LSN : News : 28 : 10 : 24

Self-driving golf trolley iXi offers a high-tech caddie experience

iXi by Futurewave and Botronics, Belgium

Belgium – Futurewave, in partnership with software company Botronics, has introduced iXi, an innovative self-driving golf trolley that redefines convenience on the green.

Designed as a smart caddie, iXi autonomously follows golfers around the course, positioning itself intelligently to support gameplay. Lightweight and crafted from durable aluminium, the 10kg trolley is easily foldable and portable, thanks to its patented folding system.

Beyond its sleek design, iXi is powered by advanced AI, providing real-time gameplay analysis and performance insights. The trolley tracks crucial metrics including swing patterns and distances, offering personalised feedback to help players refine their technique. By automating equipment transport, iXi helps golfers to focus solely on their game, free from the distraction of manual trolley handling.

Developed over two years, iXi blends user-friendly functionality with sophisticated technology, making it a valuable tool for players aiming to elevate their performance. The innovation showcases how the future of sports is tech-fuelled, a topic we explore further in Game-Changers: The Future of Sports Fandom.

Strategic Opportunity

Develop smart sports equipment that uses AI to offer real-time performance insights, enhancing player focus and engagement, to position your brand at the forefront of next-generation sport

The Liminal Space launches fictional Cell Yourself healthcare product

Cell Yourself by The Liminal Space, UK

UK – Creative agency The Liminal Space has introduced Cell Yourself, a public engagement project designed to demystify stem cell science and open a conversation about its potential influence on health and reproduction.

In collaboration with a medical law professor from the London School of Economics, the agency has created a fictional consumer kit that lets users imagine converting their cells into organs or biological tissue. The project aims to encourage audiences to consider the ethical, social and scientific implications of creating embryo models from stem cells, a technique currently enabling scientists to replicate human embryos, organs and other biological structures, and the regulation that might be needed to safeguard this science in the future.

Featuring colourful packaging and interactive elements, the kits also educate the public about the potential reproductive possibilities this science could unlock, such as age-free reproduction and same-sex couples having DNA-shared children.

As Longevity Lifestyles increasingly enable humans to live for longer, some individuals might choose to reproduce later in life and will turn to stem cell technologies to do so. By creating the fictional Cell Yourself kits, The Liminal Space ensures the public is educated about, and included in, this rapidly unfolding field of research.

Strategic opportunity

By using tangible, fictional products to showcase stem cell technology, Cell Yourself demystifies complex science. Beauty, health and wellness brands can apply this by using immersive experiences to make intricate concepts, ingredients or formulations easier to understand

Alife Health and Inception Fertility partner to enhance IVF success with AI

Fertilidad Integral clinic, Mexico

US – Alife Health, an AI-driven healthcare firm, has announced a strategic partnership with Inception Fertility, North America’s largest fertility services provider, to bring AI-enhanced in vitro fertilisation (IVF) support to more people.

As part of this partnership, Inception will pilot Alife’s recently launched IVF tool to help patients understand their success probabilities with IVF and improve family planning discussions.

The Success Predictor provides personalised reports that outline a patient’s chances of success at each IVF stage, including egg retrieval, fertilisation and embryo development.

Additionally, Alife’s Embryo Assist software will enable embryologists to create detailed digital embryo records and leverage AI to rank embryos for potential success.

In our Fertility Market: The New Cycle report we explored the destigmatisation of IVF, inclusive fertility treatments and redefining family planning.

Strategic opportunity

Fertility clinics and healthcare providers should look to utilise patient data, AI and machine learning to create custom treatment plans that increase IVF success rates and improve patient experiences

Stat: High awareness of sustainability among Middle Eastern travellers

Dubai Future Foundation at the Museum of the Future, Dubai

UAE and Qatar – Premier Inn Middle East has published a report investigating travellers’ environmental habits.

Surveying 900 respondents from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, the report found that while 81% of respondents said that looking after the environment is ‘very important’, location and price are the primary decision drivers when booking accommodation.

Nevertheless, 79% consider environmental practices when selecting accommodation, and 86% want hotels to provide educate them about sustainable practices during their stay. Guests also show eco-conscious habits, such as switching off lights and plugs when leaving the room (87%) and reusing towels (72%).

When dining in restaurants, guests also take steps to reduce environmental impact such as avoiding food waste by not overloading their plates at buffets (88%) and embracing regional cuisine (69%).

The Sustainability topic on LS:N Global offers market-leading insight and analysis about the climate crisis space, inspiring our clients in the travel industry and beyond to respond creatively and effectively to the unfolding global emergency.

Strategic opportunity

Hotels can leverage the strong demand for eco-friendly hotels by offering guided sustainability tours, in-room digital tips and interactive content on reducing waste and conserving resources, thereby positioning themselves as active partners in responsible travel