this type of SaaS. Some of the different software includes U.S. Customs Cloud software, allowing each stage of the transportation process to be documented and guaranteed. If a company is

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shipping to or from international locales, the company can ensure everything will come through U.S. Customs without a hitch. Companies such as Lean Logistics, Inbound Logistics, and Cloud Logistics-Transportation Management are already using these types of software. There are also giant corporations that have started using TMS to track their shipments around the world, such as Kraft, Kimberly-Clark, and CONTECH. TMS helps them save time and money, while enabling them to keep track of their goods on a moment-tomoment basis. What hardware is needed for Transportation Management Software? Using a TMS requires a lot of electronic access to work properly, but most companies are already using this type of access to function. Companies will need to combine computers, GPS systems on the vehicles used for transportation, scanners to track the shipment during each phase of the process, and mobile devices to keep in constant contact with each team member involved with transporting

Innovation & Tech Today

the shipment. Companies will be able to connect with partners in real-time, anywhere in the world. Each partner can be assigned a role with the software, allowing the person only the access they need to keep the chain of information flowing. Companies can use the software to see what has been ordered, instantly adjust anything within the shipment to meet customers’ needs or demands, and get an instant confirmation of those changes. By configuring and linking the hardware and software, trackers can follow a shipment down to the specific vehicle being used to transport their goods. This is true for trucks, air travel, trains, and trans-oceanic ships. Then customers have the benefit of being able to adjust whenever something pops up to potentially delay the delivery. They can make arrangements to get a different shipment to cover their stock, change forms of transportation, or change the delivery location to gain access to their goods sooner. Using cloud-based technology allows for (Continued on Page 104)

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a much faster response time than ever, keeping many more options open to those who have schedules that revolve around the transportation of goods. The Benefits of Using Cloud-Based Transportation Software Companies that are creating these types of TMS are seeing the benefits of cloud-based software from the start. The first benefit to both the company creating the software and those using it is cost. Cloud technology eliminates the need for hardware to be shipped, manually installed into a company’s computers, or repaired at a company’s location. The software download is often left in the cloud; companies only need access to the software. When a problem arises, the fixes can be made remotely, saving time for every company involved in the process, which in turn saves even more money. Even if one member of the chain is having computer issues, the information from the cloud is still accessible. Cloud systems do not rely on specific computers to be running at specific speeds, or even to be working. The rest of the chain will remain unaffected, even if one part of the transportation chain is experiencing technical difficulties. Companies around the world can access the cloud as a need arises, instead of having to wait for other factors. If they have a question, they can ask it immediately instead of leaving a voicemail or waiting to do business in disparate time zones. Thus, shipments and transportation can be scheduled and the process started. The consistent real-time updates make this form of technology the most current and accurate available, leaving a lot less to 104

chance in the shipping and transportation industries. Plus, with the ability to configure the system to give updates when each user wants them, people can have as few or as many updates as they need to feel comfortable about each phase of the transportation.

How common are Transportation Management Software options? Just a few years ago, companies had no real way of keeping up to date on their shipments. They had to rely solely on phone calls to ensure a shipment was accurate, showed up on time, or even showed up at all. Now, companies

are not only able to tell when a shipment will arrive, but also to determine what method of transportation will be used for each shipment, what is contained in each shipment, where it is at any given point in time, and, if broken into multiple orders, which orders have shown up. They can even keep track of which scanners were used to update the tracking! Using a TMS allows companies to give much more current information to their customers during every aspect of the transportation process. Since a TMS can be customized for the needs of any company, anywhere in the world, the scope of the software is expanding fast. More companies are coming aboard daily. Within the next few years, TMS is going to be more common than nearly any other form of transportation tracking, for small and large companies alike. ■ STEPHANIE CLARKE is an Innovation & Tech Today senior writer. She is based in New York.

Cloud-based transportation management is just as sophisticated as its land-based counterpart — and much more immediate to parties on the other end. Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

WELCOME TO…

...The NEW

SPACE RACE From the Innovation & Tech Today Staff

Private industry and the government work more closely than ever to develop more manned and unmanned space business, with Space X and Virgin Galactic leading the way. Excitement again swirls around the space program. Rovers cruise around Mars, new technology joins astronauts working at the International Space Station, manned vehicles are testing in California’s Mojave Desert and New Mexico’s White Sands, and more payloads than ever are being prepped for their missions. However, this is not the 1960s, when NASA and the U.S. government launched the biggest public works program since FDR’s Works Progress Administration and World War II. Their mandate to land someone on the moon “before this decade is out,” as President John F. Kennedy stated it, involved 400,000 workers with full taxpayer backing who developed entirely new, futuristic technology — much of which we still use today. Today’s growing bull run on space comes as much from the private

sector as from NASA — maybe moreso. It carries plenty of enthusiasm, too — including the government’s bow to commercial might, the Office of Space Commercialization. Commercial interests have been a part of the space program since 1962, when the Telstar 1 satellite was built by AT&T and Bell

Telephone Laboratories and launched to transmit television signals. By 2004, global investment in all sectors of the space business totaled $50.8 billion. We’ve been commercializing space for more than 50 years. Why the excitement now? Bring on two of today’s greatest and most charismatic risk-takers and success-makers, Elon Musk and Sir Richard Branson. Musk’s Space X gets much of the credit for pointing private enterprise toward the stars — because his company launches their payloads. Musk knows transportation, whether it be monetary or motorized; he also founded PayPal and, of course, Tesla Motors. His company continues to deliver launch vehicles on everything from orbital payloads to satellites destined for geosynchronous orbit, 25,000 miles above (Continued on Page 110)

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Mars once had rivers, still has ice 2015, the craft and its six earth. Founded in 2002 to caps, likely had some form of life passengers will be carried to revolutionize space technology, eons ago, and is viable for colo50,000 feet while attached to Space X made its first big waves in nization. Meantime, we enjoy the carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo. 2009 by successfully launching, riveting photos of the red planet’s Then SpaceShipTwo will separate, orbiting and returning a space surface — as well as the incredible engage its rocket engine, and blast vehicle — the first private company shots of deepest, embryonic space upward to suborbital space. When to do so. They also developed and taken by the Hubble telescope. All Branson and his children, Holly tested most of their components inof these initiatives come house. SpaceX owns center together with considerable aisle position among private private investment. companies to deliver many NASA’s success in mapping of the world’s satellites. Mars has spurred on Mars Then there’s Virgin One, a not-for-profit Galactic, the latest of Sir foundation that plans to Richard Branson’s forays establish a permanent human with the Virgin brand. On settlement on Mars. As it Jan. 17, 2014, former NASA moves forward, the program astronaut Rick “CJ” will launch cargo missions Sturckow got behind the with the materials to build the wheel of Virgin Galactic’s settlement, and rovers to SpaceShipTwo spaceliner, transport colonists. Then, at and navigated it through an unpowered “glide flight” at NASA’s conceptual drawing of the Mars rover for a planned some point, the first Martian 2020 mission. (Illustration: NASA) colonists will blast off. the Mojave Air and Space Within two weeks of their April 8, and Sam, launch from Spaceport Port. It was his first flight since 2013 press conference in New York, America in New Mexico, it will be bringing the space shuttle Discovery more than 78,000 people signed up the first private manned flight. back in 2009. for the mission, which comes with a And NBCUniversal will cover it The test flight continued a series caveat — you will fly out, but you from every broadcast and online of manned glide trials for will never come back. The plan is media platform, thanks to an SpaceShipTwo. In an unmanned for the colony to grow with new agreement they signed with rocket-powered test, it climbed to arrivals every two years. Branson in November. 71,000 feet (13.2 miles) at 1.4 times Furthermore, NASA has worked As for NASA? They are gushing the speed of sound. with private industry to greatly over the scientific findings of the But this is small potatoes. When increase the presence of new latest Mars mission, which have SpaceShipTwo becomes fully technology in its missions and on determined, without question, that operational in late 2014 or early

The Mars Rover Opportunity shot this 360-degree view in early February during its landmark mission, during which more evidence of water and possible past life on Mars was uncovered. (Photo: NASA) 110

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its astronauts. Wearables, advanced robots, and even 3D printers are now commonplace on the International Space Station. Government and private industry have come together like never before in the space program. The Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commercialization now provides guidance to federal departments and agencies on the development and use of commercial and government space transportation systems. The goal of the policy, which President Obama issued on Nov. 21, 2013, is “assured access to diverse regions of space, from suborbital to Earth’s orbit and deep space, in support of civil and national security missions,” according to the OSC website. The six stated guidelines are: • Facilitate multiple U.S. commercial providers of space

transportation services across a range of launch vehicle classes; • Maximize availability of government space transportation technologies, capabilities, and facilities for non-federal use on a

reimbursable, noninterference, equitable, and predictable basis; • Cultivate increased technological innovation and entrepreneurship through incentives such as nontraditional acquisition arrangements, competition, and prizes; • Encourage the purchase and use of U.S. commercial space transportation services and capabilities in international trade and cooperative government activities; • Facilitate U.S. commercial industry access to available public data and lessons learned related to human space flight; and • Pursue policy, regulatory, and other measures to foster the development of U.S. commercial spaceflight capabilities serving the emerging commercial human spaceflight market. ■

NEET is the first wire and cable management product of its kind created to custom fit the latest electronic cords, including Apple Lightning Cables. Made of stylish fabric, it feels great to the touch, has a sleek look and is available in eight colors. This patent-pending design acts as a protective shield, while saving time and headaches from tangled wires. It allows customers to easily adjust the length of their electronic cords.

