In a blink of an eye we are already in October and it’s time for the second edition of Hong Kong’s Electronics Fair for 2017 (HKEF 2017). Held twice yearly in Hong Kong, the HKEF has become not only a prime opportunity for Mainland China’s electronics companies to show off their wares and attract buyers, the HKEF has also attracted may start-up companies hoping to pull in investments from those that can see potential in their designs and ideas.
Being only a stone’s throw away, it is only fitting that FunkyKit would turn up to spot any innovative ideas, and connect with manufacturers who have supported us in the past. Today was day 1 of the HKEF 2017, whilst Winston was still busy, I popped along with my camera hoping to beat the crowds of international buyers.
I thought I had turned up pretty early at 11am, but as soon as I got to the main foyer on the HKCEC I was met with an unbelievably amount of the people, more so than at any of the other previous HKEF we have attended in the past. A quick at the HKEF 2017 floor plans and it was apparent that young companies and start-ups that was in attendance was more than before, so off I went to see what I can find.
First up was Ambi Labs showcasing their Ambi Climate 2 which debuted on Kickstarter back in May. The Ambi Climate 2 is the latest edition of the companies IoT air-conditioner accessory, which automatically controls the temperature of your environment not by a predetermined temperature you set it at, but by you telling the unit how hot or cold you feel via the accompanying smartphone app. The artificial intelligence of the Ambi Climate 2 takes into factors such as the weather, humidity and sunlight to learn and control your air-conditioning unit not only to let you feel at your most comfortable, but also to maximize energy savings.
Now here’s something that got my attention and I was lucky enough that a live demonstration was being performed as I got to the booth. Right at the end of the start-ups section was Coffee Printer, and yup, their product does exactly what you would expect from it’s name. The presenter took a photo on his smartphone of a potential investor and then via a Bluetooth link uploaded the photo to the printer. On the printer console, he selected the photo he wanted (there are others pre-stored) and a quick resizing to adjust for the size of the cup. A cup of coffee with plenty of froth was leveled and placed onto the printer, where it was lifted to the printing nozzles and after about 30 seconds later the cup of coffee had the investor’s face cocoa-printed onto the top!
