solutions Customer Engagement Technology December/January 2021 Issue 29 In this issue: The year of the creative thinker The ubiquity of touch is here to stay All comes down to data The touch-free future of interactivity in retail kiosks | digital signage | engagement technology KIOSK ISSN 2398-2837Kiosk Solutions magazine kiosksolutionsmagazine.com Kiosk Solutions website kiosksolutionsmagazine.comcontents KIOSK solutions 3 FOREWORD ...........................................................................................................................5 NEWS ........................................................................................................................................6 THE YEAR OF THE CREATIVE THINKER.............................................................18 Throughout 2020 we saw some clear advances in how we use technology to ensure our safety. Laura Vallis takes a look at the technological developments to build upon this year. THE UBIQUITY OF TOUCH IS HERE TO STAY.................................................20 A major effort is underway to reduce human-to-human contact in public spaces without disrupting the natural flow of society — in an effort to prevent the spread of disease while improving people’s lives in the meantime.. ALL COMES DOWN TO DATA....................................................................................24 After running NV3 Technologies, co-founder Ryan Doak shifted to pursue an opportunity in the kiosk and digital signage space in early 2020. Little did we all know that 2020 would hold some rather large hurdles for the industry as a whole.. THE TOUCH-FREE FUTURE OF INTERACTIVITY IN RETAIL ..................28 What’s old is new again, at least as it relates to interactive digital signage in retail. 20 18 contents 24 28solutions Customer Engagement Technology KIOSK Kiosk Solutions reaches an audience of 15,000 decision makers on a bi-monthly basis throughout the UK. Our readership is comprised of Customer Service Directors, Project Managers, CIOs , CTO’s, FD’s and many more besides. This unique readership presents you with a unique opportunity to reach an audience that is not available through any other media. Independent Kiosk Solutions is an independent publication, aiming to offer an objective view of the industry. Articles may present newsworthy acts and/ or opinions of named companies, but all measures are taken to ensure that articles within Kiosk Solutions report the objective facts without bias. Editorial We welcome contributions and submissions of news, features, thought leadership posts and interviews from companies and individuals regarding the kiosk and digital signage industry. These can be sent to the editor; Laura Vallis at editor.kiosk@abacus-comms.co.uk. All editorial that we receive from third parties is subject to the editor-in-chief's ultimate approval, and submission of an article is no guarantee of publication. To ensure that all articles meet the editorial policy, we reserve the right to edit the whole or part of any material selected for publication. You can find our editorial policy on our website: www.kiosksolutionsmagazine.com/guidelines. Advertising If you would like to discuss one of our advertising or advertorial packages please contact Lloyd at lloyd.vella@abacus-comms.co.ukHAPPY NEW YEAR! Well what a year it's been! I was hoping that 2021 would be much improved on its predecessor. The new year has got its work cut out to prove itself to us and we need to be patient and positive! In this issue we take a look at the kiosk and digital signage industry over the course of last year and how it has reacted to the pandemic. As the world continues to battle Covid-19, innovators are working to reduce human to human contact in public spaces without disrupting the natural flow of society. Gene Halsey, General Manager at TES America believes that touch is here to stay and looks at the efforts underway to prevent the spread of disease whilst improving people's lives. Founding kiosk and digital signage company Tecastic, Inc. in early 2020, little did Ryan Doak know then that the year would hold some rather large hurdles for the industry. In his article, Doak considers that although many industries are currently closed for business, they are very busy focusing on the strategic plan for when they reopen. We also look at the touch-free future of interactivity in retail. Years ago, when touch screen interactivity approached mainstream adoption in retail, customers had to adapt to a new workflow. Customers understanding, trust and use of touch-interactive signage took time, but slowly they became accustomed to engaging with displays to navigate on-screen content. Fast-forward to retail’s current pandemic recovery effort and we’re at a similar crossroads. Jeff Hastings, CEO, BrightSign believes shoppers are more careful than ever, taking steps to avoid touching surfaces unnecessarily. Isn't it ironic that the interactive shopping experience we pushed for so many years is now something shoppers have been trained to avoid out of concern for their health? We need to look at the lessons we've learned over the past year and take them into 2021. I'm wishing good things and positive vibes for all readers and our industry as a whole. We've certainly earned it! Happy New Year to you all! Laura Vallis Editor foreword KIOSK solutions 5KIOSK solutions Abacus Communications Limited 1 Tudor Business Park, Waterhouse Lane, Kingswood, KT20 6EN www.kiosksolutionsmagazine.com Published by: Abacus Communications Publisher: Greg Ward Editor: Laura Vallis Advertising: Lloyd Vella ISSN 2398-2837 The views