FutureHotchpotch

How Bitcoin could revolutionize remittance in Africa

The problem they are looking to fix is a big one, though the opportunity is also enormous. Remittances to and within Africa are big business. There are more than 30 million Africans living in the diaspora, sending home US$40 billion per year, an amount which is steadily increasing. This amounts to an average per migrant of US$1,200.

Yet the cost of these transaction is hurting those sending and receiving money. Total annual fees amount to US$1.4 billion. Western Union and MoneyGram dominate the field, with 50 percent or more market share across most of Africa, but charge an average of 12.3 percent to send just US$200. Acceptance of payments by merchants is also an issue, with less than three percent of Africans owning credit cards, bank transfers as expensive as remittances and PayPal not yet widespread.

Augmented And Virtual Reality To Hit $150 Billion, Disrupting Mobile By 2020

Level-Ups

Proof-of-concept VR peripheral are mechanical stilts which provide a sense of elevation when standing on a virtual object:

We present “Level-Ups”, computer-controlled stilts that allow virtual reality users to experience walking up and down steps. Each Level-Up unit is a self-contained device worn like a boot. Its main functional element is a vertical actuation mechanism mounted to the bottom of the boot that extends vertically. Unlike traditional solutions that are integrated with locomotion devices, Level-Ups allow users to walk around freely (“real-walking”). We present Level-Ups in a demo environment based on a head-mounted display, optical motion capture, and integrated with a game engine.