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Lisa Creffield
Contributor: Lisa Creffield
The top five things to come out of SXSW 2014

With appearances by US whistleblower Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and a plethora of startups and tech leaders, there was no shortage of fascinating insights. Here are five of the most exciting trends from this year’s exhibitors.

1. Privacy and security

Online privacy and security was picked as the Breakout Digital Trend at the 2014 SXSW Interactive Awards. It followed appearances by several key privacy advocates. 

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s highly anticipated talk gained even more hype after a US congressman urged organisers to cancel it. Appearing via video link from his exile in Russia, Snowden drew a crowd of thousands as he spoke against the mass surveillance of communications. He encouraged internet users to protect themselves through encryption and browse the web anonymously.

 

Fellow exile Julian Assange of WikiLeaks also appeared via videolink to warn about surveillance. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, weighed in against mass surveillance as well. Industry and public opinion has now become so forceful on this issue that businesses should ensure they continue to prioritise security and privacy with all customer data.

2. Wearable biometrics

Biometric identification and wearable devices were in the spotlight, following on from the security theme. The Nymi is a wearable device that identifies a user by their unique cardiac fingerprint. Visa believes that biometrics can enable seamless transactions and gave the example of someone ordering a sports drink after their wearable technology has detected they’ve worked out.

In Australia, researchers have been developing ultrathin, flexible nanowires that could be made into pressable, stretchable devices to wrap around skin, sensitive enough to measure someone’s pulse.

Sensible Baby is a tiny, low-energy button that clips to a baby’s clothes and alerts parents of the room temperature and how much the baby is moving, and whether it’s lying on its back or stomach. Scouts View Sports also introduced a new biometric, predictive video analytics tool that can enable sports recruiters to identify skilled athletes and analyse their performance.

3. Augmented reality

Australian startup Remote Control Tourist won Technical Achievement in the 2014 SXSW Interactive Awards. Its technology allows people anywhere in the world to control real-life tourists on the streets of Melbourne, combining powerful live mobile streaming video technology, social media and bespoke maps.



Google Glass continues to inspire wearable augmented reality technology. The Skully AR-1 is the world’s first integrated augmented reality safety helmet, providing current data, navigation and even a 180-degree rear view to the wearer.

4. Television and video

Television was huge this year, with TV stars taking top billing even at SXSW Interactive. HBO’s virtual reality demonstration used an Oculus Rift headset to put people ‘inside’ the popular TV series Game of Thrones.

As well as virtual and augmented reality, wearables are enabling vast amounts of user-generated video content. The opportunity for businesses here is to use this content to fuel their own marketing campaigns. Before this was mainly images, such Instagrams. Now it’s evolving to video through apps like Vine.

5. 3D printing

An easy fit for a conference with a huge focus on creativity, the hype over 3D printing continues. MakerBot introduced a 3D scanner add-on for its printers. An object is optically scanned from a spinning platform and then converted into a 3D model within minutes. Your 3D printer can then print off copies.

It’s significant how pervasive wearable technology was this year. Humans and the human body are clearly set to become part of the sensor-strewn Internet of Things where everything, everywhere is constantly gathering and transmitting data. No wonder there was also discussion of biohacking: the actual physical integration of humans and technology, where "transhumans" blur the line between people and machines.

And lastly, satirical site The Onion had a few sly digs at the event, but its final bullet point holds some truth: “The game – the whole game, all of it – completely changed. The future is here. The future is now.”
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