< Previousnews KIOSK solutions To share your company news, product announcements, strategic partnerships, movers and shakers in the next issue of Kiosk Solutions magazine, email the editor at: editor.kiosk@abacus-comms.co.uk Inurface Media has partnered with Active International, a corporate trade company offering businesses options that will help them adapt to the current climate and future challenges. This collaboration will allow inurface to offer several solutions and products to existing and potential customers, allowing customers to utilise the benefits of digital signage and health technology across any number and type of businesses by financing their investments through Active International’s trade model. With over 12 years' experience as a digital solutions company, Inurface offer bespoke, end-to-end digital signage solutions. Partnering with Active International enables customers to finance their investments using existing assets. A business utilising Active's Corporate Trade model can use their goods, services and even media inventory to help fund the cost of Inurface's work and products. This partnership will allow more companies to consider solutions that can proactively support their business as they adapt to a new reality. The innovative solutions, many developed specifically this year, that CEO Josh Bunce and the team at Inurface proudly offer, could prove invaluable for businesses both big and small across industry sectors; helping to ensure optimal safety and productivity and enabling them to stay open, when possible, and earning. Scalable technologies like traffic management systems, thermal cameras and smart hand sanitisers combine inurface's digital expertise, and new specific hygiene and monitoring requirements that many businesses are seeking. While currently businesses may focus investments on safety products, inurface also offer a range of digital signage, bespoke solutions and advice. These products, helping ensure the best customer and employee environments in the long term. Whether large scale visual installations, individual information points or interactive signage, the range of options Inurface can offer are vast, and all fully accessible through the Active International Partnership. Josh Bunce, CEO and Founder of Inurface, said: "This new partnership with Active is something we are incredibly proud of. We want to ensure that as many people can access the technology solutions we have created and know that the Active team can help more people consider these options as viable. “Right now while we are a business individually, but we rely on other companies opening and running to survive, so it is in everyone's interest to try and establish a situation which is as safe as possible for businesses in the hope this will stop any further disruptions or steps backwards. Active's expertise and client base are unrivalled in their field and we hope this is the start of a long-term partnership." Kieron Murphy, Media Director at Active, added: “During these times of continual change, the one constant that all businesses face is the need to find commercial solutions that preserve cash flow and boost consumer demand. We are delighted to be working with inurface media to provide our clients alternative ways to fund next-generation digital display signage to enhance their customers’ in store experience.” n Inurface Media launches new partnership with Active International 10 KIOSK solutionsnews KioTouch: Creating opportunities beyond touchless In 2019 a study showed just how unsanitary quick-service restaurant kiosks are and how kiosks can put customers at risk for picking up a range of harmful bacteria. Shortly after this study was released the development team at KioWare began designing KioTouch, a touchless kiosk interface. Using KioTouch, the user of a kiosk would scan a QR code generated on the attract screen and then be empowered to use their mobile device as a trackpad-style mouse to interact with the kiosk’s program. Moving out of development and into the release phase, KioWare was focused primarily on the features that made KioTouch unique as it related to the safety aspect of a touchless interface. However, the door was left open for this touchless tool to evolve and grow beyond its purpose as a more sanitary interface with shared devices and self- service kiosks. For instance, because users scan a QR code to interface with the kiosk through a mobile device, they do not need to be directly in front of the kiosk. This means a company could implement a display that faces out of the building that customers could use even when the business is closed. This is beneficial on many levels because not only does it give customers access to some of the same information and services that they would have if the business was open, but it also alleviates congestion and overcrowding within the facility while it is operational. This is crucial in a society dealing with a pandemic-like COVID-19 and keeping people as socially distanced as possible. Suppose a business has digital displays, but they are static and unable to be used without adding hardware such as a mouse and/or keyboard or replacing the