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Feeling the edges of the internet

Last week Google presented an interesting project called: Project Starline. “Feel like you’re there, together” is the motto. I’m a heavy Google user, and although Holograms and 3D immersive communication spark my attention, IMHO the scope of the Starline is short and the buzz is just as big as the budget that they have available.

Don’t get me wrong, the double meaning of the verb and noun Feel can explain my reaction, therefore in this article we’ll be focusing on Feel as a noun, meaning the act of touching something to examine it, or a sensation given by an object or material when touched.

Back in 2015, the World Economic Forum asked: will we be able to “feel” things on the internet?

Indeed, the topic has been featured in many movies and now it’s far from Sci-Fi and getting closer to reality. Of all the five senses, maybe this is the one that can be tickled the fastest. This will not only redefine remote control but also the way we consume digital content and live experiences.

To illustrate this point, here’s a curated list of some devices doing just that:

  • Earlier this year HaptX launched new and improved DK2 Haptic VR Gloves – basically a gadget that can create the sensation that you’re actually touching the objects you’re seeing.
  • Similar but still just a prototype Wireality, which is an experimental haptic feedback device using shoulder-mounted strings worn VR haptic system that allows for individual joints on the hands to be accurately arrested in 3D space through the use of retractable wires that can be locked.
  • Also in early stage prototype, there’s the ThermoCaress: a wearable haptic device with illusory moving thermal stimulation
  • Woojer is a set of wearables and mobile accessories designed to allow its wearer to feel what they’re listening to on their PCs, TVs or mobile device — via the medium of haptic feedback.
  • Another example, highlighted as The Best Inventions of 2020 by Times, CuteCircuit SoundShirt creates immersive augmented and virtual reality experiences thanks to the additional haptic actuation modules.

Last but not the least, and possibly the most famous, check out Bhaptics, the next generation full body haptic suit and the closest that you can get to experiencing Ready Player One, IRL.

Before you start buying gadgets like crazy, check out these real life use cases:

Ready to start experiencing the feeling of Touch on the internet?

Here are some upcoming events where Immersive Technologies will be discussed:

Let’s stay in touch! If you want to discuss more about the Internet of Senses, I’m here


Check out my previous articles about the Internet of Senses:

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

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Events 2 days ago

Last week, I spent three days at Bits and Pretzels in Munich — a startup-focused event with a distinctly Bavarian flavor. Think Oktoberfest meets startup conference, complete with dirndls, lederhosen, and more beer than you might expect. As someone building an AI-powered event platform, I went in with a specific mission: Observe how startups actually market themselves at events. Here’s what I discovered: GoodBytz: The power of good demos What they did: Robotics startup GoodBytz set up a booth where its robots prepared kaiserschmarrn (a traditional German dessert) all day long. Why it worked: Nothing beats seeing a product in action. While other booths had brochures and demos, GoodBytz’s robots were actually cooking. The smell, the movement and the end result stirred together an experience that people will remember and talk about. The lesson: If you have a physical product, show it in action. The old writing adage generalizes well: Show, don’t tell.  Let people see, hear and touch the product. WeRoad: The bathroom hack What they did: Posted “Missing Investor” flyers in bathroom stalls with QR codes pointing to their website. Why it worked: Pure genius. Every startup at the event was looking for investors, but the “Missing Investor” headline, while a bit on the nose, proved irresistible. Plus, bathroom stalls are one of the few places where people have 30 seconds to actually read something. The lesson: Think about where your target audience’s attention will remain undivided. Sometimes, the most effective marketing leverages the most unexpected places. Emqopter: Visual impact matters What they did: Designed a bright orange booth that displayed their drone prominently. Why it worked: In a sea of grey, white, beige and brown, Emqopter’s bright orange booth was impossible to overlook. The drone was real, too, and proved a real conversation starter. The lesson: Your booth is competing with hundreds of others. Make it visually distinctive and ensure your product is the hero. Quests: Community building using the product What they did: Created a busy, branded booth with accessories (toy car, traffic cones, a bulletin board) and used their anti-loneliness app to build communities among founders at the event. Why it worked: Quests used their product to solve a real problem right at the event, and the busy booth design generated energy and curiosity. The lesson: Use your product to solve a problem at the event — if it’s possible, of course. Demonstrate your value in real time. Dyno: Event-themed marketing What they did: Distributed branded electrolyte packs with the tagline “Your hangover ends. Your pension lasts – with Dyno.” Why it worked: Dyno aligned its messaging perfectly with the Oktoberfest theme. Every attendee was thinking about beer and hangovers, so Dyno’s goodies were quite relevant. The tagline was clever, memorable, and directly addressed a pain point most people at the event might have to deal with later. The lesson: Tailor your marketing to the event’s theme and culture. The more you tie your messaging and product to the context, the more memorable you become. So, what did I learn? Event marketing is about more than just showing up and setting up a booth; you have to understand your audience and create experiences that people will remember. Here’s what really struck me: most startups and even big companies don’t know how to leverage events properly. They book the booth, show up and hope for the best; maybe they bring some branded pens and a pop-up banner. Then they’ll go back home and wonder why they spent €5,000 in exchange for 50 business cards that never convert. The startups that stood out at Bits and Pretzels understand something fundamental: event ROI isn’t about booth size or location; it’s about strategy, creativity and planning. None of the startups above improvised on-site, or planned something the night before the event in their hotel rooms. They laid everything out 4-6 weeks before the event. A solid pre-event strategy is what separates successful event marketing from expensive booth rental.  But what matters most for early-stage startups is that you don’t need a massive budget to stand out. WeRoad’s bathroom stall hack probably cost €50 to print the flyers. A standard booth package at Bits and Pretzels would go for €3,000 to €5,500. The ROI difference is staggering when you compare the cost per meaningful conversation. That’s the difference between simply spending money and investing smartly. Building Sesamers has taught me that helping startups find the right events is only half the equation. The other half is helping them understand how to maximize ROI once they’re there. Good props aren’t a marketing expense; they’re opportunities to meet customers, investors and partners, and strike up engaging conversations.

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