Changing Media Summit 2018: Tech Zone
The Guardian and virtual reality
The Guardian has won multiple awards for its virtual reality projects including the 2017 European Digital Media Award for best use of online video, International Digital Innovation of the Year at the 2017 news awards, Best Documentary VR experience award from the 2017 Raindance Film Festival and a Digital Innovation accolade at the 2016 British Journalism Awards. The studio has produced 10 pieces to date, covering a wide variety of issues including solitary confinement, the refugee crisis and autism.
HiMirror Plus+
HiMirror Plus+ is a connected smart mirror that provides users with personalised skin health analysis and tailored beauty advice, all from the comfort of their own home.

HiMirror then provides a customised skincare analysis, a personal improvement plan featuring skincare tips, and a ‘Beauty Box’ to help you identify skincare products that can help you achieve your goals.

The HiMirror Plus+ also uses augmented reality (AR) to let users virtually ‘try on’ make-up looks before taking the plunge in real life. The AR tutorial demonstrates how to contour for best effect and how to shape your eyebrows to best suit your face shape.

It also features an ambient makeup light that recreates five different lighting scenarios to finally put an end to the frustration of doing your makeup in one light and finding it’s far too heavy when you move into another. It can recreate a brightly lit office, shopping centre, dimly lit restaurant, sunset and sunny day outdoors so you can prepare for every eventuality.

If the HiMirror Plus+ weren’t smart enough, it can also entertain you while you get ready, streaming Spotify, YouTube and weather reports. It also allows you to sync your skin analysis results, custom skincare and make-up recommendations with your smart phone, so you can acquire beauty advice anytime, anywhere.
Da Vinci Nano
At just under 12cm3, the da Vinci Nano is the ultimate portable 3D printer for those that value portability and ample desk space. Beginners can bring their creations to life just by pressing print, and the enclosed printing area, non-heated bed and auto-calibration make it safe for kids. The eco-friendly printer uses XYZ’s biodegradable, non-toxic PLA filament.

The device also comes packaged with an XYZmaker Mobile app, allowing users to print directly from their mobile devices, via a wifi connection. In order to make it appeal to the education market, XYZprinting is setting up a microsite with teaching materials for use in school or the home.
Magic Candy
Katjes Magic Candy Factory have developed the first 3D printer for food to reach the consumer market. They have set an unprecedented standard for customisation in confectionary as candy lovers can choose to print a 3D shape, message, logo or even a ‘Sweet Selfie’. The 3D printer is also the fastest in the world as each candy takes less than just 5 minutes to print. All of the ingredients are vegan, GMO free and allergen free so almost anyone can enjoy them. In just 12 months they have launched in Europe, the USA, China, New Zealand and online.
Entale
Entale is a platform that is creating both a a set of content creation tools and a consumer facing app and web experience for the podcast and publishing industry. Entale gives publishers greater control of their own content by enhancing the current podcasting technical standards and introducing a new form of audio storytelling. Entale provides: a rich, enhanced listening experience across devices (mobile app, and web, smart speakers); simple to use content creation and publishing tools through its proprietary toolsCMS (content management system); dynamic ad insertion and targeting via a proprietary platform that interfaces with the most popular programmatic and data platforms.
Gyana
GyanaAI is a self-serve data-science tool that provides insights on locations and people. They do this by combining terabytes of geolocated data from mobile, social media, Wi-Fi and GPS among other sources. Started two and a half years ago at Oxford University by Joyeeta Das and David Kell, Gyana is an advanced big data company. Aiming to democratise access to data science, Gyana have been used by top organisations around the world such as UK Ministry of Defence, EY, and Knight Frank. Gyana is building the digital footprint of the physical world and changing bottom-lines and top-lines within weeks of usage.
Newsroom AI
Photograph: Newsroom AI
Newsroom AI helps digital publishers deliver faster, more relevant and silently personalised mobile experiences, effectively departing from a “one-size fits all” broadcast model. The company is on a mission to help traditional publishers or digital natives to deliver the fastest, richest and most rewarding user experience available over the mobile web today. Newsroom AI is helping publishers re-establish their identity as innovators, leading the next decade of change in which journalism is enabled and not threatened by digital media.