By Laura Kobylecky

Jane Nelson, the Texas Secretary of State, made her enthusiasm for London clear during a lively SXSW event in Austin titled London Calling: Where pioneering ideas meet business opportunities. The event focused on strengthening business, technology, and innovation connections between London, the UK, and Texas.

The event was co-hosted by Here East, an innovation campus originally developed for the London 2012 Olympics that now houses global tech companies, startups, academic institutions, and creative organizations. Also hosting the event was CELL (Creative Experience Lab London), which supports research and development across technology, creativity, and culture in live experience sectors. Featured partners included Wise and Oury Clark, organizations that help businesses operate internationally and expand between the US and UK markets.

A Texas welcome with London ambitions

There were microphone issues when Nelson began speaking, but she quickly adapted, drawing on her experience as a former school teacher to project her voice across the room. She broke the ice by leading the audience in a loud Texas-style “Yee-haw,” immediately energizing the crowd and setting a collaborative tone for the evening.

Nelson spoke about her long personal connection with London and emphasized the historical and cultural ties between the UK and the United States. She described SXSW as a place where entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and creatives can meet and build partnerships that shape future industries.

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson speaks at the London Calling event during SXSW in Austin.

Innovation, media, and immersive technology

After Nelson’s speech, Justin Diener, Co-Founder and CEO of Synapse Virtual Productions, joined Dr. Lora Markova of Loughborough University London for a discussion about immersive technology, media, and the future of storytelling.

Diener explained how media production now combines filmmaking, game engines, software development, and communication technology, allowing audiences to experience content in more interactive and immersive ways. He noted that students entering these industries are increasingly learning multiple overlapping skills rather than specializing in just one field.

Dr. Markova discussed what she called the “spillover effect,” where innovation happens at the intersection of industries such as technology, education, media, and entertainment. She emphasized that the future of immersive experiences will be driven not just by technology, but by collaboration across industries.

Collaboration and global partnerships

As the event concluded, attendees continued networking and discussing business opportunities, partnerships, and new projects. The overall theme of the evening was collaboration — between London and Texas, between industries, and between technology and creativity.

The London Calling event demonstrated how global innovation ecosystems are becoming increasingly connected, with cities like London and Austin working together to build future industries through partnerships, investment, and shared ideas.

And, as the audience learned early in the evening, sometimes international collaboration begins with a simple Texas “Yee-haw.”

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post Connecting London and Texas at SXSW appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

SXSW 2026

Some big changes happened for SXSW in 2026. In 2025 it was nine days of events spanning two weekends, but the 2026 edition was reduced to seven days, running from Thursday to Wednesday with a weekend in the middle.

In previous years, the “Interactive” section focused on technology and took place before the Music section, while Film programming overlapped both. SXSW also allowed “secondary badge access,” meaning attendees could sometimes attend events outside their primary badge category if space was available.

This year the “Innovation” section focused on technology, and all three sections occurred concurrently. SXSW also removed secondary access, meaning only Platinum badge holders could cross conference sections.

The old Austin Convention Center has now been demolished, but the conference remains in the same general area, surrounding the flattened space. Hotels have become the main venues. The Fairmont, located between the former convention center site and the I-35 highway, became a central hub of the conference and hosted many of the larger events.

Emerging Tech Expo

One of the larger events at SXSW 2026 was the SXSW Emerging Tech Expo, held in the Manchester Ballroom on the 5th floor of the Fairmont Hotel.

The semi-futuristic but classical construction of the ballroom created a different atmosphere compared to the former convention center. Lighting was dimmer, with chandelier-style fixtures contrasting with the stark brightness of traditional expo halls. Overall, the room felt like a scaled-down version of previous years.

The event was open to the public on Wednesday, March 18th, so the relatively cozy space was occupied by badge holders as well as curious members of the public.

Many booths focused on AI-powered software solutions, ranging from generative facial technology for dubbing to AI-powered gun detection systems. Several SaaS companies also offered tote bags — a conference staple.

