- Date published
It's straight outta sci-fi - and wildly cool.
Connecting with people is a deep human need. And Connection, a new member company at efactory, has made communication even easier.
What they’ve developed is straight out of a science fiction movie. When you want to chat with your mom, friend, child, spouse – the people you need more immediate, open, connection to – all you do is press a button and you’re right there with them.
“You can walk down Times Square in New York City, have that conversation and the person on the other side shouldn’t even be able to hear anything besides your voice,” said Logan Taylor, director of design for Connection.
Opening your phone, you encounter hundreds of distractions. Notifications. Social media. Games. Reminders. You’re immediately confronted with the reality that you’ve got stuff to do.
What was it you opened your phone for to begin with?
“You get so distracted with notifications. There’s lots of friction there. And what we’re looking to do hopefully is create a friction-free communication experience,” Taylor said.
“On your phone you can lose track of what’s important and what’s not because it’s just too much,” said Kevin Parker, Connection’s founder.
Making tech work for you
Parker and Taylor have worked together for over a decade on and off. With their complementary skill sets – Parker an award-winning master software developer and Taylor an experienced industrial designer – this concept marries their expertise.
“Our skill sets really coalesce around the realization of complex electronic devices,” Taylor said. “When we first conceptualized it, we started calling it ‘The next generation of communication.’”
Wearing it as a pendant or badge, you’re just one click from talking with your favorite contacts.
However, the team never intended to replace the phone, something they say is “nearly perfect.” But iPhone or Android lover or not, the experience of a phone causes friction when you’re trying to connect with someone.
Possibilities = Endless
Beyond the bud-on-a-button functionality, Kevin says he’s built in the AI needed to take Connection to the next level. You can chat with a sophisticated AI persona about whatever you need – directions to Miami? Done. Fixing your car? No problem. Assessing illness? With the right information – absolutely. These personas are a jumping off point for the future (for an already future-focused product).
“Originally, it wasn’t an AI device. First and foremost, it was a communication device. But it felt like a waste of processing power,” Parker said.
Now, they see amazing opportunities to bring Connection to other markets outside of person to person, including:
- The corporate world – to have direct access to employees and colleagues
- First responders – to improve communication among team members or those in a crisis
- Museums or schools – to share information with large groups
- Surgeons – to dictate and process transcriptions into electronic medical records