existing display with a touchscreen display. KioTouch requires no hardware retrofits of any kind. This means that taking a static display and installing KioTouch would effectively give it the same functionality as an interactive touchscreen display, without the physical interface. The benefits stack as not only is KioTouch more sanitary than using a touchscreen interface, but also it has the potential to save a company thousands of dollars in hardware costs related to replacing static displays with interactive touchscreen displays. KioTouch helps in lessening the spread of bacteria as well as helping to keep costs down while adding a new layer of convenience. n KIOSK solutions 11 Touch solutions company, TES America LLC, acquires 3M Touch Systems asset portfolio TES America LLC, a company in the touch solutions market, announces the acquisition of certain assets of 3M Touch Systems, a subsidiary of 3M Company. 3M Touch Systems specialises in Surface Capacitive (SCT) and Projected Capacitive (PCAP) components and displays for commercial applications in industries as diverse as casino gaming, medical equipment, public kiosks, collaboration tables and financial transactions. The purchase enhances the current TES touch component and monitor portfolio while offering continued support to current 3M Touch Systems customers. “We look forward to embracing 3M’s customers and providing them the consistent 3M touch solution they have come to expect. With our vast knowledge of touch sensor engineering, manufacturing, and systems capabilities, our key objective is to seamlessly integrate 3M’s touch offerings and support all our customers towards new levels of success,” stated Mark Littlefield, TES America President. TES plans to maintain all existing 3M Touch products as well as continued support and expansion of the MicroTouch brand of touch monitors. “By combining the strength of 3M Touch Systems’ brand with the touch industry innovation and factory-direct product of TES, we will be able to offer customers not only a broad product mix of components, monitors and touch computers, but also greater efficiency and flexibility through our regional engineering, local customer support and global warehousing capabilities,” said Gene Halsey, TES America General Manager. TES’ strength in the interactive display industry comes from over 30 years of industry knowledge coupled with a cutting-edge manufacturing process to provide touch solutions for well-known electronic devices to kiosk integrators in the financial, hospitality, medical, retail point- of-sale and industrial markets. TES specialises in complete customisation from single components to touch monitors to embedded touch computers in sizes ranging from 7 inches to 86 inches. We provide our customers with a local solutions partner backed by a global network. nnews Deneva launches DENEVA.Catalog The situation caused by COVID-19 has meant a change for customer experience in the retail industry. In response, Deneva has reinforced its portfolio of solutions with DENEVA. Catalog, a new way of presenting and segmenting digital signage content in real time, which aims to provide a better service to establishments in a face-to-face manner, as well as to help preserve health safety. DENEVA.Catalog allows store personnel to launch content on demand through their mobile device, tablet, or the web desktop itself, to any screen in their store managed through DENEVA. In this way, a much more personalised attention is achieved by displaying the specific information required by each customer, getting a higher retention of the message and, therefore, a greater impact on face-to-face sales. In addition, it can also be used as a tool for tele- training or as a second screen at the consulting booth. This new smart tech application from Deneva progresses in the digitalisation of the retail sector in favour of the connected and experiential store, where now the digital signage plays an important role by ensuring greater comfort and security of the purchasing process at the physical store, thus regaining the users' trust. n BrightSign partners with Walls.io to build social media walls BrightSign, LLC, has announced its collaboration with Walls.io, a marketing solution for the creation of social media content hubs. The partnership will enable content managers in retail, live events, education, hospitality and corporate environments to collect and curate user- generated content across multiple social platforms on to a digital signage display, powered by BrightSign players. Commenting on the partnership, Michael Kamleitner, CEO of Walls.io, said “We are delighted to partner with BrightSign and offer our customers the option to proudly display their curated social media walls through its digital signage solutions. BrightSign is a leader in content management and partner networks, with an impressive hardware portfolio of reliable players which spans the entire market from high performance, top-end installations to simple entry- level solutions. The fact that both BrightSign and Walls.io technologies are based on open standards meant that integration was swift and straightforward, taking less than two months. We are particularly impressed with BrightSign’s support for large installations, which will be popular with our events and tradeshow customers in the coming months. The power and flexibility offered by BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected is also a huge win. