A short reel on the experience snippets from SXSW. Kaalo came out of the show reassured of the path forward with the innovations we have in our technology stack. Thank you to all participants, prospects, clients, partners and most importantly the amazing Kaalo team. #sxsw2023#Kaalo#AR#technology
Super cool seeing the reactions of SXSW attendees when they played around with the Kaalo Charm 3D interactive messaging app. Here is a Dell laptop being displayed in an exhibition setting. Users were fascinated by how real it was and could not stop giving us ideas of all the possibilities they saw in this technology. It was very reassuring.
Contact Kaalo if you want to spend less and reach a broader audience by sending 3D interactive AR exhibits in a message.
What does millimeter accuracy of the AR Assistant mean? Every screw, every latch, every cable, connector, tape and part is super imposed exactly on the computer system complete with infographics and animations. That means the directions and instructions leave no room for human error. It takes the guesswork out and points specifically at the part in question, even in a crowded component layout. Complex configurations of a server, laptop or desktop are no more a concern for the lay person. The simple step-by-step AR instructions are all they have to follow making it a perfect DIY tool. What is remarkable is that Dell’s customers and technicians do NOT need an expensive headgear to use this tool. No AR glasses necessary. The Dell AR Assistant is designed to work with the tool that the whole world carries – the phone.
Cool technologies that are ubiquitous and easy to use have instant impact on businesses and their customers.
Millimeter accuracy of augmented information on complex products separates Kaalo from the rest. Seamless display of animated infographics on the exact hardware location is an industry rarity.
Here is a quick peek into the Dell AR Assistant’s precise and robust solution. The halo animation informs the user which part needs to be removed or installed. The technology takes care of locating the part, screw, latch, cable and connectors leaving no room for misinterpretation or human error. All this without the use of any fancy headgear. The phone in your pocket is all you need, making this accurate technology – ubiquitous.
The Kaalo Studio on RM2222 Austin Texas is still in progress. The City of Austin is overwhelmed and understaffed to keep up with the speed of development. Permits are taking forever and Covid did not help at all. Delays are painful but the vision is steadfast – this 5 acre live, work, play space is being pursued without compromising on its ecofriendly, modern and innovative design. #KaaloStudio#LiveWorkPlay#AustinTexas#Design#TechnologyPark#DesignCommunity
Everyone is struggling with what school will look like this fall in the face of our current pandemic; likely, many students will be taking classes remotely. If it’s true, as the American Psychological Association states, that “interpersonal relationships and communication are critical to both the teaching-learning process and the social-emotional development of students,” what effect will distance learning have on this generation of students?
Almost one-fourth of the American rural population doesn’t have access to reliable broadband internet service, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Fortunately, there are other options. There are countries using broadcast media to disseminate lessons, says the World Bank. Some guidelines propose distributing chapters of textbooks in print or videos via memory cards or CDs. Television and radio along with printed materials could provide a robust distance learning experience without internet availability.
But even with every student able to access at-home learning, we need to address the psychological effects of educating without the benefit of in-person interaction. Social-emotional education must become more intentional, both because we have limited access to cues like body language and facial expression and because the pandemic is creating chronic stress. This means discussions that help students identify emotions in themselves and others and express those emotions appropriately. It means one-on-one counseling for families. These cannot replace in-person social interaction, but they can mitigate the isolating effects of remote education.
In designing a remote learning curriculum that takes all individuals into account, we can incorporate art, writing projects and a variety of communication tools for students who struggle with expressing themselves in words. Outdoor, socially-distanced meetings can serve students, like those with special needs, for whom in-person instruction is absolutely vital. Design may also take on the role of improving video conferencing to make it a more sensory, meaningful experience for teacher-student interaction.
Education without the benefit of in-person group dynamics presents a challenge, both in accessibility and psychology, but we can seize the opportunity to explore the various methods by which lessons can be shared. We can create more robust social-emotional learning and come out of the pandemic a more emotionally intelligent society with a more dynamic education system than we have ever seen before.
