Sony announces further details of SXSW 2019 WOW Studio
TOKYO, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Corporation ("Sony") will exhibit at SXSW (South by Southwest) 2019, the world's largest creative business festival in Austin, Texas, from Saturday, March 9(th) to Tuesday, March 12(th). Inside the Sony booth "WOW Studio," there will be programs that combine discussion sessions and presentations with experiential exhibits under the theme of "Technology × Creativity." This press release is to announce updated information on Sony's exhibit, more guest speakers and experiential exhibits at the SXSW 2019 Sony booth.
At the panel sessions at the SXSW 2019 Sony booth, guest panelists from various industries and professionals from Sony who are members of projects still under research and development, will appear and discuss "whether technology enriches humans' creativity."
Saturday, March 9, 1 p.m. CT: Can Technology Re-envision Human Creativity?
A discussion of several themes including how technological development will deepen understanding of human beings, and how it may expand our creativity.
-- Hiroaki Kitano, President and CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories,
Inc. (Sony CSL)
-- Dr. Jürgen Schmidhuber, father of modern AI
-- Hiroshi Ishiguro, the doyen of research on humanoid robots
Saturday, March 9, 3 p.m. CT: Is it silly to care about a robot?
A conversation about the intersection of humanity and robotics and why humans have developed an emotional connection to robots.
-- Dr. Kate Darling, Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab
-- Hiroshi Ishiguro, the doyen of research on humanoid robots
Sunday, March 10, 12:15 p.m. CT How will technology (AI) expand human abilities?
The theme of the panel discussion will be the expansion of human creativity through AI, a topic discussed all over the world.
-- Hiroaki Kitano, President and CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories,
Inc. (Sony CSL)
-- Peter Stone, Professor, UTexas at Austin researching AI/Robotics;
President and COO of Cogitai, Inc.
-- Garry Kasparov, Avast Security Ambassador
Sunday, March 10, 5:00 p.m. CT Is AI the secret ingredient?
A discussion and demonstration about food pairing based on the aroma pairing science and how AI could contribute to gastronomy.
-- Masahiro Fujita, Sony Corporation, Chief Technology Engineer
-- Michael Spranger, Sony CSL researcher
-- François Chartier, pioneering researcher in the field of pairing
molecules in food and wine
Monday, March 11, 12:30 p.m. CT: Is Technology our Seventh Sense?
A deep dive into the possibilities of enhancing human sensitivity using technology.
-- Olaf Blanke, Professor of Neuroscience, Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology (EPFL)
-- Shunichi Kasahara, Sony CSL researcher
Tuesday, March 12, 2:00 p.m. CT: How will technology expand possibilities of new entertainment?
A discussion about the possibilities of technology expanding for entertainment. In addition, as the latest entertainment company that Sony Innovation Fund invests, two companies will appear during this session.
-- Tetsuya Mizuguchi, a game creator who aims to expand synesthesia by
using mixtures of videos, sounds and VR
-- Glenn Gainor, head of physical production for Sony Pictures Screen Gems
and President of Innovation Studios, Sony Entertainment & Technology
-- Masahiro Matsuhashi, producer of the new movie "Kingdom" releasing in
Japan on April 19. In addition, as the latest entertainment company that
*Sony Innovation Fund invests, two companies will appear.
*Sony Innovation Fund (SIF)
The Sony Innovation Fund (SIF) is a corporate venture capital (CVC) established in July 2016. It aims to further strengthen collaboration with leading external researchers and startup companies around the world, accelerate business creation in the areas where Sony will focus on in the future such as AI and robotics, and support the growth of investee businesses using Sony Group resources, all to create a more open ecosystem. To date, it has resulted in investment in over 20 firms from Japan, the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.
*The stage program and time may change without notice
*Please refer to the SXSW 2019 Sony Official Site for more details
https://www.sony.net/brand/event/sxsw/
Guest speakers
The new additions to the guest speakers are:
-- Hiroaki KitanoPresident and CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories,
Inc., Corporate Executive of Sony Corporation, President of The Systems
Biology Institute, and Professor at Okinawa Institute of Science and
Technology Graduate University. He is also a Founding President of the
Robocup Federation, President of International Joint Conference on
Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) (2009-2011), and Member of the AI &
Robotics Council of World Economic Forum (2016-2018).He received The
Computers and Thought Award from the International Joint Conference on
Artificial Intelligence in 1993, Prix Ars Electronica 2000, and Nature
Award for Creative Mentoring in Science (Mid Carrier) in 2009, as well
as being an invited artist for Biennale di Venezia 2000 and Museum of
Modern Art, New York in 2001.
