Young Global Leaders Interview at WEF Davos in Tianjin
Young Global Leaders Interview at WEF Davos
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Adrian David Cheok on Finnish Interview – Yle Prisma Studio
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Adrian Cheok talks about robotic love on ‘Tinder Love’ VPRO Tegenlicht
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Adrian David Cheok is featured on a TV documentary series, Tegenlicht, aired in the Netherlands.
http://tegenlicht.vpro.nl/afleveringen/2015-2016/tinder-love.html
Interview with Hypernetec
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The Future of Our Digital Senses
Adrian David Cheok is currently Professor of Pervasive Computing at City University London and the Founder and Director of the Mixed Reality Lab, Singapore. A gifted inventor, academic and speaker, with an impressive research pedigree; his work ranges across wearable computers, ubiquitous computing and pervasive and virtual computer realities.
For Cheok, nothing less than “the next level of the Internet” will suffice. He wants to create a sensing symbiosis – between humans and machines and the analog and digital world. He is striving to form a new sensory vocabulary, that redefines what we experience. If he is successful, the way we perceive our world and the way we sense our reality may be altered drastically forever.
© 2016 Hypernetec Ltd
Recorded at the Wearable Technology Show 2015.
The Power of Financial Literacy Clubs in Schools and Communities
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In today’s fast-paced world, financial literacy has become a crucial life skill. However, many individuals, especially young people, lack the foundational knowledge needed to manage their finances effectively. This gap can lead to poor financial decisions and long-term economic struggles.
Financial literacy clubs offer a practical solution by providing a supportive environment where students and community members can learn essential money management skills. These clubs empower participants to make informed financial decisions, setting them up for success in both their personal and professional lives.
The Importance of Early Financial Education
Financial habits form early in life. By introducing financial education in schools and communities, we can equip individuals with the tools they need to navigate financial challenges confidently.
1. Building a Strong Financial Foundation
Teaching students about budgeting, saving, and investing lays the groundwork for financial stability. When young people understand the value of money and how to manage it, they are better prepared to handle real-world financial responsibilities.
2. Preventing Financial Missteps
Early financial education helps individuals avoid common pitfalls such as excessive debt, poor credit management, and lack of savings. With the right knowledge, they can make smarter choices and build a secure financial future.
3. Closing the Financial Literacy Gap
Many adults struggle with basic financial concepts due to a lack of early education. Financial literacy clubs address this gap, fostering a culture of informed decision-making across all age groups.
Activities and Resources for Running a Successful Club
To ensure the success of a financial literacy club, it’s essential to offer engaging activities and accessible resources that cater to the needs of participants.
1. Interactive Workshops
Workshops on topics such as budgeting, credit management, and investment strategies can make financial concepts more relatable. Interactive sessions encourage participants to apply what they’ve learned to real-life scenarios.
2. Guest Speakers and Mentors
Inviting financial professionals—such as bankers, financial advisors, or entrepreneurs—provides participants with valuable insights and practical advice. Mentorship opportunities can also offer personalized guidance and inspire confidence.
3. Hands-On Projects
Activities like creating a personal budget, developing a savings plan, or running a mock investment portfolio help participants gain practical experience. These projects reinforce key concepts and make learning more engaging.
4. Access to Financial Tools and Resources
Providing access to budgeting apps, financial calculators, and educational materials ensures that members can continue learning outside of club meetings. Resources such as online courses and e-books can further enhance their understanding.
5. Community Engagement
Organizing events like financial literacy fairs or community workshops helps spread awareness and extends the club’s impact beyond its core members.
Real-World Impact Stories
The true power of financial literacy clubs lies in their ability to transform lives. Here are a few inspiring examples of how these clubs have made a difference:
1. Empowering Students in Underserved Communities
In a rural school district, a financial literacy club helped high school students develop critical money management skills. Many of these students went on to pursue higher education, armed with the knowledge to manage student loans and build a strong credit history.
2. Supporting Single Parents in Urban Areas
A community-based financial literacy club focused on single parents provided guidance on budgeting, debt reduction, and saving for the future. Participants reported significant improvements in their financial situations, with some achieving milestones such as buying a home or starting a small business.
3. Fostering Entrepreneurial Spirit
At a local community center, a financial literacy club inspired several members to launch their own businesses. By learning about business financing, tax planning, and investment strategies, these individuals turned their ideas into profitable ventures.
