Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Alley of Friendship of Artificial and Natural Intelligence was a horizontal space designed as a real alley: it had trees and a waterfall, and an interactive exhibition was inscribed into such a landscape. The alley symbolized a walk of an ordinary person through the world of artificial intelligence and modern technologies that are available on the market and that can be tried right here and now. In total, over 1,000 people walked through the alley during the day of work – from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: each of the visitors got involved in the interactive activities presented at the stands. A separate bright component of the exhibition was the game "Startup Race", which the NSU Startup Studio presented to a wide audience and tested in action.
The alley included the following technologies and developments:
1. Emotion analyzer
At the reception for registering guests of Smart Picnic there was a special camera with an interactive screen. Anyone could come up, make a face, and the screen would display the emotion they were experiencing.
The guests were particularly impressed by this invention: everyone had fun and amusement checking how well their faces were able to express emotions. The technology also has medical applications for diagnosing diseases associated with incorrect display of emotions on the face.
2. Virtual assistant
After the first stop, guests were met by a virtual animator from the NSU Startup Studio, who announced all the technologies created using artificial intelligence.
3. Emulator of human personality in voice
NSU students who received a grant created a voice simulator that imitated the personality of famous people. Visitors to the alley interacted with the simulator through their voice, trying to sell it a pen or ask a question, like in the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street."
4. Smile analyzer
The next stand was a smile analyzer, developed jointly with a doctor from the Rostov Medical University. The device, using a patented method, gave recommendations on the health of teeth and the oral cavity based on a smile analysis.
5. Game "Academ Dreams"
This stand offered to immerse oneself in the world of Akademgorodok in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Players could become virtual residents of the science town and interact with its inhabitants, creating a copy of themselves in the virtual space.
6. Swaid Monitor
It was a photoplethysmograph that recorded heart rate readings and constructed a stress index using the Baevsky method. Together with the staff of the Psychology department of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU, the game "Calm Down" was developed, in which participants put on a bracelet and, while meditating, watched the stress line decrease on the screen. The monitor helped participants achieve a meditative state even in a crowd.
7. Map of emotions
Each of the visitors to the alley and the Picnic sites in general could mark themselves on the map and indicate what emotion they are currently experiencing in real time. The development is also intended for deep behavioral research: for example, what emotion and how intensely a particular group of people in a particular location experiences.
8. Games with artificial intelligence
Several separate stands presented interactive games in which visitors fought against AI – "Crocodile" and "Riddles". Separately, an interactive demo board was presented with photographs of how people interact with inventions at the exhibition.
9. Game "Startup Race"
The development was first presented at the alley and was tested in real time.
Of course, not all projects of the NSU Startup Studio were presented at the Alley, since among its participants there are more than 30 residents with their own ideas and projects.
— The Artificial Intelligence Exhibition became a kind of "frontier" for us, which could be organized at the Smart Picnic site. On the one hand, the alley became our product and even an element of the interactive show, and, on the other hand, it was also a challenge for our residents and partners — they had to show their technology to people in extreme conditions and, despite everything, think through to the smallest detail how to present a demo version of the product, what to say in the opening speech, at what points it is worth speeding up production in order to show a finished product, and not just developments and an idea. That is, the Artificial Intelligence Alley became a powerful incentive for our residents to work, — said Evgeny Ivanov, a representative of the NSU Startup Studio and managing partner of the Coion investment syndicate.
According to Evgeniy, some startups actually showed high growth rates thanks to their participation in the Alley.
— One of the projects, Lexis Voice, the very same stand with a voice imitator and the question "Sell a pen", showed a good result. The team accelerated in all directions, from development to sales market. Thus, in a month and a half, the project's revenue increased 5 times, because there was a strict deadline – participation in the exhibition, and a clear understanding of what should be ready by this time, — summed up Evgeny Ivanov.
The next step in popularizing innovative entrepreneurship after the Artificial Intelligence Alley is the Startup Unit school, which started in July, where anyone can feel like a budding entrepreneur. After the school, in the fall, all students will be able to start the NSU acceleration program .catalyst, and residents of the NSU startup studio will also be able to take part in the Siberian Venture Fair, where they will present projects in the format of idea boards. The goal of all these projects is one – to bring to life the ideas and developments of students.
— The fair is really one of the elements of the chain, which the Startup Studio is developing with its residents. Ultimately, all this is so that innovators launch some product, a viable business, and then return to the state the resources that are invested in them in the form of various subsidies, grant support that they can attract. Our task is for our residents to “spend” these funds correctly and as a result, a finished product is obtained that is needed by someone and will be sold, — emphasized Alexey Starostin, Director of the NSU Startup Studio.
Material prepared by: Tatyana Ershova, NSU press service
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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