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August 2017
Artificial
Intelligence, Drone Technologies, Transmedia Storytelling
Insta 360 Technologies, Immersive Education,
Gamification vs Serious Games, Digital Health Conferences,
Impact of Disruptive Technologies on Business Processes
Recent Articles and Presentations, Future Events Listing
Welcome to the GAETSS August 2017 Newsletter. The summer break
is coming to an end with a raft of new product developments, news items and
upcoming events.
In this Edition
·
Artificial Intelligence
·
Drone Technologies
·
Transmedia
Storytelling
·
Insta360 Technologies
·
Immersive Education
·
Gamification vs Serious Games
·
Digital Health Conferences
·
Impact of Disruptive Digital Technologies on
Business Processes
· Recent
Articles and Presentations
· Future Events
Listing
Artificial
Intelligence
Recent Headline in the Daily Mail
National Newspaper
This month’s GAETSS E-Newsletter
has a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the world
we live in. In my “Gadgets to
God” book, the key message is that within my lifetime the world has
changed from the time I was born when human beings used their skill and
intelligence to get the best from machines to today when machines are
increasingly using their skill and intelligence to get the best from human
beings.
This month’s recent headline in
the Daily Mail about “Killer Robots” sensationalises what is likely to be a
serious problem for society. The word “Robot” has connotations which create
images of “mindless, relentless creatures” with superhuman strength but the
real story about robotics is the use of increasingly sophisticated
artificial intelligence and machine learning which, far from being mindless
and “robotic”, is capable of levels of decision making and reaction times
far better than human beings.
The scientists are right to
express their concerns but the notion of being able to prevent these
technologies falling into the hands of terrorists is impossible. The genie
is already out of the box and cannot be put back in. These technologies and
capabilities are already available, affordable and accessible to consumers
all over the world. Unlike nuclear technologies which, because of their
complexity and cost, have been largely contained, artificial intelligence
is already embedded in everyday, cheap consumer devices, many of which are
vulnerable to hacking.
The articles in this month’s
e-newsletter illustrate some of these developments which are both
empowering and potentially threatening to the future of humanity.
Drone
Technologies
The DJI Spark Drone using Gesture
Recognition
I have been an enthusiastic early adopter of drone
technologies for capturing and sharing places, people and activities from
an aerial perspective. My 3DR Solo drone has some sophisticated artificial
intelligence functions which are not only designed to make it safe and
reliable but also to enable me to take high quality pictures and cinematic
effect videos all under the control of my smartphone.
From the time that I first set up my 3DR Solo and connected my
smartphone to its controller and aircraft, there have been regular periodic
firmware and mobile application updates designed to make my 3DR Solo more
and more intelligent and autonomous when used for popular effects such as
“video selfies”, “Orbits” and “Motion Tracking”. These regular updates have
been automatically notified to me each time I switched on the drone and its
controller and, once I accepted the updates, they have been automatically
applied to my drone and mobile phone.
In making these continuous updates, I have always trusted the
manufacturer to provide updates which are safe and extra value to my
product, giving me extra functionality and ease of use. Several months ago,
the manufacturer discontinued its development of consumer drones because of
market competition and falling prices. 3DR now concentrate on professional
drones for specific markets so, although I am very happy with what my drone
can do for me, I will no longer be receiving any firmware or software
updates from the original manufacturer.
Competition from other consumer drone manufacturers such as
the Chinese company DJI was a primary reason for 3DR’s withdrawal from the
market. DJI have a very comprehensive range of consumer and professional
drones, all of which rely extensively on artificial intelligence for their
functionality and ease of use. A prime example is the tiny DJI Spark drone
which uses artificial intelligence (AI) for both facial and gesture
recognition. Priced at around £500, this tiny drone can safely take off
from your hand using facial recognition and will respond to gestures to
control it. In addition, it has the ability to
recognise and avoid obstacles, especially useful when using the drone to
track and film movement.
Transmedia Storytelling
YouTube Video illustrating
Transmedia Storytelling Techniques
Combining the concepts of the first two articles, namely the
idea of “Killer Robots” controlled by artificial intelligence being
hijacked by terrorists and increasing sophisticated consumer drones also
controlled by artificial intelligence, I decided to create a story to
communicate these ideas in a possible and viable scenario. Readers of this
newsletter may well have read articles about the potential of consumer
drones to cause aviation disasters or drop explosive devices onto targets.
I wanted to use transmedia storytelling to raise awareness of
a different potential issue – the mass hacking of intelligent devices to
cause societal chaos and casualties. I used the August break from my normal
hectic workload to explore the idea in the format of a spoof horror movie
based on the hacking of my 3DR drone firmware to turn it into a killer
drone activated when I used the 3DR Solo “Selfie” function
In making the YouTube video “AI and the
Killer Drone”, I was assisted by my partner’s niece to create the story
line and combined the footage from her camera, my own camera and the drone
camera edited in Cyberlink PowerDirector
with audio and video special effects and soundtrack from royalty free
libraries. The storyline and editing owe much to my teenage years watching
Hammer House of Horror movies at the local Regal cinema.
