Tomorrowland is a stone’s throw away
As human beings, we’ve always wondered what the future would hold for us. That’s why we stay up on the edge of our beds, watching the next Apple or Samsung keynote event in earnest – we want to be part of that future. Well, now you can, and you don’t have to pay a thousand dollars for it too.
FutureME, held from 25-27 March 2016 at the Float @ Marina Bay, is not only an event for up and coming technology which will blow your mind, it has some of the most creative trendsetters of our time delivering inspirational speeches as well ala TED Talks.
If you’re still deliberating on whether to head down to FutureME, we’re here to give you 10 reasons why you should book your trip down today!
1. Learn about this local invention that can capture stunning shots of the moon…
This petite camera sets out to prove that size does not mean everything. When you see the photos captured by what you might mistake as a selfie camera, you’ll be finding it hard to comprehend how it was even possible.
Source A shot of the moon with the TinyMOS camera, look at those craters!
The TinyMOS camera specializes in astro photography. Specifically, pictures of the stars, the moon and comets zipping past the night sky. The level of detail which you’re able to capture which such a small and unassuming camera is incredible. Never again will the moon look like just a flat featureless circle in the evenings.
Source A shot of our very own city skyline with the TinyMOS
However, if you’re not an astro photography fan, fret not, the TinyMOS could still be the camera for you. Its design allows for amazing low light photography without even adjusting any settings manually. The camera of the future is here ladies and gentlemen, and all you need to do its push the small red button.
If you’re a skeptic like myself, you can head down to the FutureME showcase and try this camera for yourself. After all, seeing is believing, and after looking at the shots you’ll be taking, I’m sure you’ll be a believer like me.
For more information about the FutureME Showcase please check out this website!
2. … and this futuristic chopping board that can tell you how much ingredients you’re using
Besides looking like something right out of the universe of Tron, this chopping board seems rather ordinary at first glance. However, with further experimentation and testing, you’ll discover this robotic sous chef packs a bundle of features to make your life in the kitchen a whole lot easier.
Souschef comes with a whole bunch of nifty functions, but the king of them all is the weighing scale. The chopping board also doubles up as a smart food scale which calculates the weight of all your ingredients while you dice and slice. The system also comes equipped to dispense accurate measures of ingredients based on pre-loaded recipes if you’re too lazy to do it yourself!
I know that kitchen equipment can be a little personal and you might not know if the Souschef works for you and your kitchen. However, getting some hands on time with this chopping board at the FutureME Showcase will definitely help in shaping your buying decision. The showcase is open to the public on all three days of FutureME.
For more information about the FutureME Showcase, check out this website!
3. Watch the world’s best drone pilots race across the city skyline
Source A snapshot of drone racing
Remember the days of racing your Tamiya car under void decks, weaving in between pillars effortlessly. Well, those days of racing cars are a thing of the past, and you might even be called old fashioned for doing it. Welcome the new age of racing beasts – aerial drones, and yes they are fast.
Source 360° flips in mid air!
If you’ve never had the chance to see a drone whizz around the Singapore, here’s your chance to catch 32 of the fastest race past the Bayfront area. The race brings together some of the world’s best drone pilots from countries like the UK and even Brunei. Definitely a one of a kind event that should not be missed!
FutureME Aerial Drone Race
Date: 27th March 2016
Time: 9am to 4pm
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay
4. Step into a whole new world with a virtual reality headset
As a child I’ve always wanted to see new worlds, experience history and be a part of it. We’ve read Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, these are worlds we would die to be a part of. Unfortunately, it might be a couple more decades before someone builds a life sized replica of Hogwarts. Until then, at least we have the power of virtual reality.
The first time I tried a virtual reality (VR) headset, I was hooked. The whole experience was so incredibly immersive, I actually tried to reach out and touch the leaves in front of me only to grasp only air. It’s a realistic and authentic experience which is only marred by your senses of touch and sense.