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U n ta n g l e y o U r l i f e

What’s Next for

KEYSTONE? By Lisa Lunney

The Keystone XL Pipeline has been making waves between opponents and supporters for five years. What is behind the fight? A special Innovation & Tech Today look at the project. It started as an ambitious plan to connect oil-rich locales from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. What could be better than the continental U.S. version of the Alaskan pipeline when Americans are trying to reduce dependency on foreign oil … right? That’s the standard logic — but oh, how much has changed. For the past five years, lines have been drawn in the Alberta tar sands over the last two pieces of the Keystone XL (KXL) Pipeline, which would pass through Montana, the Dakotas, and Nebraska. The fights between environmentalists and fossil fuelonly pundits have been hostile, literally taking Americans and Canadians to the streets. However, in this battle, the lines also blur, none moreso than within the Obama Administration, which 112

has softened its anti-pipeline and drilling stance while keeping the accelerator on clean fuel initiatives — and exporting dirty fuel like petrocoke overseas. The last phase hasn’t been greenlighted yet, despite a January 31 State Department report that didn’t find a compelling reason to stop KXL. Confusing, isn’t it? Why the high stakes? KXL is seen as perhaps the last great fossil fuel project that will enable the U.S. to Innovation & Tech Today

become energy independent. After the overwhelming success (environmental risks excepted) of natural gas fracking, the pipeline’s success would add to the already sweaty palms of the oil cartels. It is a job-creating, technology-developing behemoth that pulls together strange bedfellows, including Shell, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Valero, Marathon, Motiva, LyondellBasell, and Suncor. What are we talking about? There are two branches of the Keystone XL Pipeline. One is already delivering Canadian crude; the other is the source of the fight, and the key to getting heavy tar sands oil to the Gulf of Mexico refineries. The operational sector’s current capacity delivers up to 590,000 barrels per day into the Midwest refining markets. Phases 3 and 4 (the other Spring 2014

branch) will make the Pipeline bigger, increasing the daily flow to 830,000 barrels (currently, the U.S. imports 2.6 million barrels of Canadian crude daily, from a variety of sources). The Canadian section would consist of 526 kilometers (327 miles) of new pipeline and enter the United States at Morgan, Montana. American-produced oil would be added to the pipeline and travel through South Dakota and Nebraska, joining the existing Keystone Pipeline in Steele City, near the Nebraska-Kansas border. This phase has generated the greatest controversy because of its routing over the top of the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska. The Positives The Pipeline is economically very positive, as it offers numerous jobs and wide-ranging technological development. Pipeline proponents claim to have created over 20,000 jobs, including welders, mechanics, electricians, pipefitters, laborers, safety coordinators, heavy equipment operators and others who rely on large construction projects. Another 3,900 construction jobs will be added if President Obama approves Phases 3 and 4, according to the Cornell Global Labor Institute. In the Winter 2013 issue of Innovation & Tech Today, Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe alluded to these highpaying, blue-collar jobs. Many economic experts predict the additional jobs would greatly help the economies of the Upper Midwest and Big Sky country. A Regional Economic Models (REMI) study predicted that states in the path of the Pipeline are likely to see approximately a $3.4 billion increase in gross domestic product (GDP) and up to $6 billion in sales from local businesses. The Canadian Energy Resource Institute predicts that KXL will add $172 billion to Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GDP by 2030 and create an additional 1.8 million person-years of employment in the U.S between now and 2035. Once the Pipeline is operational, property taxes will flow to communities to support schools, hospital districts, emergency services and other localized programs. Those who favor the 1,700-mile extension of the pipeline see it as a step toward North American energy independence and sources of employment. (Continued on Page 114)

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Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper touts the economic and political benefits of a stable source of oil for Canadian and American energy markets. Calling the pipeline approval a no-brainer, Harper says, “The number of jobs that would be created on both sides of the border is simply enormous.” The Negatives Opponents claim (with plenty of scientific evidence) that KXL will hurt the environment and accelerate climate change. Furthermore, they say, it only adds to our addiction to fossil fuels at a time when we need to turn more and more to renewable energy. “The pipeline will create environmental destruction and take potential upgrading and refining jobs away from Canadians,” boldly states Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labor. The fear among Alberta oil sand workers is that once the Pipeline is established, local employment opportunities will plummet. Some prefer that Canada keep the oil boom localized. They want efforts

Bill McKibben, 350.org

to focus on creating more sustainable energy — such as solar and wind. This green infrastructure program is arguably a better option than working with fossil fuel. Advocates against KXL believe the project will make the job crisis worse by making our climate crisis worse. The multinational environmental organization 350.org, founded by bestselling author Bill McKibben, the world’s most visible

Kitimat Alberta Burnaby Edmonton

Bruderheim Hardisty

Quebec City St.John Montréal Superior

THE TAR SANDS PIPELINE BOOM Industry has announced the intention to build more than 10,000 miles of pipelines at a cost of almost $40 billion over the next five years to send an additional 3.1 million barrels a day of crude oil from Canada’s oil sands to global markets. (data from Inside Climate News)

Portland Sarnia

Steele City

Flanagan Patoka Wood River

Cushing

Liberty Houston

Nederland

Freeport

environmental advocate, has been ferociously fighting KXL on both the potential environmental destruction and increased global warming fronts. They have a point. Burning the recoverable tar sands oil will increase the earth’s temperature by a minimum of two degrees Celsius, according to NYU Law School’s Environmental Law Center, which also estimates that such a mean temperature increase could permanently cut the U.S. GDP by 2.5%. A pipeline spill would certainly pollute air and critical water supplies. “The Keystone pipeline is an act of aggression against the plants, wildlife and people who live in its path,” states Melina LaboucanMassimo, a climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada. While the oil industry and its supporters are often accused (sometimes, rightly so) of playing unfairly, the other side has done so at times, too. Actor Robert Redford recently made a short, highly negative film on the Canadian oil sands — which, according to one expert, was inaccurate. “Redford never visited Alberta for this film. If he had, he would have seen quite a different visual than his film creates. He would have seen an industrial operation that, like others, does have an impact on the environment — but also is being developed with a major focus on reducing environmental impacts on land, air and water,” states Janet Annesly, Vice President of Communications Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). Redford stated that the oil sands are “destroying our great northern forest at a terrifying rate; pipelines that carry this toxic tar sands fuel are a direct threat to our own direct drinking water supplies.” However, (Continued on Page 116)

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only 0.02 percent of Canada’s Boreal forest has been disturbed by oil sands mining operations over the past 40 years. Furthermore, there was initial fallout from landowners forced to move in order for the pipeline route to be created — just as many were when the Interstate Highway System was laid down in the late 1950s through the 1970s. This time, a fair settlement of property value appeased most concerns. The State Department Report In late January, the long-awaited report by the U.S. State Department came out, tacitly suggesting a move forward with Phases 3 and 4. Environmentalists reacted by accusing the government of bad intent by releasing the report before an inspector general’s findings on whether it was flawed because some participants had oil industry ties. “This document will be seen by the entire environmental community ... as a sham,” Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona told CNN. “It encourages the already widely held impression that the fix was in from the beginning.” Republic Congressman Lee Terry from Nebraska has made his propipeline attitude perfectly clear. As he sees it, the EPA’s environmental assessment approved the project and a supplemental assessment seconded the endorsement. The EPA didn’t 116

assess global warming gases, but Terry argues that Keystone will actually create less carbon — because Canada is going to sell oil one or way or the other. “It’s not like if we don’t allow these pipelines, that oil is never going to be extracted and never going be used — that’s a fallacy.” The report, however, said carbon emissions would increase 17 percent. Therein lie the two questions at the heart of the pipeline fight: Who is telling the truth? And, is the technology in place to deliver oil and protect the environment? Moving Forward KXL developers are eager to move forward. The Pipeline will include 57 improvements above standard requirements demanded by U.S. regulators. Ed Whitfield (RKY), a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, states, “This is the most technologically advanced and safest pipeline ever proposed.” What about water safety and land protection? Research hydrologist James Goeke believes that a spill would be unlikely to penetrate down into the Ogallala aquifer, the all-important source of farm and drinking water for most of the Great Plains. “A lot of people in the debate about the pipeline talk about how leakage would foul the water and ruin the entire water Innovation & Tech Today

supply, and that’s false,” he said. “A leak from the KXL pipeline would pose a minimal risk to the aquifer as a whole.” Advocates say that great care and planning will be taken in the operation and construction of the pipeline in order to minimize and avoid environmental impacts that include rare or endangered species, habitats, significant water crossings, and historical resources. The pipeline is to be monitored around the clock. At any sign of a problem, the section of the pipeline will be isolated within minutes by closing any of the hundreds of valves in the system. Industry-leading design, construction, maintenance, operating and technological features are being incorporated into Keystone XL and Gulf Coast pipelines. Much of the focus is on leak prevention. While there are many emerging leak detection technologies, most are still in the developmental stages. TransCanada is working to evaluate acoustic detection systems, internal pressure wave-based tools, and external cable and fiber optic based systems. Keystone XL will also use satellite technology to monitor 20,000 data points on the pipeline’s operating conditions. There will also be many remotely controlled shut-off valves to improve the overall safety. Back to that State Department Report The long-awaited environmental report by the State Department indicated the project would have negligible immediate impact on overall carbon emissions. Sen. McConnell pushed the Obama Administration to act quickly. “Mr. President, no more stalling, no more excuses,” he said. “Please pick up that pen you’ve been talking so much about and Spring 2014

make this happen. Americans need these jobs.” Release of the report launched a 90-day period for public comment and consultation. As telltale decisions go, this is huge: the current administration has proven to be far more pro-fossil fuel than anyone anticipated, but it has also greened our economy. For instance, we burned 5 billion fewer gallons of gas in our cars in 2013 than in 2008, according to the EPA. Will the decision favor the technology and jobs of pro-oil? Or the technology and jobs of pro-environment? What environmentalists read from the report, and State Department

officials admit, is an impact that could derail Phases 3 and 4. Assistant Secretary of State KerriAnn Jones said in a conference call with reporters that the oil from the tar sands was more carbon intensive than normal oil, producing 17 percent more carbon emissions. “I will not be satisfied with any analysis that does not accurately document what is really happening on the ground when it comes to the extraction, transport, refining, and waste disposal of dirty, filthy tar sands oil,” said Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. When asked about the increased carbon emissions, Russ Girling, the

president and CEO of TransCanada, the company proposing the pipeline, repeated the mantra we’ve heard from so many sources: “Oil sands are gonna get produced anyway,” he said. 350.org’s Bill McKibben weighed in as well. “The intrusion of reality into this process is really important,” he said in a statement. “The report concluded that in a scenario where we take climate change seriously and regulate climate pollution, this pipeline will indeed have a ‘significant impact’ on climate change.” The two sides are gearing up for another pitched battle. Here’s hoping that economic common sense, environmental considerations and the promise of jobs and new technology can meet in the middle.

■

LISA LUNNEY is a Senior Writer for Innovation & Tech Today, based in Manitoba, Canada. Robert Yehling also contributed to this article.

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People ENERGY Written and Compiled By Lee Bell & Kelsey Elgie

Between wearables, machines, online tracking and monitoring, and workout programs, one thing is certain: we’re taking the ability to increase our own energy seriously. You wake up and grab a cup of coffee — or several. Maybe you stumble outside for an invigorating walk, swim or jog, or steal a few minutes on the treadmill. Or meditate, pray, or simply let the shower do its work. Then you eat breakfast — or not — and pound down a smoothie or energy drink. As your brain Polar Loop Tracker whirls into work mode, you race out the door to deal with our energy? What are we doing to traffic, slugging down supplements balance and increase that, in or an energy bar while your healthy ways, so we can be happier smartphone starts going off. All of and more productive? this happens before 9 a.m. “I think we’re seeing an increase Welcome to the world in which in awareness of how we deplete we live, an over-stressed, overourselves, and how that leads to all stimulated, hyper-connected 21st sorts of problems — more stress, century society that consumes more less sleep, less energy, poor eating and more of our energy. We talk a habits, health risks,” says Chris lot about other forms of energy — Zoller, Product Manager, Consumer solar, wind, petroleum, biodiesel, Products Division of Polar USA, the the energy of our cars and maker of sports watches, fitnesstechnology toys — but what about oriented wearables and activity 118

Innovation & Tech Today

monitors, and other devices focused on our health. “We get more comments from customers than I can count on how, by just moving and tracking basic things like heart rate and calories, they become more accountable and start to work out more. And, of course, the byproduct of that is increased energy. There is definitely a direct correlation between activity and increased productivity.” When you boil it down, everything that we create, produce, design, market or do comes down to a common denominator: the energy we bring to bear. With the explosion of fitness and medical wearables, and the long-standing success of fitness machines, people energy and technology are in the same conversation more than ever. (Continued on Page 120)

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LUXURY & ADVENTURE on two wheels

Optibike High Performance Electric Bikes The World’s Finest Electric Bike offers riders the ultimate experience. From trips to the store, to Sunday afternoon activities, Optibike offers adventure, health and efficiency. From beginners to professional athletes, the Optibike is an amazing experience.

regular transportation creates the “port” on your belly, Trans-Fit-Tation replaces that daily commute time with fun and exhilaration and creates long lasting fitness. All without sacrificing extra time from your busy day. No need to find the time to exercise after commuting. Optibike allows you to do both at the same time.