If you are interested in using transmedia storytelling to
communicate or raise awareness, please do not hesitate to contact
me.
Insta360
Technologies
The Remarkable new Insta360 One
Camera
As well as drones, I
have also been an enthusiastic early adopter of 360 camera technologies and
have captured many still images and videos with my Ricoh Theta S 360 camera
which, when I bought it over 12 months ago, I chose because I felt it
offered the best functionality, ease of use and value for money.
I have created my own “360in360
Transmedia Storytelling” YouTube channel where I have posted numerous
videos made using the Theta S camera and edited using Cyberlink
PowerDirector15 software which has some powerful 360 video editing tools.
On August 28th, there was a new product announcement from
Insta360, manufacturers of a range of 360 degree
imaging devices which range from the entry level “Nano” camera to a
professional multi-lens product with very high levels
of fidelity. The new Insta360 One device is set (in my opinion) to be a
real game changer for 360
degree imaging
by virtue of its performance, price and adaptability to a wide range of
applications from live streaming via YouTube and Facebook to high quality
photography and video.
As with all emerging
technologies like this, their potential and market adoption will be
strongly impacted by other technologies upon which they are dependent,
primarily, in this case, broadband infrastructure and VR viewing
technologies.
I have already
placed my order for an Insta360 One and can’t wait to try it out – delivery
is expected at the end of September.
Immersive Education
Immersive Italy Summit in November
2017
Learner engagement and “immersion” in learning
activities is a very important factor in the effectiveness of learning and
development programs. This is one of the reasons why serious games are
gaining traction as a tool for all kinds of learning applications.
Immersion or the so-called “flow” experienced in games is a phenomenon in
which the learner is so absorbed in and concentrating on the activity that
they lose the sense of time and awareness of their external environment.
Virtual Reality solutions can help to create this sense
of immersion, not only because of the visual experience, but also because
VR headsets can block awareness of the outside “real” world. Before the
advent of consumer 360 degree cameras, the
creation of realistic and engaging virtual environments and learning
activities has been a costly and time consuming process but with the latest
generation of 360 consumer camera technologies, I believe this is set to change
dramatically for a wide range of virtual reality applications, especially
learning.
The ability to capture cinematic quality video of
real-world events and very high quality 360 degree
images will open the door to a new world of possibilities for educators to
create immersive experiential learning programs in a very cost effective
way and, possibly more importantly, give the latest generation of learners
a completely new set of tools for self-directed learning.
I plan to share these ideas and potential applications in
a workshop at the Immersive Italy Conference being held near Pisa, Italy in
November. In this workshop, I will give delegates the opportunity to not
only experience the combination of gamification and 360
degree technologies as it might be deployed in a classroom
environments but also provide an opportunity to use the technologies to
capture their own 360 degree content and develop their own immersive
learning experience based on local culture and heritage.
Gamification
vs Serious Games
Serious Game or Gamification
?
I have been involved in the development and exploration of
serious games applications for over 20 years and, in that time, I have
witnessed the emergence of serious games as a credible tool for not only
learning and development, but also for influencing behavioural and
attitudinal change. Today, my primary focus of work has shifted towards the
concept of Gamification which I believe is poorly understood, even by
practitioners.
I also believe that the definition of Gamification as “the
use of games mechanics and psychology in non-game scenarios” is
seriously flawed because it implies somehow that the use of games mechanics
and psychology is a new approach to influencing outcomes in chosen
situations.
Although I am not keen on the word Gamification, I am
convinced that there is a real need in modern society to develop
Gamification skills in people of all ages. From the time we are born, we
instinctively use Gamification as a mechanism to explore and influence the
world around us. You only need to watch children interacting with each
other and their parents to appreciate the process. As we grown older and
our lives begin to settle into a pattern, we lose both the motivation for
and the ability to use Gamification in everyday activities. Like all human
skills involving influencing opinions and behaviour, Gamification can be
used both positively and negatively. In its positive use, it can enrich our
own life and the lives of those around us and in its negative use it can be
manipulative and self-centred. Recognising how to use Gamification
positively and also understanding and recognising
situations where it is being used negatively is an important life skill and
should be an essential element of active citizenship.
Digital Health Conferences
The Life Science
R&D Conference in January 2018
Now that the summer break is drawing to a close, the conference season is beginning
and it is evident that Digital Health and the use of digital technologies
to influence health and well-being is very high on the agenda. Europe is
hosting a number of significant major conferences
which are shown in the Upcoming Events calendar in this newsletter.
I will be speaking at the BIT Global Health Conference
in Taiyuan, China in November and also in the Digital Health Collaboration
stream at the Life Science R&D Data Intelligence
Leaders Forum in Basel in January.
Subscribers to my International Society of Digital Medicine (ISDM)
European Chapter Newsletter can obtain a special discount on registration
at the Basel conference and I am currently trying arrange
similar discounts at other major conferences where ISDM has a presence.
