Advancement in Technology: Santander/Skignz

The advancement in technology over the previous years has grown and extended enormously. People and companies are always looking for a way in which they can improve the next stage, create something new that everyone will want to get on board with, or develop further themselves.

Creating the next best advancement in technology can include, being able to consider the behaviour of people, the current technology and the environment around, then putting all three together and seeing what can be done to create advancements in technology to satisfy and be the best in the field. 

Each and every day people will look at how they can take current technology and see what can be done to create the next best thing.

Let’s take an insight into one of the top and biggest companies in the world, and look at how they have used the advancement of technology within their business to help themselves and the custom that they receive and aim to satisfy. Santander is one of the most well-known and successful banking companies of our time.

Let’s take their headquarters in Spain and see how they have made this the best they can. They have looked at the advancement in technology, and used that to create some innovative developments in how they can improve their business and to attract as many visitors to their company.

Santander headquarters has many buildings spread across the vast campus style site, Pereda building, training and development centre, data process centre, services and restaurants area, business centre, sports centre, golf course, exhibition hall, el Bosque, an outdoor sports area including 10km cycle track, a nursery school within the Eastern zone, including the media centre for all staff, and last of all the visitors centre.

The visitors centre is the central focus for the whole campus. Santander has spent  huge resource into styling this building in a way that will impress visitors when they arrive. The technology advancements that they have used have made the place outstanding, and will certainly impress people when they visit the headquarters. They have managed to look at communicating with the visitors in their own way, letting them be intrigued at the same time as interacting with them.

Let’s start off with looking at their first creation in technology and what they have come up with for their business.

Robots, who are interactive guest assistants – naming them Robotic Butlers. 

The Robots have been designed for Santander to communicate with visitors when they arrive to the building. They are little red robots that have been created using GPS technology to guide the visitors around the building facilities. The robots are only small/medium sized, but have a lot of information stored inside them, they are even fluent in various languages.

The way that the robots have been designed to work is that when a visitor arrives to the Santander headquarters in Spain, they will be able to find a touch screen console where they can choose their language and where they wish to be going. Whether that be a meeting room, another part of the building or campus, or just to find out some general information. The robots will assist visitors to find where they need to be, through the touch screen control, they ‘show you the way’.

Besides the robots that Santander have had designed, they also created the Augmented Reality model of their campus facilities: the Augmented Reality Explorer. 

Santander got a designer to build a massive architecture model of their campus, and then translated the model into a 3D space.

Four screens were designed to go around each side of the model which slide from side to side. Santander decided to use Augmented Reality and make it look like the four screens are transparent. When a visitor or someone wants to look at the 3D model, they will look through the screen and see additional information that is not already displayed. The screens provide a digital layer of information when you look through them, so that users can explore the aspects that we don’t see or understand about the campus and that is not already visually relevant.

Santander also has an interactive wall that they created for visitors coming to Santander headquarters. The wall has been created as a motion-sensing video wall out of touch screens. The wall can function on different stages given the distance that the user has to the wall itself. The application can react to what is around it and adapt to different situations. Visitors can also interact with the touch screen wall to find out information on Santander and the headquarters itself.

Santander has aimed to create this exploration of technology to distinguish it from its competitors as a forward thinking bank and be seen as one of the finest in the business, through interactive robots, augmented reality and touch screen interactive displays.

But how much will all of this cost them? Potentially costing Santander millions to create all this technology, yet limited to use inside its reception area within their headquarters campus.

What if there was a different and more cost effective way in which all of the above technology could be brought together in one simple app available on any mobile device.

skignz is a new app invention through which signs and 3D objects are placed in the environment and can be viewed via a mobile camera device. Through using the free viewer app, you can view the Skignz that have been placed in the real world in real time.

An example of where skignz has been used effectively in a similar type of environment is Teesside University (UK). Around Teesside University, skignz have been set up and placed around campus, so visitors, students, staff and even suppliers are able to navigate their way around the campus. They can simply load up the app through their mobile device and then view where the skignz are with the information of what they are looking for.

Similar to the Santander headquarters campus in Spain, helping people to navigate about through their robots and interactive augmented reality model, skignz does this for Teesside University. skignz is not restricted to Santander or Teesside University but can be implemented for any campus environment across the globe.

The skignz technology is not restricted just to campus navigation; imagine if every pin on Google maps was transformed into a skignz, it could be extended to villages, towns, cities, countries and continents or anywhere on the planet! There is no limit to where skignz can be placed and where it can be used. It adapts and has all the same advancements of technology just like Santander HQ visitor experience, however with no geographic location restrictions.

As mind blowing as skignz is to navigate around, it can also be used socially. It can be a way for people to keep in touch with others, such as social media, but instead of having Facebook they could set up their own profile right above their own heads.

You can place a skignz with all the information on, such as a status or what they wish to say along with an image, and have people see this or who they wish too by setting their privacy settings to either public or friends.

What do you think? Have a see for yourself using the following links.

www.skignz.com
http://bit.ly/1eS1emZ - Santander Technology Video
http://bit.ly/1hzMPQF - skignz Technology Video 

Halloween 2013

Halloween has come around again and the excitement of finding a scary outfit or planning what you are going to be doing for it is all happening! Have you got anything planned for Halloween already? 

There is always something going on and if not or if you have even, why not use skignz to help you have the best Halloween night of 2013. 

I bet your wondering well how could I use skignz for my Halloween this year… don’t worry there is plenty of ways in which skignz can assist you in having fun on the night. 

