VentureSquare sits down with Sung Hyun Lim of Anyractive to discuss bringing interaction to the classroom, meeting with Google, and how to make the most of visiting Silicon Valley.
Just because there are more smart devices in class doesn’t mean people are writing any smarter. Projectors, wi-fi networks, and screen-mirroring capabilities make sharing things visually easier. However, the classroom environment encourages interaction and input from both teacher and student. Screen-mirroring and projection is still a very one-sided affair and is ripe for improvement.
Meet Anyractive’s Sung Hyun Lim. He believes Anyractive has the solution.
“Though whiteboards are widely available, people either take photos with their smartphones and share them online or they re-type everything. Digital writing is on the rise and we came up with this whiteboard concept that can be used anytime at a school or an office.”
Anyractive isn’t out to re-invent the wheel when it comes to screen-mirroring. Instead, their technology uses a camera to determine the position of an infrared pen. These coordinates are calibrated with your smartphone screen size to map an interactive area on a wall; this creates a ‘digital whiteboard’ on top of your projected app. Anyractive’s iClassroom app demonstrates this function when outputted to an external display or projector.
“Though it was also our first time introducing the technology there, the initial reactions and feedback were great. Coming back with this experience was a big accomplishment for us.”
Out of the eight startups that went out to Silicon Valley, Anyractive is one of two Startup Nomad teams that involve hardware. Kim connected with various experts and teams who already understood screen-mirroring technologies, including the Google Chromecast team. “One of the biggest takeaways from the trip was the opportunity to meet with the Chromecast team. We were able to discuss partnership opportunities as well as get feedback on our product,” said Kim.
One such feedback prompted Anyractive to do a conceptual redesign towards a smaller form factor. Whereas the original design was meant to replacement in-class boards, the latest prototype elicits a more appealing reaction similar to the current wearable device trend.
“Reducing the size changes the perception of the product and there’s a growing emphasis towards mobility,” Kim said. In light of the progress that Anyractive made during their stay, Kim also wished his team had more time to talk about business development while networking overseas. “We were so busy preparing for our pitch, but I wanted to spend more time discussing the feedback we received.”
For future Startup Nomad participants, Kim had a few suggestions. “Silicon Valley is like a role model to us, but honestly there’s enough feedback available in Korea to prepare. If you can’t present your product well here, the same goes over there. Take care of yo ur priorities before going; it’ll help you make the most of your opportunities when you network.”
Eddie Cho editor@venturesquare.net
You must be logged in to post a comment.