Hand Built in the U.S.A.

Replace Car Time With Exciting Electric Bike Time

Each Optibike is hand built without compromise. Every component of the Optibike is designed for perfection and performance, achieving the goal of the world’s best electric bike. The Optibike is hand built in our Boulder, Colorado, factory to the customer’s specifications. All parts are made in the U.S.A.

Imagine if you replace 3 hours per week of car travel with an electric bike. This is three hours of exercising that will burn 2,000 calories. This amount of exercise immediately puts you in the top 5% fitness level of Americans. In addition, you can save up to $2,000 per year in automobile costs.

The Advent of Trans-Fit-Tation

The Feel of Freedom

For most Americans, getting enough exercise is a chore. There is not enough time in the day. At times, exercise is boring. The Optibike changes all this. Welcome to the new era of “Trans-Fit-Tation.” While

The Optibike brings biking to everyone. Imagine yourself flying along free as a bird, climbing any hill, anywhere, with ease. You and your Optibike are one!

Greater awareness leads to greater energy (Continued from Page 118)

As the wearable technology craze hits off-the-hook enthusiasm for manufacturers and consumers, two beneficial outcomes jump to mind: how wearables increase personal awareness of our energy; and how they increase our personal accountability as we monitor and track our progress. “I think the wearables are feedback, and that’s the first step in becoming aware,” says Karin Yehling, BC, CSCS, ACE, NASM, the owner of Function First Fitness in Canoga Park, CA. “People overestimate how much they move during the day. This is a wake-up call of sorts.” Her comment is echoed and amplified by Polar’s Zoller, whose company has seen (and helped feed) the great upsurge in technology-related health and wellness activities in recent years. “The time it takes to make improvements in your life is a big investment. When you have data and know how to use it, it makes things more efficient,” he says. “You’re able to improve faster. Instant gratification is very important from a motivational perspective when it comes to health and fitness. We saw a big uptick in sales when accessibility to monitoring and tracking data came into play. If things aren’t instantly accessible, the stickiness factor isn’t going to be there as much as it is now. “When that data starts becoming more visual, whether on your wrist or

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smartphone or website, people had a lot more motivation. I also think social media has a lot to do with it. People are connecting more with other people, they compare data, and they begin to understand it more.”

Part of that awareness comes from the technology at hand. “The other component to this whole market is accessibility,” Zoller says. “How do you get data from your body to the computer, where you can see and track it? The answer is wireless technology. All of this is possible because of wireless. In the past, we needed a very low-power device to measure daily and send daily. Now it’s smart. That’s a big part of the current success. “Simplicity is key to these devices. Take our new Polar Loop Activity Tracker. You have a

Innovation & Tech Today

wearable that synchs to your smartphone, that you feed into your computer. It provides all the measures you need to look at ways to boost your energy. And yet, really, you’re wearing a wristband, very slim, and after a minute, you don’t notice it.” Personal accountability is key to increasing fitness and energy levels. One of the biggest advantages of our fitness and health wearable technology boom, both Yehling and Zoller note, is how it feeds people the data that gives them an understanding of the benefits of their energy output — heart rate, caloric intake or burn-off through exercise, amount and quality of movement (steps, miles, pace per mile, etc.), and more. “There are also plenty of food tracking apps,” Yehling says. “This is great for increasing peoples’ awareness of their food intake and their activity level. It also allows for people to make more concrete goals such as taking x amount of steps per day, or trying to burn x amount of calories per day. This is all good feedback to help people become aware, set goals, and know whether you’re on track by checking your numbers according to your Fitbit or whatever other device is used.” “We’re seeing a lot more accountability in acting on what they see in their data, for sure,” Zoller points out. “When you’re (Continued on Page 122)

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(Continued from Page 120)

tracking exercise, or activity throughout the day, you have a better sense of where you’re at, and how to connect it with where you want to be. While it doesn’t necessarily give you more energy, it gives you more motivation to continue progressing from where you are, working out at the right intensity level, eating better — which does give you more energy.” While we naturally focus on the natural relationship between increased exercise and increased energy — movement begets movement, right? — people often forget the biggest personal energy drain of them all: poor nutrition. “I try to educate people about how to transition from bad to good foods,” Yehling says. “We’ve been brainwashed into thinking unhealthy foods are good for us. “We can get away with it for only so long, then the ‘disease’ symptoms begin. I try to put the power back into the client through education and gradual change.”

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What metrics to track? During a long conversation on fitness and technology, Zephyr Technology’s Brian Russell, himself an athlete, broke down the different measurements that can be output on consumer wearables, tracking and monitoring devices. Besides a fine exercise in instant recall, Russell’s response sounded

like an afternoon of being hooked up to wires and sensors in a diagnostics lab. He ticked off more than 30 metrics, from sleep patterns to blood sugar readings, blood pressure, perspiration output and the like. “It is very easy to seduce ourselves into thinking we need to have as much data as possible in

Innovation & Tech Today

order to fulfill our workout or exercise missions,” Russell says, “but really, we just need a few simple measures to gauge our health and fitness progress. Of course, if you’re a performance athlete like a basketball player, marathon runner or triathlete, you will already know more about your body and your energy levels, so you would want to concern yourself with more data, more measures.” Russell’s point is well taken, and agreed upon by virtually every professional in the fitness and medical fields, plus those who sell the products we wear and use to measure our drive toward greater fitness, empowerment, fulfillment and energy. That said, what are the most important metrics to track? Polar’s Zoller broke it down succinctly. “Technology has gotten a lot simpler, and that should be the (Continued on Page 124)

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(Continued from Page 122)

mindset for what metrics you want to look at as well, a simple, seamless user experience,” he says. “Now, no matter what your goal is, your job is to work out at the right intensity for the right amount of time. A lot of people don’t understand what the right intensity is. We think the most important metric to track for that, or anything else, is heart rate. That’s personal. The right heart rate for you to work off fat and increase cardiovascular fitness — and energy — is different for you than it is for me. The second metric depends on what your goal is. If you want to lose weight, it’s calorie intake and burn-off. If you want to run faster, it’s pace per mile. “No matter what, it’s important to align your goals with the type of data you seek.” In her personal training practice, Yehling works with three core metric groups: • Number of steps per day, with a daily goal of 10,000. • Heart rate monitors for recovery on interval training. “For example, if you’re doing wind sprints, you’ll want to make sure you’re recovering well enough to continue at a good intensity,” she says. “I shoot for 120-130 beats per minute. When my heart rate comes down to that range, I do another sprint. Everybody’s different, and there are no true guidelines unless if you’ve had a stress test done and know your TRUE max heart rate.” • Consistency of sleep patterns.

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When transportation spurs on fitness and energy

Nowadays, many of us are all too familiar with that Five O’Clock Feeling. We’re eager to put the finishing touches on a hard day’s work, and even more eager to arrive home to relax or spend time with our loved ones. So we hop behind the wheel and enter the gridlocked, horn-honking battlefield of individuals just as eager to get home. Under normal circumstances, transportation is not a driver of personal energy, but a drainer of it. Less than 5 percent use their own energy (walking, running, cycling) to commute. The average American commuter spends around 38 hours per year stuck in traffic, a number constantly on the rise. Let’s face it: after a long day at work, the last place anyone wants to be is stuck in traffic, surrounded by a sea of people as unhappy as you to be there. A 2012 survey conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute concluded 86.1 percent of America’s workforce drove their own vehicles, 5 percent commuted on public transportation, 2.8 percent walked, 1.7 percent commuted via other means, including bicycling, and 4.3 percent worked from home, avoiding the commute altogether. Annual fuel wasted in congested traffic sits at 2.9 billion gallons — enough to fill the New Orleans Innovation & Tech Today

Superdome four times. With numbers like these, it’s no surprise why commuter transportation is associated with stress and declining fitness. Perhaps the solution isn’t as simple or drastic as ditching their cars, and hopping on buses or other means of transportation every day. But once or twice a week? That would work. Arise a little earlier, try an alternate form of transportation, enjoy the weather, and get some exercise to make your day a bit more interesting.

One company has found a great bridge between our transportation and fitness desires. Optibike, based in Boulder, CO, designs, builds and sells high performance electric bicycles. Each bike has been handbuilt in their factory. During the summer of 2013, the Innovation & Tech Today team received a personal visit from Optibike’s President and Inventor, motocross champion Jim Turner. Turner dropped off an Optibike R8 for the team to test for a few weeks, as they commuted back and forth around Denver. It was quite an experience hopping on the bike for the first time and learning the ins and outs from Turner. His unmistakable Spring 2014

passion for his product was palpable, not to mention embedded in the quality of the bike. His passion to create the world’s foremost electric bicycle led to no compromises in quality, performance, or style. Many people stuck on the hamster wheel lose sight of something when their energy starts draining almost immediately upon rushing out the door: You simply can’t start your day wrong with the right amount of exercise, combined with crisp, fresh air whizzing by you on a beautiful morning. The paramount asset of the Optibike is most useful when beginning to tire, or upon reaching a larger hill climb than desired. By utilizing the electric component of the bike to cruise up to 28 miles per hour, the rider moves faster than morning bumper-to-bumper traffic — on bike trails. Needless to say, our team was hesitant to return the Optibike.

As a supplement to or replacement for car commuting, keeping fit or losing weight, riding hybrid fitness-transportation vehicles like the Optibike can greatly benefit those with limited mobility — and is an absolute blast to ride on any occasion. It carries a 20- to 30-mile range on a single charge (or 90-plus miles with its optional touring battery.) It can climb the steepest

hills and move on different types of terrain. What a strong counter to the normal pre-workday madness — not to mention the notable contribution to reducing carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by idling commuters (about 380 pounds per auto commuter, per year).

