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Samsung’s C-Lab takes the wraps off 8 new products, including an AI-driven desk lamp

Suwon city, South Korea 18-November 2017. The Samsung head office building.
Suwon city, South Korea 18-November 2017. The Samsung head office building.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
@Kyle_L_Wiggers

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Samsung’s Creative Lab (C-Lab) opened its doors in 2012, and over the past six years the internal incubator has birthed innovations like smart glasses for the visually impaired, wearable 360-degree camcorders, and virtual reality home furnishing apps. (Samsung employees get a year off from their regular work to pursue a promising business idea.) Now, ahead of the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month, C-Lab has taken the wraps off its current cohorts’ creations.

All eight innovations will feature prominently at CES 2019’s Eureka Park, a startup space for new products and services. Inkuk Hahn, vice president and head of Samsung’s Creativity and Innovation Center, said it’s the largest number of projects C-Lab has unveiled at a single show since 2016.

“We will present promising C-Lab projects leveraging AI technologies in the field of video content creation, perfume-making, and more,” he said. “These are deeply related to our daily lives, and we hope to catch the eyes of attendees.”

Here’s the full list:

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  • Tisplay: Samsung describes Tisplay as an “in-video virtual ad service.” In practice, it’s an advertising tool that lets video creators overlay ads on T-shirts, overcoats, and other apparel.
  • aiMo: Tapping into the current autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) craze, aiMo leverages a smartphone app and cover case to record audio that triggers (in some people) a static-like tingling sensation on the skin. Samsung says it achieves better “spatial directivity” for sounds (even outdoors) than conventional apps and that, thanks to machine learning algorithms, it’s able to capture them more “realistically” and “vividly.”
  • Medeo: Medeo, another tool aimed at video creators, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect scenes and context automatically. It also boasts a workflow — complete with a media gallery containing special effects, music, and prerecorded video — that lets budding directors shoot and edit video simultaneously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGn8z58rZ84

  • SnailSound: C-Lab graduate SnailSound, a hearing assistant, leverages AI to suppress noise and non-linearly amplify frequencies in real time. An app and a hardware component in the form of an earpiece work in conjunction to perform hearing tests that fine-tune the audio settings.
  • Perfume Blender: Ever wanted to craft your own fragrance? With Perfume Blender, you can. The app lets you decide on the mix of ingredients in your custom-made perfume, which can then be produced by a “compatible device.” Alternatively, when fed pictures of a perfume, it’ll recommend related ingredients and fragrance recipes.
  • Prismit: Prismit — yet another AI-enabled C-Lab app — picks out keywords from news articles and employs them to generate a timeline of events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVckSooAMEs

  • Girin Monitor Stand: It’s a computer monitor stand infused with AI. Really. Samsung says Girin helps “correct … posture” by detecting how you’re sitting and making gradual adjustments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ0ClW6wh_c

  • Alight: This one is an AI-driven desk lamp, as odd as that sounds. According to Samsung, it’s smart enough to detect when you’ve fallen asleep or become distracted from a task.

In addition to C-Lab’s eight freshly revealed startups, Samsung says a handful of spinouts from the incubator will tout their wares at Eureka Park:

  • Mopic: The company specializes in researching and commercializing 3D technology. Mopic’s premiere product allows 3D effects to be viewed without special glasses or a headset.
  • Linkflow: Linkflow’s Fitt360, which looks sort of like a stripped-down Google Glass, is a 360-degree wearable with three cameras and a 90-minute recording time.
  • Lululab: This eponymous AI skincare assistant can recommend products to treat common conditions.
  • Welt: The unfortunately named Welt is a smart belt that tracks physical activity and monitors excessive eating.
  • Cooljamm: C-Lab spinout and UC Berkeley SkyDeck graduate Cooljamm has developed an AI platform that learns the key melody from any piece of music and composes new tracks that can be customized with style, rhythm, pacing, and instruments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj1r9YJ6INA

  • Monit: This baby monitor keeps an eye on air quality and alerts caregivers to diapers in need of changing.
  • Analogue Plus: Analogue Plus’ Bluetooth helmet accessory has a built-in speaker and microphone and pairs to a smartphone via Bluetooth. It works with voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri and enables you to place calls, queue up songs, and more — hands-free.
  • Bluefeel: This is a mini portable air purifier and fan that charges via USB.

C-Lab spinoff companies receive seed money investments and business consulting from Samsung.