A Selection of Booths

Aina Tech

Aina demonstrated holographic and volumetric video technology at the SXSW Emerging Tech Expo

Aina is a company that claims to capture and deliver true holographic video that mirrors the real world. CEO Chaitanya Atluru explained that the company operates primarily as a software company, though it maintains a studio in Los Angeles as a research lab.

Clients record footage using multiple cameras, and Aina’s software builds volumetric video environments that can be explored in virtual space. The videos can be viewed on laptops, headsets, and other devices.

The key advantage is that once footage is captured, users can virtually direct the scene afterward by creating different camera angles, zooming, and moving through the space, effectively offering visual mobility within a recorded environment.

ChargerGoGo

ChargerGoGo charging station allows users to rent portable phone chargers in high-traffic locations

I spoke with Shawn Wen, co-founder at ChargerGoGo, to learn more about their small charging stations. He described them as “like a vending machine for a charger,” where users pay a small fee — typically $3 to $5 per hour — to charge their phones while they continue their activities.

These chargers are designed for locations with high foot traffic, including restaurants, bars, shopping centers, hospitals, stadiums, and universities.

While the concept is common across East Asia, including China, Japan, and South Korea, the challenge in the U.S. market has been localization, including compliance with regulations and integrating local payment systems such as Stripe.

Wen explained that his background in graphic design helped him understand user behavior and product design, emphasizing empathy and intuitive product features.

Namirsa Wellness

Namirsa Wellness displayed muscle recovery and performance devices at SXSW

Namirsa Wellness showcased massage chairs and muscle recovery devices focused on active recovery and performance. Their products include electronic stimulators, percussion devices, and foam rollers designed for muscle recovery and relief. Expo attendees could test the chairs directly at the booth, making it one of the more interactive displays.

DNA Hairtools

DNA Hairtools demonstrated styling tools with live demonstrations at SXSW

DNA Hairtools hosted live demonstrations with freelance stylists showcasing their styling tools. One of their highlighted products was the Air Styler, which uses extra-long titanium plates and infrared technology. The product demonstration showed how the tool could create loose curls that lasted throughout a long and windy day.

Free Professional Headshots – Precision Camera & Fujifilm

Precision Camera and Fujifilm offered free professional headshots at SXSW

Another high-interaction booth offered free professional headshots presented by Precision Camera & Video in partnership with Fujifilm. The booth included a full camera and lighting setup, providing high-quality professional photos with expert guidance. The service proved popular among attendees looking to update their LinkedIn profiles.

TooFar Media

Too far media creates “Immersive Storyworlds.” This combines Animation, Art, Books, Film and music.

MOD Bikes

MOD Bikes showcased electric bikes including a popular sidecar model at SXSW

MOD Bikes, an Austin-based company founded in 2017, displayed its electric bikes at the expo. According to the company’s marketing manager, their sidecar attachment is their best-selling product and ships globally, including to Europe, Korea, Australia, and Japan. The bike on display featured a stuffed dog in the sidecar, which attracted significant attention from attendees.

Conclusion

The SXSW Emerging Tech Expo offered a snapshot of where innovation is currently heading: practical applications of AI, hardware products designed for everyday use, and technology focused on improving real-world experiences rather than purely theoretical innovation.

From holographic video and charging infrastructure to recovery technology and electric mobility, the expo demonstrated that many emerging tech companies are focused on solving practical problems while improving user experience and accessibility.

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post Exploring SXSW Emerging Tech appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

I am alone in the empty streets of Austin. Everything has been simplified to geometric shapes and the stars are brighter than they’ve ever been in the middle of the city. Strange eyes look from high points and serve as a unifying aesthetic to the strange world. There are no bats, no rats, and no raccoons. The closest things I’ve seen to life are the hovering drones that await my instructions. Who made this strange, virtual, world? The story begins last March.

On March 6 of 2020, South by Southwest was canceled at the decree of the City of Austin. This occurred shortly before the event was scheduled to begin on the 13^th of March and was one of the first of many large events that would be canceled as a result of the coronavirus.