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with BrightSign.” Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign added, “Walls.io is a global leader in social media hubs and its flexible and innovative technology is widely implemented by major institutions and blue chip brands around the world. This new integration significantly widens the options for our customers who seek new ways to engage with their audiences and encourage them to share their own content. User-generated content is the future for digital signage, and with Walls.io, BrightSign is at the forefront of this trend.” Walls.io was launched in 2014 from a parent company with over ten years’ experience in social media marketing. The walls allow marketers to collect, curate and display social media posts from a large number of different platforms in one customisable display solution. The technology empowers brands and organisations to leverage user-generated content to create engagement, increase organic reach and raise awareness. n 12 KIOSK solutionsnews Vestel strengthens its Deneva partnership with Deneva-approved digital signage solution In a move that is set to build on its long-standing global partnership with Deneva software producer, ICON Multimedia, professional display manufacturer, Vestel Visual Solutions, has introduced a new Deneva and certified System-on-Chip technology solution. Allowing all the capabilities of the Deneva platform to be integrated into the entire Vestel line-up of 43in to 98in digital signage displays, the new solution offers an extra competitive advantage to integrators, widening the spectrum of opportunities for projects across a vast range of industry applications. Offering the possibility of a seamless and cost-efficient turnkey digital signage solution with a world-renowned, scalable and user-friendly software, this embedded SoC technology ensures that considerable savings can be achieved for everything from small digital signage setups to special, bespoke projects, and time-sensitive, multinational rollouts. As well as eliminating the need for any middleware, it streamlines the deployment process, while also working to keep installation, operational and maintenance costs to a minimum. As soon as it is connected to power and network, this out-of-the-box display solution ensures automated, centralised control of small, medium and enterprise level digital signage networks, enabling end users to develop network applications, as well as create and schedule multimedia content in any resolution for one, some or all of the displays. For more immersive showcases, much of the Vestel range of digital signage supports the display and playback of 4K UHD HDR content. Building on the success of its tried and trusted partnership with Deneva in retail, corporate and QSR industries, Vestel Visual Solutions, with its new integrated Deneva solution, is now in a position to offer even greater built-in specialist and targeted support. Compatible with all the latest Deneva range of software applications, the solution ensures custom-built functionality for all sectors, ranging from retail, QSR, finance, supermarkets and hospitality, to corporate, education, transport, and healthcare. The SoC-powered range of Vestel displays are now also approved for compatibility with the new Deneva Safe and Tech solution. This utilises AI, Big Data and biometric systems to ensure businesses can more easily comply with the latest Covid-19 regulations for maximum in-store capacities, mask wearing and social distancing. Designed for portrait and landscape orientations, the flexible Vestel series can be adapted to suit any environment, coming with a range of display capabilities, which include continuous 16/7 and 24/7 run-times, as well as brightness levels of up to 2,500 Nits. The SoC technology solution will be available for the entire Vestel digital signage line-up from 2021 onwards. n KIOSK solutions 13 Absen delivers LED display solutions for Kaisa Prosperity Kaisa Prosperity, a large real estate developer in China, utilised cutting edge digital signage technology from Absen to unlock the full potential of Guangzhou Kaisa Baiyun City Plaza’s newly developed premises. Absen, worked with Jiake Intelligent to customise a complete suite of breath- taking LED solutions. Guangzhou Kaisa Baiyun City Plaza is located at the heart of the Baiyun district of Guangzhou city in Guangdong province. The Plaza is a combination of residential buildings, large business centres, commercial local Lingnan style streets, lifestyle hotels and more. “LED is one of the cutting-edge technologies that Kaisa has been utilising in its various properties across the country,” said Qin Yi, manager of Innovation R&D Department at Jiake Intelligent. “LED has the power to bring interactive, visual experiences to any location, and the innovative digital solution that we delivered