1. Creating Holographic Memories with Kino-Mo

Wow so much to report since my last blog about tech trends. Let’s start off with English company Kino-Mo showing off what was possibly the most impressive and exciting new display at the CES 2017 trade show in Las Vegas. With the use of small projection units, a 3D holographic image with surprisingly amazing clarity can be shown.

The technology implemented is both groundbreaking and thrilling to see, giving an almost 180 degree viewing angle and the initial production line of these little beauties is just being sent out to those lucky enough to be at the top of the wait list.

While Kino-Mo has been focused on the use of the displays for marketing, I was more interested in its applications as a signage or piece of décor to be used at events, or even as a screen free Augmented Reality (AR) display option for exhibits. This holographic effect can also be put to further use as part of stage lightings to augment an electronic dance event, creating holographic-like memories for audiences. Because after all, what happens in Vegas, doesn’t always have to stay in Vegas.

The real benefit of the Kino-mo is whilst creating a holographic effect, they do not use classic holographic technology, which, whilst leaving the base units tougher to conceal, the picture generated can be a lot sharper and work in broad daylight.

For large scale holographic effects the Rebel preference is still Hologauze – a super fine gauze material that’s so light and easy to use that you can take it just about anywhere literally… For the latest Rebel hologram project, courtesy of Entrepreneur’s Paradise, I recently packed it in my suitcase, hot footed it to Necker Island and used it to beam Sir Richard Branson in as a hologram above his own tennis court!)

See Hologauze in action on a grand scale in this Eric Prydz gig in Madison Square Gardens:

2. Shop and Scan with Reji Robo

Everything in the world of retail is changing at breakneck speed. While Amazon Go debuted early this year exciting immersive ways to make it feel like you’re shoplifting, Panasonic (not usually known for their innovation) have recently been showing off its own more “civilised” solution with a checkout. Their machine can detect items in your shopping cart, tally the bill, and automatically bag those items for you. Wow. Roll on the day when it reads the shopping bill from my mind and does the shop for me

How does this magic happen? Reji Robo syncs to a computerised shopping basket with a barcode reader attached, with which customers can scan merchandise and keep track of their purchases. The shopping basket has a sliding bottom, that opens up when placed on Reji Robo. The items then gently drop into a plastic bag while the customers pay using cash or card. Simple and effective.

While customers may need to separate their fresh goods from other items, the smart shopping basket is less intrusive than Amazon Go’s system. Amazon monitors every customer’s move as they navigate the store (yes, Big Brother is watching). Depends how you want to shop, the great thing is that the choice is there for you.

Imagine if retail store events, like the launch of the Kenzo X H&M collection, applied Reji Robo at counters. Checking out can be sped up considerably, eliminating the one thing customers hate more than anything, long queues. This would enable more staff to concentrate on better customer service and reduce costs by having less staff. Head to Lawsons in Japan if you want to see for yourself and only time will tell if we get to see this in our local supermarkets.

3. Hot to Print: Brother Pocket Jet PJ-773

Despite my best efforts at trying to avoid printers, they are still very relevant, especially in an event environment. There are always several last-minute contingencies that demand the presence of a printer. Portable printers are highly useful for people who are constantly on the move as well as small businesses. This small, lightweight printer is the solution for field workers who need to print documents on the go.

The pretty cool thing here for this printer is that it features an operating system that allows for across-the-board software compatibility. This means that you can print from just about any computing device, such as printing your e-tickets at an event directly from your smart device.

That’s not all, it’s Wi-Fi capability allows direct printing from mobile phones with its AirPrint feature and this little device needs no ink which is one of those things in my experience in event world, that never fails to run out just when you need it. Genius.

Every day the Rebel & Soul team scour the internet, plough through our mailboxes and visit events in our never-ending search for the latest trends in event-tech. Some of the gems we find go on to become big hits, others fade into oblivion. Our purpose is to post monthly updates on some of the most innovative, weirdest, most functional, fun-but-totally-useless and quirky event-tech.