#SXSW Online 2021 includes a variety of online meetings, sessions, musical performances, and many attempts at virtually recreating the interactive experience of SXSW
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This year, restrictions remained in place that prevented a full return of the in-person SXSW experience. However, the conference organizers decided to pivot to a digital format and that was the beginning of SXSW Online 2021.

SXSW Online 2021 included a variety of online meetings, sessions, musical performances, and many attempts at virtually recreating the interactive experience of SXSW. A notable addition to this is the SXSW Online XR experience. XR is an all-encompassing term referring to include Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and other forms of immersive media.

Blake Kammerdiener: XR and Film Programmer

I sat down for a video chat with Blake Kammerdiener, XR and Film Programmer, to learn more about this project.

According to Kammerdiener discussions about the idea of a virtual Austin began in October of 2020, yet work on the project didn’t start in earnest until sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Day. It was initially a larger concept, but the scope was limited over time.

Discussions about the idea of a virtual Austin began in October of 2020 @sxsw
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In order to create the world, they collaborated with Louis Cacciuttolo and his company VRrOOm. Kammerdiener already knew Cacciuttolo and had been looking for a chance to work together. VRrOOm was provided with basic concepts and blueprints as well as videos and reference images. Kammerdiener explains that “They really worked a lot of magic to make it all happen.”

Designing an XR World

Art direction was provided by Vincent Masson. His aesthetic ended up being an excellent match for this year’s SXSW. The overall look and feel of SXSW 2021 includes a variety of simple graphics of eyes and geometric shapes that meshed will with a virtual world. This theme had already been established before this particular project, so its suitability for VR was more of a happy coincidence.

To create the #SXSW virtual world, they collaborated with Louis Cacciuttolo and his company @_VRrOOm_
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The world of virtual Austin exists within VRChat, an online, virtual reality, social platform. It begins on Congress Avenue and continues with a portal to Red River Street. Kammerdiener explains that they “had to scale it down in some respect.” The Paramount, Empire Control Room, The Mohawk and Cedar Street Courtyard are all venues that you can explore in the virtual world. This world also contains the Texas State Capitol building and the river.

Kammerdiener describes some of the other ideas the team had chosen to include, “Austin has these things called ‘moontowers’ which are these extra-large, big, lights that go up super high and have six or seven lights around them and they’re famous from Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused ‘party at the moontower.’ And so we threw a moontower in there, over there by the capital in the corner, and it’s a real scale model of the moon tower.” Kammerdiener would have liked to include some other iconic, Austin, details as well, “We talked about bats. Don’t think we didn’t talk about bats, at the very least.”

Another exciting feature, according to Kammerdiener, is the virtual concert that happens on demand at the Empire Control Room. If you travel to the virtual Empire, you can press a button and summon a tuba player. That player is Theon Cross, a British tuba player and composer. They did a motion capture recording of him performing at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London and put that performance into the SXSW Online XR experience. Kammerdiener is very enthusiastic about this particular element of the virtual world.

The world of virtual Austin exists within @VRChat, an online, virtual reality, social platform
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One of the most fun things to do, from Kammerdiener’s perspective is go to virtual parties and meetups. These events occur at the virtual venues at specified times. At these events, you and your avatar can hang out and interact directly with other people’s avatars. These events included an XR developers meetup, a DJ at the Paramount, an avatar costume contest, and a virtual axe-throwing contest at The Mohawk. Kammerdiener said that the events created a different level of connection and simulated some of the real feelings of being at a SXSW event. He enjoyed attending the events then hanging out in the virtual spaces afterwards with fellow attendees.

Kammerdiener felt like these meetups really did help fill some of the missing spaces in a virtual SXSW experience. He explains that “from the very beginning, one of the biggest, most important, things that everybody agreed upon” is the importance of creating networking opportunities and interactions between attendees. These experiences are “the bread and butter of SXSW” because they bring in “creatives from all walks of life,” including the entertainment industries and technology sectors. The creative, who normally might not meet, have the chance to interact together in the same space.

The XR Experience

After speaking with Kammerdiener, I did some further exploration in the world of virtual Austin. The worlds are only available to PCVR, Oculus Quest and Windows PC users. I used a PC, without a VR headset. As a result, my experience did not contain the full range of 3D imagery available and I had less mobility for my avatar. However, using a mouse and the “W, A, S, D” keys (forwards, left, backwards, right), I was able to explore a nice range of the world map.

