Five Highlights from the 2021 Venice VR Expanded Competition

Standouts from the 37 extended-reality projects at the 78th Venice International Film Festival

Presenting another milestone extended-reality roster, the Venice VR Expanded division of the 78th Venice International Film Festival includes 37 projects from 21 different countries, available to view on site in Italy (1-11 September) and online (1-19 September). The prestigious annual event’s programming once again conveys the pioneering spirit and advancing capabilities of virtual, augmented and mixed reality. With the support of Facebook’s Oculus and HTC’s Viveport, …

Eight Sleep’s Comfortable Pod Pro Smart Mattress Monitors Health

Through thermoregulation and app-connected biofeedback, this tech-forward product enhances sleep fitness

Anyone who has perused direct-to-consumer mattress options online understands just how many are out there, differentiating themselves through firmness, foam, coil or cushion. And, undeniably, many of them really are quite extraordinary and well-priced. But Eight Sleep—thanks to their Pod Pro smart mattress—sets itself apart in an almost unfathomable way. It’s a five-layer premium foam mattress that’s 12 inches deep, with an integrated contouring foam topper. It …

Koniku’s Scent-Detecting Device

An “iridescent purple nipple the size of a steering wheel” could be the answer to one of biotech’s trickiest problems: creating a device that successfully detects and recognizes odors. Koniku, founded and helmed by Osh Agabi, creates neurotechnology devices; one of their products is the aforementioned “purple nipple,” known as the Konikore. Within the device, living nerve cells are “suspended inside a proprietary solution designed …