Students from secondary schools across the UK are being invited to compete for a £10,000 award for creative tech pioneers. Inspired by the original 18th century Longitude Prize – which set the task of determining a ship’s exact location at sea – the prize challenges young people to solve healthcare challenges through the Internet of Things (IoT).

Run by innovation foundation Nesta and supported by IBM, the competition will see teams competing to find the most innovative web-enabled technology solution to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the UK.

UK students can compete for a £10k Creative Tech Award sponsored by IBM and Nesta
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In addition to the cash prize of £10,000 and two runner-up £1000 prizes, all finalists will be invited to visit IBM’s London offices, where they will work on their ideas with guidance from the company’s Internet of Things specialists. Teams will also be trained in the use of cutting edge cognitive computing and machine learning tools.

“We believe that understanding, engaging with and applying the latest technologies is essential learning for every young person, and this is exactly what the Longitude Explorer Challenge Prize does. This year’s prize focuses on a rapidly developing area of technology, which IBM is at the forefront of: the Internet of Things, says Mark Wakefield, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs Manager at IBM UK.

Students must be aged between 11 and 16, and each team must be supported by a teacher or youth leader. Teams will be responsible for building the technology as well as all aspects of design, budgeting and marketing, helping to hone their full entrepreneurial skill-set.

“We’re thrilled to be working with IBM – the pioneers of Watson – on the second Longitude Explorer Prize,” says Tris Dyson, Director of the Challenge Prize Centre at Nesta. “Projects like this are hugely important, not only in creating opportunities to help develop young people’s STEM skills but also their abilities in presentation, teamwork and project planning. Building on last year’s successes, we are calling for even more young people to get involved this time around.”

The first Longitude Explorer Prize, launched in 2014, focused on geolocation and attracted over 60 entries. The competition was won by an all-girl team from Rendcomb College in Gloucestershire who took home the first prize for their app, Displaced, designed to help charities to coordinate the logistics of supporting vulnerable people around the world.

The Longitude Explorer Challenge wants students to use IoT to tackle public health problems
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Speaking about the experience, their Director of Computing Jonathan Torbitt said: “It was a great privilege to mentor our school’s team through the Longitude Explorer Prize 2015, from the initial inception of the pupils’ idea to delivery of a working prototype. The transformation in the girls along the way was fantastic. They went from shy and nervous teenagers to confident young adults, capable of presenting their idea in a professional manner.“

For more information on the judging criteria and to submit an idea, visit the Longitude Explorer Prize website. Entries close on the 3^rd March (3pm GMT) and winners will be announced before the end of school summer term 2017

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Artificial Intelligence is literally embedded everywhere these days, and as automation advances at breakneck speed, the goalposts have already shifted further than most of us realise.

This has implications for every industry, because while creative jobs are likely to prove more resilient to the threat of automation than task-based repetitive work, there is plentiful evidence that the rise of the machines will leave no stone undisrupted.

Artificial Intelligence will leave no stone undisrupted
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In this article for the Huffington Post I look at some of the ways in which AI and Machine Learning have already transformed PR, and how creatives can best leverage the power of automation.

In the Age of Post-Truth and Artificial Intelligence, what is the Future of PR? https://t.co/gfIl0NJlH0

— Tecntrend (@alicebonasio) January 27, 2017

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If there was any doubt left that the VR Tech ecosystem is maturing nicely, we need look no further than the huge number of accelerators, incubators, co-working spaces and university courses that have cropped up like mushrooms over the past few months.

The number of dedicated #VR accelerators cropping up shows how the ecosystem maturing
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Among these new VR-focused accelerators entering the race to harness the emerging enthusiasm and talent for building virtual worlds are Vive X (HTC Vive’s own program), Samsung NEXT, our own Upload Collective, and the SXSW Accelerator, but even the illustrious MIT has now thrown its hat into the ring.

MIT's accelerator offers $20,000 and mentoring to start-ups exploring technologies like VR
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You can find out more about their Play Labs initiative – which is offering mentorship and $20,000 to launch ideas around “Playful Technologies” such as AR/VR/MR – in this UploadVR article

MIT launches a VR accelerator for students and alumni. via @alicebonasio @MIT #VR #AR https://t.co/szYYmpwc1Q pic.twitter.com/Oc3AAlxvmM

— Upload (@UploadVR) January 25, 2017

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There are many apps out there focusing on finding a romantic or sexual partner, but what actually happens after Tinder? That’s the question that Marta Plaza, an entrepreneur from Barcelona, asked herself back in 2015, when she Founded Desire, an erotic app for couples.