The world begins at Congress. From there, you can either walk or you can grab onto a drone. The drones carry you across the map from a great height so you can quickly move from one space to the other. Without a VR headset, I don’t have as much control, but I am able to traverse the world anyway.

The world of Congress Ave looks a great deal like a simplified 3D rendered cartoon of Austin with a geometric aesthetic. Quiet, pleasant, music plays in the background. Simple eye shapes hover at various points and rotate slowly. At night, you can see very bright stars in the virtual sky. I wander to the Texas State Capitol building and see the famous moontower nearby.

The SXSW Closing Party is happening at The Empire Control Room, so I decide to navigate to that destination. In order to move to the other worlds, you have to find a portal. The portals are large circles labeled with their destination. I walk down the empty street, north towards the Texas State Capitol building and find a portal that leads to “Red River Street.”

On Red River Street are more buildings. There are carts you can ride in if you want to move faster. The Empire Control Room is labeled and you walk through that portal to enter the virtual venue. The venue is a fairly accurate representation of Empire Control Room, complete with a stage, gig posters and a food truck parked in the yard.

The world of Congress Ave looks a great deal like a simplified 3D rendered cartoon of Austin with a geometric aesthetic #SXSW 2021
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The venue is surprisingly crowded with outlandish avatar characters. A great number of people have decided to become cats for some reason. There are robots and aliens and jalapeno peppers. As I walk through, I can hear snippets of other people’s conversations. The spatial audio gives an accuracy that allows me to tell where the speaking avatars are located.

Some people are making their avatars dance or hug or do other, more advanced, movements. I can see the gestures that accompany people’s expressions in conversations. The conversations include a variety of topics, but many of them are reflecting on the experience of a virtual social event. People chat and exchange contact information. Social interactions are happening here.

I go to the courtyard of the venue. It is replicated with some accuracy as well. There are benches and decorative lights. I find the pedestal sculpture that hosts Theon Cross. I summon him with the press of a button. A glowing figure rises from the pedestal to play a beautiful bit of jazz as light and animated details flow around him.

I leave with the faintest feeling that I have actually been somewhere #SXSW 2021
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As the night goes on, avatars disappear one by one. The few that remain are some of the most enthusiastic people and also people who are involved with the event. It is an interesting and strange experience. I leave with the faintest feeling that I have actually been somewhere. SXSW Online XR is a pleasant experience that adds a layer of immersion and interactivity to this year’s online conference.

Tech Trends’ Digital Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post SXSW: A Virtual Experience appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

Some people see them as a fun Internet novelty while others may see them as a sign that could lead to the total collapse of media trust. Ian Beacraft, CEO and Chief Futurist at Signal And Cipher (an agency that helps brands adapt to future tech) has a more optimistic perspective.

Synthetic media is a broad term for the production of media through artificial means. Beacraft introduces the concept with some popular Internet animations. The videos show celebrities and movie characters moving their mouths in sync to the words he is saying, creating the illusion that they, rather than Beacraft, are the ones speaking. These videos are rudimentary. The mouths have slightly blurred edges and a certain dissonance that flags them as fake. However, the result is close enough to convey the idea.

Synthetic media is a broad term for the production of media through artificial means
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Beacraft then brings up animated versions of himself speaking in different languages, followed by a moment where he is placed in that iconic Matrix scene and he takes the obligatory “red” pill. He further illustrates the concept with an image of Jennifer Lawrence accepting an award, but her face has been digitally replaced by Steve Buscemi. These are some examples of that synthetic media which is manipulated or made entirely by algorithms.

He addresses the more nefarious possibilities of this technology. This sort of digital replacement could be used to artificially create “revenge porn” or to alter statements made by political figures. He balances this with the more professional applications of synthetic technology. Paul Walker appeared in Furious 7, after his death, using a digital recreation. In Rogue One, a particularly young Princess Leia was brought back for a cameo.