expressed in the articles and technical papers are those of the authors and are not endorsed by the publishers. The author and publisher, and its officers and employees, do not accept any liability for any errors that may have occurred, or for any reliance on their contents. All trademarks and brand names are respected within our publication. However, the publishers accept no responsibility for any inadvertent misuse that may occur. This publication is protected by copyright © 2021 and accordingly must not be reproduced in any medium. All rights reserved. Would you like to contribute to Kiosk Solutions? Please submit news stories, articles, press releases and industry expert opinions to Laura Vallis editor.kiosk@abacus-comms.co.uk including high resolution (300dpi+ CMYK) images. We publish all news and articles that adhere to our editorial guidelines free of charge. This ensures our content is unbiased and relevant to our industry. Ventola on par with new Monster Mini Golf brief Leicestershire-based Ventola Projects, which operates across the UK, US and the Middle East, has secured its next signature VAvR LED range installation at Monster Mini Golf in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Family Entertainment Centre (FEC), which operates across the States, offers guests a range of entertainment, from glow in the dark mini golf to mini bowling, laser tag, lazer maze and more. And it is set to soon benefit from Ventola’s colour and mood changing lighting effects to enhance the fun and interactive experience. The project is just the latest in a string of wins for Ventola in the Monster Mini Golf franchise, with the business already a trusted supplier of its trademarked Ventola VAvR LED range in Frisco, Texas and Bally’s Hotel, Las Vegas. “We’re really pleased to be enhancing the lighting experience at yet another Monster Mini Golf outlet,” said Ventola Projects founder, Mick Ventola. “These indoor games for kids, families and couples are only increasing in popularity, as well as becoming ever more advanced, with glow in the dark themes, interactive animatronics and quirky course designs. “It’s only right that the lighting adds to this experience, highlighting key areas of these facilities to direct and delight guests. We’re looking forward to installing the project in the New Year, ready to welcome guests looking to escape the January blues.” The Monster Mini Golf project follows Ventola’s impressive work at a brand-new bowling experience in South Dakota, USA in September. The business’ system- controlled lights were added to a 30,000 square foot facility, Thunder Road, with video game elements, such as highlighting individual pins for fun and exciting mini games, installed for guests to enjoy. The work was carried out by Ventola’s official US distributor and installer, Las Vegas based Kool Amusements, with Monster Mini Golf the latest FEC to benefit from the illuminating glow of the UK-based firm. “Our newest installation continues our strong track record in the US,” added Ventola. “It’s been tough times for the FEC industry but what we’re doing is asking businesses to take the time now to renovate and upgrade, so that they can reap the benefits when the pandemic finally dissipates. “Our system uses low power network cable technology, so not only is it quick and easy to install but it can also save money in unsteady times, as well as looking impressive in common FEC areas like laser tag, bowling and gaming arcades. I’d encourage all business owners to look into the benefits provided by our VAvR LED lighting.” n news 6 KIOSK solutions6 KIOSK solutionsnews Shanghai transport hub installs 1,800sqm of Absen LED 1,800sqm of Absen’s LED has been installed in the OXO City area of Shanghai Hongqiao airport; one of China’s most important transportation hubs. The centrepiece of this ambitious project is a gigantic 700sqm videowall at the airport’s exit, which welcomes travellers and visitors into the adjacent shopping environment, featuring a further 40 screens arranged into eight cubes, all of which are used to display the same vivid, cyberpunk-inspired 3D video content. After winning the project, the client installation team decided that the high brightness, colour uniformity, and flexible configuration of Absen’s new KL series made it the ideal fit for such a high-profile installation. “The sheer size of the screens calls for displays with exceptional flatness,” said Absen sales manager Ying Chen. “The content played on the screen is very immersive – especially the 3D portions – so the LED panels had to be flawless and offer outstanding image quality. Having been used successfully for numerous other prominent installations, including the Galanz, and Sany Group in China, Absen’s KL series has proved to be a perfect choice for its robust performance and stability.” Absen’s KL is a front and rear installation and maintenance product with a depth of 70mm and weighing at 7.8kg per panel. In addition, KL is an all-in-one product, with PSU (power supply units), cables, receiving cards and the other key components inside, which makes both installation and maintenance of the panels as easy as possible for end users. “Building such a gigantic fixed indoor LED display in such a central place with a heavy passenger flow is challenging,” said Chen. “OXO City has very strict regulations and restrictions, so the project had its share of challenges. During the installation process, Absen’s team of engineers had to work together with experts and technicians from different institutions involved in this project, making a number of adjustments in the process.” Despite the