“Consumers are creating vast stores of digital memories—in photos, videos, status updates, and more,” says Trendwatching, one of the world's leading trend firms. In turn, “time remains a potent axis of innovation.”
Consumers will “embrace services that allow them to attach digital content to real-world locations in order to store, share, sort, and enhance their outsourced memory.”
Technology company Density is doing just that. In July, the company launched a sensor that alerts consumers to the number of people in a desired location to direct them to quiet times at that particular spot. The idea is to avoid inconveniences like waiting for the treadmill at the gym or for a table at a restaurant.
The sensor attaches to the entrance of a subscribed company, and uses infrared light to capture traffic data. The data is visible via a companion mobile app, and alerts users when there is a drop in foot traffic.