Pop-Up Tech Showcase Event Features Latest In Robotics, AI
PALO ALTO (KPIX 5) -- Tech firms unveiled their newest products at a pop-up event Monday, a showcase for more than 20 innovative tech companies hosted by a Silicon Valley venture capital firm.
Playground Global, based out of Palo Alto, held the event as part of its mission as a new type of venture capital firm, built by and for entrepreneurs, engineers and technologists.
Sparta Science is one of the companies Playground Global is investing in. Phil Wagner is CEO of Sparta Science. His technology can tell you in seconds your injury risk, where it is and how large that risk is. The technology uses a force plate to measure your movements and the pressure you put on your body.
"I was a collegiate athlete and was injured quite a bit and was rather surprised at the level of guesswork that occurs in medicine," said Phil Wagner MD, Sparta Science CEO.
Agility Robotics was also on hand at Monday's event. The company built and designed the two-legged robot named Cassie. The revolutionary, bipedal robot can walk and run and is available for research and development markets.
Canvas Technology's self-driving cart was also featured at the pop-up event. The autonomous system does automatic and continuous mapping for precise locations. It was designed to improve the efficiency in dynamic, industrial environments.
Peter Barrett is Playground Global's Co-Founder and CTO. He's a former Microsoft engineer who has also worked for several Silicon Valley companies. He even hired Elon Musk back in the day when he worked for Rocket Science. Barrett says robotics and what he calls "deep tech" which includes artificial intelligence, machine learning, consumer electronics and biotech are the future.
"Playground is a magical place," said Peter Barrett, Playground Global Co-Founder and CTO. "I'm an engineer. That's my background. I've been a geek for many, many years. This place is extraordinary because it's full of the main experts, scientists, engineers who are at the cutting edge of their technologies and enterprises they're working on."