The Role of Educators, Community Leaders, and Parents
To maximize the impact of financial literacy clubs, it’s essential to involve key stakeholders:
Educators can integrate financial literacy into the school curriculum, providing students with a well-rounded education that includes money management skills.
Community Leaders can support clubs by offering funding, resources, and venues for meetings, as well as promoting awareness within the community.
Parents play a crucial role in reinforcing financial lessons at home, encouraging their children to apply what they’ve learned in the club to their daily lives.
Conclusion: A Collaborative Effort for Financial Empowerment
Financial literacy clubs like United Shop are more than just educational initiatives—they are powerful tools for fostering financial independence and resilience. By bringing together students, educators, community leaders, and parents, these clubs create a collaborative environment that promotes lifelong financial well-being.
Whether you’re an educator looking to start a club in your school, a community leader seeking to empower your neighborhood, or a parent wanting to prepare your child for the future, financial literacy clubs offer an invaluable opportunity to make a lasting impact.
Let’s build a financially literate future, one club at a time!
#FinancialLiteracy #MoneyManagement #CommunityEmpowerment #FinancialEducation
In a bad mood? Take a whiff of your cellphone | Guardian
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Tech innovators are adding a fourth dimension to gadgets and devices: the sense of smell
Smell remains the most mysterious of the human senses – scientists are still trying to explain why one scent is pleasant to some people and offensive to others, how fragrances conjure memories from years past, and how aromas influence behavior.
“The relationship between individual aromas and emotions can vary considerably from one person to another,” says Beverley Hawkins of the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy. “There is no guarantee that two people smelling the same aroma will trigger the same memories or emotions. In fact, more often than not, they will not.”
A study released earlier this year by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) supports Hawkins’ thought. Researchers found that the genes the body uses to detect scents vary up to 30% in any two given individuals. They concluded that each person has an “olfactory fingerprint” that triggers a unique reaction to the same odor molecule.
On average, a person experiences about 10,000 scents in a day. “Accordingly, it only makes sense that some of these are more pleasing than others to your senses,” says Elizabeth Musmanno, president of theFragrance Foundation. “And this in turn absolutely affects your mood.”
Making smell digital
Scientists have long known that the sense of smell serves as a type of bodyguard, warning people about dangers such as spoiled food or a fire. And there is a clear connection between the sense of smell and the sense of taste. Yet despite their strong impact on our bodies, those two senses are often not at the forefront of our minds as we go about our daily routines – mealtimes being the exception, of course.
“All nutrients that enter our body are monitored by the senses of taste and smell, so these senses are very important in general,” says Dr Richard Doty, director of theSmell and Taste Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “Unfortunately they are taken for granted until they become injured or otherwise disabled.”
That could change as product developers move closer toward creating digital experiences that better mimic the real world. For example, Oscar Mayer collaborated with computer scientist Adrian Cheok to design a phone attachment that releases the scent of bacon – and plays the sound of frying – at a preset time. The Wake Up and Smell the Bacon project won the Most Creative Use of Technology prize at the 2015 Shorty Awards.
Another recent invention is the Ophone, a device invented by Harvard University biomedical engineers that allows users to send “smell messages” in a method that’s akin to texting. Also, the Japanese company Scentee has built odor cartridges that attach to a phone’s earbud jack. One intended use is to trick a user’s tastebuds into believing he’s eating, say, a delicious steak instead of a bland salad – a nice way to make dieting more enjoyable.
Musmanno notes another emerging trend: scenting environments. A store can try to create an inviting place for shopping, a hotel may want to convey the scent of luxury or a 4D movie will perhaps use aromas to tell a story.Glade explored the connection between scent, emotion, and interactive and sensory experiences at its Museum of Feelings exhibit in New York City during the holiday season. Visitors walked through a variety of galleries that were inspired by fragrances and learned about how scent impacts emotions.
Advances in scent technology could also stretch to the workplace. Doty imagines a future in which businesses use smells to boost employee performance. “I can foresee the use of odors in public places such as lobbies of buildings to energize workers,” he says. “This has to be done carefully, however, as some people are allergic to certain odors.”
And then there’s virtual reality. For now, VR headsets are able to produce a fairly realistic replication of scenery and human interactions via two senses: sight and hearing. However for a true real-world experience, the other senses will have to be stimulated, too. “Most likely, smells will be included in virtual reality scenarios just to enhance the experience,” says Doty.
There are challenges in turning scents digital, as they’re not nearly as adaptable to mass electronic distribution as images and sound. However, “as we continue to learn more about our sense of smell and what it can do, there will most likely be more applications in the future”, Musmanno says.
