It was a dark and stormy night, but for the June event in Philadelphia, the show still went on to both amuse and bemuse the senses of attendees.
Several fantastic demo companies came out despite the stormy weather to display the innovations they are working on in music tech and virtual reality. Local techies came down to City CoHo to experience modernizations such as apples that transmit sound and glasses that can virtually take you to the other end of the world. The high energy group buzzed around the exhibits set up around the room to learn more about what is happening in these industries.
Rob Hardcastle of DYIM came out to exhibit his social music experience. The device lights up in different colors throughout the evening as attendees came by to try it out. This innovation allows people who might not be so musically inclined to create sounds through simply pressing different buttons. The creator, Hardcastle, says that DYIM really "allows people with no musical experience to express their musical thoughts and dreams."
Below, Edge of Nostalgia founder presented his app to the audience during the lightning round introductions. Throughout the evening, he showed off how to turn ambient noise into interactive sound and eventually a type of music.
Did you ever think you could make music by squeezing apples? Sam Cusumano of Electricity for Progress showed off his BioData Sonification technology doing just that. Using interactive controllers and headphones you can hear sound in real-time - transmitted through the apples.
Drexel University's ExCITe Center came out to show off the research projects being produced in their space by students and beyond. The ExCITe Center specializes in interactive technologies and collaborative projects, with many focused in the music tech space.
Greenfish Labs demonstrated their Virtual Reality software and applications that they develop for clients. Techies got to not only hear about it, but also try on a pair of goggles and see it in action
A local meetup group, VR Philly, got to come out and experience the latest and greatest in the VR field. Local tech enthusiast Scott J. Ross said, “The VR scene is still so small and embryonic, we need events like this to meet collaborators face to face”. It was great to see this community come together with Tech in Motion.
Temple University’s BEEP showed off a few innovations developed with their Electroacoustic Ensemble. One local techie said, “I was extremely impressed by the entrepreneurial ambition of tonight’s event. This is what makes the future”.
Dr. Adam Vidiksis, who leads this group, has a similar mindset with the goal of increasing technological literacy among its participants and audience.
Dj CUTMAN of GameChops provided the tunes for the evening and kept the audience going. He debuted with Tech in Motion at our Gaming Expo last October and we were excited to have him back to hear what was new in the mix.
Special thanks to Kurant Cider and Ole Smoky for providing refreshments for the evening. Guests enjoyed the unique flavors of the cider and moonshine samplings. Dan from Ole Smoky got to try out the Google Cardboard our sponsors, Workbridge Associates and Jobspring Partners, brought out.
This event showcased several local innovations within the musicality and reality space, an often over looked arena in Philadelphia. VR and Music Tech crowd out at events in the future - join Tech in Motion Philly to be a part of the next event!