scale of this new installation at OXO City, it merely serves as the first stage of a much grander project, with a further 4,200sqm of LED panels to be added in the near future. Terry Zhu, the product director for Absen, concluded: “The giant LED display is becoming more and more important in the infrastructure of the biggest cities in China and the rest of the world. Absen is proud to be involved in this landmark project, and with 19 years of devotion to this industry, Absen has a wealth of experience in these high-end projects, as well as the confidence to fulfil every requirement our customers have.” n KIOSK solutions 7 Tampa set to install digital kiosks, WiFi hotspots downtown The Tampa Downtown Partnership has partnered with IKE Smart City of Columbus, Ohio to install 30 digital informational kiosks around the city in 2021, each of which will include information on local businesses and serve as a free wireless hotspot. Most of the touchscreen kiosks will be placed in and around downtown; a few will go to “underserved communities,” said Shaun Drinkard, the partnership’s senior director of public programming and operations, including potentially East and West Tampa. Partnership leaders are hoping to install the first kiosks in high-traffic areas before the Super Bowl in February. Each IKE (Interactive Kiosk Experience) features information about local businesses, attractions and events. Users will be able to have directions and contact information texted from the kiosk directly to their phones. The city can also utilise the signs for things like job opportunities or public announcements. “We can directly put any kind of emergency information on all 30 kiosks within a matter of minutes,” Drinkard said. The Tampa Downtown Partnership will receive revenue through an agreement to manage content about local businesses. Drinkard said that money will be allocated toward upcoming downtown projects. nnews ITSB, announces strategic merger with AV specialist, Quad Vision Bournemouth-based IT company, ITSB, has completed a strategic merger with an audio visual specialist, Quad Vision, in a move to strengthen its service proposition to clients in a deal that was concluded just ahead of the second national lockdown. ITSB, which manages IT solutions, cloud infrastructure and IT Security for business, education and charitable sector clients, has merged with Wimborne-based Quad Vision, an audio visual specialist in the field of digital display systems such as video conferencing and digital signage screens, as well as COVID-19 solutions such as LCD hand sanitiser displays and contactless thermometer displays. Quad Vision now sits as the audio and visual arm of ITSB and this consolidation allows both firms to bolster not only their services and product portfolio but also their technical expertise, specifically within dedicated Video conferencing room capabilities. Lee Dredge, CEO of ITSB, said: “Since the first national lockdown we experienced a significant increase in demand for our services, predominantly implementing technologies like Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams which allow for productive remote working. Sanjay Saini at Quad Vision and I have been professional friends for many years and our merger discussions started some time ago, before the pandemic hit. We recognised that by joining forces we can strengthen our service proposition to existing and future customer bases, plus creating the ability to deliver professional conference room solutions via Microsoft Teams. “Despite the current climate both ITSB and Quad Vision are on target for 30% growth this financial year, demonstrating that businesses across the region see the importance of investing in technology to support them through challenging times.” Sanjay Saini, Managing Director at Quad Vision, added: “We are delighted to be joining forces with ITSB and to work collaboratively on projects. This merger enables us to propel the growth of all services, continue to provide high-end and large installs to clients, as well as specialist bespoke solutions. “We anticipate this move will benefit our businesses in terms of growth, strength in numbers and the ability to complement each other’s products much more closely. This is a decision born from aligned synergies and not necessity, together propelling our businesses to the next level.” ITSB and Quad Vision are both a part of the TECHNEDs Investment LLP family who handled the high-level structuring of the strategic merger. TECHNEDs’ own Simon Mewett will remain as Chairman to both ITSB & Quad Vision, with Iain McKenzie serving as Non-Executive Director. Lee Dredge will remain as CEO to both organisations and Sanjay Saini will become CTO. n 8 KIOSK solutions ViewSonic launches the ColorPro VP68a series of Pantone validated monitors ViewSonic Corp., has announced the introduction of two new Pantone validated monitors to the ColorPro VP68a Series, including the VP2768a (27in) and VP2468a (24in). Both come standard with out-of-box colour accuracy, colour blindness modes, and USB-C one-cable solution. “ViewSonic’s professional monitor VP series provides consistent and accurate colour performance with industry colour standards,” said Oscar Lin, Head of Monitor BU at ViewSonic. “With 100% colour performance and Pantone validation, the new VP68a Series of Pantone validated monitors set a new standard for colour performance to meet the discerning needs of creators for boosted productivity with increased workflow efficiency.” Pantone is the standard language for colour which plays a critical role to assist designers, producers, and brands making decisions