■

It’s All About Intensity: interview

Innovation & Tech Today Conversation with

BRIAN RUSSELL Zephyr Technology

Zephyr Technology CEO and Founder Brian Russell is a proud, fit and focused New Zealander who has built a vision, his past engineering experience at Fisher, Paykel and Nokia, and his ability to raise capital into a company that’s showing the way in wearable devices. In the past ten years, Russell has built Zephyr Technology into one of the world’s most important wearable lines. U.S. Special Forces, Department of Defense, NASA, first responders, several Major League Baseball and NBA teams, Formula 1 racers, and an increasing number of consumers use Zephyr’s core products: the BioHarness 3 strap and sensor; the HxM Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor; and ZephyrLife patient monitoring. “We’re medical first, military second, and consumer third,” he says. That point was driven home when Russell appeared before the Congressional Committee on Science, Space and Technology in 2012. “A terrific dual use of this technology is for our products to help medical professionals, hospitals, nursing homes, families and even individuals,” he testified. Motorola and 3M have bought into the medical and first responder programs by investing in Zephyr. Techradar.com recently named the HxM Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor one of the ten best health & fitness accessories for smartphones. It is compatible with numerous third-party fitness apps, such as Endomondo, MapMyRun and Runtastic. Innovation & Tech Today spoke with Russell about Zephyr Technology and the overall health & fitness landscape. 126

INNOVATION & TECH TODAY: Amidst all the technology, how do you feel we should be viewing our health and personal energy, from this day forward? BRIAN RUSSELL: One of the best phrases I’ve heard came from an investment banker. He said maintaining his great health wasn’t a few hours a week of having fun away from the family; it was a few hours of investment, just like he looks after his 401(k). To me, that was a transformational phrase. It’s a responsibility. It’s really about people becoming responsible to themselves. I&T TODAY: What would you recommend for people just coming into fitness, trying to boost their energy? BR: Start with activity minutes and calories per day. Weight is one of the main reasons people start working out again, so start monitoring your calories in and calories out. Five hundred extra calories per day puts on a pound per week. If you want to lose ten pounds, and do it the slow, healthy way, shed five hundred calories per day for ten weeks, through lighter eating and exercise. That’s one extra soda pop per day. Watch what happens to your energy level as a result! I&T TODAY: That easy? BR: Yes. If people don’t want to be fit, but want to be healthy, we’ve got to give them health goals that are motivational. Once somebody’s got that under control, then they usually get interested in fitness and its benefits — increased energy level and increased mental alertness throughout the day, getting those dopamines flowing.

Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

I&T TODAY: Then it starts becoming a habit and lifestyle choice. What do you recommend as they go along — and how should they use wearables? BR: It’s about intensity. That’s where pedometers don’t do it. You have to get your heart rate above 120 to 130 beats per minute, a few minutes per day, three times per week. Ten to thirty minutes per week is not a lot of investment to get a huge increase in endorphins, calorie burn, and all the health benefits. I&T TODAY: There is a lot of emphasis on the number of steps we take every day, the 10,000-steps-per-day approach. A lot

of wearables focus on it, among other things. Yet, you have a different perspective about using only walking as a form of exercise. BR: Yes, I do. There are a lot of studies that show you can walk ten hours a week, and get basically no health benefits. You won’t lose weight, you may not feel better, and all you’re doing is wearing out your shoes and your knees. I’m personally disappointed that many of the pedometers, the bracelets, things we wear on our wrist and belt are so focused on numbers of steps. I get why consumers like it—it’s so easy to understand — but I think it’s one of the purest deceptions in the market. Now, if you do some intensity in the gym, with your personal trainer or outside, swimming, cycling or running steps or sprints, and then walk — power walk, not slow walk — that’s a bit of a different story. I&T TODAY: Our last question: what devices, measures or shifts in focus do you recommend in this case? BR: If you are prepared to wear a heart rate monitor, that will tell you your intensity, your energy, and (the amount of) carbs you’re burning vs. fats. It’s very simple: get above 120 to 130 bpm ten minutes a day, three days a week. You’ll be in the top 80 percent of fit, healthy people, assuming you don’t have any other issues. You’re vibrating your veins, taking in more oxygen, and building a strong cardiovascular system. — L.B. That’s a fantastic base. ■

Wearables & Personal Health:

Direct Connection Have wearables taken over the way we practice and monitor our personal health, sports and fitness lives? All you have to do is read the statistics pouring out of virtually every consumer-oriented publication and research firm. Or, for a more immediate answer, walk outside on a busy weekend morning. Sports, medical and fitness-oriented wearables are shooting through the roof. In our quest to measure our activity and improve our health and fitness, we’ve created quite a boom. It runs stride-for-stride with the smartphone, tablet and iPod bonanzas — with many more direct health benefits.

TOTAL WEARABLE MARKET: 2010 — $6.3 million 2011 — $630 million 2012 — $1.26 billion 2013 — $2.5 billion 2014 — $5.1 billion (est.) 2015 — $7.1 billion (est.) 2016 — $8.9 billion (est.) 2017 — $10.9 billion

(est.)

2018 — $12.6 billion (est.)

71%

Use of apps, women-to-men ratio: Americans who say wearables improved health/fitness

69%

60%

Wearables aimed at fitness/activity

27,522

No. of Health, Sports & Fitness apps with more than 16 million downloads:

Adults that track a health indicator

Total Health, Sports & Fitness app downloads, 2013:

39%

Growth of Health, Sports & Fitness app use, 2013:

Wearables aimed at fashion

1.4 billion

49%

Adults using smartphones to track health, diet, or exercise:

56.2 million

248 million

Projected Health, Sports & Fitness app downloads, 2017:

Wearables aimed at healthcare/medical

No. of Health, Sports & Fitness apps in App Store:

2:1

Adults using tablets to track health, diet, or exercise:

29%

22%

(est.)

Fitness-Oriented Wearable Sales, 2016 (SOURCES: Wearable Technologies, Statista, Flurry, IHS Electronics & Media, Juniper Research, Consumer Electronics Association)

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Innovation & Tech Today

Spring 2014

NAMM’s MUSIC INDUSTRY Celebration

By John Faulkner

The National Association of Music Merchants show drew nearly 100,000 attendees with its enticing mix of tunes and technology We hear music all around us and probably don’t give it a second thought, whether it be in the background in an elevator or doctor’s office, the car bumping loudly next to you at a stop light, or your own carefully selected songs on Pandora. To the untrained eye (or should it be ear?), it would seem that guitars, drums, strings, amps, horns and the other music instruments do not change much year to year, and that innovation and technology don’t play a role in what we are hearing. Welcome to a place where innovation and technology touch the way music is created, performed and brought into our lives. The international music world comes together at the NAMM Show, the National Association of Music Merchants, held annually in 130

Anaheim, CA. For the 2014 show, held in late January, 1,533 exhibitors displayed 5,010 brands Innovation & Tech Today

to 96,100 industry attendees, all taking part in the $17 billion global music products industry. While the guitars, drums and keyboards get the most attention (and you are encouraged to play them!), NAMM is a technologydriven show where equipment originally designed for the music industry crosses over to the general consumer, and products that came from outside the music world are adapted with music equipment for consumer use. Automating your home with the latest and greatest? NAMM is a great place to be. DJ equipment had a big presence at this year’s show, with the high-end, professional units getting the buzz. While Pioneer makes the gear used (Continued on Page 132)

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(Continued from Page 130)

by professional DJs, they also realized consumers want in on the DJ experience and have come out with an affordable, compact DJ controller called the DDJ-WeGO2. Priced at $399, this unit is perfect to add to a home entertainment system for the aspiring DJ to entertain at backyard BBQs and pool parties. The DDJ-WeGO2 connects to an iPad or iPhone5 and utilizes visual prompts and audio cues, with builtin effects, which are easily controlled by the Jog Wheel. The unit is powered by a USB connection, eliminating the need

Pioneer S-DJ08

all smart phones, gaming consoles, tablets, Kindle, Nook and other eBook readers. The UGO has a micro SD card slot to play your own music so the speaker becomes a completely self-contained entertainment center. The UGO speaker offers a good combination of convenience and technology to always have deep bass and clear tones wherever you go. UGO mini speakers In-ear monitors (IEM) began with rock ‘n roll musicians losing their hearing due to years of loud live for an external power supply, and performances. The uses headphones, high-end earbuds Who’s Pete or your existing or Townsend was on recommended Pioneer the forefront of S-DJ08 speakers. Who this movement wouldn’t want to when he began losing his attend a party at your hearing and needed to filter house where the music has out and control the volume been cranked up a notch? level of sound other than the Some of the more guitar, bass and drums. (Of interesting products at NAMM course, Pete also was the one come from the smallest who convinced amp maker Ultimate Ears James Marshall that he could companies, such as UGO, which designs and manufactures create an unprecedented wall of portable wireless mini-speakers used in recording studios for playback and now available for home use. Utilizing Bluetooth and battery power, these speakers are a very small 2” tall and 2” diameter and include an FM radio and microphone, for use as a speakerphone. They also can be hard wired to any popular media device such as iPod, iPad, Android, Pioneer DDJ-WeGO2 Mac and PC computers, iPhone and 132

Innovation & Tech Today

sound by stacking Marshall’s amps on the stage. Talk about cause and effect!) Musicians previously used stage monitors to hear what was being played (especially important for the singers), but they exposed the artists to hours of extreme decibel levels. One of the leading compa-nies in this field is Ultimate Ears, whose custom, hand-crafted IEMs were designed for touring musicians and are now available for consumer use as a top-of-the-line earbud or through their Ultimate Ears Custom earplug line. Measured by an audiologist and custom designed, the Ultimate Ears products provide only the true sound and eliminate outside noise — both of which are important to reduce hearing loss. If you are tired of cramming a foam plug into your ear to dull the noise at a

ThunderPlugs

concert or car race, there were two international companies, LugPlugs out of Scotland and ThunderPlugs from Holland, with a much better solution. Each has a similar earplug product that utilizes a cone-shaped silicone plug that fits securely into the ear canal. LugPlugs’ “personal hearing protection system” and ThunderPlugs’ “Listen Carefully”

Spring 2014

describe their dedication to reducing sound levels so that music and speech are clear — not muffled — and reduce the risk of hearing damage. Whether using an in-ear monitor that offers noise cancellation or a silicon-based earplug, it is important to be proactive and wear something when in a loud environment. GoPro is the standard when it comes to personal video recording through their innovative camera systems that attach to surfboards,

helmets, cars and pretty much anything that you would want to film movement and action, or as they call it, a Life Capture Device. NAMM was the world debut of the GoPro Hero3+ Music Black Edition system that attaches a video camera to guitars, drums and keyboards, making it easy to film your rehearsal or performance, and then through their free GoPro App and GoPro Editing Studio, turn it into a finished video. The consumer application for this extends the

GoPro

GoPro cool factor of being able to have real-time viewing through your smartphone, tablet, monitor or television and to edit a final cut with the provided templates. It can also be used for video music lessons for home replay, cooking demonstrations, home DIY seminars and any other environment. Like CES, NAMM is one of the must-see events to attend at least once. The innovation and technology at NAMM is so worth the effort to attend to see what is going on behind the music that makes our lives so much more enjoyable. ■ JOHN FAULKNER has spent his career connecting consumers with brands through event and experiential marketing, with a concentration on launching new products. John has worked in a wide array of industries including automotive, apparel, food & beverage, music, consumer electronics, entertainment and home improvement.

A Selfie Explosion!