Businesses are finding their moral footing after the shock of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer. The question is, how can we channel this climate of fear and outrage into positive change? Dell encourages employees to join their Black Networking Alliance ERG in a moment of reflection and recognition. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said companies need to implement policy changes with racial justice at the forefront. UT coach Tom Herman said we can’t continue to celebrate athletes of color during a game and deny them the same respect off the field. Artists like Beyoncé are encouraging people to educate themselves on racial inequality and to speak out. Designers tell the human story. Graphics, mapping and data visualization play a pivotal role in messaging. For a digital-era movement, communication design and technology can reach across boundaries and help people act: meet, donate, understand or spread awareness. The American Institute of Graphic Arts has a list of donation links, links to black designers and design studios, and to services for social justice. Designers can use their platforms to convert people to a common cause because good design makes your choices clear.
Salvaging some semblance of a celebration in the middle of a pandemic, the class of 2020 is owning its moment. Amidst a tizzy of virtual graduations, porch photoshoots, drive-by parades, and star-studded televisions commencements, they are acknowledging their rite of passage. Not easily deterred, these new high school graduates, born in the immediate aftermath of the 911 crisis, are resilient.
They grew up in a rapidly changing world bombarded with technology, the TSA, lockdown drills, school shootings, domestic and foreign terrorism, climate change, global culture, social media, and their own, larger-than-life, personal online presences. This interconnectedness perhaps allows them empathy and a rare agility that we witness when they quickly change course to adapt to lockdowns, social distancing, and new methods of learning.
No class is more ready to face the challenges life will throw at them than this one. They are their own commencement speakers. Each has been a witness to his or her own changing reality that has included deferment, tossing of dreams, rethinking majors, and conserving funds.
The future is changed and so will be all their plans for it. This class of 2020 knows better than anyone else how to adapt.
You desperately need to get away. With the restrictions of shelter-in-place, it’s been too long since you were able to break free from the stress of everyday life and that added by the pandemic. You’re a bit apprehensive. Since the coronavirus outbreak, the travel industry has begun to recover, but you wonder, how safe is it to pack yourself into an airplane with hundreds of other people? You’ve heard they have new protocols upon entering the airport, like a thermal scanner to read your temperature, and the airlines are offering ridiculously low fares, but is it worth the risk?
Travel has been severely restricted during this global pandemic. We will eventually return to planning vacations and business trips, making our airline and hotel reservations, but touchless travel procedures and new health and safety measures will arise. And many people, at least at first, will choose to drive rather than fly, for the autonomy and social distance it allows.
Airports will be reconfigured and expanded to allow for social distancing. Those that cannot build out will build up. Airport check-in will involve less human contact and more automation. Imagine having your fingerprint, face or iris scanned without touching any surfaces. Touchless document scanning and voice command systems may come into play. At the same time, airports will cater to the customer’s experience to encourage people to return to air travel. The use of autonomous vehicles may reduce parking needs and allow parking garages to be repurposed as curbside check-in.
Airlines themselves will have to set low fares to entice people back to the airplane. They have already begun to offer reward program members more for their saved miles and extended expiration dates. 1 in 5 Americans are currently unemployed, so affordability is a major factor for travel. Hence why many may choose to drive and set their sites on domestic, closer-to-home locations. Airlines will also be tasked with reassuring passengers with robust cleaning procedures and more cabin space.
While many people may choose to travel close to home, they may also be setting their sights on more remote locations: national parks or countryside locales instead of large, crowded cities. We may see a surge in RV purchase and rental with people preferring the safety of a self-contained vacation. There could be an increased demand for villas as standalone rental properties and in those hotels with exterior access to rooms instead of enclosed hallways.
As the pandemic subsides, we will return to travel, but the procedures we go through, the aspects of it we value, will have changed. The travel industry will rebound after this pandemic, but it will never be the same. And that could be a good thing.
Though we have begun gingerly stepping toward controlled normalcy in our everyday lives, we may be wearing protective face coverings for a long time to come. With N95 respirators and surgical masks in short supply, the cloth face mask has been propelled to an unsolicited eminence. These save lives, but they also occupy a prominent place on the face. They may, like any article of clothing, become a symbol of fashion and identity — personalized pieces of art. What we wear is how we wish to be perceived.
Designers must mindfully hesitate before rushing in to redesign this accessory. They must consider the appropriateness of cashing in on a pandemic in order to market essential gear with exploding demand. We wear masks to protect ourselves but more importantly to protect others. The very wearing of a mask reminds us of the unimaginable grief this pandemic has caused for millions of people across the globe.
Masks are a symbol of solidarity in what for many are desperate times. It is a personal artifact that communicates your stance on the crisis and how you engage with the world. https://kaalo.com//more-than-a-mask/