“Half the population already has a partner, that’s about 70 million people in the US and 20 million in the UK.” And these people, she figured, could probably also use a little help from technology in keeping those romantic flames burning. “Nowadays is very common for singles to jump into an app to find love, but is not equal common to find couples that have an app to have fun together. We believe this will change within next few years.”

She came up with the idea of using gamification to spice up relationships, making an app where couples could set each other dares and earn points by completing them.

“We’re so competitive, I love the point system,” raves one of their users. “The dares are so fun and some can be challenging, but trying something new with my partner is always fun. We’re already an amazing couple but this makes things even better.”

The Desire app currently has over 30,000 dares to help couples spice up their love lives
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The app currently offers over 30,000 different dares (uploaded by editors and the community) and each additional “level” completed unlocks new and spicier challenges. You can choose dares from categories such as: Love sensations, Roleplay and Fantasy, Dress Code, Bath Time, Under my Thumb or Kamasutra, with new ones being uploaded on a daily basis. Once you set a dare, your partner has the option to accept it, and if they complete it they get the points, and vice-versa. Users are also free to let their imagination run wild and invent their own dares.

Technology can help you keep those romantic flames burning
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You can also send “quickies” which are short pre-written messages that appear when you shake your phone, and which you can then send on to your partner. The focus is on playfulness, and giving couples a platform to positively discover and experience emotions together.

“This has really helped me and my boyfriend get to know each other in so may ways I had never thought possible,” says another user testimonial.

When looking at games for couples which were available on Google Play or the AppStore, Plaza found that most used rather traditional mechanisms, such as rolling the dice, but the fact that you had to keep checking your phone while playing broke the flow of interaction. She thought she spotted a niche for making a smart game that people would actually want to play together.

“I like how technology can bring people closer in real life. One of the things that makes Desire different from other apps is that you actually don’t need your phone while you are with your partner having fun.”

They believe that there is a need for a shift in adult entertainment which makes it more social: “We see romance and intimacy in a new way: smart, fun, with gender equality and fueled by true love,” their website states. And if the demand they’ve has had so far is any indication, they might be right.

We need to make adult entertainment more social
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What started as a weekend side-project for Marta and her two partners soon grew, and they have since gone on to win the FbStart Accelerate Program from Facebook and attract about half a million downloads. Most of their users are currently based in Europe and North America, but it’s growing fast in places like Latin America too. It’s available to download for free on iTunes and Android, with options to buy additional in-app items. Some special categories such as “bath time” and kitchen can be unlocked with magic coins, for example.

“I love how technology have the power to impact people’s life in a scale. At Desire, we get emails and reviews from couples saying how much the game changed their lives or how much fun they have playing together, and when I read them, I feel so grateful of being part of a project that have a real impact in couples and in their sexual lives,” says Plaza.

And another clearly satisfied user concurs: “I Love the fact that you can send dirty little messages to each other, and know to open it discreetly because it’s from desire. We’re having tons of fun with the dares.”

And we all know that relationships tend to fare better when we have fun together, so it seems that in this case those couples who dare will win.

The post Erotic App for Couples Promises to Spice Up Relationships appeared first on Tecntrend.

Tech Trends has been selected alongside the likes of Road to VR and TechCrunch as one of the Top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs by Feedspot. Others on the list include UploadVR, a site for which we also regularly contribute news and commentary.

“This is the most comprehensive list of Top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs on the Internet,” says Feedspot Founder Anuj Agarwal, who sent us the news along with a virtual “high five” this morning.

#TechTrends was selected as one of the top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs on the Web
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According to Feedspot the list was compiled based on criteria such as:

• Google reputation and Google search ranking
• Influence and popularity on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
• Quality and consistency of posts
• Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

Considering that Tech Trends has only recently celebrated its first birthday, making it to such a list makes for a nice start to 2017, thanks to everybody who supported us!

Top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs & Websites on the Web https://t.co/HyjTsbe1Xa pic.twitter.com/eAoy7anMBC

— Feedspot Blog (@feedspotblog) January 21, 2017

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The UK has a serious language deficit issue that’s estimated to cost its economy a staggering £48 billion every year. It also faces considerable challenges around integration, which must be tackled if we’re to ever overcome the toxic rhetoric around Brexit which emerged from the recent European migrant and refugee crisis.

The language deficit problem costs the UK economy £48 billion a year
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And that’s exactly what a recently launched social enterprise called Chatterbox proposes to do with a beautifully elegant solution. It uses technology to bring together the unique existing skills of those refugees with demand in the host nation by employing them to teach their own language and culture in their adopted country.

