At Mobile Marketing were proud to help tech companies showcase their cutting-edge solutions, whether its on our website, in our magazine or at our Mobile Marketing Summits. Giving a platform to companies that are breaking new ground in their market brings audiences one step closer to the ideas and developments that will shape tomorrow.

In that spirit, our Innovation Lab feature takes a step beyond the world of apps, ads and handsets with slightly bigger screens, in order to share some of the tech worlds innovative ideas. They might be interesting, disruptive or just outright strange, but these are the stories that have caught our eye over the past week.

Connected Pigeons Will Track London Air Quality

Plume Labs, a tech firm that helps the public track and reduce their exposure to air pollution, has launched a flock of pollution-monitoring pigeons in London that will help monitor pollution levels using specially designed backpacks.

The initiative, created in partnership with marketing and technology agency DigitasLBi, aims to raise awareness of air quality in the capital, and will see ten birds released over the course of three days to form the Pigeon Air Patrol.

The pigeons are fitted with lightweight pollution sensors that are stitched onto small fabric vests that fit comfortably onto the pigeons and will measure levels of nitrogen dioxide and ozone, the two main gases behind harmful air pollution in built-up areas. Londoners will be able to tweet their location to @PigeonAir to receive an instant response from one of the pigeons, telling them about the level of pollution in the area.

“Air pollution isnt sexy and people dont engage with it,” said Pierre Duquesnoy, creative director at DigitasLBi. “So the heart of our idea was to make air pollution more accessible and relevant to people. The Pigeon Air Patrol is a perfect example of how data combined with creative storytelling can raise awareness of a serious health and environmental issue.”

Tech Festival Will See Concert Hosted Inside Minecraft

UK-based electronic duo AlunaGeorge will headline a concert taking place inside popular video game Minecraft as part of the annual Gathering tech festival held in Hamar, Norway.

While the band plays onstage for attendees at the festival, a team of artists and volunteers will translate their performance into a synced in-game version using avatars, mirroring the live experience for players around the world.

The in-game event will have a limited attendance, just like a real life concert, with the servers only able to accommodate between 2000 and 3000 people, and has been advertised in-game in the build up to the show using posters designed using the games Lego-style creation tools.

“There have been plenty of other music experiences in the Minecraft universe, but not like this,” said Erik Heisholt, creative chief and founder of Heisholt Inc, who conceptualised the event. “This will be the worlds first live Minecraft concert.”

Now You Can Monitor Your Robot Mower Using Your Apple Watch
Swedish firm Husqvarna has released a new Apple Watch app, Automower Connect, that enables your to mow your lawn from anywhere in the world with a few quick finger swipes on your wrist.

“21 years ago Husqvarna set the first robotic mower on the market, and we have been pushing the technological frontier ever since,” said Olle Markusson, robotic category manager at Husqvarna. “With Automower Connect for Apple Watch, Husqvarna takes the user experience to yet another level and strengthens its innovation lead in the growing robotic mower market.”

The app works with three of Husqvarnas robotic mowers, and the one-touch display allows users to monitor the current status of the robotic mower, configure its settings, start and stop it remotely, and receive alarm and location notifications in the event their mower is stolen.

Dominos Prepares to Delivery Pizza Via Robot

Dominos has always been a company that embraced what mobile technology could offer, and now the firm is taking that one step further, as the Australian branch of the pizza delivery company introduces an autonomous robot that can deliver orders to consumers.

The Dominos Robotic Unit (or DRU for short) is capable of delivering food within a 20-mile radius on a single charge, and uses Dominos existing GPS navigation software to negotiate its way to its destination, using an array of sensors to avoid obstacles. The robot is also equipped with security cameras, to prevent theft and vandalism, and to access the food inside, you need a unique code that is sent to your mobile phone.

The units are currently being tested in New Zealand, and are restricted to bike and foot paths, as their top speed is only 12 miles per hour. However, if the test is successful, you could soon see squadrons of DRUs trundling down the pavement in a city near you.

Wearable Patch Will Track Diabetes Using Sweat

Diabetes is a dangerous disease that affects a growing proportion of the population, and requires sufferers to keep track of their glucose levels to ensure theyre not at rest of an attack. Scientists in South Korea have created a new wearable that aims to take the difficulty out of monitoring blood sugar levels, but using sweat to track it.

The graphene-based armband monitors both glucose and pH levels using an electrochemically-active material and an enzyme-based glucose sensor that can react to perspiration, removing the need for daily blood tests. The results are then sent to a smartphone app, which can trigger a dose of medication through a built-in array of microneedles if needed.

South Korea has seen a drastic increase in the prevalence of diabetes recently, driven by longer lifespans, decreased physical activity and childhood obesity. The Institute of Basic Science, which developed the armband, hopes their device will help those already suffering from diabetes and simplify their treatment.