When the iPhone came out back in 2007, the idea of using it as part of a 3D printer would have probably been laughed at. Roll the clock forward 9 years and it’s pretty amazing just how far technology has come. I have had an email sitting in my in box for over a week for OLO, and had yet to open it. Today over lunch I decided to see what OLO was about and I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed. Apparently others are too, because these guys are way past their goal on Kickstarter. The video below shows how it works, so I’m not going to go into any deep details, but basically it uses the light from your phone and special polymers to print an object. The retail price is 99 bucks so it makes it a mass market item, and the fact that it works with iOS, Android, and Windows Phone makes it pretty universal. I could see myself using this on a regular basis, and I can see a huge market for prebuilt 3D models emerging specifically for this printer.
Windows Phone
Razorfish’s 5D Connected Retail Experience.
Razorfish is one of those companies that has been around long enough that when they prototype a possible digital experience I tend to take notice. This is no exception. It’s hard to tell how much of this is smoke and mirrors (I’m betting much less than half), but the end result of the video looks very possible.
Using the Windows mobile OS, Windows 8 with the Metro interface, and a Microsoft Surface table, you get a solid idea of where Razorfish sees the shopping experience going in the near future. Based on what they show in this video, I think all of it is possible, especially when you combine it with something like a Kinect.
The integration of mobile devices with a Microsoft Surface is nothing new. I saw this very concept being used at a Sprint Flagship store over a year ago. How Razorfish sees all of these devices interacting over the shopping experience is a newer and unique approach to the concept. Here’s to the future.
Fresh out of R&D from the Razorfish Emerging Experiences team is a product code-named “5D”. 5D started out as an idea to re-invent personal shopping. Our goal was to create a retail experience platform for both consumers and sales associates that enables multi-channel sales through immersive and connected digital devices in retail environments. And the only way to do it is to seamlessly integrate five key components – devices, content, experiences, analytics and CRM with a touch of digital magic!
The team announced 5D at the 2012 NRF Convention & Expo in New York City in partnership with NEC and Microsoft. Leveraging Windows Embedded, Microsoft Surface, MS Tag, Windows Phone and Kinect for Windows we created a prototype around a fictitious brand “Razorfashion” that demonstrates how various touch points along the customer journey can attract consumers into the store, drive product engagement and arm store associates with more contextualized digital tools.
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