Devices and Networking Summit – Session 4, Devices for Science

Chair: Lucas Joppa, Microsoft Research

Speakers: Martin Wikelski, Max Planck Institute of Ornithology; Jie Liu, Microsoft Research; Jonathan Baillie, Zoological Society of London

We are now firmly living in the middle of the ‘Information Age’, and devices are central to our lives. From laptops to tablets, smartphones to game consoles, novel hardware is constantly entering the market and consumer demand has never been higher. But perhaps the true potential for new devices is bigger than putting music in people’s pockets, or advertisements in front of their eyes. If it isn’t already, science is set to become the driver of our times – from feeding an increasing population on this planet to potentially colonising another.

Scientists are not only key to developing new devices, but represent a key constituency pushing back the boundaries of what devices can be used for. This session will highlight the novel uses of devices in science, and consider some of the important, weird and wonderful discoveries only known to the world as a result of innovative device design. We will examine the question of how the scientific need for devices today might drive the consumer devices of tomorrow.

Date:
Speakers:
Jie Liu, Jonathan Baillie, Lucas Joppa, and Martin Wikelski
Affiliation:
Microsoft Research, Max Planck Institute of Ornithology, Zoological Society of London