A raging success!
Did you get a chance to check out Melbourne’s first Tech and Gadget expo last weekend? No? Well I hate to say it but you missed out big time!
Thousands came through the doors of Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre to check out some unreal tech and gadgets, from Australia and abroad. Missed out? Lucky for you, we got the chance to check it out so sit back and try not to get jealous.
Hosted by Telstra, the event was Australia’s first of consumer tech expo and it certainly set the benchmark. There was a huge range of cool tech, catering for all ages and markets. Undoubtedly drones and virtual reality were the most popular among ticket holders, attracting large queues of eager participants.
If you could peel your eyes away from the drones there was so much more to see. We saw some sleek guitars and top-quality speakers from Yamaha, SkyNanny’s wearable GPS’s for you children and Tesla’s ModelS, oh i’m getting excited again just writing about it!
Ok you get it, there was heaps of cool stuff. Let me break it down for you and list my top six attractions.
- Tesla ModelS– I’ll admit I’ve driven a Telsa ModelS a few times, but seeing them, no matter how many times, I still get excited! Smack bang in the middle of the AutoTech Zone sat Tesla’s new shining Model S electronic car with staff on hand answering questions. Fun fact: It can go from 0-100km in 3 seconds! That isn’t even in what they like to call Ludacris mode! In that case, it’s 0-100km in about 2.9 seconds. You could book a test drive right there on the spot. Trust me; it’s worth it.
- Virtual reality – VR dominated the expo. Everywhere you looked, there was an over-excited man-child in a VR headset flying his arms about aimlessly. If you were keen enough to brave the long queues VR tech from HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear was available for the exhibitors to try. The world of VR is wild and wonderful, with participants demoing experiences such as swimming with blue whales, racing cars, virtual painting (For the tech savvy artist in you) and playing real-life fruit ninja.
Trying out the new virtual reality tech Source: TGE Facebook - 3D printing –If you haven’t heard about 3D printing then you must be living under a rock. There were some awesome displays of 3D printing capability with machines spitting out eccentric designs and creations.
- Drones – Drones, drones and more drones. All the new-market drones were on display in the netted ‘drone-zone’. We saw impressive displays of agility, drone filmography and also some well-needed safety presentations.
Demonstrations in the Drone Zone - Location technology – It wasn’t all toys! There were also a few exhibitors showing off some clever wearable technology designed to help parents keep track of their child’s location. Really smart, slightly creepy.
- 360 speakers – These smart little devices can turn everyday objects into loud speakers. Using vibration technology you can place it on any flat surface and the speaker will adapt and operate at different noise levels. Seriously these are cool!
I’d love to list absolutely everything that was there but we don’t have all day. If you did miss out this year I have good news for you – TGE has already confirmed that they have locked in the expo again for August 2107 and expect it to be twice the size! Be there or be square.