-- Kate DarlingLeading Expert in Social Robotics and MIT Media Lab Research
Specialist.She investigates social robotics and conducts experimental
studies on human-robot interaction. Dr. Darling's writing and research
anticipates difficult questions that lawmakers, engineers, and the wider
public will need to address as human-robot relationships evolve in the
coming decades. Named one of the "Women in Robotics You Need to Know
About" by Robohub.
-- Toshihiro KonnoChief Financial Officer, at Sony Music Entertainment
(Japan), Inc.Joined in 1981. He developed "Chaku-Uta®" service in 2002
and "Chaku-Uta Full ®" service in 2004. In 2008, he served as
Representative Director and President of LABEL MOBILE INC (currently,
RecoChoku Co., Ltd.). After serving as President and Representative
Director and President of booklista Co.,Ltd., which develops e-book
related business in 2010, he was inaugurated as Director of SME in 2014.
-- Tatsuya YamoriBelongs to Strategic Marketing Div. and Corporate Planning
Strategy Div. at Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. Since joining the
company in 2010, he has been involved in the music label business, music
data analysis, etc. Currently enrolled in marketing and management
planning, responsible for developing new business involving
next-generation creators. He is an owner of absolute pitch and
sound/color synesthesia, acting in multiple areas from creative
execution to data science and technology.
-- Peter StoneProfessor, UTexas at Austin researching AI/Robotics;
President and COO of Cogitai, Inc.Peter Stone is the founder and
director of the Learning Agents Research Group (LARG) within the
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in the Department of Computer Science
at The University of Texas at Austin, as well as associate department
chair and chair of the University's Robotics Portfolio Program. He is
also the President, COO, and co-founder of Cogitai, Inc. His research
focuses mainly on machine learning, multiagent systems, and robotics.
-- François ChartierFrançois Chartier is regarded internationally as one
of the pioneering researchers in terms of recipe creation and wine and
food harmonies. His first discovery among the field of "aromatic
harmonies and sommelier" was written in his book "Taste Buds and
Molecules." In 2010, the book was awarded "Best Innovative CookBook in
the World," at the Gourmand World CookBook Awards in Paris. He lately
published the book "Les Recettes de Papilles et Molécules" which won
the same prize once again.
-- Masahiro FujitaMasahiro Fujita joined Sony Corporation in 1981. He
started Robot Entertainment project from 1993, and developed
entertainment robot AIBO and a small humanoid robot QRIO. He became a
director of Sony Intelligence Dynamics Laboratories Inc. established in
2004, where he led a new approach of studies for intelligence, aiming at
realizing emergence of intelligence with emphasizing embodiment and
dynamics. In 2012 he became a head of S-Project Office at System
Research & Development Group (SRDG), R&D PF, where he again started
robotics R&D. In 2016, he became a head of Technology Strategy
Department, where he is in charge of strategy planning of SRDG's
technology and incubation development. In addition to R&D position, in
2016 to present he became Chief Technology Engineer, AI Business,
Incubation Platform, where new business developments according to Sony's
"AIxRobotics" strategy announced in 2016 has been in execution.
-- Michael SprangerMichael Spranger is a Senior Research Scientist at the
AI collaboration office of Sony Corporation based in Tokyo, Japan.
There, he is focusing on R&D for AI cooking robots, in particular,
knowledge extraction from images and text, as well as skill acquisition
for cooking manipulation. Michael's research also focuses on various
related topics such as shared autonomy between humans and robots,
natural language interaction for robots and neural-symbolic reasoning
and learning.
-- Olaf BlankeOlaf Blanke is Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Cognitive
Neuroprosthetics and Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology (EPFL), where he directs the Laboratory of Cognitive
Neuroscience. He is Professor at Geneva University Hospital and founded
and directed EPFL's Center for Neuroprosthetics at Geneva's Campus
Biotech. Blanke pioneered the development and integration of virtual
reality (VR) and robotics with human neuroscience, psychophysics, and
medical applications. His research centers on consciousness, embodiment,
and human augmentation. He discovered the multisensory brain mechanisms
of altered states of consciousness including astonishing human
experiences such as doubles, out-of-body experiences, and invisible
presences. Combining neuroscience insights and approaches from VR and
robotics, Blanke launched the field of immersive digiceuticals based on
technology-mediated conscious embodiment of virtual limbs, avatars, and
other surrogate bodies in health and disease.