There are three categories of deepfakes: voice cloning, puppetry, and face-swapping #SXSW 2021
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Beacraft explains three categories of deepfakes: voice cloning, puppetry and face-swapping. Voice cloning involves taking an “imprint” of someone’s voice and then using that in a variety of contexts, different from the original instances. A face-swap is the digital replacement of one face with another. Puppetry involves making someone appear to say words that they did not, by digitally altering the movement of the face to match the words. All of these are in some ways based on existing media and existing people.

Digital Beings

A step further is the idea of “digital beings” with an entirely synthetic basis that do note require a “real” human as a reference. Beacraft explains that realistically-human, synthetic beings might be appealing as digital assistants. They could also have a place in video games or in AR/VR applications.

One tool that might be useful in this is MetaHuman Creator, an upcoming application made by Unreal Engine, the creators of Fortnite. This application will be a cloud-streamed app that makes digital creation faster and simpler. Beacraft sees this as an example of how these digital beings might become more significant, accessible, and relevant to the public in the future.

Beacraft also sees that digital beings might become increasingly relevant as public figures. Right now avatars like the entirely synthetic, “Lil Miquela,” have proven that digital beings can capture the public’s imagination. Lil Miquela has three million Instagram followers and has proven to be a powerful influencer. The Geico Gecko and even the KFC spokesman, Colonel Sanders, are also examples of synthetic beings, according to Beacraft. They do not exist in the “real world” but they are admired as their own entities and influence public perceptions.

Making 3D Models

Accessibility is another big trend that might change the landscape of synthetic media. Photogrammetry is one currently used way of making 3D models. It involves taking many images and stitching them together in a 3D program. Beacraft explains that new techniques have made 3d avatars easier to create. He begins a demonstration of this by showing how a single photo can become a 3D model.

In the future, digital beings might become increasingly relevant as public figures #SXSW 2021
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He uses a neural network architecture called “PIFuHD.“ This is a cloud app that seems to require some level of coding skill to use and is available on GitHub. Beacraft uses a single image of himself to create a 3D model. Since the photo provides no reference for the back of his figure, the program guessed this part based on data it had been fed in its training phrase.

Beacraft puts the resulting model in a 3D modeling program to polish it up. He overlays photographs on the model to add the colors and details. The haircut is added via a texture program and reference images because apparently hair is a bit more difficult to work with. The resulting 3D human is somewhat realistic. The figure is obviously recognizable as Beacraft, but it has the usual slight “uncanny valley” strangeness and small inconsistencies that you may find in digital avatars.

Now that he has a 3D model, Beacraft uses a program called Mixamo to give it life. The program allows him to animate his model with a variety of movements. First, he makes the character walk; Next, he animates the character with a “moonwalk.” The figure’s awkward shambling makes it look a bit like a very smooth zombie. But it does work.

Open Metaverse

The advance of 3D modeling stretches beyond simple recreations of human figures. Beacraft explains that blockchain may play a key role in this future. In an “open metaverse,” digital creations might move more freely. NFT and blockchain could allow for the ownership and transportation of digital creation across platforms.

Synthetic media is not just about deepfakes and high value visual effects, but about the creation of new worlds #SXSW 2021
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For example, a person could make or buy a digital garment for their avatar and be able to sell it as an individual item, supported by blockchain technology. Thanks to the open metaverse, this item might not have to remain in a specific game or ecosystem. Any other environments that embraced this technology could also import such items.

Beacraft seems to believe in an optimistic future for synthetic media. He acknowledges that many people are concerned about artificial intelligence taking away jobs as they exist today, yet he believes that the ease of use for emerging AI design technologies will offset those losses by creating new opportunities for a wide variety of people and a range of expertise.

“These losses are preparing us for the worlds we’re going to be entering today and tomorrow. Synthetic media is not just about deepfakes and high value visual effects, but about the creation of new worlds,” Bearcraft concludes.

Tech Trends’ Digital Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post Synthetic Media: More than Just Deepfakes appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

#SXSW Online 2021 is bringing people together in a socially distant world. For this session, “Can 5G Transform the Live Music Experience?” Cristiano Amon and Steve Aoki have come together to talk about the impact of 5G technology on music. Cristiano Amon is the president of Qualcomm Incorporated and Aoki is a Grammy Nominated DJ, Producer, Music Executive, and Designer.