jointly with Absen to the Plaza fulfils this purpose.” Installed inside and out of the sales centre on the Guangzhou Baiyun Kaisa City Plaza, where Kaisa showcase their properties, the LED display solutions include an epic 3D OOH display, a bespoke immersive LED cave, a seamless LED video wall and four LED strips in the lobby inside the building. Absen’s range of creative digital solutions deliver astounding visuals and impactful brand and property messages to visitors. nnews 14 KIOSK solutions Reading FC partners with Vestel Visual Solutions to enhance its Bearwood Park training facility Vestel Visual Solutions, a global manufacturer of professional display solutions, has announced it has been selected by Reading Football Club as its official Visual Technology Partner. Vestel’s digital signage, interactive screens and video walls have been deployed throughout the club’s training complex at Bearwood Park in order to support a number of activities, ranging from tactical analysis to providing players with fitness and nutritional advice. The new Bearwood Park facility is home to Reading FC’s men’s and women’s first teams, young professionals (Under- 23s and Under-18s) and Academy players from ages 8 to 18. It also houses the coaching staff and management team, alongside a significant proportion of the club’s administrative staff. Amongst its numerous training pitches are three full-sized first team pitches that mirror the exact dimensions of Madejski Stadium, a floodlit all-weather surface, and a goalkeeping practice area. Reading FC has now equipped the facility with Vestel’s screens to digitally enhance areas such as the yoga room and first team gym, the media room - which includes an interactive screen that uses touch screen technology to support both interviews and analysis - the Academy and the women’s Academy, the manager’s office, the parent’s room, reception areas, the medical room and multiple classrooms. These solutions will support the education, training, rehabilitation and performance of the club’s players, as well as its corporate activities. “Our commitment to the elite performance of our players meant we outgrew our old training facility, Hogwood Park, and as a result we’ve spent a number of years designing and building Bearwood Park,” said Tim Kilpatrick, Head of Sales and Partnerships at Reading Football Club. “We chose Vestel to support our vision for the facility, both because of the quality of its screens and for the dedicated support provided by its team, who truly understand our needs. Vestel’s solutions will play an integral role in the daily training programmes followed by our first team, women’s team and the next generation of Reading players, whilst also supporting the club’s corporate ambitions.” “From a playing perspective, Vestel’s technology will play a significant part in the training and development of players across every age group,” said manager Veljko Paunović. “Both our men’s and women’s first team operate at an elite level and being able to constantly communicate key information to players throughout every day spent at the training ground - whether that is providing tactical analysis in training areas, or rehabilitation information in the physio room - can make the difference and help us gain a competitive edge. “Equally, with our esteemed Academy seen as such a crucial part in the club’s long-term plans, we are now able to use Vestel’s displays to provide younger players with the same information as we do our senior teams.” Equipping training grounds with state-of-the-art AV technology is important, not just for upgrading the look and feel of the venue, but also to diversify the ways in which it is used. For example, digital signage and interactive screens can be used for analysing player performance and the strategy of upcoming opponents, as well as to display medical and training information, providing insight for Academy players’ parents, or to support the executive team with presentations and meetings. Video walls can also be used for various educational or performance content and to boost morale with inspirational messaging. Maintaining its status as a Category 1 Academy within the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is also instrumental to Reading’s long-term strategy, and comes with a number of obligations which Vestel’s solutions will support the club in meeting. This is not just limited to the support and training on offer from a football perspective, but also in the club’s duty to provide formal education to its Academy players - with Vestel displays also being used in these classroom environments. “AV solutions are an extremely effective tool to help football clubs achieve their core objectives - whether in terms of training, marketing, corporate activity or purely for entertainment value,” said David Flintoft, Sales and Marketing Director, Vestel Visual Solutions. “Reading FC has an impressive training programme and Bearwood Park has been intuitively designed to support this. We are thrilled to have played a part in bringing the facility to life with our technology, and are looking forward to continuing our partnership with the Club.” n