Will touching sound and feeling sight get us there?

The Disruptive Organization

I have been a little irritated with the ‘virtual meeting’ lately. Video chats, collaborate sessions, conference calls, google hangout… I really feel like something is missing. Of course, these technologies make the virtual meeting more dynamic by adding visual components, video animation or a chat box for an additional layer of commentary or exploration. But it never really feels like ‘real life’, does it? We are living in an exciting age of robotics, Artificial Intelligence and virtual-sensory worlds, so why do our virtual interactions still seem to fall short of a ‘real life’ experience? This week, I’m taking a look at companies that are disrupting the virtual-sensory experience market and shaping the future of digital interaction.

Before we jump into the companies and their technologies, lets explore what makes an organization as a whole disruptive. Rummler and Brache boil organizational success and effectiveness down to three key areas: aligned goals, organizational design and management of performance. For organizations to be successful, all three must be aligned and have an effective relationship to one another with clear communication. What are some common goals that disruptive companies have? For virtual tech companies, it feels like many of them have a goal to bring a rich experience to consumers that is sought after but not yet available. Another goal is in reaching consumers. Many disruptors will ask who are the “non-consumers”? What people are currently being excluded from the market and how can our product or service reach them in simpler, easier or unique ways? In his article exploring corporate innovation, Scott Anthony comments on how Southwest has disrupted the airline industry by successfully reaching and captivating non-consumers. In the sensory tech world, we are all non-consumers and its the companies job to know what we need next.

So who are the most disruptive companies in the virtual-sensory tech world right now? Ive compiled as short list of companies that are making Virtual or Sensory Reality, an actual reality. Let me know what you think.

1. Low hanging fruit… Google Glass. The ‘first’ consumer-wearable, mobile, personalized, virtual experience, available to the general public. An arguably disruptive device from one of the worlds most famously disruptive companies, Google. How is this different from our current computer screen experience? Well, other than wearing it physically, you are able to integrate the digital world into your field of vision and feel like its a part of your visual experience. While there is nothing like it on the market today, I have to ask, is it truly a unique digital experience or just another take on virtual design? There is tremendous potential to expand the product to include other interactive features that engage the sense of smell, sound and feeling.  But, I feel like its not quite there yet and still does much of what our other digital devices currently do. Disruption scale says: Incremental Disruption.
2. BoomRoom - Much like projection mapping for visuals, this is an audio projector that can assign sounds & songs to objects in the room so you can literally ‘touch’ sound. Sounds can be programmed into objects and activated through physical movements. “A music track, for instance, could be assigned to an object in the room such as a vase. To play the track you simply pick up the vessel and "pour out" a track in mid air.” Because the sound is projected locally, you could be the only one that actually hears the sound or song. They have also created virtual mixing spaces where instruments exist in mid-air so you can do your own sound mixing kinetically. The article explores the potential for the visually impaired, targeted marketing strategies and I’m dreaming up an elaborate futuristic music performance in my head. I’d say making it possible to touch sound, a previously unseen sense, is a very disruptive capability. Disruption scale says: Super-Duper Disruption.  
3. Oculus Rift - Consumer ready Virtual reality headset. The company itself has a very focused strategy and target market in the gaming industry. They have made a huge splash by making an affordable, well made, high quality virtual headset for the gaming industry. But if you do some research, the company has made some big leaps into other markets as well. Most recently, a spanish company called, Be Another Lab developed a neuroscientific device to be used with Oculus Rift in order to create the experience of swapping bodies with someone.  Their goal is to “explore the concepts of empathy through technology, science and art.”  And then there is Kiiroo - They are a social media platform that is working to bring intimate physical touch to the digital world. They are hoping to partner with Oculus Rift to provide an integrated virtual reality experience along with their unique product offerings. Kiiroo is also hoping to partner with Second Life in order to take the whole platform into an elevated fantastical universe. So, outside of the gaming market, I’d say this little birdy can fly. There are serious implications that a device like this can have for our virtual-sensory experience. I believe the company has made significant investments into the technology, making it accessible beyond the gaming market without cannibalizing or sacrificing quality. Disruption Scale says: Uber- Disruptive.

One notable distinction here before we bring this post to an end- most of these companies are just starting out. They are essentially creating their own marketplace, much like Nexflix or Apple did in the past. As we move forward, it will be interesting to see how they evolve their organizational goals and try to maintain an alignment internally with their design and management. An effective market disruptor doesn’t just have an idea or product that is unique, its in how they move into markets as an organized entity that will aid their imminent success or failure. I think it will also be interesting to see who they make obsolete in creating their own markets, maybe eventually we won’t need our iphones anymore. All the concepts around strategy that we’ve been exploring this week come into play as the market and the company develops over time- do they have transient advantages built into their internal strategy? Are they integrating a scientific process into their operations and development? I would argue that due to the innovative nature of their products, these companies have a high level of creativity when it comes to getting things done. They have an advantage over other disruptors in that they are creating something entirely new and that type of disruption demands innovation at all levels of the organization. Thus is the excitement and intrigue of the tech startup.

What’s your take? Were my disruption scale ratings justified? Know of a disruptive sensory product out there? Please share!