By Nicholas Guzzo

In our hyper-connected era, one in four people look at their cell phones at least every thirty minutes. We decided it would be worth peaking into one of the more fun and addicting side-effects, which has captured everyone from President Obama, Italian astronauts in space, billionaires like Mark Cuban, and virtually every superstar celebrity ... the selfie! mitano While people have been Italian astronaut Luca Par was directly correlated to the taking self-portraits since the other millennial craze — social 1880s, when camera shutters with media. Self photos on sites like self-timers were first available, the Myspace and Facebook quickly “age of the selfie” began in 2002 grew into not only a profile picture, when the word selfie first appeared but rather a status symbol for young on the ABC online forum in people across all walks of life. Australia. There, one individual As site usage grew, so did a tidal said, “Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I wave of new and exciting ways to tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip take pictures of yourself. Among the first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had dozens of selfie styles, the most recognizable might be the “post a hole about 1cm long right through work-out selfie”, the “bathroom my bottom lip. And sorry about the selfie”, the “drunk selfie”, the “look focus, it was a selfie.” what I’m about to eat selfie”, and of By 2003, more camera phones course the famous (or perhaps were sold worldwide than standinfamous) “Duckface!” alone digital cameras. The idea of a The 2010 release of the iPhone 4 camera built into your mobile and its front facing camera created device quickly became the “must the true explosion of the selfie. The have” item for tech savvy selfie helped to create new social consumers. By 2006, more than half platforms, designed specifically for of the world’s mobile phones had a sharing one’s own pictures of self. built-in camera. Today, nearly all Also in 2010, Instagram was born, do. Perhaps the fate of the selfie 134

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reporting almost 150 million users by 2013 and posting an incredible 16 billion photos since its founding — more than 41 million of which

President Obam a

contained some form of selfie hashtag in 2013 alone. No wonder Facebook spent $1 billion to acquire the photo sharing app in 2012! How far have we come? First of all, “selfie” was the 2013 Word of the Year in the Oxford English Dictionary. Also, global tech giant Samsung discovered that selfies make up 30 percent of photos taken by people between 18-24. What’s with these kids’ obsession with taking pictures of themselves? You may be surprised to know that in Australia, where selfies were created, two-thirds of women between ages 18-35 admit to taking them. Still below your age demographic? A recent study in the UK Spring 2014

reports over 17 million selfportraits being uploaded to social media every week, with 1 in 6 “over 55s” regularly taking a selfie. Who might be guilty of snapping a quick-pic now and then? How has the current tech market begun to cater towards this evergrowing phenomenon? Let’s start at the top. Near the end of 2013, during a memorial celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life, three of the world’s leaders, President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt of Denmark, and Prime Minister David Cameron of the U.K. snapped a “group selfie”. It started a global controversy. Photographer Roberto Schmidt, who snapped the picture of the trio that quickly lit up social networks and news websites alike, later stated the photo was easily misunderstood out of context. Rather than a solemn memorial, he said, the event held a “carnival

atmosphere” with South Africans dancing, singing, and laughing as they honored their departed leader. World leaders are not the only high profile figures to admit having snapped a selfie here or there. In 2013, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano took advantage of an opportune moment while floating in the middle of a spacewalk just outside of the International Space Station. “This sure beats any selfie I’ve done up to now,” he later tweeted. The truly out-of-this-world selfie stormed across the twitterverse. Every day brings new technologies, and new companies aiming for our obsession of selfpicture taking. One, Cellfy, provides innovative solutions to ease the consumer’s daily selfie endeavors. Cellfy CEO and Founder August Johnson sat down with Innovation & Tech Today to discuss this groundbreaking products. “My first selfie was in 2011, when I immedi-

ately had difficulties getting the results I wanted,” says Johnson. “My first prototype was developed, when I searched the web to find almost no selfie solutions. “The selfie will surely continue to grow and evolve, becoming more geared toward the use of products allowing creative, artful selfies, without the hassle of the obsolete stretched-out arm. Soon, photos with group members left out will be deleted from history, as phones and products will continue to be geared more and more toward picturetaking consumers,” Johnson adds. It is safe to say the selfie is not going anywhere anytime soon. We want to see your most creative selfies here at Innovation & Tech Today. Tag yourself with #innotechselfie (@innotechtoday on twitter and instagram) or post to our facebook page for a chance to win great prizes, and even appear in an upcoming issue! ■

This Will Be

ENTERTAINMENT! By Aaron Halda

International CES 2014 featured reception, clarity, and entertainment choices that make our current audio and video set-ups seem primitive. To think I thought When speaking with a Blizzcon was a large representative, I learned convention … just one of their goal is to allow the three International you to sync your games CES 2014 convention from your PC with halls would have Shield so it can play covered Blizzcon, with anything your PC can. room to spare. I was Additionally, Nvidia lucky enough to get the hopes to build large scoop on some of the servers that will allow newest technologies by Shield devices to access the top manufacturers in and stream games in the industry. Talk about real-time without sensory overload! having the game loaded Gaming is undeniably to your own personal The Nvidia 4K monitors were a big gaming hit for CES attendees. a large passion in my PC. Another revolutiolife, so as soon as we entered the Initially stunned by their display, nary device. ginormous convention, Innovation I ventured in to find two distinct Any true gamer knows that a & Tech Today editor Robert Yehling demos running. Nvidia was quality headset is very important and I made a beeline straight to the showing off their G-sync technolwhen it comes to competitive play. Nvidia booth. Nvidia is the world ogy and their new handheld device, Crisp sound, the ability to speak leader in visual computing Shield. G-sync technology is going directly to teammates, hearing that technologies and the inventor of the to revolutionize how games are enemy that thinks he is sneaking GPU. In other words: Gaming displayed, fixing the age-old up behind you — all invaluable. Device Gods. With three 65-inch 4k problems of tearing, stutter, and So, of course, the next stop on our monitors displaying a racing game input lag. Shield is a handheld list was to check out the new over 1.5 billion pixels and being run capable of running games that PCs Sennheiser Game One and Game by a quad SLI Titan machine, you run. The demo I picked up had Zero headsets. couldn’t miss their booth! Batman Arkham Origins loaded. (Continued on Page 138) 136

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Sennheiser Game One Headset

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A beautiful representative welcomed us, excited to hear I specifically came to check out the gaming headsets. Her excitement was genuine for, as it turns out, she is Nicole Cullop, at one time known as LethalxPrincess, a professional Halo 2 player who now streams live on Twitch.tv. Nicole fully appreciates the value of audio quality during a match and was excited to share the newest models. As I played Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, it was easy to hear the solid distinction in the headsets. Another incredible find in

The author, testing products.

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this electronics wonderland. A few booths down, I walked between a pair of ten-foot-tall headphones. These giant headsets not only guard the entrance to their domain, but also grab attention with the sound blasting out of them. Turtle Beach certainly knows how to draw attention. They were proud to point out that they are now officially licensed for Microsoft’s Xbox One, as well as landing an official licensing agreement with Sony for PS4. Their custom Titanfall headset beckoned from behind its glass case. They also showed off their new customizable Marvel based headsets, which have interchangeable earpieces depicting some of the most

Nabu

memorable and important Marvel Superheroes, including the shield for the new Captain America: The

Turtle Beach Innovation & Tech Today

Winter Soldier. What could be better than having a “Best in CES” award bestowed on an invention? Our next stop would argue that two is always better than one. That is exactly what Razer accomplished. (A huge “Thank You” to Kevin Scarpati, Public Relations Specialist, for walking me through the Razer lineup)! Of all the line’s gems, the two main draws were the Nabu and Project Christine. A large amount of items were in wearable technology, and the Nabu was ranking high. The Razer Nabu, which won “Best in CES People’s Choice”, is a bracelet that syncs to your phone and email and, I’m sure, many more devices. It even keeps count of how many steps you take per day! Sleek and stylish, it will even sport an affordable price tag. Since pushing the envelope in just one arena wasn’t enough, Razer also previewed their completely modular plug-and-play PC: Project (Continued on Page 140)

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created the world’s first 85-inch Christine. Project Christine will Switching gears, we ended our flexible TV, meaning that the TV can remove the barrier that exists day in the TV section of CES. be flat, or you can bend it to the new between those that build their PCs, Wow! aptly describes our reaction curved style and create that and those that purchase them. and sentiment. The leaps and encompassing design. Samsung also Building a computer has been a bounds that companies are taking showed off a 55-inch niche that only a few glassless 3D UHD TV, can do. Understandable, meaning it does not as opening up a require wearing special computer case can both 3D glasses. Talk about be very overwhelming impressive! and dangerous for the Ultimately, the TV I machine. Yet, Razer found most spectacular feels it should not be a was Sharp’s 85-inch 8K privilege to build your glassless 3D LED TV — own gaming machine, mind blowing. Frozen but a right. and Life of Pi were being With the open air previewed on the modular plug-and-play screen. To those that design, anyone will be know Life of Pi, the able to insert the correct flying fish were jumping core piece to the correct off the screen at us. slot and turn on their system. Upgrades are as International CES 2014 easy as removing one had something for piece and snapping in The Samsung Curved UHD TV wall stunned CES attendees. everyone. We ran ragged the new one. Exactly covering as much of the event as the type of idea you would are amazing. Initially we started humanly possible, and still wanted expect to take home a with LG, which had an more. All of the new ideas were “Best of CES 2014”. approximately 15-feet-tall by 40incredible, whether or not they make Also known for their peripherals, feet-wide screen playing a 3D it to production and we ever see Razer is also launching a new eye-popping landscape that them in stores. The prototypes have headset line: the Adaro series which enveloped the crowd around it. It tons of potential, and the energy in ranges from earbuds, to 40mm was both visually stimulating and the convention is second to none. ■ Stereo wired and Bluetooth, to DJ graphically impressive. Venturing quality 50mm headsets. Keep a further into TV Land, we found Aaron Halda is the Gaming and lookout for an upcoming product LG’s new 105-inch LED curved TV. Entertainment Editor for Innovation & Tech review on these headsets. Not to be outclassed, Samsung Today.