Source The smartphone slot on the VR One
If you’ve always wanted an entry point into VR, the VR One is the model you’re looking for. Not only is it lightweight and portable, all you need for it to function is a smartphone. Just download the VR compatible apps on your phone and slide it into your headset. You’ll be transported to another world in a matter of seconds.
You can try out the VR One for yourself at the FutureME Showcase which runs for all three days at the event.
For more information about the FutureME Showcase please check out this website!
5. Learn to grow your own salad and harvest them within a month!
If you told me that I could grow my own salad in 2 weeks, I would have called you a liar. But, I love to be proven wrong, and never having to fear about running out of salad greens is something I could get used to.
Although you might not be able to cultivate romaine lettuce in such a short span of time, these microgreens are a whole different ball game. Not requiring an entire garden’s worth of soil, these plants are incredibly easy to take care of. The best part is, you don’t even need any prior gardening experience to take part!
At such an affordable price, this workshop is a steal for any salad lover in the long run. At the end of the session you’ll be bringing home your perfectly planted microgreens in self-watering pots. The amount of grocery trips this workshop will save you definitely justifies the cash investment.
Microgreens: Growing Your Salad at Home (Workshop)
Date: 26 March 2016 (Saturday)
Time: 3pm to 4pm
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay, Level 3 VIP Lounge
Cost: $35
Register online for this workshop here!
6. Get the best productivity hacks from an industry expert
Procrastination is the number one problem all of us face on a daily basis. The latest episode of House of Cards is calling out to me on Netflix as I’m typing this and I have to fight the constant urge to turn on the telly. However there are a ton of productivity hacks out there to help you stretch your time or just improve your work life balance, you just didn’t know they existed.
The truth is, there is no one divine app on your phone or computer that can mystically help you with your productivity issues. You’ll have to tackle challenges with time management and commitment which I can’t even begin to explain.
Mr. Varun Mittal, group head of partnerships and marketing at helloPay Fintech Venture from Rocket Internet and the Lazada Group, will be giving a talk at FutureME. He will outline ways your time can be used more efficiently and as a result stretch your productivity. If you’ve always been curious as to how someone at a top managerial level manages his time so effectively, here’s your chance to find out more!
P.S Here’s a sneak preview of Mr. Vittal in action, speaking at Innovfest early last year.
Productivity Hacks to Stretch Your Time (Talk)
Date: 25th March 2016
Time: 7pm to 9pm (10-15 minute session amongst other speakers)
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay (Below the Seating Gallery)
7. Experience a never-ending illusion in a cube
Optical illusion exhibits like the ones at the Trick Eye Museum are becoming increasingly popular. It feels like Singaporeans (myself included), enjoy testing themselves to see if they can avoid being fooled by any form of illusion.
Source The Infinicube and all the wonders it holds within
However, what if the illusion never ended; would you be able to distinguish between reality and what might just be a figment of your imagination? The Infinicube puts you to that test with its constant stream of visuals, and viewers will feel like the illusion never truly ends as they stand inside that 3 meter by 3 meter cube.
Although the content for the FutureME Infinicube is still under wraps, we’ve been promised it will deliver a visual spectacle for anyone who wants to challenge their senses. If you’re going to be around FutureME make sure you look out for this innocuous-looking cube – you definitely won’t want to miss out on this once in a lifetime experience.
Infinicube @ FutureME
Date: 25th to 27th March
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay (Below the Seating Gallery)
8. Find out how you can start a garden in your HDB flat without any soil
Source A sample of Highrise Habitat’s hydroponic prototype
We’ve all learnt about hydroponics and aeroponics from our secondary school textbooks, and promptly forgot about them after we finished our ‘O’ Levels. The truth is I never believed that anything of the sort was remotely useful or even possible.
Source You can have this in your home!
With HDB flats taking up a large percentage of our housing estates though, space is a luxury, and gardening space is something people could only dream of. Aeroponics and Hydroponics solve both of these issues by omitting the biggest waste of space in the gardening equation – soil.