5G is a popular topic in 2021. It was discussed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year and remains a point of interest at SXSW this year. Qualcomm’s website explains that 5G is “a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G network.” This wireless network could be a large improvement over the previous networks by delivering “higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.”

5G remains a popular topic in 2021 #SXSW
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The virtual session with Amon and Aoki begins on the lighter side with a casual tour through Aoki’s opulent home. Aoki jumps off of a roof into a pool that is 16 feet deep. He shows off a large library room full of books and vinyl. Amon and Aoki discuss their mutual fondness for vinyl. Aoki shares an anecdote about how he acquired some of his vinyl after college when some friends couldn’t move with all their bulky collection. While technology has moved forward and allowed more efficient digital storage of music, Aoki seems to have maintained a deep fondness for this antiquated, tangible, method of music collection.

The home tour moves into Aoki’s home office, also known as “Aoki’s Playhouse.” Aoki’s Playhouse “pays the bills” and is also “where the magic happens,” according to Aoki. This room used to be a racquetball court. It has been remodeled and contains a large green screen, some GoPros, and the other tools that Aoki uses to perform and live stream concerts as a DJ.

Aoki talks about how the progression of technology has changed his experiences as a DJ. Nowadays, “anyone can DJ any song at any given place.” However, earlier in his career, “I used to tow in records. I could only play the 60 records that I brought. So, you go from 60 records 15 years ago, to having unlimited access to the internet.” Nowadays, when Aoki is traveling around the world, he can quickly download new music to an SD card and then insert the SD card into his unit.

@steveaoki talks about how the progression of technology has changed his experience as a DJ #SXSW 2021
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For Aoki, the possibility of 5G streaming would be a game-changer. He says it would give him “access to being able to play so much music to so many people.” One thing that 5G could help with is increasing access to computing power. Amon, of Qualcomm, explains how this would work. With 5G, the internet speed would let you connect to the cloud in real-time. Through that connection, you could get access to more computing power. Even if you were working from a phone, you could potentially access the “processing power of your studio,” from a distance, through the cloud.

@steveaoki believes that technology played a key role in keeping people connected during this time of social distancing and online conferences #SXSW 2021
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Aoki sees the value in that processing power. He explains that input and output speeds are significant to his work. For him, “It’s all about being in the flow, I don’t want to disrupt the flow.” He remembers how he used to spend a great deal of time sitting around and waiting for downloads or waiting for stems to render. He says that the faster workflow, enabled by 5G would help prevent being stuck in the “bottleneck of creativity.”

Even if you were working from a phone, you could potentially access the processing power of your studio, from a distance, through the cloud #SXSW 2021
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5G could also have a big impact on the festival experience. Aoki talks about the difficulties of staying connected with people at festivals. Currently, a person might just turn their phone on “airplane mode,” since they can’t get reception anyway. They could be at Coachella or Electric Daisy Carnival, trying to post but it’s like “a wall has gone over.” For Aoki, being able to share his experiences in real-time is important. 5G connectivity could make that possible soon.

This 5G connectivity could also enable better quality video. Amon explains that with 5G, people might be able to broadcast 4k interactive video in real-time. He also proposes the idea that Augmented Reality glasses could be a tool for sharing those perspectives, where a person could live stream high definition video taken by their glasses and the video would let other people look at the world through their eyes. The glasses could also provide real-time overlays of digital experiences so that a person could interact with the virtual world and the real world simultaneously.

A faster workflow enabled by 5G would help prevent being stuck in a bottleneck of creativity #SXSW 2021
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Aoki is enthusiastic about the ideas presented. He says “I believe not just in the merging of music and technology, but in human and technology.” Although he is an avid tech enthusiastic, Aoki remains practical about the limitations. Not everyone is caught up on the latest tech and Aoki doesn’t want them to get left behind. He explains his methods for deciding which innovations he wants to include in his process:

“When I produce I always listen on every different medium. You have to think just enough ahead but not too far ahead because if you think too far ahead they won’t get it. It goes right over their heads.”

