OCAD U Hacks OCE Discovery 2018 Conference!

Best in Show at OCE Discovery
Friday, May 18, 2018 - 3:30pm

Imagination Catalyst and the Office of Research and Innovation had a great experience attending this year’s Discovery conference, hosted on April 30th and May 1st 2018 by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE). Each year Discovery brings together key players from industry, academia, government, and the investment community as well as entrepreneurs and students to share knowledge and foster positive connections.

This year’s Discovery featured the first robot-hologram interaction, as keynote speaker Sophia the Robot of Hanson Robotics chatted with a live hologram of her maker, David Hanson. David and Sophia discussed empathy, sustainability, accessibility and the future evolution of “superbenevolent superintelligence”.

OCAD U was thrilled to see Alex Mayhew's Reblink project, and a number of researchers from Visual Analytics Lab presenting at Discovery. Imagination Catalyst also launched OCAD U’s “Design Rocks” Awards, which were presented to exhibitors who demonstrated exceptional innovation and a great enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge. SHERP ATV won “Best in Show” for their awesomely engaging booth (a literal tank parked in the showroom!). Sheridan College’s School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Technology was awarded “Most Innovative” for their 3D printing applications, and Occupied VR received “Most Engaging” for their virtual reality demo of “Lightcatcher”, a new, 4-part virtual reality sci-fi series that confronts humanity’s impact on the planet.

To see more of IC’s discovery experience, visit the Imagination Catalyst Twitter (@ImaginationCats) and Instagram (@ocaduimaginationcatalyst).