KIOSK solutions To share your company news, product announcements, strategic partnerships, movers and shakers in the next issue of Kiosk Solutions magazine, email the editor at: editor.kiosk@abacus-comms.co.uk news Axiomtek’s new compact-size embedded system targets intelligent IoT based automation solutions – eBOX630-528-FL Axiomtek has announced the eBOX630- 528-FL; a new fanless embedded system powered by the 8th generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 or Intel Celeron ULT processor. The quad-core embedded box PC is designed with exceptional platform performance, abundant I/O interfaces, a wide-range power source, and triple display outputs. Its ultra-slim design allows it to be integrated for space-constraint applications. It also supports Axiomtek’s exclusive AXView 2.0 intelligent remote monitoring software to fulfill the requirement of remote monitoring. The eBOX630-528- FL is designed for smart production, machine automation, product testing, smart warehouse and AIoT-related applications. The eBOX630-528-FL has a dual- channel DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM socket for up to 64GB of system memory. It also features two swappable 2.5in HDD drive bays and one mSATA slot for flexible storage options. For extra expansions, the rugged computer has two full-size PCIe Mini Card slots and one front- accessible SIM slot for various peripheral modules such as wireless modules, 3G/4G or LTE. Additionally, the fanless embedded box PC supports the optional PoE function through PoE board to support applications that require the use of IP cameras or any PoE device, such as vision inspection. Additionally, the eBOX630-528-FL supports up to three independent displays via two HDMI and one VGA port. “Axiomtek’s eBOX630-528-FL adopts the Intel Core ULT Whiskey Lake processor to reduce energy costs without sacrifices in functionality or performance. This ultra-slim embedded system is capable of operating under wide temperature settings ranging from -40°C to +70°C and vibration of up to 3 Grms, which ensures reliable and stable performance,” said Janney Lee, product manager of Product PM Division at Axiomtek. “To be user-friendly and easy-to-deploy, the eBOX630-528-FL is specially designed with a front- accessible SIM slot and HDD drive bays. Moreover, it supports Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM 2.0) to ensure a secure system environment.” The Intel Core-based embedded box PC platform comes with diverse I/O interfaces including two RS- 232/422/485 ports, two RS-232 ports, two USB 3.1 Gen2 ports, two USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, three Gigabit Ethernet ports with Intel Ethernet Controller I211-AT and Intel Ethernet Connection I219-LM that supports iAMT, one 8-CH TTL port, two lockable HDMI ports, one VGA port, one audio port, and four SMA-type antenna openings. n Elo Access app offers premium tier for temperature screening Elo, a Silicon Valley-based global provider of interactive solutions, has announced enhancements to its Elo Access App. Originally launched as a quick and easy way to create, deploy and manage on premise access-control health questionnaires, the upgraded app now offers features including mask detection and automated temperature screening on Elo’s self-service kiosk. This solution is designed to simplify visitor management, enabling businesses to help protect employees, students, patients and guests in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, education and other public- interaction environments. When combined with Elo’s Temperature Sensor Pro and portfolio of Android devices for business, Elo has developed an all-in-one solution that enables resellers to help the businesses they support open quickly. Using the power of EloView, the Elo Access App can be deployed and managed remotely. The Premium App can be purchased as an annual subscription through distribution partners. Powering businesses in every corner of the globe, Elo’s unified architecture drives engaging self-order, patient check-in and consumer check-out experiences. “The growing desire to get out and resume normal activities in a safe and appropriate manner is driving the need for new technology-enabled safety solutions,” said Craig Witsoe, CEO of Elo. “The combination of upgraded Elo Access App and temperature check kiosk provides businesses with a simple, complete and highly visible safety check for their employees and visitors.” Building on the customisable questionnaire capabilities of the standard version of the Elo Access App, the premium version offers key features including: mask detection to determine if a user is wearing one; temperature scanning for automated, real-time temperature screening of employees and guests; email notifications to alert administrators when a temperature screening exceeds the set threshold; privacy mode for workflow options including viewing results on a personal device using a QR code or print out; data reporting and management capabilities to keep administrators informed from a central database; and facial recognition for pre-authorised individuals to expedite screening for known employees via Microsoft