You won’t even have to tend to your plants any more with an aeroponic setup from Aerospring Gardens. Water is automatically injected into the soil every 15 minutes, lending to a fuss free gardening experience. If you’re interested in picking up these aeroponic or hydroponic gardens for your own apartment, you should definitely check out the showcase area at FutureME to find out more.
Mr Thorben Linneberg, founder of Aerospring Gardens will also be giving a talk on aeroponics and the viability of growing your own food on an apartment balcony.
Vertical Aeroponic Gardening – Grow Food On Your Apartment Balcony (Talk)
Date: 26th March
Time: 4pm to 6pm (10-15 minute session amongst other speakers)
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay (Below the Seating Gallery)
For more information about the FutureME Showcase please check out this website!
9. 3D print your own customised cookies
Source Amazing cookie creations you can 3D print from your home!
We’ve all already heard of 3D printing. People have been printing their own phone covers and customized plastic boxes since its rise in popularity in 2014. 3D food printing, on the other hand, is still relatively unknown. People don’t realize that they can print their own cookies from the comfort of their own homes!
While the science itself is extremely technical and will be lost on many people (myself included), 3D food printing can be very useful when it comes to customising orders. Imagine having to pipe out ten different cookie designs by hand, then think about how easy it would be if a printer were doing it for you.
The future of 3D printing is here, and it tastes great. I highly recommend heading down to the FutureME showcase to snag yourself some printed cookies and to see this machine at work. If you’re an aspiring baker you might even learn a thing or two from it!
For more information about the FutureME Showcase please check out this website!
10. Find out more about one of Singapore’s most successful tech startups: Carousell
Source The three founders of Carousell, Marcus Tan, Quek Siu Rui and Lucas Ngoo
It was a simple Amazon Kindle that sparked off a nationwide craze. A simple concept which became a household name – people wanted to sell unwanted stuff, Carousell helped people to sell their unwanted stuff. It’s fascinating really, to think about how far we’ve come along in terms of e-commerce and how we do transactions online now compared to 5 years ago.
Co-Founder of Carousell, Marcus Tan will also be talking about the future of commerce in Singapore. If you’ve always wanted to find out about the impact that Carousell has made in the local business scene and about their plans for the future, there’s never been a greater chance.
Source Another bazaar along the Bayfront stretch
If you’re the type of person who can’t sit still and listen, perhaps the Carousell Bazaar would be of interest. Ten specially selected vendors will be selling some of the most cutting edge technological gizmos available in Singapore.
Who the vendors are is still a secret, but we have been promised that the items on sale will be quirky, futuristic and above all unexpected! So prepare your wallets and get ready to buy the next generation of gadgets and trinkets.
The Future of Commerce by Marcus Tan (Talk)
Date: 25th March 2016
Time: 7pm to 9pm (10-15 minute session amongst other speakers)
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay (Below the Seating Gallery)
A sneak peek into the future
The future is exciting to think about, but it’s always been a distant reality that we don’t pay much attention to. It’s this disillusionment that causes us to get complacent and become lesser forms of what we could truly be.
FutureME encourages us as individuals and a community to embrace the future. Be it technology, the way we work, or even how we play, maybe it does pay to be forward looking. Perhaps we just needed this little bit of inspiration to step forward into the uncertainty of the future. I say, we should open our minds and take in the sights – I’m sure FutureME will have something to teach all of us.
Tickets for this event are completely free! All you need to do is register on the FutureME website and you’ll be good to go.
FutureME
Date: 25th to 27th March
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay (Below the Seating Gallery)
The timings for the FutureME Showcase are as follows:
6pm to 9.30pm (25th March)
1pm to 7pm (26th to 27th March)
For more information and booking your free tickets click here!
Giveaway for TSL Readers
Stand a chance to win a Xiaomi Yi sports action camera and accessories sponsored by ProPlus, worth $270.
All you need to do is enter the promo code ‘TSLFUTUREME’ during registration to be entered in the group draw. You can register online for free here!
Good luck everyone!
This post was brought to you by FutureME 2016.