every day. The VP68a Series has been verified and factory tuned with a series of in-house colour tests and the VP2768a and VP2468a have both been evaluated by Pantone and met the requirements to be Pantone validated by passing the full range simulation test of 2,161 colors of the Pantone Formula Guide. In addition to the colour accuracy, VP68a monitors assist those with colour blindness by offering two unique modes: colour blindness simulation and colour blindness filter. These features help both creators and end-users by allowing them to see how the artwork would appear from a colour blindness perspective and aid those who are colour blind to better see on-screen details respectively. With USB-C one cable solution with multiple connection ports, VP68a monitors can quickly deliver video and audio as well as up to 90W power charging, allowing users to charge their laptops and smartphones. The USB-C one-cable solution, which is designed to make it suitable for enterprises and design studios, also includes Ethernet connectivity, making wired connections more reliable than wireless network connections. nnews Development, systems integration and software specialist, SolidSense was set the challenge to create an impressive touch installation for a major trade fair demonstration. Through the use of Zytronic’s patented projected capacitive technology (MPCT) combined with its proprietary controller technology, a multitouch, super-slim, interactive transparent OLED (tOLED) display was created that is unparalleled in the audio visual market. Often, optical-based touch technologies are used in large format AV applications based on perceived cost. However, with such an eye-catching display, this would have created an unsightly border around the tOLED, and therefore did not meet the ‘invisible touch’ design requirements specified by customers. So, in cooperation with partners Innovatus and Printec-DS, a bespoke touch solution was developed, which gives a ‘stealth’ interactive upgrade to the transparent, super slim display, which is imperceptible to the user. Mounted upon LG’s latest 55in tOLED, Zytronic’s ZyBrid sensor adds responsive multitouch capability, delivering up to 100 simultaneous points of interaction. Zytronic has invested in its proprietary touch ASIC embedded within the ZXY500 controller. Consequently, in this application, it was able to be bonded directly, and invisibly, to the surface glass of the tOLED, with no air gap whatsoever between the touch sensor and display. As a result, the parallax was eliminated, assuring precise and accurate touches, and critical for this application, delivering a stylish frameless design barely thicker than the ultra-slim tOLED itself. n Cutting-edge transparent OLED receives a seamless multitouch upgrade from Zytronic Digi International unveils Digi IX10 router Digi International has launched the Digi IX10 industrial router. The newest addition to the Digi IX industrial cellular router family is purpose-built to provide cost-effective, rightsized connectivity in industrial infrastructure environments, including: digital signage, critical asset monitoring, and unattended retail applications. The Digi IX10 offers a comprehensive feature set with advanced manageability, security, reliability, and network intelligence in a rugged form factor for remote assets located in geographically dispersed locations and harsh industrial environments. The router fully integrates with Digi Remote Manager, Digi’s acclaimed device management cloud platform that unlocks the full potential of IoT solutions. Remote Manager adds visibility into mission-critical assets along with group configuration, monitoring, and control of thousands of devices through a single console or integration into enterprise systems through available APIs. In addition, the IX10 provides in-depth traffic analysis and bandwidth monitoring through NetFlow, while enhancing device security and identity and data privacy through Digi TrustFence, Digi’s built-in security framework. The Digi IX10 features global LTE Category 4 connectivity in a single SKU reducing the need for customers to maintain regional variants. The IX10 will support RS-232/485 for out-of- band (OOB) management scenarios, as well as Modbus for use within industrial settings such as utility meters and reclosers, oilfield applications, and industrial automation. Through dual SIM slots and Digi SureLink, the IX10 provides reliable cellular connections with fast failover to maintain uptime via multiple cellular carriers. “Industrial and distributed IoT applications are a core focus for Digi,” said Randall Kerr, Director of Product Management at Digi International. “The IX10 extends our commitment to providing best-in-class capabilities matching specific customer needs. With the IX product family, we can respond to a broad range of industrial IoT network challenges while ensuring reliability, security, and manageability.” This product debut comes on the heels of the Digi IX20 launch, demonstrating Digi’s commitment to providing a comprehensive suite of products and solutions that matches user needs and addresses highly complex connectivity challenges. Digi’s family of routers supports numerous industries, including industrial settings, transportation, traffic management, and emergency response. The Digi IX10 is available now in the U.S., Canada, Europe (and countries that honour CE), Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Colombia. Certifications are ongoing for Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, and Malaysia, and are expected to be finalised by mid-next year. n KIOSK solutions 9Next >