For Aoki, the main priorities are quality content and connection and 5G may help with both of these. His music and live streams could be improved with 5G. The content would be delivered faster and with higher definition. This instant delivery would allow Aoki to take those lifestream experiences and amplify connections as he is able to provide more instant responses.

5G could also have a big impact on the festival experience #SXSW by @TheLauraKoby
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Aoki believes that “technology played a key role in keeping people connected” during this time of social distancing and online conferences. He feels that “at the end of the day I want to be able to connect with as many people as possible…in all the different ways that I can.” 5G may help Aoki fulfill those goals and enable other creators to do the same.

Tech Trends’ Digital Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post 5G and the Future of Music appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

In addition to the regular programming of sessions, SXSW also attracts brands looking to launch exclusive products. Last year Bose unveiled its Augmented Reality glasses frames – still at prototype stage – at their pop-up experiential activation on Rainy Street.

@Bose calls this the world’s first audio augmented reality platform
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This year, they are back at that same Rainy Street bar to continue the story and share what progress they’ve made over the past 12 months. The current Frames were released in January and are described by Bose as “the world’s first audio augmented reality platform.” Like sunglasses, they block up to 99% of UVA/UVB rays and feature uniformly-tinted lenses.

Like sunglasses, they block up to 99% of UVA/UVB rays and feature uniformly-tinted lenses @Bose
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But this is where the similarities with regular sunglasses end: For starters, they have “a minuscule, wafer-thin acoustic package” that is “set seamlessly in each arm’s interior — rather than an earbud.” This allows for “discreet” personal listening. They are made with Augmented Sound technology, there is no visual element. It augments your sound experience because “it knows where you are and what you’re facing using a 9-axis head motion sensor and the GPS from your iOS or Android device.” Using that data, it “automatically adds a layer of audio, connecting that place and time.” 

This sense of sound, orientation and place can be used for a variety of situations. That’s part of what brought Bose to SXSW.  According to their representative “one of the reasons we’re here at South by is there’s a really great community of content creators and developers that we want to talk to and see how we can best support the development efforts.”

The sunglasses work nicely as headphones. They tap on or off. The sound is quite discreet. It is not a bone conduction system, as some may have assumed. The representative explains “one of the troubles with bone conduction is that you don’t really get a great quality sound.” This system is “a totally proprietary acoustic system that’s actually taking a real speaker driver and playing music no differently than a speaker would through this port, using these geometry supports to cancel it in the far field.”

When you put the glasses on “you’re getting a full volume speaker into your ear but then 99 percent of that gets canceled by the time it reaches the outside of your ear. ” The end result is that you can hear your sound, as well as sounds from the outside world, but other people can’t hear your sound. So no one knows what music, or questionable audiobook, you’re listening to.

But the Frames are designed to be more than “sunglasses headphones,” hence the “reaching out to the developer community.” They want to inspire developers to make apps for the Frames. Bose will also be making headphones that contain the same Augmented Sound qualities as the Frames. Apps made for the Frames will also work on those headphones.

A wafer-thin acoustic package set seamlessly in each arm’s interior allows for discreet personal listening @Bose
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It augments your sound experience because “it knows where you are and what you’re facing using a 9-axis head motion sensor and the GPS from your iOS or Android device @Bose
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Golfshot, an app that helps golfers with on-course GPS, scoring, statistics, and tee times, is here at this event to show how their app uses Bose Frames. John, the lead native developer of Golfshot, explains: “Bose actually reached out to us, they had some developers who used our product and they just thought it would be a good integration so they contacted us and we went from there.”

One aspect of their app is providing GPS data for the golf courses. Normally, you’d have to take out your phone, a forbidden act on some courses, but “with Bose AR you just keep it in your pocket and tap on your frames from anywhere on the course and contextually, based on where you are in your GPS location, we give you whatever information you need.” You can get course data without getting out your phone, or getting in trouble.

