Ahead of the RE.WORK Future Technology Summit and Deep Learning Summit taking place in London later this month, Nikita Johnson, Founder of RE.WORK shares her thoughts on this year’s event and how it has evolved since the inaugural summit in 2013.

 

Coming from a background in international development and urbanisation, I’ve spent time researching and trying to grasp the multiple global challenges we’re going to face in the near future.

 

It’s been well documented that by 2050, the world’s population that lives in cities will increase from 54% to 70%. How are we going to live together in an increasingly urbanised world, sustainably and efficiently? What impact will population pressures have on city planning, already strained transport systems, accessible healthcare, education for all, water scarcity and global manufacturing?

 

Simultaneously, we’re entering a new technological era with unprecedented advancements in fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, connected devices and smart materials. Sensors are becoming cheaper, hardware manufacturing is becoming more accessible, computers are learning to process images and sounds like humans, and we’re allowing intelligent agents ever more access to managing our lives. The world around us is changing and becoming every more connected, responsive, adaptive – and more importantly, less reliant on the human brain.

 

A worrying world for some perhaps, but surely applied in right ways to the places most in need, we can use the power of exponentially advancing technology to solve some of these challenges of the 21st Century.

 

 

 

I founded RE.WORK in 2012 to create events that bring together scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs, to share advancements in these emerging technologies and explore how they can be applied to have a positive impact on business and society in the future.

 

This year the annual RE.WORK Summit has two main tracks: The Future Technology Summit and the Deep Learning Summit.

 

Themes of the Future Technology Summit include: swarm robotics, computational architecture, applied neuroscience, smart connected cities and augmented reality. Each speaker will share their latest technological advancements, as well as practical applications.

 

 

Speakers include:

• Brian Waterfield, Virtual Reality & High-end Visualisation Technical Lead at Jaguar Land Rover discussing virtual reality and augmented reality in vehicle design and next generation engineering;
• Sabine Hauert, Lecturer in Swarm Robotics at University of Bristol sharing her latest research in nanomedicine and swarm robots in cancer detection;
• Stephen Dunne, Director of Neuroscience Research at Starlab will explore innovation in applied neuroscience;
• Francesca Rosella, Creative Director at CuteCircuit will discuss their pioneering work in wearable technology and textiles; and
• Lex Hoefsloot, Co-Founder of Solar Team Eindhoven will share their latest innovation in the world’s first solar powered family car.

 

At this year’s summit we are also hosting a track dedicated to advancements and applications in the growing field of Deep Learning, as this area of artificial intelligence is going to have an impact on every sector across society and business in the near future.

 

 

 

 

 

The agenda at the Deep Learning Summit includes:

• London’s own Google DeepMind who will share their latest technological advancements in their deep learning algorithms, as well as commercial applications;
• David Plans, VP of Product at Biobeats will share their latest developments in applying deep learning to applications in stress management and productivity;
• Alison Lowndes from NVIDIA will explore deep learning’s impact on modern life; and
• Ben Medlock, Co-Founder of Swiftkey will share his latest thoughts on the future of intelligent keyboards.

 

At both events the speakers are a mix of founders at the forefront of exciting new developments, established industry leaders, and world-class researchers.

 

 

 

There will also be a shared exhibitor area at the event to showcase mind-blowing technologies including: a flooring tile that converts footsteps into renewable electricity, 3D sensors to provide vision for technical objects, a toolkit to test substances for antimicrobial values and a 3D fruit printer!

 

With so many exciting new technologies on the horizon, together with advancing at an exponential rate, the time has never been better to explore how we can apply these new breakthroughs to solve crucial challenges of our 21^st Century. You can find out more about both events on the RE.WORK website.