If you have children or younger family members that you want to take trick or treating on the night why not set up a skignz activity for them and pre choose which houses you are going to go trick or treating too. You could plan in advance, find those houses or places that are decorated up or that you know will be good for you to take your younger ones too. You could set up a trail and then let them have some fun in trying to find the house themselves through using skignz. It will be some fun for you and also for your family members or friends. 

Also this Halloween MyPlace Middlesbrough is holding an event for children ages 8-13 throughout the daytime between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm for you to take your child too during half term. There is a lot going on and if they do not want to go out during the night time if it may be too scary for them, then they are sure to have fun at MyPlace. The play scheme includes a free breakfast for the child including the whole week each day and fun filled activities such as trips out, swimming, drama, arts and crafts, Halloween disco and much more!

If you are from the Teesside area then try http://www.myplacemiddlesbrough.org 

MyPlace is an activity centre for children aged 9-19 up to 25 with special needs who provide amazing facilities and opportunities and activities for everyone all year round. 

If you already have something planned for the night such as a house party at your student house, why not make it the best night and the house to be at. Just place a skignz above your house as to where the party is then let people know about it. If they want too they can then decide to search on the night as to where the best place to go is and yours will stand out with a large skignz above it.

 

There are a lot of ideas as to how you could use skignz this Halloween, so why not give skignz a download for free and see how you can let yourself and others have the best Halloween of 2013. Unlucky 13, make it a scary but good one this year! 

www.skignz.com 

#Discoverskignz

Get your copy of skignz now: 

www.skignz.com/download

Travelling

Do you like to view different sceneries, different places or travel the world? If you do then skignz is definitely for you!

There are many amazing sights to see in the world in many different destinations. Some are easy to find as they are very popular and not located too far away. But what about those that are not located near, and are situated in a place that you have never been to before? 

You don’t really want to spend all your time looking for sights to see and missing out on other stuff you could be doing.

 

I go back a few years, when I was in college, I got the chance to go to Disneyland Paris. It was an exciting time as I had never been there before. I had never really travelled before so this was my first big place to travel to. I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived there let alone know what I was going to be doing in a place as big as Disneyland.

When I arrived I didn’t know my way around. I had to go by signs and use a map to see where each part of it was and where I wanted to be without getting lost. Maps are a mess on half the time, I barely understand them now let alone back then. 

Eventually I would find my way to each part of Disneyland that I wanted to reach but it was not easy for me. I wished they’d had a different way that would have enabled me to find my way around without taking ages and causing me mass confusion.

 

What they needed was skignz. skignz replaces maps and can help you prepare before you set off on your travels, therefore you can plan what you want to see, where it is and how you are going to get there when you arrive. You simply find your destination on a map through skignz; place a skign above where you want to be, then plan your directions of how you’re going to get there when you arrive. 

You can then view this through your mobile or tablet device and only you or whoever else you wish can see this skign.

It will save you a lot of time when you arrive and you will be able to easily find where you want to be without a mess on. No more wasting time; you will be able to see many other sights and have a look around whilst you are there.

 

skignz can be used for anywhere that you wish to travel too. It is free to download and whilst using it you will also have a lot of fun along the way.

So, now make sure before you set off on your travels, whether it may be a short or long distance, you plan ahead using skignz and save yourself time, hassle and confusion!

Available to download from Google Play and ITunes.

www.skignz.com

#discoverskignz

Get your copy of skignz now: 

www.skignz.com/download

The importance of doing a placement through your University years!

So you have all read about how skignz provided a Business student with a summer placement but let’s see how important it is to do a placement while at University.

I studied at Teesside University for three years where I studied Business Management. My course was a 4 year sandwich degree in which I could either go on a placement during my third year or continue to stay on to complete my degree instead. As I felt busy at the time with University work and it was hard to search for placements, I decided in the end that it would be easier for me to finish my degree then do some experience. I wish I had thought this through more clearly before making my decision. It was probably drummed into me all year round that when it came to my third year I should do a placement but I did not notice this, if only I had.

When I had finished my degree I decided that before I got all my results it was time to look for a placement. I got many interviews which went really well and did provide me with more experience in that sector. But when it came to the decision and the phone call to let me know if I was successful or not, I had lost all jobs available to another person who had experience. After a while I thought to myself how stupid I was that I didn't do a placement. I was beginning to come to the conclusion that I was never going to get the chance to have that experience. I mean I had all the qualifications and I knew what to do and that I could do it, I just needed the chance to show this. Even though the jobs available said that they wanted to provide someone with a summer placement experience they always still gave it to other people who had that experience already.

Teesside University this year are providing students now with a Get Ahead programme. This will show students and everyone just how important it is to do a placement and get that experience. It will provide you with a three-month paid internship scheme that runs annually for new graduates from January to March with internships provided by both employers and the University. It will also provide you with a mentor to help you, careers advice, find a student job and many more opportunities that will help. Believe me, it is something that you need to do! I am saying that as I have been in that situation and it doesn't feel good.

Luckily I finally got the chance with skignz to have that experience and show that I can do what I knew I could and learn more along the way. Please make sure that you do all you can to get a placement year throughout your time at University. It will benefit you personally as it will give you a deeper insight for when you return to your final year at University and it will also give you that extra step against anyone else when it comes to applying for a job.
You never know you might even get kept on permanently at the placement you go on if they really like you!

‘The question isn't who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me’ No one can stop you but you. Go for what you want and make sure you get it because you know you can!