If you would like to receive specific updates and special offers
around Digital Health/Medicine/Well-Being events, please contact me by email.
Impact of Disruptive Digital Technologies
on Business Processes
Robots and Humans in business
processes
I have now written a number of
articles which have been published in the prestigious Cutter
Business Technology Journal.
The most recent article was about digital disruption and the challenges
and opportunities this creates for business. I am now about to
start writing about the impact of digital disruption on business processes
as we move into an age where, through artificial intelligence and robotics,
human and machines will need to co-exist and collaborate in unprecedented
ways.
A colleague and good friend,
Professor Franz Josef Radermacher is an expert on the impact of AI on
business and society and he has been advising Government on the educational
implications of a society in which the capabilities and cost effectiveness of
“robots” far exceeds those of human beings, not in traditional repetitive
manufacturing environments but is situations where human knowledge and
wisdom are critical.
Prof Radermacher argues that
education should focus on those applications and processes where human
beings will still have an advantage over robots for the foreseeable future,
mainly in manual dexterity, creativity and empathy. For this reason, he
advocates an educational focus on vocational training and apprenticeships,
particularly in the service sector.
Recent
Articles, Videos, Presentations and Papers
A comprehensive list of archived articles,
presentations and videos can be accessed at my website – http://www.davidwortley.com/conferences.html
The most recent updates are shown below :-
Upcoming
Events Listing
Below is a list of forthcoming conferences – also accessible
at http://www.davidwortley.com/events.html
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Date
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Event
Name/ Description
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Location
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Web URL
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Sep 6-8
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Game-On'
2017
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Carlow, Ireland
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https://www.eurosis.org/cms/?q=taxonomy/term/391
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Sep 7
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Westminster Media Forum
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London, UK
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http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/conference/growth-in-the-UK-creative-industries-2017/25287
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Sep 11-12
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NHS Health and Care Innovation Expo
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Manchester, UK
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https://www.england.nhs.uk/expo/
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Sept 21st
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Westminster Forum on Advertising
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London, UK
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http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/conference/native-and-social-influencer-strategies-2017
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Sep 21-22
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Serious Games Conference
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Singapore
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http://2017conf.seriousgamesconference.org/
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Sep 27-29
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World Education Day 2017 Conference
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Dalian, China
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http://www.worldeduday.org/
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Oct 2-3
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Games for Health Europe 7th Annual Conference
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Netherlands
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http://www.gamesforhealtheurope.org/
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Oct 4-6
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ECGBL 2017 European Conference on Game-based Learning
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Graz, Austria
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http://www.academic-conferences.org/conferences/ecgbl/
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Oct 17-18
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World of Learning
Conference
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Birmingham, UK
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https://www.learnevents.com/conference-overview/
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Nov 1-3
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BIT 5th Global Health
Conference
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Taiyuan, China
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http://www.bitcongress.com/aghc2017/registernow.asp
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Nov 9-11
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WCBME 2017 - World Congress on Biomedical Engineering
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Xian, China
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http://www.bitcongress.com/wcbme2017/programlayout.asp
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Nov 14-16
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2017 WISE Summit:
"Co-Exist, Co-Create: Learning to Live and Work Together
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Doha, Qatar
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http://www.wise-qatar.org/2017-summit-education-coexist-cocreate
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Nov 16-19
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Immersive Italy – IED
European Summit
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Pisa, Italy
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http://immersiveeducation.org/events
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Nov 28-30
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GIANT Health Conference 2017
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London, UK
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http://www.gianthealthevent.com/
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Dec 12-13
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UK Digital Healthcare Transformation Summit
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London, UK
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http://www.ukdigitalhealthcare.com/
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Jan 21-24 2018
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R&D Data Intelligence Leaders Forum
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Basel, Switzerland
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https://nextlevelpharma.com/events/life-science-rd-data-intelligence-leaders-forum
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Apr 9-10
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CGAT 2017
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Singapore
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TBA
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Jul 9-13 2018
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ISAGA 2018
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Bangkok, Thailand
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TBA
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If you would like
any presentations, videos or documents circulated to my network, I am happy
to provide this service free of charge for any material relevant to readers
of this newsletter. If you are interested, contact me at david@davidwortley.com.
Best
Wishes for a Better Future for all Mankind
David Wortley FRSA
Futurologist,
Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur, Writer, Entertainer, Gamification Guru, 360
Video Pioneer, Thought Leader, Drone Pilot, Imagineer, Lover of Life,
Business Coach, Mentor, Facilitator, Early Adopter, Guitar Hero,
Broadcaster, Photographer, Visionary, Philosopher, Pragmatist, Innovator,
Optimist - these are the roles and attributes I aspire to.
Founder and CEO GAETSS – Gamification and Enabling
Technologies Strategic Solutions
Shaping the Future of Business and Society
through Human Development and Motivation
President of the
European Chapter of the International Society of Digital Medicine
Landline: +441327811827
Mobile Phone : +447896659695
Email : david@gaetss.com, president@isdm.eu
Skype: davidwortley
Web: http://www.gaetss.com
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