Thousands of Technology Enthusiasts Experienced the Future of Technology this Past Weekend in New York City
This past weekend, Engadget celebrated the success of its two-day event, Engadget Expand. Thousands of technology fans flocked to the Jacob K. Javits Center on November 7th and 8th to experience new innovations, hear from leaders in science and tech, and more.
"We are thrilled with the way Engadget Expand 2014 turned out," said Barb Dybwad, Engadget's director of business development. "The floor was packed, the stage area was standing-room only, the exhibitors were phenomenal, and most importantly our fans of all ages got to experience the coolest technology innovations out there."
Engadget Expand opened with remarks from Engadget Editor-in-Chief Michael Gorman, Rachel Haot, Chief Digital Officer and Deputy Secretary of Technology for the State of New York, DonorsChoose.org CEO Charles Best, and more. Throughout the event, Engadget Expand welcomed renowned guests to the main stage including musician and producer RJD2, DARPA director Arati Prabhakar, Google's Project Ara lead Paul Eremenko, Bas Landsdorp of Mars One, Olympic Medalist Angela Ruggiero and Hollywood special effects legend Mark Setrakian. The event also brought in a variety of interactive exhibitors including Best Buy's Geek Squad Academy, Huawei, IndieGoGo, Jaunt VR, LEIF Technologies, MAKE Magazine, OnePlus, Ringly, Dodocase, Matterport, Suitable Technologies, and more.
A major event highlight was the Insert Coin Competition. Insert Coin: New Challengers helped make inventors' dreams a reality by awarding up to $25,000 in prizes for the next great consumer tech gadget. The winner of the Judge's Choice Award and recipient of $10,000 was Poursteady, makers of a robotic pour-over coffee machine. Fuz Designs received the Reader's Choice award and $15,000 with its Noke, the world's first Bluetooth padlock.
The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® competition also drew crowds. The LEGO Group provided LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 kits to eight people based on their robot concepts. Contestants were tasked with building a robot that could "take" Manhattan or "take care" of Manhattan. The competitors didn't disappoint as they unveiled their creations at Engadget Expand, and winner Cady Geer showed off her street-sweeping public transport designed to "take care" of Manhattan. Geer took home a trophy and a $500 LEGO gift card.
