As the world emerges from the shadows of lockdowns of the last 16 months, consumers, starved for entertainment options out of the home, will be greeted with new and novel immersive experiences that fuse technology and groups together. Advances in motion tracking, touch screens, and sound technologies are making location-based entertainment solutions more compelling and attractive for those wanting to try something new. Electric Gamebox is a provider of social in-person multisensory gaming experiences designed to be enjoyed by groups of 2-6. The company currently has four locations that offer 30-60 minute experiences that are designed to collaborative and fun with plans for aggressive geographic expansion over the next few years. The Electric Gamebox experience requires a small physical footprint and the company plans to integrate into existing retail locations to increase its availability. Like Escape the Rooms, the gameplay is meant to be versatile for outings for groups of friends, dates, corporate team-building, birthday parties, etc. The company currently offers 6 games that it has developed with plans to bring more titles onboard including brand name franchises to enhance its experiential capabilities. Pricing for its London location starts at £9 for kids and £14 for adults for 30 minutes, making it quite accessible. London TechWatch caught up with CEO, Cofounder, and repeat entrepreneur Will Dean (founded Tough Mudder) to learn more about the inspiration for the business, how the company managed to expand despite lockdown during the pandemic, strategic plans, lastest round of funding from investors that include Philian, Brookfield Asset Management, Index Ventures, Project A, and ActivumSG.
Cool Tech
Anything World Raises £500K To Let You Build 3D Worlds Using Your Voice
Don’t underestimate the power of your voice. One of the latest London startups to come out of Techstars and Ubisoft’s AI accelerator is Anything World, the no-code platform that allows creators to build 3D worlds simply using their voice. Anything World has a pre-built library of 500K+ 3D models for creatives to choose from, and its proprietary machine-learning algorithm can bring any static model to life through simple voice commands. Anything World integrates with Unity, Google Poly, and other platforms. The company is currently focused on scaling its integrations and recently launched a public Beta. London TechWatch caught up with CTO and Cofounder Gordon Midwood to learn more about the company, its plans to make integrated 3D experiences ubiquitous, and the company’s recent funding round.
Adverttu Transforms Private Vehicles into OOH Ad Inventory and Lets Drivers Earn
OOH has been a growing segment of the ad spend but traditionally there has been very little attribution to understand ROI. Adverttu is taking personal vehicles and turning them into OOH ad inventory that can be tracked, understood, and analyzed. Nearly 20,000 drivers are already on the platform earning by having their cars wrapped with brand collateral. CEO and Cofounder Artjom Jekimtstev share more about the UK’s fastest-growing transit media platform.
Smiling Robots Alleviate Human Anxieties with Expper Technologies
Loneliness and isolation are heightened in the midst of the pandemic. Can robots fill a void? Expper’s founder Karén Khachikyan says the company’s robot Robin changes a kid’s perception of medical treatments, where they will no longer feel isolated, lonely, and scared. The innovator explains how his whimsical four-foot robot employs digital facial expressions to form lasting bonds with its young users.
Addionics Raises $3.5M for the Next Gen of Rechargeable Batteries to Power Electric Vehicles
“We were some of the first researchers to explore this in real-time, and in the process, we learned how this phenomenon could be harnessed and change the world of energy storage.”
The Cambrian Intelligence Case Study and the New Normal: Virtual Offices, Schools, and Manufacturing
Moving past the hysteria, computer vision is a defining element of intelligent machines transforming mechanical movements into dynamic workflows.
Don’t Worry About Coronavirus, There’s A Bot For That…
Sitting in New York’s former Engineer’s Society, I spoke with Oleg Kivokurtsev of Promobot and discussed his latest service bot creations that are being deployed across the globe in hotels, office buildings, and hospitals. Fay-Louise Hayden of VentureOut (his New York mentor) shared a vignette of her experiences last month as the imposing humanoid diagnosed tourists in Times Square for […]
NASA Prepares the Nation for Flying Taxis?
Autonomous eVTOLs (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing systems) are coming sooner than you think.
Klevio is the Smart Intercom That Makes Keys a Thing of the Past
The intercom has been a staple feature in homes and offices since the 1950s, but today, consumers expect a lot more. Klevio created the smart intercom and digital access platform suitable for modern buildings. Klevio allows digital keys to be created and shared, with custom parameters, while enabling entry to be granted remotely at any […]
Reinventing The Wheel, Autonomously
Logistics in America is one of the fastest-growing private sectors of the economy, generating more than $1.6 trillion of spending (or close to 10% of GDP) in supply chain, transportation, and distribution investments.