Imagine a world where selfie sticks have been eliminated. The social media-obsessed generation might just be able to snap a wide-angle photo of themselves without resorting to the embarrassing wand so often associated with bug-eyed tourists. That is what optics professionals DynaOptics aim to do with their product OOWA, a telephoto lens that gives smartphone users the high quality, wide-angle photos that they desire.
OOWA, which was just launched in June, uses a “free form” lens with a 100 degree wide-angle to deliver crystal clear photos with just a smartphone camera. The small and portable lenses are mounted on the phone's front and back cameras, making it easy to use. It currently works with the iPhone 6 and 6s range.
With the unprecedented clarity and zero distortion that OOWA promises, the wide-angle lens might just appeal to amateur smartphone photographers, and not just the selfie-crazy smartphone user. The free form lens is pending patent, said the company.
Along with other innovators, DynaOptics' co-founder and chief executive Li Han Chan shared the company's optics technology with an attentive audience of innovators and potential investors on the first day of TechInnovation's Crowdpitching sessions. The former business development personnel at ST Engineering and graduate of Ivy League institution Stanford University said DynaOptics' technology has far-reaching uses, from surveillance, drone cameras, wearables to action cameras.
Relieving manpower woes
With manpower constraints and costs on the rise, food and beverage companies are finding ways to introduce automation into their business processes. Simple food preparation could be done with automation, eliminating the need for manpower. But robotics distributors Kurve Automation intends to take things up a notch with their Robotic Chef. It could take on more routine cooking processes, freeing up time for the human chefs to perform more complex procedures and developing new recipes. “The chef can fry up an egg breakfast in the morning, make a fruit juice in the afternoon for lunch and pancakes for dessert in the evening,” said Director Hui Wing Feh.
The Robotic Chef utilises technology from Universal Robots, a Danish company that produces low-cost robotics that are easy to set up and can be mass-produced. Kurve then customises a system that uses the robots for the client's use. Kurve's Robot Chef is currently being tested in hotel kitchens. Its ease of use and affordability would benefit cash-strapped kitchens, he said.
Environmentally-sound solutions
ClearVue's glazing technology could one day enable entire cities run on solar energy, just by harnessing the energy from sunlight passing through a glass window pane.
Its chairman Victor Rosenberg said ClearVue said its proprietary advanced glazing technology, which is applied between two panes of glass, redirects energy from ultraviolet and infrared energy rays to the edge of the glass, where it is harvested using solar cells, all while natural light passes through. The glazing technology also helps to prevent heat and unwanted solar radiation from ultraviolet and infrared rays from penetrating the glass pane.
ClearVue has successfully concluded the testing phases of their technology and is looking to launch a product range for commercial distribution. Based in Perth, Western Australia, ClearVue's technology is jointly developed with researchers at Edith Cowan University.
“Buildings would have net zero energy requirements. We also introduce on-site energy whenever needed and we want to make the consumer part of energy-saving efforts,” said Mr Rosenberg. Opportunities, he said, include self-powered greenhouses, homes, automobiles and public spaces. Greenhouses, in particular, require tremendous amounts of energy to cool and insulate, he noted.
“Developers could have greener buildings with energy-efficient features, which could help yield better returns due to lower utility costs and appeal to environmentally-conscious tenants,” he added.
Polymer specialists SMX prides itself on providing cool answers to hot problems. Indeed, it has come up with an environmentally-friendly flame retardant material used in thermal insulation. The technology, called Inorganic Polymer Aqueous Solution (IPAS), not only slows down the rate of the flame spread – it has none of the unwelcomed side effects of increased smoke generation and the release of poisonous gases typically produced by conventional chemical flame retardants.
IPAS is available in many forms, such as a coating or a powder, to be applied on combustible materials such as wood, textile and paper. SMX's team of Japanese and Singaporean engineers are behind IPAS, which has been proven to withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees celsius. Business development manager of IPAS Glenn Chang said the technology would help save lives, particularly in higher risk situations like an aviation accident.