“Chatterbox teachers are doctors, lawyers, engineers and academics – highly skilled professionals with a lot to offer,” says Chatterbox founder Mursal Hedayat, who herself came to the UK as a refugee from Afghanistan. “It’s fantastic for them to engage in stimulating work whilst learning more about the way of life here,” she explains.

There are over 117,000 people with refugee status living in the UK, yet despite having above average levels of education and training, they are much more likely to be unemployed and in poverty. The way that government policy allocates them to a particular area often sees people housed in places where there are relatively few employment opportunities, which is something the online learning element of the Chatterbox platform helps to address, by allowing them to engage with students regardless of their location. This is supported by Chatterbox’s teacher training programme provides a platform for them to network, build their confidence, and improve their overall employability by gaining relevant UK work experience.

“I don’t want to be a burden on the government, I want to be an asset, ” says Kainaaz, a Chatterbox tutor and exiled film producer and director.

Even though the project is still in pilot phase, it has already been commissioned by SOAS University of London to deliver 400 hours of conversation practice to its students. The institution – which specializes in the study of the languages and culture of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East – will allow students taking a language as part of any of their degree courses to book one-hour sessions with native speakers of the language they are learning to practice and improve speaking and listening skills.

In spite of above-average education and training refugees are more likely to be unemployed
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Lutz Martens, Dean of Faculty of Languages and Cultures at SOAS and a specialist on rare African dialects, explains that the opportunity for students to build their confidence and fluency through immersive learning with a native speaker is invaluable:

“We teach more than 30 languages, and for half of these, we are the only UK University teaching them,” he explains. “Here at SOAS we believe that languages are the key to understanding people, regions, societies and cultures – and indeed ourselves. It offers them a unique way to better understand the cultural, social and historical background in which the language is spoken. The project builds on the cultural and academic expertise of refugees in the UK and highlights the enriching contribution they make to our communities.”

Chatterbox are now looking to build similar partnerships with other Higher Education institutions in the UK ahead of their public launch which will take place later in 2017. At that point individual students will also be able to use the platform to book lessons in a variety of languages including various dialects of Arabic and Persian as well as Swahili, Korean and Spanish.

Chatterbox technology can help bridge the gap between refugee skills and demand
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The post Integrating Refugees Through Language Learning appeared first on Tecntrend.

There was huge and palpable excitement around the growth of VR Porn and Teledildonics last year, but where does it go from here?

When will teledildonics become more than a gimmick?
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With the world’s largest Adult Industry event – AVN Expo – happening in Las Vegas this week, it was a good chance to catch up with some of the major players in that space and find out what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for 2017.

Will everybody be watching VR porn in 2017?
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Will teledidonics finally become more than a gimmick? What does VR Porn need to do to attract new audiences and become truly immersive? How will that change the way people consume that content and connect intimately to one another?

To find out, read the titillating full article on UploadVR

Get ready for more immersive sex in virtual reality this year. via @alicebonasio @avnawards #VR #AVN https://t.co/OdnsAHv4H7 pic.twitter.com/8BM8hPv7Uz

— Upload (@UploadVR) January 21, 2017

The post What’s Coming for the VR Adult Industry in 2017? appeared first on Tecntrend.

I was told during a recent trip to Canada that diversity was key to innovation and creativity cannot thrive in a climate of fear. I heartily agree, which is why it worries me to see the political and popular rhetoric emerging from Brexit in the UK and Trump’s election in the US, not to mention the looming possibility that similar right-wing movements might take hold in other European countries such as France.

Creativity cannot exist in a climate of fear
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Technologists in the US are also understandably concerned that they might get conscripted into enabling the creation of a “Muslim Register” or similar databases that help target people on the basis of their race, religion or national origin. The historical parallels are quite disturbing, and many recently signed a pledge to say they’d refuse to participate in such initiatives.

But with Donald Trump’s inauguration now upon us, and Theresa May’s “Hard Brexit” ordeal about to start in earnest, will liberal-minded techies be forced to look for greener creative pastures? Canada certainly hopes so, and the country is doing a pretty good job of making itself welcoming.

Not only does Canada have arguably the world’s most charismatic leader – now that Barak Obama has vacated that post -in Justin Trudeau (I mean, just look at the guy, he could be part of the recent dance-in protest staged outside Mike Pence’s house in DC) but it also boasts a host of friendly immigration and tax policies, great quality of life and a booming tech ecosystem.