-- Shunichi KasaharaMaster's degree in Applied Physics, Human-Computer
Interaction at Waseda University and joined Sony Corporation in 2008.
Engaged in research and development of user interface. Visiting
researcher at MIT media lab in 2012. Participated in the Sony Computer
Science Laboratory as a researcher since 2014. Based on the research
concept "Superception," he has interest in controlling and expanding
perception by computer. The result of his research has been presented at
the major international conferences of Computer Graphics, Human-Computer
Interaction, SXSW, and also, interactive exhibition and social
implementation.
-- Tetsuya MizuguchiProducing creative activities with synesthetic approach
such as video game, music, video, application design etc. Representative
work such as "Rez" and "LUMINES." He is also a "pioneer of VR research
and practice" who continues to produce highly original game work that
represent "fusion of all senses." He was elected to be one of "Digital
50" (50 digital innovators of the world) in 2006. Visiting Professor at
Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Professor at Graduate School of Media
Design, Keio University.
-- Glenn GainorHollywood Film Producer, head of physical production for
Sony Pictures Screen Gems and President of Innovation Studios, Sony
Entertainment & Technology. He has managed and overseen the motion
pictures at Screen Gems since joining the company in 2007 including
"Burlesque," "Friends with Benefits," "Think Like A Man" etc. He has
made a number of innovations in movie production, such as making efforts
to produce eco-friendly movies with minimal impact to the environment
and adopting new techniques for shooting techniques.
-- Shinzo Matsuhashi ?Producer "Kingdom")Film producer, CEO of production
company CREDEUS. After debuting as co-producer of "Battle Royale" in
2000, he produced numerous Japanese Box Office success as "Rurouni
Kenshin" (12), "Psychic Kusuo" (17), "Fifty First Kisses" (18) and
"Gintama" series (17&18). His latest work "Kingdom" will be released in
Japan on April 19, 2019.
-- Contents of experiential exhibitsExplore the latest R&D projects
applying Sony's cutting-edge technology and newest prototypes. The
additional exhibits are as follows.
-- Meet-up LoungeAt the venue, we set up a meet-up lounge as a place where
people visiting SXSW and Sony engineers and product planning staff can
communicate directly. Also we will exhibit the following projects using
Sony's latest technology.We are planning to have presentations by
technology companies that Sony Innovation Fund (SIF) and Seed
Acceleration Program (SAP) invests and supports.
-- Flash DartsJoint exhibition from Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund
and Sony PCL Inc. It is a darts game with interactive content. We
propose a new play method that is different from the conventional dart
software by making the material adaptable and movable by combining
projection mapping and the latest infrared sensor device. The "Haptic
Floor," equipped with Sony's haptics technology (tactile presentation
technology), is installed to make it easier for you to enjoy darts with
a sense of realism and immersiveness.
-- Triporous(TM)Sony's exclusively developed Triporous is a unique finely
structured porous carbonous material made primarily of surplus biomass
(organic resources derived from renewable organisms) such as rice husks,
including silica. Due to this, it can easily absorb large substances at
large molecular weights that have been difficult to absorb with
conventional technologies. This includes organic molecules such as humin
and poisonous algae blooms that cause water pollutions as well as
allergens, viruses, and small proteins such as enzymes. Through these
unique characteristics, Triporous provides new value for various
products including environmental filters that remove pollutants from the
air and water.
-- Get latest information from Sony Event appsIn Sony's Event apps, we will
update the latest information of WOW Studio. Also, in some exhibitions,
you can bring back video and other content after the experience. The
apps can be downloaded from the application store.
-- Date and timeSaturday, March 9 through Tuesday, March 12, 2019. 12: 00-
8:00 p.m. CT
-- PlaceWOW StudioAddress: 99 Trinity St. Austin, TX 78701 USA
-- SXSW 2019 Sony Official Sitehttps://www.sony.net/brand/event/sxsw/
About SXSW
SXSW (South by Southwest) is an event featuring music, film and interactive media that has taken place in Austin, Texas, since 1987. The event attended by professions across the world has focused on helping creative people achieve their goals by providing networking opportunities through multiple sessions, exhibits and screenings. The diversity of topics discussed by people from many different backgrounds is known to allow for unexpected discoveries. SXSW 2019 will be held from March 8 (Fri) to March 17 (Sun) and the Interactive Festival themed on new technologies and business ideas will be held from March 8 (Fri) to March 12 (Tue).
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