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The Future of

Graphic

Display It was love at first sight when I encountered Nvidia’s G-Sync technology. I was awestruck by the amazingly clear and seamless graphics sweeping across the screen. We watched a pendulum sway along without a stutter or tear. The graphics remained perfect, regardless of how quickly we moved the mouse around the screen. It was every gamer’s fantasy come to life. To truly appreciate this new technology, let’s review the issues in gaming today. Gamers have become accustomed to dealing with tearing, stuttering, and input lag because of the way GPUs and monitors speak to one another, or the lack thereof. Take, for example, a 60-hertz monitor, which wants a frame to be loaded every 16 milliseconds. This feat can be accomplished so long as a GPU is pushing out 60 frames per second (fps). In a perfect world, this happens at all times. In the real world, nothing ever seems to be perfect. Game developers put so much time into creating a picture perfect 3D landscape and game that GPU’s 142

will, at times, not be able to run at 60 fps. This cause the monitor to finish a frame and demand another, when the GPU is not ready. To address this issue, V-sync was created. It allows the monitor to realize the GPU is not ready, and to rescan the previous frame instead of waiting for the next frame. Yet, there are times when the GPU is still not ready after the second frame has loaded. This creates the stutter effect, which causes a gamer’s worst nightmare — input lag. Characters suddenly seem to be miles away as the commands take seconds before they are processed on the screen. This can mean death in a game, and certainly immense frustration. Innovation & Tech Today

Gamers decide to turn off Vsync, thus circumventing the ability for the monitor to rescan previous frames. This leaves them with a monitor that accepts a frame whenever the GPU is ready. If the monitor is only halfway through drawing the image, and the GPU submits another image, the first half of the image will be frame 1 and the second half frame 2. This effect is called tearing, and it can happen multiple times in a single displayed frame. There are two options forward, both of which diminish the value of our gaming experience … Not anymore. Nvidia felt it was time to break the mold and fix the issues. Insert G-Sync technology (cue the rejoicing symphonic music!) G-Sync allows the GPU to drive and control the display system. As soon as the GPU has finished rendering the frame, the monitor begins scanning from top to bottom. If the GPU needs additional time for the next frame, the technology will instruct the monitor to wait. Once the GPU has finished rendering the frame, it (Continued on Page 144)

Spring 2014

HEADSETS WITH A

Growl

In the growing crowd of Bluetooth headset manufacturers, Blue Tiger has spent the past five years establishing itself as the new industry standard in professional communications devices. With up to 34 hours of talk time, a supremely comfortable headband, and the clearest communication on the market, who can argue? Blue Tiger also has one of the catchiest names — especially when its namesake prowls into town. That’s what happened March 28 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY, when Blu, a live tiger, appeared on the exhibition floor. “We’re hoping that Blu will bring in some visitors to the show and drive some excitement for the whole event,” company founder and president, Fieras Saah, said before the show. Blu, who was caged, “assisted” in the official launch of Blue Tiger’s Elite headset. “Really, the Elite was made available to our customers a few months ago, but demand has been so high, we’ve been unable to meet supply requirements,” Saah continued. “MATS is the perfect platform to finally make the headset available to all of our customers that have been waiting so long.” The appearance at the Mid-America Trucking Show harkens back to Saah’s roots. In 2007, while a University of North Texas student, he began operating kiosks. During that time, truckers asked for a Bluetooth headset that would work in semi cabins and let them hear above the noise of traffic and their diesel engines. By November 2009, Saah provided the solution: the first Blue Tiger Deluxe headsets reached the market.

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will trigger a vertical blank, which instructs the monitor to start scanning the new frame from top to bottom. G-Sync has completely eliminated tearing, as the mechanism that can cause tearing no longer will exist. When compared against Vsync, G-Sync also provides optimal input response and gives a very smooth, stutter-free gaming environment. G-Sync will be a game changer in many aspects. Now the big question: How long until gamers can upgrade to G-Sync capable parts? Much sooner than you think! Three things are needed for a system running GSync. First, you need a GTX 650 Ti Boost or above Kevlar-based GPU, both currently on the market. Second, you must be running the most current graphics drivers to match the software mechanics to GSync. Lastly, you must have a G-Sync module monitor, the only piece that doesn’t yet exist, but don’t despair. So many manufacturers jumped at the new technology that, Innovation & Tech Today learned, six different manufacturers will have G-Sync modular monitors available in the second quarter of — A.H. 2014. ■

Innovation & Tech Today

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w w w. B L U E T I G E R U S A . c o m SoundPODS by Blue Tiger are heavy-duty speakers, that achieve exceptional sound quality in the palm of your hand. Only $49.99.

The BlizzCon 2013

Gaming Feast By Aaron Halda Photographs by Chris Abernathy

Thousands of Warcraft, Diablo and Starquest conquistadors and cosplayers gather in Southern California for one of the most innovative — and colorful — gaming conventions. What more can a gamer want on a weekend than endless hours of conquest? How about a two-day romp through the sprawling Anaheim Convention Center in sunny California, jampacked with 30,000 like-minded gamers celebrating all things Blizzard Entertainment? It is Friday, November 8, 2013, and the kickoff of Approaching the Anaheim Convention Center the annual BlizzCon for BlizzCon 2013. convention, the hottest ticket in town. As my friend Chris surrounded by thousands of and I approach the convention people, many of whom are center’s main entrance, we are “cosplayers” decked out in awestruck by five larger-than-life astonishingly elaborate — nay, banners adorning the exterior of the epic — costumes bearing the great hall with scenes from likeness of heroes or villains from Blizzard’s blockbuster titles — as if Blizzard’s games. We see a young to put a bold exclamation point on female Demon Hunter from Diablo the fact that nerds do indeed rule 3, complete with plate mail and the world. crossbows. There’s a scantily clad Upon entering the convention Barbarian couple wielding bloodcenter, we find ourselves spattered axes. And we haven’t 146

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even left the security line in the foyer to the convention center. Passing into the massive hall, we are greeted by a towering statue of Illidan Stormrage — famed villain of the Warcraft universe. The lighting is low, accentuating the blue fluorescent glow of thousands of top-end computer gaming rigs, all aligned and ready to provide the lucky attendees with the opportunity to play yet-to-be-released content. The convention center is loosely divided into separate halls dedicated to Blizzard’s core franchises — Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft and Diablo 3. Additionally, there are centrally located hubs devoted to two games in development, Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone. In the center of everything is a massive (Continued on Page 148)

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bronze statue of an Orc riding a Dire Wolf at least ten feet tall. I feel a great sense of wonder and excitement, almost like a kid on Christmas morning. Suddenly, a loud roar of applause snaps our attention to Hall A, the Main Stage, where the opening ceremony has just begun. We round the corner into the hall and observe a sea of people cheering and generally going nuts. An announcer’s voice then booms over the concert-grade sound system: “Hello everyone, and welcome to BlizzCon 2013!” We are in for a crazy, energy filled weekend. During the opening ceremony, the raucous crowd is addressed by Blizzard’s CEO, COO, and the head developers for each game. Each developer announces their new game or expansion and provides information on the features that players can look forward to in 2014. This is a massive year for Blizzard. World of Warcraft will see

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Heroes of the Storm Mashup

Warcraft Expansion Demo Area

Hearthstone, a its fifth expansion, digital collectible the Warlords of card game similar Draenor, which to the classic game will offer a higher Magic: The maximum character Gathering; and level of 100 and Heroes of the Storm, a provide players the Cosplay Tyrael “hero brawler” ability to build their reminiscent of the Warcraft own in-game garrisons (i.e., 3 model Defense of the Ancients residences). Diablo 3 will receive (DotA). The excitement is palpable a new expansion as well, adding among the legions of devoted fans, the kingdom of Westmarch for all thrilled to be among the first to gamers to explore, as well as see these new games and features additional game modes. Moreover, in action. Blizzard will soon launch two completely new franchises: (Continued on Page 150)

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After the opening ceremony, we try our hands at everything we possibly can. We first hit up the gaming area for Heroes of the Storm, where a Blizzard employee quickly pairs us into groups and gets us started in a 5 vs. 5 match against a team of players sitting at computers a row away. Twenty-six minutes later, our team emerges victorious. We then head over to the Hearthstone arena challenge, where players essentially get to play oneon-one matchups until they lose a game and are eliminated. I have a respectable showing, beating several challengers before conceding a narrow defeat. My friend, Chris, newbie that he is, gets bounced in the first round. It is then onward to the Diablo 3 area to play the Ritual of Souls expansion. Much to our surprise and excitement, Diablo 3 is not set up on gaming PCs, but rather on Sony’s new Playstation 4 console. We marvel at the drastic improvements to Sony’s controller, not to mention Blizzard’s decision to finally make a foray into platforms other than the PC. (Similarly, Hearthstone will be available on multiple platforms, including the PC, iOS and Android tablets.) After slaying many undead, we retire from Diablo 3 and head over to the World of Warcraft area, where we raid a dungeon in the Warlords of Draenor expansion. While games are the primary draw, it is not just Blizzard that brings its attractions to BlizzCon. After our pre-release experience with the Sony Playstation 4, we stumble across the glorious Nvidia booth, which draws us in like flies to a zapper. The zapper in this case is a tri-monitor setup with three television screens each at 4K resolution, which Nvidia has dubbed the “GeForce GTX 4K

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Surround: 25 million pixels strong.” We can’t help but stare and drool with envy. We also discover an exciting new

Dwarf

Bronze Orc on Wolfrider

Nvidia graphics technology called G-Sync, intended to replace the Vertical Synchronization (V-Sync) protocol. Traditionally, V-Sync attempts to eliminate visual glitches such as judder and tearing by pegging the frame rate of graphics produced by the video card to some fraction of the monitor’s refresh rate, usually at 60 frames per second (FPS). V-Sync breaks down, however, in graphically intense situations that cause the frame rate to drop and fluctuate. Enter G-Sync™, which includes a proprietary Nvidia chip embedded into the monitor. During frame rate fluctuations, Nvidia’s GSync™ chip will dynamically alter the refresh rate of the monitor to match the frame rate provided by the video card at any given instant, ensuring that the monitor and video card are always in sync. As shown by Nvidia’s demo at BlizzCon, the 152

result is the most buttery smooth graphics you can imagine, even while the frame rate is fluctuating wildly at random intervals in the range of 30 to 60 FPS. Keep an eye

out for this new tech, as it is sure to make waves (see story on page 142). Our attention is torn from the Nvidia booth by the crowd’s deafening roar — the Starcraft 2 Global Grand Finals are about to begin! Many have traveled from farflung locations such as South Korea and Germany to compete in the endall-be-all of tournaments for Starcraft 2 (1-on-1 matches), as well as World of Warcraft (3-on-3 arena matches). These gamers truly excel on another level. It is hard enough to compete online while sitting in the comfort of your own home; now imagine doing it in front of thousands of screaming fans in a scene that can only be compared to a sporting event. We watch and cheer as gamers “sOs” and “Jaedong” square off in a best-of-seven series that will determine who shall be crowned the best Starcraft 2 player in the world. Innovation & Tech Today

As momentum shifts from round to round, so do the cheers in the crowd. The crowd then goes nuts, wildly clapping throngs of glowing blue noisemakers, as showers of

Illidan Stormrage

confetti rain down from the rafters while triumphant music blares. sOs has defeated Jaedong, 4 games to 1. For his achievement, sOs receives the towering Starcraft 2 Global Grand Finals trophy, as well as a cool $100,000 cash. And to think that my parents always insisted playing video games would never pay off — apparently, I just needed to play more! As I watched one elaborate presentation after another, it begged the question: why does Blizzard host this elaborate convention year after year when it clearly must cost a fortune to do so? It uses BlizzCon not only to give back to the community of gamers that has made Blizzard so fabulously successful, but also to create a unique stage to release information — and generate hype — about Blizzard’s upcoming games. There were two waves of BlizzCon tickets Spring 2014

released for sale online, and each wave sold out in seconds. Even the act of rapidly refreshing multiple web browsers would not guarantee one a ticket. We did get in,

Megabloks Thrall

enjoying an awesome gamer weekend that reaffirmed what the gaming world already knows: we’re in the middle of a huge bull market. After the show, we walked

away, starry-eyed with gaming’s newest adventures and innovations dancing in our brains and, not long afterward, our consoles.