“Scent will definitely be part of the evolution of technology. The more the sense of smell is studied, the more amazing it is discovered to be.”
This content is paid for by SC Johnson
Watch: The future of the five senses in experiential marketing
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by Adrian Peter Tse on 2 Dec 2015
From a multi-sensory internet to smell coding and smart fabrics, through to applying theatrical principles to branding, the realm of the senses represents a brave new world for experiential marketers.
Last week at AdAsia in Taipei, Adrian Tse caught up with five individuals featured by TEDx Taipei, to explore the future of the five senses in experiential marketing—and beyond.
In this video you will meet:
- Adrian David Cheok, professor of pervasive computing at City University of London and director of Imagineering Institute (be sure to watch until the end of the video)
- Stefen Chow, photographer, mountaineer and creator of the Poverty Line
- Sissel Tolaas, chemist, researcher and artist
- Jesko Von Den Steinen, principal artist and actor at The House of Dancing Water and ex-creative strategist at Sid Lee; and
- Elaine Yan Ling Ng, founder and designer director at The Fabrick Lab.
A short introduction segment about the evolution of marketing will be discussed. Current online marketing techniques will be reviewed and sites like Product Expert and many others will be subjects for analysis on how to translate the future of experiential marketing efficiently in the future.
Digital Taste featured in BBC One Tomorrow’s Food
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Dara O’Briain tries out our digital taste machine in the new BBC One show, Tomorrow’s Food.
Dara O Briain reveals the awe-inspiring future of our food. To bring us the amazing innovations that will soon be on our dinner plates, he’s joined by a team of experts.
The Future of the Digital Multi-Sensory Consumer Experience
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14 July 2014 By Kate Nightingale
We live in an increasingly digital world. We work, shop and play digitally most of the time or at least the digital device is used at some point during these activities. More countries all over the world have access to internet whether via computer or a mobile device.
Basically most of our daily activities are facilitated, shared by or experienced with some type of digital device. The crucial word in here is ‘EXPERIENCE’. We all search for meaningful, intriguing or shocking experiences every day of our lives. Whether it’s sipping cafe au lait in a romantic cafe in Paris, watching a chick flick with your girlfriends and running out of tissues, or meeting your new love for the first time. All these experiences have one thing in common: they are multi-sensory. The smell of that freshly brewed coffee, the warmth and complexity of that first taste, the view of Eiffel Tower, the passion and musicality of French language…
Feeling like jumping on a Eurostar for a quick Paris experience? Now imagine that you can have all that in a comfort of your home. I know, it probably won’t feel as romantic and extraordinary as in real life but it certainly will be possible in not too distant future.
Scientist are heavy at work developing technologies that will allow you to transfer smells, tastes and textures digitally or even at some point create an augmented/virtual reality of a Paris cafe with all those sensations available for you. But they are also teaching computers how to see, smell or develop nutritious and healthy tastes with goal of improving our lives.
One of the better developed areas of research is on seeing. There are already plenty of programmes available that can, for example, read our emotions while we watch an advert so the advertising executives know whether the ad they have produced will have a desired effect. One of these programmes is the FaceReader developed by VicarVision which also has been recently introduced for online use. Another exciting project of VicarVision is ‘Empathic Products’ using emotion recognition to, for example, personalise digital signage and adverts in shopping centres.
How about social media analytics and consumer insight? As we share more and more visual content and less text, the need for analysing our likes and dislikes based on the photos we share became urgent. Fortunately companies like Curalate have developed the software to help companies gain useful insight from visual content or allow them to send personalised offers based on the photos people share via Instagram.
But these are not the most exciting developments. Much more intriguing and perhaps slightly shocking technologies are being developed to help us touch, sniff and taste digitally.
We already have various vibrations on mobile devices to let us know when we perform certain functions. Notice the difference in vibrations when you press the keyboard to when you receive a text or tweet? This is nothing! Soon we will be able to feel textures of fabrics and other materials via the use of ‘microscopic’ vibrations send to our mobile devices.
