What to Do at Digifest 2018
April 19, 2018
Digifest, the three-day creative technology festival, is back at Corus Quay this April 26-28. For this year’s festival, the theme “Hello Tomorrow: Our Creative Cities” will address the many problems that future cities will face.
As the earth’s population continues to rise, cities will confront issues in health, education, food, urban spaces, mobility and work. Digifest aims to address these problems by introducing innovative designs and ideas. This year’s festival features food sampling, keynote speakers and interactive VR experiences. Since the festival is so jam-packed, we’ve picked the top activity in each stream.
URBAN SPACES
What: Virtual City Environment
Where: Interactive Zone
When: All three days from 10 am–4 pm
From a team at McMaster University, the Virtual City Environment (VCE) offers a glance into the future of city planning. By using a 3D platform, the VCE can generate accurate city models and plan for potential problems caused by population, air pollution or traffic. Explore how this platform allows architects and engineers to plan for problems and correct them.
MOBILITY
What: The Future of Transportation
Where: Digifest Speakers
When: Day 1 - 11:30 am–12:00 pm
Listen to speaker Ryan Janzen of TransPod discuss the future of city mobility. Janzen, who is the co-founder of TransPod, a high-tech transportation design company, is working on the design for an ultra-high-speed aerospace vehicle. Learn how our current transportation services are failing cities and what we can expect to see in the future. Renewable sources, new designs and efficient transportation are all on Janzen’s agenda.
EDUCATION
What: Community App with Centennial College
Where: Student Showcase
When: All three days from 10 am-4 pm
Come see how the students at Centennial College have fixed the problem of busy schools and unorganized parents. Community is an app that allows parents to access information and documents about their child’s schooling. All information, such as newsletters and permission forms, can be uploaded into one area, allowing for a direct line of communication between the parents and the school.
HEALTH
What: CoolCat Innovations Pitch
Where: IT’S A START 2018
When: Day 2 – 4 pm-6 pm
Listen to CoolCat Innovations pitch their idea at the IT’S A START Pitch Competition. CoolCat has redesigned the hearing aid as we know it with Sonacles— eyeglasses that allow the user to hear. Instead of using air, Sonacles use vibration via the skull bone to allowing for better hearing. Sonacles are priced at a fraction of the cost of traditional hearing aids. They also feature Bluetooth music and a real-time frequency customizer.
WORK
What: Interactive Experience Economy Panel
Where: DigiFest Speakers
When: Day 2 – 9:15 am-10 am
As society changes with the demands of the future, how will consumers change the creative economies? Digifest presents a panel of speakers to address this question, featuring Jonathon Moneta from MakeLab, Matt Humphreys from Diff, Adriana Ieraci from Get Your Bot On!, Sujeevan Ratnasingham from Life Scanner and Nina Czegledy from OCAD.
FOOD
What: Alternative Proteins with One Hop Kitchen
Where: Food Tech Pop-up
When: Day 3, 10 am-4 pm
One Hop Kitchen is introducing the world to the first-ever pasta sauce made with insect protein. One Hop aims to spread awareness of the benefits of insect protein and prove that it can taste delicious. Insect protein is sustainable, low in saturated fats and has the same amount of protein as beef. Each jar of pasta sauce saves 300 gallons of water during manufacturing compared to beef. Be sure to try each of their three flavours; Cricket Bolognese, Mealworm Bolognese and Spicy Cricket Arrabbiata.
Tickets ($25-$100) are still available to Digifest 2018. Get them here.—Sabrina Gamrot