In the future, they’d like to utilize “the compass information” that the glasses can collect. John explains that “sometimes you’re teeing off and you have trees in your way or a different elevation, you don’t know if you want to pull to this or the other side of the fairway and that can make a big difference in the golfer’s game.”

Normally you’d have to get in your cart and drive out to see then return, “ but, with this, we can just project your visual out with the glasses and find the green for you, or you can see it on your mobile device, but if you don’t want to pull out your phone you can just double tap your frames.”

The way that the current app works is by using “3D audio cues so if you double tap you get a ringing in your ear @Bose
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@Bose will also be making headphones that contain the same Augmented Sound qualities as the Frames
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The way that the current app works is by using “3D audio cues so if you double tap you get a ringing in your ear. It’s almost like a radar system and as soon as you find the green it will go to a solid tone, and then you know, okay, I need to hit over to this side.”  With the glasses, you can turn your head one way, listen to the beeping, and keep turning your head till the solid sound lets you know you are facing the right way.

@GolfshotGPS is just one possible use case for the Frames. It should be interesting seeing what the future holds for Augmented Reality and sound
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Laura Kobylecky is a writer. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post #SXSW2019 – What does Augmented Reality Sound Like? appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

SXSW is a “convergence of the interactive, film and music industries.” Over the span of ten days, there are panels, educational sessions, a trade show, special events and more. One particularly unique element of the experience is the intersection of ideas. You can go straight from a concert to a discussion of artificial intelligence.

Here at Sony’s pop-up activation during SXSW, the company is showcasing some of its latest innovations. One that lies at the intersection of technology and music, is Flow Machines, an intersection of artificial intelligence and human ingenuity.

Sony's Flow Machines is an intersection of AI and human ingenuity
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The Flow Machines presentation begins when a group of attendees is herded into a dark room. Haruhiko, Tatsuya and Ikuko are here to present. They are lit brightly in the dark room. Haruhiko is holding a guitar. It seems that anything could happen here. They explain that using Flow Machines, this group is going to make a song.

A projection of the Flow Machines interface is on the stage behind them. It might seem familiar to people who make digital music. The interface looks like a standard DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), such as Garage Band or Abelton, that one would use to record, edit and produce music.

Is this something that musicians might want to use?
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According to the presentation, “Flow machines doesn’t do everything, it needs to work with creative people.” It is intended to serve as a tool to “enhance the creativity of artists,” instead or fully replacing the human role. This also means that the group will have to do more than press a button.

The software allows users to work within a particular key and decide some progressions for that key. The pattern here is a IV, III, VI VI progression. This means that the users can make their sad songs in minor keys, give the machine general idea of where they want to music to go and see what happens.

Flow machines needs to work with creative people
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The presenters went ahead and made a backtrack in the same key already. What the group is making will be the final piece of the musical puzzle and “together with that chord progression, our song will sound like a song.” By the time we’re done, “You can tell your friends this is the song I produced at SXSW.”

An audience volunteer is summoned with the call “This is South by Interactive, right, anyone has the courage to come over and play the song with us…It’s F, Em, Am, Am,  Do any of you play the guitar?”

No one answers. Haruhiko, the mild-mannered Project Engineer, is forced to show off his own skills. He plays a smooth bluesy run with electric rock energy and smiles slightly as he does so.

The song has a “computer feel,” blues guitar aside. But it is musical.
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This is a proof-of-concept model specifically for SXSW. Flow Machines Professional is an “AI assisted music composing system . Artificial intelligence works by making it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. So the patterns in the music of the machine will be based on the data it is given.

This is a “proof-of-concept model for SXSW
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According to the presenter, the current iteration of Flow Machines is based on “some styles from current songs that we produced for this software..that’s why it kind of has a musical theory behind it.” If the input data were modified, the user could create different results and “if you want to create a crazy style you can let it learn that crazy style and it will be capable of that.”

This particular project continually emphasizes the “augmentation” aspect is designed to serve as an aid to the creative process. Is this something that musicians might want to use? That’s up to them to decide.

Laura Kobylecky is a writer. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post #SXSW2019 – AI Assisted Music appeared first on Tech Trends.