CEA-MIT Summit Taps Into The Future Of Consumer Technology; Day-Long Symposium Focuses On Design Aspects and Usability of Consumer Electronics

7-May-04

Wireless technology, power sources, product design, and manufacturing are just a few trends to be discussed during the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Media Lab first-ever joint symposium, ""Designing the Bits and Pieces"" on Monday, May 10, 2004 in the Kresge Auditorium on MIT's campus in Cambridge, Mass. In addition to a day chocked full of emerging technology sessions, attendees will get a first-hand look into the intricacies of the MIT Media Lab operation.Nolan Bushnell, CEO and Founder, uWink Inc. and one of the first 50 inductees into CEA's Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame, will open the event with his analysis on consumer technology innovation. Known as the ""Father of Computer Entertainment,"" Bushnell has founded more than 20 companies, including Atari Corp. and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater, and is a member of the Video Game Hall of Fame. The second conference session focuses on product identity, featuring expert analysis from Motorola Chief Brand Officer Geoffrey Frost. Frost, previously known for his innovative campaigns at Nike, was named the company's first brand officer in 2003. Under Frost's direction, Motorola has received numerous creative awards, including the Effie Award for advertising effectiveness.A host of experts, including David Reed, Adjunct Professor, Viral Communications, MIT Media Lab; Vanu Bose President and CEO, Vanu Inc.; and Richard Beckwith, Research Psychologist, People & Practices Research, Intel Corp., will discuss the future of wireless technology. These three technology pioneers will explain the concept of ""viral"" communications systems. The goal is to create a future where wireless spectrum is a commodity with unlimited bandwidth among consumer devices. They also will explain how this concept will radically expand the kinds of products and services available to consumers and enhance industry in developed and underdeveloped countries.Joseph Paradiso, Sony Associate Professor, Responsive Environments, MIT Media Lab; Dave DeMuro Manager of Advanced Development, Energy Systems Group, Motorola; and Ted Selker, Associate Professor Context-Aware Computing, MIT Media Lab, will share their insight on new product power sources. The three experts will showcase the efficiency of several alternative power sources for technology products such as utilizing changes in air pressure, temperature gradients, environmental magnetic and electrical fields, and biologically exploitable ambient nutrients. Award-winning designer and technologist Bran Ferren, Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Applied Minds Inc. will deliver an afternoon presentation on product creativity. Ferren, formerly president for Creative Technology and Research and Development at Walt Disney Imagineering, has earned numerous theater, film, scientific and engineering honors for his innovations, including three Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievement.John Maeda and Muriel R. Cooper, Associate Professors, Physical Language Workshop, MIT Media Lab, and Joseph Jacobson, Associate Professor, Molecular Machines, MIT Media Lab, will examine the future of consumer electronics design and material. The MIT professors will touch on the potential for making physical prototyping software and hardware as common and ubiquitous as word processing programs, at the same time maximizing collaborative design and critique. The conference agenda concludes with a presentation by Hugh Herr of the Biomechatronics Dept. at MIT Media Lab and Sile O'Modhrain, Principal Research Scientist, Palpable Machines, Media Lab Europe, describing the latest in sensors, actuators and displays. The experts will explore how sensors serve as diverse applications for such activities as measuring the health of living cells, the degree of attentiveness of a computer user or monitoring the interaction of people in a house. They also will discuss how MIT is studying display technology, including novel 3-D displays, printable display technologies, and visual information within the environment rather than localizing it on screens, and miniature projection displays for hand-held devices. The day will conclude with a hands-on tour of the MIT Media Laboratory and a closing reception. The event is closed to the public, but additional information on the CEA-MIT Summit can be found at http://cel.media.mit.edu; for additional information on The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), please visit www.ce.org.

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http://cel.media.mit.edu
http://www.ce.org