Texas State Hosts Innovation Lab During SXSW Interactive

From biometric authentication and virtual reality to recyclable fabric and apps to help resolve child obesity issues, Texas State student research is solving real-world problems.

SAN MARCOS – Texas State University hosted the Innovation Lab and reception during the South by Southwest Interactive Festival on Sunday, March 11.

The event took place at the W Austin Hotel in Austin.

Attendees received an exclusive look at game-changing technology created by Texas State’s inspired student inventors and also saw how corporate partners are helping to take these new ideas to the marketplace.

From biometric authentication and virtual reality to recyclable fabric and apps to help resolve child obesity issues, Texas State student research is solving real-world problems.

The Texas State Innovation Lab was open to all SXSW Interactive badge holders and Texas State’s special guests (reservation required for entry).

Texas State Innovation Lab teams include:

American Solar Car Challenge

College of Science and Engineering
The solar car requires a direct current to a three-phase, variable frequency motor controller. A three-phase inverter could be used for many applications such as renewable energy, industrial automation, aerospace, vehicle motor power and micro-grids.

Commute Relief 2.0

McCoy College of Business Administration, Department of Finance & Economics
College of Fine Arts and Communication, Department of Communication Design
This online tool educates commuters about the true cost of their commute in dollars, environmental impact and time. The commuting data they collect will be used for research in city-planning, marketing or the general industry and will be shared with other businesses to further optimize the internal economy.

CoSearch

College of Fine Arts and Communication
Teams of researchers and artists from various departments at Texas State University collaborate to solve real world problems. The interdisciplinary research team uses their unique talents and networks to conceptualize a research project with a goal to produce and bridge research and creative processes that help communities. At SXSW, the minds behind CoSearch will give on-the-spot advice and solve problems from past CoSearch research teams.

HEX Design

College of Fine Arts and Communication, Department of Communication Design
Designing a series of mobile dating apps exploring innovative ways to evolve the online dating industry, the HEX Design team provides unique matchmaking strategies for various demographics. The dating apps pair singles together through customized features based on users’ specific needs and lifestyles. From people with visual impairment to the elderly who enjoy socializing.

Kosmik Energy, Inc.

Graduate College, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering program
McCoy College of Business Administration, Department of Finance & Economics
By capturing sunlight, this system reduces the cost of electric bills by replacing artificial light with natural light. It concentrates and funnels the light into fiber optics, and distributes the light interiorly to a structure through routing and luminaries. This system would be incredibly beneficial for urban and vertical farming, as well as many commercial applications.

?NABACO

College of Science and Engineering, Ingram School of Engineering, Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization program
NABACO has developed a solution for the problem of fruit and vegetable spoilage by creating a novel coating technology called Natuwrap. It is a cost-effective patent-pending technology approved by the FDA as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). The material utilized for this technique is transparent and coats fruits and vegetables to prevent oxygen and moisture from causing the produce to age too quickly.

Person Recognition via Eye Movement-Driven Biometrics

College of Science and Engineering, Department of Computer Science
Virtual and augmented reality devices will all have eye-tracking capabilities in the future, and the biometrics research conducted at Texas State University will support new applications of this technology, including secure identification using eye movements.

Pockets

College of Science and Engineering, Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization program, McCoy College of Business Administration, Department of Computer Information Systems & Quantitative Methods, College of Fine Arts and Communication, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Women’s clothing has been made of less durable materials, with minimal amount of pocket space, and the sizing is inconsistent across brands. The goal of Pockets is to create better and more functional clothing for women.

Reduce. Reuse. Regrow. (R3)

College of Applied Arts, Department of Agriculture, McCoy College of Business Administration
Instead of hair and fur being disposed of in a landfill, this material can be used as a sustainable compost and soil stabilizer material for landscaping and construction projects. This provides a “green” waste solution, and is environmentally friendly solution rather than using chemical sprays or netting.

Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Park

Texas State University
STAR Park is a collaborative effort of Texas State University and research partners serving as a catalyst for continued public/private development of new or improved technologies. Anchored by the STAR One technology business incubator, the 58-acre STAR Park is home to five new and emerging technology companies, student startup teams, an advanced polymers and nanomaterials center and Texas State’s Small Business Development Center.

SXTXState

College of Fine Arts and Communication School of Journalism and Mass Communication

In its 11th year, the student project publishes a SXSW Interactive blog, interviews panelists and executes a social media plan to promote the SXSW event.

Texas Economic Atlas

College of Liberal Arts, Department of Geography
Through interactive visualizations and a straightforward point-and-click interface for nontechnical users, the cloud-based atlas enables industrial leaders, large and small businesses, government policymakers, researchers, students, and the general public to explore a myriad of Texas economic data.

TX2O

College of Science and Engineering, Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization program, McCoy College of Business Administration, McCoy Graduate School of Business
TX2O is a reusable system for safely treating water produced by oil and gas extraction. The system does not require landfilling, which reduces long-term costs and risks to oil and gas producers.

Water Quality Drifter

College of Science and Engineering, Ingram School of Engineering
This prototype aims to create a mobile and low-cost unit to measure water quality. The goal is to reproduce the design in kits that can be used by students and hobbyists for environmental data collection. The device is solar-powered with the ability to continuously measure temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids and pH every 15 minutes.

XReality: Where Augmented Reality Meets the Internet of Things

College of Science and Engineering, Ingram School of Engineering
This project aims at integrating Internet of Things (IoT) smart devices with augmented reality holograms, empowering users with the ability to interact with smart objects in real time, in the real physical world. Virtual Environment of Things (VEoT) is a new concept of integrating real-world smart things and virtual-world objects. This project will create a state-of-the-art VEoT platform, focusing on smart infrastructures.

For questions or more information, contact Anna Chowdhury, assistant director of Strategic Corporate Partnerships, at (512) 245-6037 or achowdhury@txstate.edu. 

About Texas State University

Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,694 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 184,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world. Designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas, Texas State is classified under “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity,” the second-highest designation for research institutions under the Carnegie classification system.