Innovation needs diversity to thrive, and Canada seems to get that
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In this article for The Next Web I talk to one of the companies North of the border looking to capitalise on this, and ask British Columbia’s Minister of Technology for his insights into what gives areas like Vancouver the edge in attracting coveted tech talent to the region.

After Trump and Brexit, Canada’s Tech Industry Prepares for a Talent-Poaching Bonanza https://t.co/sqr3n9XSe1 via @thenextweb

— Tecntrend (@alicebonasio) January 20, 2017

The post Will Brexit and Trump Drive Tech Talent to Canada? appeared first on Tecntrend.

With Twitter stocks continuing to plummet and growth stalling, the future of Twitter is being called into question. I was invited to participate in a panel for The Current – Canada’s most listened to interview radio show on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti, the panel also included the Globe and Mail’s technology reporter Shane Dingman and tech industry analyst Rob Enderle . We discussed both the current challenges facing the platform and possible ways in which its important role as a voice for a global community can be safeguarded going forward.

Falling stocks and stalled growth are calling the future of Twitter into question
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Can Twitter remain a viable business? @shanedingman, @alicebonasio, @Enderle talk about the company’s biggest woes: https://t.co/Hglik7Svdg pic.twitter.com/Ayk0QdYRYl

— CBC-The Current (@TheCurrentCBC) January 17, 2017

The post Pondering the Future of Twitter appeared first on Tecntrend.

Disney World and co. might be what most of us associate with Orlando, but what you don’t often realize is how the technology pioneered by all those theme parks – together with the region’s strong military and space exploration tradition – have turned this friendly town into the “simulation capital of the world.”

There's more to Orlando than the theme parks, including a booming tech scene
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Given the VR renaissance we’re experiencing at the moment, that accolade just became a whole lot more interesting, which is why when Tech Trends was invited by the Orlando Economic Development Commission (OEDC) to check out the city’s booming tech scene we were intrigued enough to pack our bags and head over to sunny Florida (the fact it was snowing in the UK was just a bonus).

A lot of Orlando companies are pushing the envelope in VR and AR
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But while the weather predictably lived up to its promise, the tech scene actually surpassed out expectations. We met with a huge range of companies pushing the envelope in VR, gaming and simulation from all possible directions. We were hosted by giant multinational companies such as EA games (which has its second largest office in the city) and AMD – who are developing the next generation of Graphics Processors that will enable the consumer VR revolution to scale – as well as start-ups building giant 3D theme park rides, or using Augmented Reality to enhance online retail or education experiences. We met some awesome entrepreneurs and had a blast at a space-themed Nerd Nite There was certainly a lot more to the Orlando tech scene than we had first expected to find.

.@alicebonasio loved meeting u! so glad to share an education about #sex in #space? @nerdniteorlando #ThisIsOrlando pic.twitter.com/GLB38IQ1ax

— CarlosCarbonell (@CarlosCarbonell) January 13, 2017

Orlando is also leveraging its gaming and simulation talent pool and ecosystem to carve out a niche for itself as one of the major centers for education in those emerging areas. Simulation technology is already being applied across the board in medical research, education and rehabilitation, as we’ve had the chance to see when visiting the Veteran’s Hospital and Anatomy school at UCF’s “Medical City.” But there are also a number of fast-growing universities and colleges such as Full Sail, Orange Technical College and UCF Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) which now have dedicated courses and impressive facilities to teach the skillsets required to develop Virtual Reality technology.

The Otronicon expo has grown steadily for the past decade
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One of the highlights of our visit, which showcased all this diversity under one roof was Otronicon an interactive technology expo that aims to get people excited about STEM by experiencing it hands-on. The family-friendly event started over a decade ago and grew steadily to the point where the 2017 edition boasted exhibitors such as Lockheed Martin, NASA, Microsoft and Disney alongside small start-ups using AR and VR technologies in health and education as well as the gaming and entertainment fields.

From surgeon robots to zombie boxing, military simulations to game jams, Orlando showed us a good time
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From surgeon robots to zombie boxing, military simulations to game jams, we had a fun time exploring some of the most exciting innovations that Orlando has to offer, and you can get a flavour of what we’ve been up to in the gallery below.

Do watch this space for more deep dives into the trends, companies and innovations emerging from the vibrant Orlando ecosystem, but in the meantime we will be doing some swimming with Manatees before eagerly returning to British January weather.

Orlando is leveraging its talent pool to become a VR education hub
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For the latest updates (on VR tech or manatees) follow @alicebonasio on Twitter

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