UmbraCity allows you to borrow and return umbrellas using fully automated kiosks. The idea came from the University of British Columbia and Vancouver is the first city to adopt the service. http://umbracity.com/
?Fake it til you make it- the formula for faking it and looking good to investors? according to Jager McConnell, the CEO of CrunchBase, at StartCon 2017.
Augmented reality start-up, HoloMe, has created a holographic version of the catwalk show which can appear anywhere, including in the street. A hologram is a photographic recording of a light field, rather than of an image formed by a lens, and it?s used to display a fully three-dimensional image of the holographed subject against any background. Models wearing fashion from the new British brand RIXO were captured in augmented reality using HoloMe?s software solution, which automatically processes visual inputs for the creation of high quality, life-like holograms which you can see on your smartphone, providing you with a front row seat to your own personal fashion show, on demand. http://holome.co.uk/
Created by start-up Green City Solutions, CityTrees are covered in moss and lichens which have a massive surface area that can absorb particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. The trees? inventors estimate that a single structure has the environmental benefits of 275 urban trees, but taking up 99% less space and at just 5% of the cost. So far, CityTrees have been rolled out in several cities in countries including Norway, France, Germany, Belgium, Macedonia and Hong Kong. The cost for each tree can be mitigated by the potential for advertising on them. https://greencitysolutions.de/en/
A new company, Blue Frontiers, plans to build and operate floating islands in French Polynesia. The goal is to build about a dozen structures by 2020, including homes, hotels, offices and restaurants, at a cost of about $60 million. To fund the construction, the team is working on an initial coin offering. If all goes as planned, the structures will feature living roofs, use local wood, bamboo and coconut fiber, and recycled metal and plastic. Each will offer different ways of governance hoping that with more choices it will be more likely that there is peace, prosperity and innovation. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/business/dealbook/seasteading-floating-cities.html
The future of unmanned convenience stores is being expanded in China. Alibaba recently invested into a start-up called F5 Future Store. F5 already operate a store in Guangzhou and are opening about 30 to 50 more stores this year. Customers use their smartphones to open the door to the store and then robotic arms serve them the items that they purchase via their phone. If customers eat-in, the dining table is self-cleaning which is achieved with another robotic arm. https://alltechasia.com/will-unmanned-convenience-stores-like-f5-future-store-trending-future/ Unmanned stores have also opened in Sweden.
