FITUR 2018 will be the stage for the presentation of a set of technological solutions aimed at the tourism sector and trade fair management, prepared to deploy their functionality with 5G technology, still in the process of standardization, in the near future.This is a line of prototypes developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers who have been working since last September at the IFEMA LAB 5G Laboratory, launched by IFEMA and 5TONIC, an entity founded by Telefónica, IMDEA Networks Institute, and Ericsson.
The research team, comprised of 10 students, was selected by Talentum, a platform launched by Telefónica and supported by companies like Ericsson, to promote talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
5G is short for Fifth Generation Mobile Networks and will offer revolutionary bandwidth and latency performance, orders of magnitude better than its predecessor, 4G. As important as its new capabilities, and unlike previous generations, its primary use will be in a variety of transforming industrial sectors: automotive, manufacturing, logistics, security, transportation, healthcare, and, of course, tourism.
In this way, IFEMA, through FITUR, is pioneering what will be the first "Augmented Trade Fair" model, an initiative aimed at achieving international leadership in the exhibition experience. Focusing on the tourism sector, it aspires to transform the experience of its visitors and exhibitors through a set of solutions that will enhance user interactivity and facilitate an immersive environment for their activities, thanks to access to virtually unlimited, real-time communication, data, and computing services.
The "Augmented Trade Fair" solution and the set of prototypes that will be unveiled at the IFEMA LAB 5G stand, located in the North Hall of FITUR, include elements of personalization, planning and guidance with an intelligent virtual assistant, holographic interaction with other exhibitors or attendees at FITUR, or those connected to it, and the ability to review all activities and content through 100% digital access.
Furthermore, the prototypes developed at IFEMA LAB 5G are designed to become commercial solutions in the short term, making the most of the capabilities of current virtual and augmented reality technologies and systems, the cloud, and advanced 4G connectivity. They also have the possibility of incorporating new functionalities that are expected to be enabled primarily by the evolutionary potential of 4G technology towards the new 5G network, both in terms of hyper-connectivity and flexible distributed computing.”
IFEMA LAB 5G Work Process
The work process begins with the combination of analytical and creative aspects based on the innovative design techniques of “Design Thinking” and “Agile Cycles,” ultra-fast development methods in which the IFEMA and FITUR professional teams have also been involved, in order to adapt the project to the reality of the trade fair experience and the tourism sector.
The second step is the creation of the new concept of “Augmented Trade Fair,” coined by the IFEMA LAB 5G research team, which is based on the combination of three strong technological trends that will be dominant in the next 15 years: Mixed Reality, Distributed Cloud, and 5G.
Mixed Reality is the combination of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). which allows the user to see the real world (as in AR) while simultaneously viewing virtual objects (as in VR). The virtual objects are anchored to points in real space, making it possible to treat them as "real" to the user. This enables countless advanced digital applications.
Distributed Cloud pursues a unified approach that allows both the centralization and decentralization of computing resources, as well as optimizing the use of access and transport network connectivity. This opens up possibilities for flexibly localizing the execution of computing-intensive applications, such as VR/AR applications, improving their performance, particularly latency, by making more efficient use of network and remote computing resources.
The IFEMA LAB 5G stand at FITUR:
The stand's structure, which includes a guided circuit and an exhibition area, immerses the user in a futuristic and social journey through the "Augmented Fair"; a simulation that will represent a visit to two points at FITUR, and which will offer two distinct experiences: Augmented Fair Circuit and Mobile Zone.
The first experience, or "Fair Circuit," The "Augmented" experience will be conducted using HoloLens glasses, enabling a holographic tour to simulate a business visit at FITUR and deploy all support systems until the mission is completed.
This experience is divided into different phases that will be displayed to the user depending on their progress along the tour. It will begin with a tutorial to familiarize users with the HoloLens interface, followed by a personalized welcome application, and then the appearance of a standard robot-type assistant to guide them toward their visit. A map of FITUR 2018 will display information about each pavilion and allow users to select the stand they wish to visit based on their stated interests. The approximate travel time to the selected stand will be indicated, along with the route to follow—including a 3D model and corresponding audio—and the ability to select a contact person from a database. The tour also includes augmented advertising displays.
Upon reaching the desired destination, the user will be able to view the augmented stand, including the products, information screens, and so on. They can be displayed holographically with engaging animations. At that point, the personal guide will become the stand's presenter and explain the advantages of the target product. The user will be able to explore the products in detail on the interface and enjoy 3D models, videos, photographs, and more. The experience will conclude with the end of the negotiation and the closing of the contract.
The second experience will take place in the Mobile Zone, which will offer augmented and holographic reality demonstrations via smartphone. These include 360º video applications for exploring locations in Madrid, and a "Portal" that will transport the user to Madrid to discover its monuments, allowing them to interact with them and learn their details with a high degree of freedom through their mobile device.
Equinix selects Infinera Cloud Xpress for data center interconnection in Hong Kong
Infinera announces that Equinix has selected Infinera Cloud Xpress to interconnect its data centers in Hong Kong. Infinera Cloud Xpress offers Equinix a platform with hyperscale density, operational simplicity, and low power consumption.