Starcraft Marine

■

Changing (Shipping)

LANES Both personal and commercial marine transportation figure to become cleaner and more efficient, thanks to a fouling release system created by Fujifilm. (Editor’s Note: This is the first of two parts on Fujifilm’s Duplex Fouling Release System.)

Nearly every time Steve Escaravage shows up at a trade show in the marine industry, he faces the same question from attendees: What is Fujifilm doing in the marine industry? “We create surprise when we show up — absolutely, whether it’s the utility or marine industry,” said Escaravage, President of Fujifilm’s Hunt Smart Surfaces. “Your question is the first one they ask when they see us. My normal response is, ‘I’m here to take your picture.’ They look at me like I have two heads, I lead them into the booth, and then I explain the product to them. “When you think about it, it does fit our core technology competency. We have years and years of research and proven results in building products from solid chemistry.” Joking aside, it’s a fair question. Isn’t Fujifilm the manufacturer of camera film, processing equipment and darkroom chemicals? Don’t they stand as one of the medical 154

Steve Escaravage, Fujifilm

industry leaders in imaging technologies and materials? So, what are they doing in the marine industry? For one thing, changing the face of the maritime transportation world. Whereas toxic, copper ablative fouling release systems normally run their course in two years (not to mention harmful toxin and CO2 release into the ocean, plus barnacles and sea life dragging down fuel efficiency), the Duplex Fouling Release System lasts up to five years or longer, depending upon operational tempo and water composition. The increased Innovation & Tech Today

efficiency is measured in added velocity, fuel reduction, shorter trip lengths and dollars saved — up to seven figures per year for large container vessels. When Escaravage breaks down Fujifilm’s venture further, it feels like a thick fog lifting to reveal a strategy built with equal parts vision, innovation and business moxie. “Fujifilm is a film company. With the advent of digital, the need for chemicals to process film has been reduced greatly,” Escaravage said. “Our business was going down, so we looked for products that fit our core competency and tried to expand on that. One of our core competencies is putting materials on a substrate. We looked into lists of markets, and came up with the idea of fouling release, a new technology in the marine industry.” Escaravage worked with the Naval Research Laboratory in Maryland to obtain the U.S. Navy-patented, nontoxic product, and then put it in the hands of Fujifilm chemists. The durable Duplex synergizes four coats to create superior adhesion: two layers of anti-corrosive epoxy, one layer of tie coat, and one surface Spring 2014

coat, featuring Fujifilm’s proprietary silicone oil. Today, the improved product has everyone from large container cargo shippers to yachting and speedboat enthusiasts talking in new ways about speed, cost and fuel savings. Two cases in point: • An 820-foot Chinese cargo ship averaged ten days per voyage from Hong Kong to Southern California. “Now, they can make it in seven,” Escaravage said. Wouldn’t that use up extra fuel? “On the contrary, they report an average of 6 ½ percent fuel savings. That saves about $1 million per year in fuel costs alone,” he added. • In the Summer of 2013, Fujifilm and the Hinckley Company conducted a before-and-after hull speed dynamics test with a 42-foot sailboat and 36-foot powerboat to compare Duplex with the traditional copper ablative fouling

release. “We’ve been able to increase average speed by two to three knots, while reducing RPMs,” said Peter Howard, sales director of the Hinckley Company, in a promotional video. “We’ve had

Boats with Fujifilm coating

owners spend tens of thousands to increase speed by two or three knots. Now, we’ve achieved it by adding these coats.” According to Escaravage, Duplex is a bit more expensive to apply than other coatings, but it lasts

longer. Shipping companies and personal watercraft owners get a full return on investment within 1 to 2 years, and then save money — or add to their revenue streams — for the life of the product. Then there’s the ever-vigilant knack of Fujifilm to find new industries that they can serve. Escaravage pointed out that the company is bringing Duplex to the extended marine environment, which includes oil and natural gas platforms, buoys, and ideally the emerging offshore wind farms. They work with hydropower facilities in Canada, as well as utility companies and municipal water treatment facilities. We will look into further uses of Duplex, as well as its growing use in personal watercraft, in an extended conversation with Escaravage in the Summer 2014 issue. ■ — R.Y.

Innovation, Community & Education:

Macworld/iWorld 2014 Preview Be it a new iPhone user, a professional, hobbyist or true Technorati — Macworld/iWorld 2014 has something for everyone. The Macworld/iWorld event has been showcasing major innovations in the Apple ecosystem for the past 30 years, serving as the launching pad for groundbreaking products like Schneider Optics in 2012, Square in 2010, and Slingbox in 2009. As the innovation continues, tens of thousands of Apple users will gather at Macworld/iWorld for the unique sense of community, creativity, culture, learning and hands-on experience that can’t be found online. Taking place from March 27-29 in San Francisco, Macworld/iWorld 2014 will illustrate how the Applefocused ecosystem drives innovation like no other tech community. The launch of the brand new “6 About to Break” competition, a partnership with SF New Tech, will reveal the next big iOS app, Apple-related accessory, software or utility, further illustrating the innovation that comes out of the Apple ecosystem. The innovation starts in the Expo Hall, where hundreds of companies

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showcase new apps in a variety of categories such as productivity, gaming, IT, education, music production and photography. The expo hall floor gives Apple product users the opportunity to touch and interact with innovative products and apps, meet the developers behind the technology, and get some great (Continued on Page 158)

will be showcasing the latest in software, hardware, peripherals, accessories and applications for the Apple products platform. At Appalooza, a dedicated section of the Expo Hall, iOS and OS X developers will

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deals on new products. A full list of exhibitors can be found at Macworld/iWorld.com. To provide context around the new products being showcased at Macworld/iWorld 2014, nearly 50 speakers, educators and experts will come together to cover a breadth of topics relevant to the industry. Highlights will include a keynote from tech evangelists Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, coauthors of the bestselling Age of Context, on the importance of context, connected devices and the Internet of Things; and a presentation from gaming industry legend Robyn Miller, the creator of the iconic Myst, on the evolution of gaming in the Apple ecosystem and where it is likely headed in the near future. In addition to showcasing all that is new and exciting in the Apple

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product marketplace, this year’s Macworld/iWorld conference is placing major emphasis on educating attendees on everything from the basis of iPhone photography to advanced trainings and

glimpses into the future of technology. The conference will offer more than 50 tech talks that will go into detail on OS X Mavericks, iOS and the technology landscape. These sessions will take

Innovation & Tech Today

the form of educational sessions, interactive panel discussions, practical “how-to” presentations, and tips and tricks. This year’s learning opportunities cover a wide variety of topics relevant to Apple users’ interests, including iLife, iWork, Apple Mail, and iCloud, while also touching on trending technology topics with sessions on how Bitcoin, the NSA and wearables will impact you. Continuing with the learning theme, technology education and hands-on training will be offered for girls and women, who tend to be minorities in the industry. Macworld/ iWorld has partnered with App Camp for Girls, an organization that aims to inspire women and girls to pursue careers in software development. During Macworld/iWorld 2014, App (Continued on Page 160)

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PLEASURE on the Side A big part of attending MacWorld/iWorld is catching the sites and fun of San Francisco, one of the most charming and cultured cities in the world. Here are a couple of ideas on places to stay and things to do:

COVA HOTEL The coVA hotel (655 Ellis St.) is recognized for the way it combines small-town charm and coziness with big-time amenities and comforts. It is the recipient of a coveted Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor. Located in the heart of downtown, the COVA Hotel combines boutique-like charm with a full package of outside offerings — a San Francisco Bay cruise, riding the double-decker buses, a grand city tour, visits to wine country, and stops at the Wax Museum, California Academy of Sciences, and other attractions.

AQUARIUM OF THE BAY Now in its 16th year, Aquarium of the Bay (2 Beach St.) provides fun encounters with the natural world from the shadow of Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill on Fisherman’s Wharf at PIER 39, along the City’s “Walkable Waterfront.” Aquarium of the Bay begins at the heart — the very depths — of San Francisco Bay. The facility boasts 300 feet of crystal clear acrylic tunnels holding 700,000 gallons of bay water that sustains approximately 20,000 animals, from octopuses to eightfoot native, seven-gill sharks. Visitors are treated to mesmerizing walls of jellies and a chance to touch bat rays, skates and “splash zone" animals. With more than 600,000 annual visitors, these connections have high impact.

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Camp for Girls will host an open house featuring the organization’s founder, Jean MacDonald. The session will give attendees the chance to brainstorm their own iPhone app ideas and learn how to conceptualize and build apps in a single week. The session will also feature an introduction to Xcode — Apple’s suite of tools for building iOS apps. This presentation will be a great chance for girls and women to get a quick intro to app development and find out more about the resources App Camp for Girls provides. From learning and buying to inspiring and engaging, please join Innovation & Tech Today and IDG World Expos for Macworld/iWorld 2014 from March 27-29 at Moscone North. For more information and ticket details, visit us at Macworld/iWorld.com. ■

What else among the countless options do we suggest? You might want to go for a good run, or otherwise visit Golden Gate Park and its attractions (Botanical Gardens and Conservatory of Flowers among them). Maybe you’ll want to walk along Fisherman’s Wharf and indulge in its scrumptious seafood restaurants, catch some bands at the many music venues, or take in the ethnic atmospheres of Chinatown and North Beach. If none of that suits you, we recommend the Bats improv (B350 Fort Mason Center) comedy club, capurro’s restaurant on the wharf (498 Jefferson St.), or yoshi’s Jazz club and Japanese restaurant (1330 Fillmore St.).

