LSN : News : Thought-starter: Can AR democratise meditation?

Seymourpowell imagines the future of printable make-up

Élever by Seymourpowell

UK – The studio has created a concept design for a make-up printer that replicates beauty looks from the internet.

The Élever device, which looks like a hand-held mirror, functions as a printer that combines 3D fabrication, facial recognition technology and AI-powered image analysis to apply make-up. Inspired by the influence of social media, the concept for Élever was created as part of Seymourpowell’s research into the future of beauty.

Tapping into the popularity of beauty vloggers and influencers, Élever will allow users to download looks seen online and print them directly onto the face without having to buy new products or learn how to apply them. By selling make-up looks online for direct download, influencers and brands could even use the printer as an additional revenue stream, according to Seymourpowell.

As beauty technologies gain in popularity, social media, artificial intelligence and algorithms are beginning to shape a new beauty ideal. For more, explore our Algorithmic Beauty macrotrend.

A smart hub that tracks babies’ wellbeing

Bluebell by Tangerine

London – Bluebell is a smart monitoring system that allows parents to remotely track their child’s wellbeing and development.

Designed by studio Tangerine, Bluebell is made up of three products: a wearable wristband for parents, a baby monitor that attaches to a child’s clothes, and a smart hub. The smart system is connected via a mobile app, so parents can monitor the child’s temperature, breathing and movement as they sleep.

Bluebell alerts parents using the smart wristband if it notices unusual activity, which means parents can spend less time worrying about their child’s wellbeing. ‘You have a complete record of what you’re doing and what your baby’s been doing,’ Martin Darbyshire, CEO of Tangerine, tells DesignWeek. ‘You can feed that data back to doctors and midwives.’

For more on how technology is helping parents to keep track of their babies’ development, read our Parenting Market.

Burger King debuts plant-based Impossible Whopper

US – The fast food chain is introducing the Impossible Whopper burger, made with a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods.

The limited-time product – promoted with the tagline ‘0% Beef’ – makes Burger King the first coast-to-coast fast-service restaurant in the US to serve Impossible Foods’ plant-based patties. While Burger King is initially making the Impossible Whopper available at 59 restaurants, the company plans to expand to every branch in the US if the Impossible Whopper trial is successful.

‘I have high expectations that it’s going to be big business, not just a niche product,’ Fernando Machado, Burger King’s chief marketing officer, tells The New York Times. A national roll-out across the company’s 7,200 locations would signal the largest expansion opportunity for Impossible Foods to date.

Earlier this year, Impossible Foods presented a new version of its meat-free patty at CES 2019, marking the first time that a food company exhibited at the event. Now, as a new generation of meat-free products enter the market, Burger King is demonstrating the extent to which plant-based alternatives are evolving to compete with their meat counterparts.

Impossible Whopper for Burger King

Hasbro launches a gamified hotel experience

Trivial Pursuit Hotel by Hasbro and Leo Burnett Moscow

Moscow – At the Trivial Pursuit Hotel, guests can pay for their stay using their general knowledge.

The hotel, created by board game company Hasbro and Leo Burnett Moscow, is located 30 miles from the Russian capital and will be open from May to June 2019. Guests’ money won’t be accepted at the hotel. Instead, they must answer Trivial Pursuit questions correctly in order to firstly book a room, and then to unlock the hotel’s premium services, from a bigger, more comfortable bed to a gourmet dinner or cinema-inspired entertainment.

Guests whose brains prove to be bigger than their wallets can win access to a two-storey country house in the forest, with a sauna and a host of outdoor activities. The hotel’s tongue-in-cheek campaign video shows how the gamified format can bring families together without relying on digital devices.

Hasbro is diversifying its brand by integrating its gaming expertise into hospitality experiences. Meanwhile, hotels are experimenting with ways of encouraging play and escapism from the digital world.

Stat: H&M pledges to use 100% sustainable materials

Across its portfolio of nine retail brands, the fast fashion group has pledged to only use recycled or other sustainable textiles by 2030. At present, 57% of the materials used by H&M are sourced sustainably – an increase from 35% in just one year, according to the company.

In a press release, H&M claims that 95% of its cotton is already sustainable. In addition, it will soon stop using virgin cashmere in its products, and intends to switch to a more ecological and responsible alternative as the company works towards achieving a more transparent supply chain.

The group has previously shown support for textile innovations, supporting future-facing fabrics that are pioneering circular processes and the use of unexpected materials.

Thought-starter: Can AR democratise meditation?

Sarah Hill, CEO of StoryUP Studios, creator of content platform Healium, explains why mindfulness should be visually led and why the future of media will be subliminally driven.

Healium is a stress management tool that helps wearers become more aware of their emotions using AR and VR. ‘Instead of passively watching the stories unfold, users can control the narrative with their thoughts or their heart rate,’ says Hill. ‘Essentially, it’s a portable digital chill pill.’

According to Hill, it’s a form of digital mindfulness. ‘But instead of closing your eyes and meditating, it’s about opening your eyes and meditating,’ she continues. ‘It visualises your feelings by allowing your emotions to control things.’

‘We developed Healium specifically to be used in places of confined stress – places that you can’t get out of, like hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centres, schools, prisons or even the workplace,’ explains Hill. ‘It offers people who aren’t able to take a walk in the park at any given time the opportunity to take a virtual walk in the park.’

Read the full Q&A here.