Imagine a world where selfie sticks have been eliminated. The social media-obsessed generation might just be able to snap a wide-angle photo of themselves without resorting to the embarrassing wand so often associated with bug-eyed tourists. That is what optics professionals DynaOptics aim to do with their product OOWA, a telephoto lens that gives smartphone users the high quality, wide-angle photos that they desire.
OOWA, which was just launched in June, uses a “free form” lens with a 100 degree wide-angle to deliver crystal clear photos with just a smartphone camera. The small and portable lenses are mounted on the phone's front and back cameras, making it easy to use. It currently works with the iPhone 6 and 6s range.
With the unprecedented clarity and zero distortion that OOWA promises, the wide-angle lens might just appeal to amateur smartphone photographers, and not just the selfie-crazy smartphone user. The free form lens is pending patent, said the company.
Along with other innovators, DynaOptics' co-founder and chief executive Li Han Chan shared the company's optics technology with an attentive audience of innovators and potential investors on the first day of TechInnovation's Crowdpitching sessions. The former business development personnel at ST Engineering and graduate of Ivy League institution Stanford University said DynaOptics' technology has far-reaching uses, from surveillance, drone cameras, wearables to action cameras.
Relieving manpower woes
With manpower constraints and costs on the rise, food and beverage companies are finding ways to introduce automation into their business processes. Simple food preparation could be done with automation, eliminating the need for manpower. But robotics distributors Kurve Automation intends to take things up a notch with their Robotic Chef. It could take on more routine cooking processes, freeing up time for the human chefs to perform more complex procedures and developing new recipes. “The chef can fry up an egg breakfast in the morning, make a fruit juice in the afternoon for lunch and pancakes for dessert in the evening,” said Director Hui Wing Feh.
The Robotic Chef utilises technology from Universal Robots, a Danish company that produces low-cost robotics that are easy to set up and can be mass-produced. Kurve then customises a system that uses the robots for the client's use. Kurve's Robot Chef is currently being tested in hotel kitchens. Its ease of use and affordability would benefit cash-strapped kitchens, he said.
Environmentally-sound solutions
ClearVue's glazing technology could one day enable entire cities run on solar energy, just by harnessing the energy from sunlight passing through a glass window pane.
Its chairman Victor Rosenberg said ClearVue said its proprietary advanced glazing technology, which is applied between two panes of glass, redirects energy from ultraviolet and infrared energy rays to the edge of the glass, where it is harvested using solar cells, all while natural light passes through. The glazing technology also helps to prevent heat and unwanted solar radiation from ultraviolet and infrared rays from penetrating the glass pane.
ClearVue has successfully concluded the testing phases of their technology and is looking to launch a product range for commercial distribution. Based in Perth, Western Australia, ClearVue's technology is jointly developed with researchers at Edith Cowan University.
“Buildings would have net zero energy requirements. We also introduce on-site energy whenever needed and we want to make the consumer part of energy-saving efforts,” said Mr Rosenberg. Opportunities, he said, include self-powered greenhouses, homes, automobiles and public spaces. Greenhouses, in particular, require tremendous amounts of energy to cool and insulate, he noted.
“Developers could have greener buildings with energy-efficient features, which could help yield better returns due to lower utility costs and appeal to environmentally-conscious tenants,” he added.
Polymer specialists SMX prides itself on providing cool answers to hot problems. Indeed, it has come up with an environmentally-friendly flame retardant material used in thermal insulation. The technology, called Inorganic Polymer Aqueous Solution (IPAS), not only slows down the rate of the flame spread – it has none of the unwelcomed side effects of increased smoke generation and the release of poisonous gases typically produced by conventional chemical flame retardants.
IPAS is available in many forms, such as a coating or a powder, to be applied on combustible materials such as wood, textile and paper. SMX's team of Japanese and Singaporean engineers are behind IPAS, which has been proven to withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees celsius. Business development manager of IPAS Glenn Chang said the technology would help save lives, particularly in higher risk situations like an aviation accident.