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Product Revolution Melody Wireless Bluetooth® Speaker System is going places — literally. With its weather resistant enclosure, Melody is designed for outdoor and indoor entertainment, even poolside listening. The speaker

is highly portable with a built-in sturdy carrying handle and compact size, weighing only nine pounds. Melody achieves superior audio performance through the latest Bluetooth v3.0 interference-free wireless operations with AAC/AptX Lossless Quality Codecs. This allows users to seamlessly stream music from the cloud, a personal music library, iTunes®, Internet radio apps including Pandora®, Spotify™, Rhapsody® and more. Melody’s circular 360-degree Omnidirectional soundstage enclosure design houses an eight-speaker array (four bass radiators and four high-performance arrays) with proprietary DSP and a highpowered bi-amp for deep bass and robust sound performance. With a built-in high capacity lithium-ion rechargeable battery system, users can enjoy up to 20 hours of playback time on a single charge. For added convenience, Melody includes a rapid battery charging circuit for USB charging. Users can change tracks, adjust the volume, and access the play/pause/ back control commands on the convenient top-mounted keypad without having to reach for their smartphone or mobile device — allowing users to leave their

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phone or device in their pocket or bag. Featuring a 3.5mm auxiliary audio input, users can connect Melody to any audio source. In addition, Melody comes with an A/C adapter and a 12-volt to micro USB automotive adapter charging cable. With its sleek design, user-friendly features and superior sound, Melody is the ultimate listening companion. Users can enjoy their music in every location — from the kitchen counter while cooking to the beach for an afternoon in the sun to a rooftop soiree — while always achieving 360-degree sound perfection. At only $449, it is one speaker that your home should not be without. www.gosoundcast.com

The Rocker Pod Cargo Step is a unique, custom-built storage solution that doubles as rocker/door protection and step rolled into one unit. Rocker Pod's fully extruded aluminum core provides ultimate strength and the highest quality. The step/storage system is custom-made for each vehicle, hand-assembled and precisely fitted prior to shipment. Ultimate Truck Gear Ltd. ultimatetruckgear.com

on a battery-powered gyro, which maintains its own center of balance once the user manages to get up and moving. It took me several attempts to get the feel of getting started; however, once I built my confidence up enough to simply stand up and go, the Solowheel quickly became my favorite way to move around town. Turning almost every head I whizzed by, the Solowheel proved to be a fun, energyefficient, and convenient way to get from point A to point B. This addicting piece of innovation should surely start popping up in a city near you as consumers begin to see the advantages of such a unique form of transportation. www.solowheel.com

SoundTRAX™ by Blue Tiger are the wireless headphones that you have been looking for! They support up to 30 hours of use on a single charge with pristine music clarity and Bluetooth®, 3.5 mm and microSD card connection options. The built-in microphone allows the user to

When the Solowheel first came to my attention, I was admittedly hesitant, but excited at the same time. The world of selftransportation has been almost stagnant, as innovators have focused purely on the world of bicycles, skateboards and, of course, vehicles. Finally, something new has come to light in the form of one wheel, with nothing to hold onto. The Solowheel runs

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answer calls through the headset. The built-in microSD card reader creates the option to play music directly from a preloaded microSD card, eliminating the need to tether the headset to another device. SoundTRAX™ are also equipped with an auxiliary port to plug any device with a 1/8” stereo audio cable output directly into the headset. Built-in Bluetooth® technology with A2DP allows any iOS, Android, or other Bluetooth®capable device to connect wirelessly to the headset. At $99.99, it’s a great buy. This little speaker puts out big sound! The SoundPOD® by Blue Tiger is a wireless or wired heavy-duty speaker with exceptional sound quality that fits in the palm of your hand. With long battery life, the SoundPOD® will be putting out your

tunes all day long. About half the size of similar devices, this round speaker measures approximately four inches in diameter and is about three inches thick. The built-in microphone allows the user to answer calls with speakerphone. Just like SoundTRAX, the built-in microSD card reader creates the option to play music directly from a preloaded microSD card, eliminating the need to tether the POD to another device. The SoundPOD® is also equipped with an auxiliary port to plug any device with a 1/8'' stereo audio cable output directly into the POD. Built-in Bluetooth® technology with A2DP allows any iOS, Android, or other Bluetooth®capable device to connect wirelessly to the POD. The heavy aluminum casing and antislip base make the SoundPOD® portable speaker the premier product in its class. At $49.99, another great buy. www.bluetigerusa.com

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use the system to watch movies or YouTube videos on a laptop if your device isn’t Bluetooth® capable. The speakers are surprisingly adept at putting out bass, especially when listening to hip hop or electronic dance music (EDM). All in all, this is a great speaker package that is highly versatile and produces excellent sound quality. Edifier speakers are available on Amazon.com, at the Apple Store and many other fine retailers. www.edifier-international.com We were very pleased with Padholdr’s Edge Series cup holder. We’ve tried a couple of iPad mounting systems that use the cup holder and this particular product has been the best so far. The Edge Series allows the user to put her or his iPad in the holder and take it out with ease. The base is weighted and expands to fit tightly in the cup holder, staying secure during your commute. We would recommend this product to anyone looking for a good solution to mount an iPad in a vehicle. The Edge Series starts at $99.99 and is available at www.padholdr.com

The Luna Eclipse speakers by Edifier make up a stunning compact speaker system ideal for the office or home. It possesses a powerful 74-watt output, yet the inclusion of DSP and DRC ensures minimal distortion even when played at very high levels. The Luna Eclipse speakers have built-in Bluetooth® capability, which makes them perfect for playing music from your phone or iPod. The sound quality and included auxiliary cable make it easy to

No matter if you’re a fan of selfies or harbor a visceral hatred for them, it seems clear that this trend is here to stay. Whether you are looking through Facebook, keeping up with friends on Instagram or trying to find love on Tinder, the selfie has become a ubiquitous cultural phenomenon. The camera quality on mobile devices has become jaw dropping; however, there is an inherent limitation associated with having to hold the phone out to take a photo of oneself, which has produced a lot of unfortunate photos taken in front of mirrors.

A company called Cellfy has created an innovative solution to rectify this problem: the Cellfy Stic. It easily attaches to a smartphone, so all you have to do is set the camera timer, stick it on any clean surface, and voilà: you have an awesome looking selfie or group photo. No more awkward outstretched arms in your photos. You can also stick one inside your car, transforming your mobile device into a GPS system. Priced at $9.99, it’s a great buy to improve the photos you’re taking. www.cellfy.co (Continued on Page 164)

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Product Revolution Launchpad Mini is the compact version of the celebrated Novation Launchpad performance controller. Designed for the iPad generation, Launchpad Mini features 64 three-color launch pads that let you play loops, sounds, effects and more to record and produce music immediately with your iPad, PC or Mac. It is a highly durable piece of equipment that is actually smaller and lighter than an iPod. It seamlessly connects with your Mac, PC or iPad and charges from it, ensuring you’re never out of battery and making music creation easier than ever. It comes pre-loaded with an extensive library of sounds and loops. Launchkey Mini is an exciting new compact mini-key instrument/controller featuring 16 velocity-sensitive, three-color illuminated launch pads. Use them to launch loops, sounds, effects, transport controls, and more. Launchkey Mini also features a 25-note keyboard, eight assignable rotary controls, seven function buttons, and two performance buttons. Compact and portable, the system is great for recording and producing at home or on stage. Launch Control is a robust, compact controller with 16 assignable knobs and eight pads — ideal for hands-on control of your mixer, instruments and effects. Designed to partner with Novation Launchpad, Launch Control works with all major music software — and with your iPad. Use Launch Control’s pads to fire off samples while you use the knobs to tweak filters, levels, and effects controls. It will charge from your iPod and give you ideal control to both create music and perform it. Taken together with the other products Novation offers, it enables users to produce

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a powerful high-quality sound. All products are highly recommended and available at fine retailers everywhere. www.novationmusic.com

Based in Ohio, Bay Controls has been an innovative company for over 30 years, specializing in energy solutions for commercial, government and residential customers. Now they present the BAYweb Thermostat, an infinitely easy-to-use device. After installing it in an average of 15

minutes, thanks to clear instructions, you really begin to appreciate its value. After installation, you download an app to your smartphone or tablet device and synch it with your thermostat. Presto: you have instant remote control of your thermostat from anywhere in the world. Now, you can leave your AC off all day and turn it on from your phone on your way home, arriving to a cool house while saving a day’s AC cost. No longer do you have to worry about whether you left the heat on during a vacation or even for the day. This provides the ability to be both environmentally conscious while also saving a lot of money over the life of the thermostat. Some of the other features are also amazing, such as humidity control, identification of an open window, and updates about outside. The BAYweb Thermostat appeals to anyone or any business. However, for people who own rental properties, or outof-state homes or businesses, BAYweb

Innovation & Tech Today

thermostats are a must-have. When a family rents your beach house, you don’t have to worry they left the air conditioning running full blast. If a Polar Vortex or some other cold snap hits your town while you’re gone, you can turn on the heat so the pipes won’t freeze. BAYweb Thermostats is one of those ideal products that will pay for itself — many times over. www.bayweb.com

It is hard to imagine day-to-day life without a cellphone. Our phones keep us connected to the world around us, and to stay connected, you need to be sure your phone stays charged. EnerPlex provides the perfect solution for those with lifestyles that are constantly on the go or off the grid. The Surfr battery and solar integrated case for the iPhone 5/5S allow consumers to carry the power of the sun in the palm of their hand. The case more than doubles the battery life of your phone, and offers power if you are ever in a jam. The battery inside the case is 2000mAh, and will provide an

additional full charge to your iPhone. The case uses a micro USB, so if you don't have your lightning cable, you have another option to charge up. You can charge the case alone, or charge your phone at the same time. When exposed to natural sunlight, the solar panel on the back of the case charges the battery (albeit slowly). The best part of the Surfr is that there is always reserve power that is stored in the case itself; so, if your phone battery is low, you can turn on your case to keep your phone charged for the remainder of the day. The case design is lightweight, sleek, provides great protection, and doubles your phone's battery life. www.ascentsolar.com

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Spring Gift Guide

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iSlip TuFFâ&#x201E;˘ The Ultimate Cleaner for your Tablet Screen

Affordably Priced & Available in a Variety of Colors & Patterns

www.Cooper-Product.com

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167 Dramatically Improve Your Home Entertainment Experience

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speeCup is a Siri/S Voice Activated Portable Bluetooth Surround Sound Speaker with gesture control. This portable 8â&#x20AC;? tall speaker is designed to play music and be a hands-free speakerphone in your car, home, office or on the go. Its sound quality, features and performance will amaze you.

speeCup.com

MFi Manufacturing Licensees 6.0 for iPhone 5

in our next issue ■ ON THE ROAD We bring you the latest trends and innovations from the U.S. Science & Engineering Festival and MacWorld/iWorld. The nation’s brightest students showcase the innovation and technology of tomorrow in Washington D.C., while we’ll again check in on Apple’s latest products in the heart of San Francisco.

■ MEDICAL ROBOTICS We focus our annual Sports & Medical Technology issue with an indepth look on the ways robotics are used as diagnostic and surgical assistants. How do they help in the operating room? What are the latest technologies? What can we expect to see down the line?

■ TWIN TOWERS: MEDICINE & FITNESS They used to be strange bedfellows; now, the medical and fitness/wellness industries work hand in hand. We poll numerous specialists, product and service providers, and practitioners on ways medicine and fitness are joining forces for the people that matter most — us.

■ WEARABLE MANIA Everybody seems to have one. If they don’t own them, they want them. Wearables have seized the consumer landscape in a craze reminiscent of smartphones and tablets, especially when used for health, fitness, wellness, and medicine. Our special report on the wearable industry.

■ APP BUILDERS, MEET CONNECTED CARS Now that the automotive industry, social media leaders, audio and video manufacturers have implanted themselves on your dashboard, app builders are experiencing yet another boom. How will these new apps enhance what you can do in your car — and what your car can do for you? All of this, plus Gaming & Entertainment, Product Showcase, exclusive conversations with key innovators, and much more in the Summer 2014 issue of Innovation & Tech Today. On newsstands June 15. Also, be sure to check out our website, www.innotechtoday.com, for additional interviews, articles, blogs and news.

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