Imagine shopping online for a dress and being able to feel the textures of the fabric it is made of. Or looking at an advert of a jumper on a train station and being able to touch it and obviously buy it instantly. Or think about the possibilities for B2B market – buyers being able to check the texture and quality of the product virtually before ordering thousands of items to sell in their stores. And how about feeling the temperature or the climate via your phone? This will add a completely another dimension to booking travel and, who knows, maybe even virtual travel. Virgin Holidays opened last year a real-life version of such experience, ‘sensory holiday laboratory’ as they called it, last year in Bluewater where you can stand on a sandy beach, smell the sea and take photographs to share on your social media. Now imagine the same experience in your living room…
The area of research which is working on making it possible is called HAPTICS, as in haptic (touch) perception. One of the experts in the field is Katherine Kuchenbecker who runs the Haptics Group in the University of Pennsylvania. In this short video she explains some of the research the group is working on and introduces the term Haptography, a photography with haptic qualities. How about Instagraming or Tweeting a picture of a cat that you can actually stroke?! Oooh!
IBM Research lab is yet another institution working on developing such technology. They explain that at the beginning it will take a form of a dictionary with, for example, silk having a specific vibration definition that a company will be able to use to represent the fabric they used. However, eventually we will be able to touch digitally in real time.
Immersion Corporation, founded in 1993, is a pioneering company in the use of haptics to enhance digital experience. They are developing some really interesting technologies for mobile, gaming and even films and sport. They have, for example, created an engine that automatically translates the audio in the game to haptic feedback. They are also working on applying this to video content such as advert, action movies and sporting broadcast. How would you like feel like you’re on the field during the World Cup Final?! Soon it will be possible.
It all sounds ‘haptastic’ but why would companies invest in that? Immersion Corporation actually did some research on that and found that content with haptics in it increased the viewer’s level of arousal by 25%. From consumer psychology we know that arousal and pleasure are the key motivators to purchase so imagine the effects of the haptic content on your sales figures.
They have also tested a metric used commonly in streaming video called quality of experience. They asked participants to watch 5min long content and divided them into three conditions: no haptics, haptics reflecting the subwoofer experience, and haptics adding to the story-telling. They found that quality of experience was 10-15% higher in subwoofer haptics condition and between 25-30% higher in narrative haptics condition as compared to no haptics content. See more of their research here.
So soon we will be able to touch the dress before we buy it but how about buying perfume or other cosmetics online? Not to worry! Digital scent messaging is already here.
A new invention called oPhone has been just introduced to the market. It allows you send scent messages and even create your own scent impressions. There is also an IPhone app called oSnap which allows you to create sensory oNotes which you can share with your friends. However, to be able to actually smell your creations, your friends will either have to have the oPhone or go to one of the HotSpots, currently only available in Paris and New York. One of the founders Dr. David Edwards says that the scent vocabulary is at the moment limited to some food-related smells but it’s only a matter of time before we will be able to watch a movie and smell the beach we see.
Another inventor in the field is Dr. Adrian Cheok, founder of Mixed Reality Lab in Singapore and professor of pervasive technology in the City University London. He and his team invented a small device called Scentee which you can attach to your smartphone to send various smells to your friends and family. However, you need to have separate cartridge for each smell and the scent vocabulary is currently limited.
Dr. Cheok also works on digital taste, an ability to send tastes via internet and mobile devices. He presented his work last month on the event called the Circus for the Senses that took place in the Natural History Museum during the Universities Week. It certainly had a great reception. Who wouldn’t want to watch their favourite chef preparing a delicious raspberry Pavlova and be able to taste it immediately. I’m sure you will get up right this second and run to buy or make it. No, by then you will be able to press a button on your TV or mobile and it will jump out of the screen onto your table! I know, maybe slightly farfetched but totally possible within I guess about 10 years.
So now we are impressed when we can download movies and music via our mobile or purchase our groceries. In 5 years we will have all these amazing gear available allowing us to sniff, taste and touch what you see on your screen.
However people will still want an experience and social connections. This is where augmented reality or virtual shops and other venues will come into play. Brands will be able to have virtual shops which people can visit from a comfort of their home. I’m not talking about using avatar but to be actually immersed in the multi-sensory virtual brand experience. So you will be able to walk through the virtual shop, touch the merchandise, smell it and even try it on. Imagine the possibilities for the company to personalise this experience to each individual with a touch of a button! Oh, sorry! This will be automated with the state-of-the-art software!
And how about applying such technologies as Face Reader that can read our emotions and other programmes reacting to our biological functions like heart rate and level of arousal to adjust this virtual experience? For example, the computers will be able to see disgust or other unpleasant emotion on your face and attribute it to a smell you perceived. That will allow a retailer to change this olfactory experience to a positive one instantly.
