Cities Explore New Uses for Tech

Emerging Tech Roundup — July 22

The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.

This week in tech: Orlando works to create a digital twin, Nike opens a mixed reality store in Seoul, the UK plans a 164-mile drone delivery route, the first class of VR-trained Wind Turbine specialists has graduated, Shopify plans to use Apple’s API, Tesla plans to integrate with Steam, and Instagram introduces a seamless eCommerce experience.

Orlando Economic Partnership and Unity Partner on First Regional Digital Twin

(WESH 2 News, July 14)

Orlando is creating a digital twin of its city with a $1M investment. The digital twin will be accessible via VR headsets where users can immerse themselves in a handful of ways, including the assessment of weather and traffic conditions. The technology will also help the city plan ahead in various ways, and creators hope it brings new businesses into the area.

Nike Style XR Concept Store Opens in Seoul

(XR Today, July 18)

This past week Nike opened a concept store in Seoul, South Korea that offers shoppers a handful of unconventional experiences. The store has a ‘mixed reality content studio’ in which users can create AR/VR content for sharing. There are also QR codes around the store, which offer immersive experiences for shoppers including product browsing.

UK Set to Have World’s Biggest Automated Drone Superhighway

(BBC, July 18)

With £273m in funding, the UK plans to transform the way it delivers mail and medicine across cities. The drones will serve as a cleaner mode of transportation, and will travel along the 164-mile Skyway while following a traffic-like set of guidelines in the air. The UK hopes that with this new technology, it can supply in-home medical care to people in need.

Virtual Reality Helps Certify First Group of Offshore Wind Project Workers in Massachusetts

(ABC6, July 14)

On Thursday, the first-ever class of 12 graduated from VR training in wind turbines. The course was led by Siemens VINCI Virtual Reality and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SRGE) and is a part of an effort to explore cleaner energy uses in New England. The graduates will be using their education to work on the Bay State’s Offshore Wind Project.

Shopify Demos Apple’s Roomplan, Strips All Furniture from Room

(AppleInsider, July 15)

Shopify plans to use Apple’s RoomPlan API to offer users a more telling experience when buying furniture. The technology is capable of removing all the existing furniture from a user’s surroundings and redecorating it with the available products online. Once it launches, it will give users a truer idea of what a revamp in their home would look like before they make the investment.

Tesla Is Getting Closer to Integrating Steam to Take Its Gaming Platform to Whole New Level

(Electrek, July 16)

Tesla is planning on enhancing gaming within its vehicles, with a demo to be created as early as next month. The company is planning on integrating Steam into its Tesla Arcade. The integration will offer drivers a greater spread of games to choose from as they begin to drive less.

Instagram’s New Payments Feature Lets Users Buy Products via DMs

(TechCrunch, July 18)

Instagram is introducing a new feature through which users can have a more cohesive shopping experience. With the new feature, users can DM a business profile, place an order, pay for it, track it and ask any questions they may have, all within the Direct Messages section of the app.