Welcome back to the latest edition of Xi Insights – a newsletter dedicated to bringing you the latest interactive news and encouraging the #interactiverevolution

At Xi, our in-house creative team always have their eyes peeled for the next big thing. Our team is constantly discovering places that have started their own interactive revolutions.

We are dedicated to finding new technology that has the potential to change interactions, and consumer behaviour trends that can impact our live experiences so we can bring them straight to you.

Visitors to the V&A Museum can navigate their way through the “Medusa’ mixed reality installation designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. Up to 50 guests at a time can put on a pair of mixed-reality glasses and explore the experimental architectural forms, which in turn change based on the user’s behaviours…

Manipulate your way through London’s latest mixed reality installation

A US nail salon have developed an AI powered robot that can paint nails in 10 minutes, for less than $10…(yes, we are wowed too!!) The robot can paint nails based on a 3D camera that captures a selection of images of each nail before turning them into a 3D map. The map is analysed by the AI machine which instructs the robot on how to paint each nail.

Get your nails painted by a robot

Holograms have come a long way since their debut in1948, but their most recent development has propelled them even further into the future. Using affordable, commercially available parts to pair computer-generated graphics with carefully directed and controlled jets of air, people can now physically touch holograms. This takes us one step further to being physically able to shake the hands of our colleagues’ virtual holograms when they can’t attend a meeting in person!

Physically interact with these touchable holograms 

People who are visually impaired no longer have to depend on the help of others for everyday tasks. TheOrCam MyEye voice activated camera can read the morning paper, enjoy your favourite books, recognise your loved ones, shop independently, and much more! The camera simply slots on the side of normal glasses and functions through voice activation.

This voice activated camera can help the visually impaired lead an independent life

FluentPet – a system of buttons designed by Leo Trottier using principles of cognitive science gives pets the ability to communicate with their owners. FluentPet. Words are organised by categories to help dogs learn. Combining ideas from speech and language pathology and cognitive science to design intuitive arrangements that help you and your learner remember.

Pets can finally communicate with humans…

The online retailer Buy It Direct have opened the largest UK robotic recycling plant in West Yorkshire. The plant accepts anything with a screen in it and using robots they cut out the screens and then use a sophisticated process to separate out all the reusable plastics and metals. It is modern urban mining.

Saving the planet one screen at a time…