Outlook or Google Contacts upload. The App can be easily bundled with Elo’s 15-inch Android touchscreen, Temperature Sensor Pro and choice of stand for a complete ready to go kiosk. n KIOSK solutions 1516 KIOSK solutions16 KIOSK solutions support Many thanks to all our friends, clients, advertisers and contributors that were part of our family in 2020. We look forward to working with you in 2021. We recognise that it's been a difficult and challenging time for our industry and we want you to know that we understand the unique set of challenges you are currently facing. Our mission to support the kiosk and digital signage industry by sharing knowledge and connecting people is more important than ever. If you have a story to tell or a message to share, let us know. Our apologies if your company logo isn't shown. If you would like to make sure you're featured in the next issue, why not get in touch via editor.kiosk@abacus-comms.co.uk Wishing you a very happy and positive new year!KIOSK solutions 17KIOSK solutions 17 support ere part of our family in 2020. We look forward to working with you in 2021. dustry and we want you to know that we understand the unique set of e currently facing. ring knowledge and connecting people is more important than ever. message to share, let us know. mpany logo isn't shown. ue, why not get in touch via editor.kiosk@abacus-comms.co.uk a very happy e new year!creative thinking 18 KIOSK solutionsWith health at the front and foremost of all our minds, there have been some clear advances in how we use technology to ensure our safety. But while it is imperative that the measures made so far are at the very least maintained, there are many lessons we have learned in 2020 that will help us going forward into 2021 and beyond. The kiosk and digital signage industries should be congratulated for the agile and innovative way they have responded to the impact of the pandemic on their end markets. With so many new safety guidelines and consumer restrictions to be adhered to, innovations to increase customer engagement will leave a legacy in the minds of the customer, at least in the short term. And this means those end markets will need to continue to find new ways to create and adapt kiosk and digital signage solutions. We are now used to seeing temperature screening kiosks, plexi-glass barriers and anti-viral or antimicrobial coatings on screens and these will no doubt continue to be used. But there are other, more technologically advanced options available, helping to reduce human to human contact to ensure viral transmissions are mitigated. Consumers are rapidly getting accustomed to using contactless apps to avoid touching communal interactive screens. The QR code, not long ago considered outdated technology, has risen its black and white squared head once again above the parapet. QR codes are now regularly used to sign in to track and trace apps, to read menus and join queues, reducing the need for face to face contact by enabling customers to use a personal device only they have previously used. Contactless or touch free interactive displays have been developed with proximity sensors to allow the user to merely point to the button to interact with the screen. Some displays have gone further, using gesture based interfaces to indicate the users requirements, while others have provided apps to transfer the interaction to the users own mobile device. Digital signage vendors have noted the shift of wayfinding and informational messaging and found new channels that required social distancing guideline messages or gatekeeping signage to let customers know when it was safe to enter a store. Supermarkets, large retail outlets, hospitals and health centres are also using new ways to encourage people into their buildings whilst adhering to government guidelines on maximum capacities and social distancing. Smart queuing technologies via personal mobile devices enable shoppers and centre visitors to queue in the safety of their vehicles or away from other people without losing their place in line. Restrictions and lockdowns may be our current way of life but it's at these times that the creative thinker finds their biggest mojo. Technological enhancements and developments will always find a new way to work around the social constraints we are currently enduring. It's really just a case of pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones. Of course with the vaccination programme being rolled out, it may only be a matter of time before our lives are back to normal, new though that may be. But for the moment, let's think positive. Let's use this time to push those technological boundaries, to work on innovative ways to keep ourselves safe while interacting with business and leisure and create a brand new interactive world. n It's been a very long year but at last 2020 – the year of the pandemic – is over. Or at least we thought it was until the fledgling days of the new year were cut off in their prime and we were plunged back in lockdown again. By Laura Vallis Editor, Kiosk Solutions and Digital Signage Magazine The year of the creative thinker creative thinking KIOSK solutions 19Next >