And how about online dating? We will be able to sniff pheromones adding a completely different dimension to an idea of love at first sniff.
Do you know of the Secret Cinema? These are very secretive events where you can truly experience certain movies by being inserted into a specially created set. Imagine now that you can do it from a comfort of your couch. It’s going to be kind of like 3D with added touch, temperature, scent and taste sensations. It will make you feel like you’re a part of the action and, who knows, maybe even insert yourself into a plot. That’s a true co-creation!
Dr. Cheok certainly shares that view as represented in his comment for CNN article: ‘the ultimate direction of goal is a multi-sensory device unifying all five senses to create an immersive virtual reality, and could be usable within five years’.
Of course, before this technology becomes widely available and affordable, companies need to create immersive and co-creative multi-sensory consumer experiences in real life. As research in consumer psychology and marketing shows us this can have incredible effects on the consumer-brand relationship and obviously the bottom line. Look out for our Sense Reports (coming soon) explaining some of these effects.
See more at: http://stylepsychology.co.uk/digitalmultisensoryconsumerexperience/#sthash.5g0R3S0k.Or2f9K8J.dpuf
Etäläsnäolo tulee, oletko valmis? | Prisma Studio
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Pelkkä audiovisuaalinen viestiminen on kohta niin passé. Lähitulevaisuudessa viestimme ja sometamme kaikilla viidellä aistillamme. Kokkiohjelmia voi kohta haistaa ja maistaa, suudelmat tulevat perille robottien avulla ja halauksia välitetään älypyjamalla.
Makuaistia huijataan
– Me elämme nyt informaatioaikakautta. Mutta olemme siirtymässä tiedonvälityksestä kokemusten jakamiseen ja pystymme pian välittämään myös kosketuksia, makuja ja hajuja verkon yli. Siitä tulee ihan uudenlaista laajennettua todellisuutta, selittää Lontoon City Universityn tietotekniikan professoriAdrian Cheok.
Adrian Cheok haaveilee, että voimme kohta esimerkiksi maistaa tv:n kokkiohjelmat. Ensimmäinen askel siihen suuntaan on Singaporen kansallisessa yliopistossa kehitetty kieleen kytkettävä simulaattori, jolla huijataan makuaistia sähköisesti esimerkiksi maistamaan happaman maun:
Adrian Cheok on ollut myös mukana kehittämässä puhelimen lisälaitetta, jolla jo nyt voi lähettää tuoksuviestejä verkossa tai herätä uuteen aamuun lempituoksu nenässä. Miten olisi ruusuntuoksuinen syntymäpäiväonnitteluviesti? Tai herkullisen tuoksuinen kaloriton ateria? Tässä vähän esimakua, tai -hajua, jälkimmäisestä:
Yksin yhdessä
Tulevaisuuden teknologiat mahdollistavat siis sen, että voimme kohta kokata ja/tai syödä yhdessä, vaikka olisimmekin kaukana toisistamme, koska voimme jakaa kokemuksemme – aistimamme hajut ja maut – verkon yli.
Fyysistä välimatkaa lyhentämään ja ikävää helpottamaan kehitellään koko ajan uusia välineitä. Osakan yliopistossa on kehitetty ihmisen muotoista, halattavaa tyynyrobottia, jonka sisälle voi sujauttaa puhelimen ja näin kuvitella, ettei puhukaan puhelimessa, vaan tiukassa halauksessa:
Adrian Cheokin johtamassa Mixed Reality Lab:ssa taas on kehitetty halaavaa pyjamaa, joka välittää vaikkapa työmatkalla olevan vanhemman halaukset lapselle, ja Kissenger-robottia, jonka avulla voi suudella netissä:
Eivätkä tutkijat ole unohtaneet lemmikeitäkään. Adrian Cheok on ollut mukana kehittämässä laitteistoa, jonka avulla omistaja voi silitellä lemmikkiään – vaikkapa lemmikkikukkoaan – verkon yli:
Robottiavioliitot tulevat. Miten kännykkä välittää tuoksun ja kosketuksen? Teknologia tunkee kehoomme! Näistä visioista lisää Prisma Studiossa keskiviikkona 23.9. TV1 klo 20.
Uskaliaita väitteitä pöyhimässä futuristi Elina Hiltunen, biotekniikan tutkija Lauri Reuter ja psykologi Jukka Häkkinen. Ohjelmaa luotsaa Marjo Harju.
Source: http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2015/09/18/etalasnaolo-tulee-oletko-valmis