Seven Innovations That Made a Splash at This Year’s SXSW

A fluffy robotic duck from the insurance company Aflac took home a Robotics and Hardware Prize. "My Special Aflac Duck" is meant to be a companion for kids with pediatric cancer—it can show a range of emotions, lead guided deep breathing exercises and demonstrate medical treatments, like the placement of a catheter, to help steady nerves before a procedure. Aflac will provide a free duck to any child over three in America currently undergoing cancer treatment. 

Aira, winner of a prize for Social and Cultural Impact, is a service that connects people with blindness or low vision to specially trained agents via a pair of camera glasses and a smartphone. The sighted agent sees whatever the Aira user is focused on, and provides whatever assistance is needed. This could be anything from reading the list of spelling words on a child's homework to explaining where to find the next hold on a climbing wall. 

From Australia, the Living First Language Project helps protect and preserve indigenous languages through interactive literacy apps. Many of these languages have few living speakers and are at risk of being lost. The project engages technology to record and preserve grammar and vocabulary from older speakers, then uses digital educational tools to then teach the language to children. The project was a runner-up for an Innovation prize at the festival. 

Sometimes, when a disaster like an earthquake strikes, a call will go out for help—send blankets, send water, send canned food. But needs shift quickly, and the blankets that were necessary yesterday might be in oversupply tomorrow. NeedsList is a real-time needs registry to connect people with what they actually need, right now. In Greece, refugees at a resettlement camp need sleeping bags. In the U.S., migrant farmworkers displaced by a hurricane could use Walmart gift cards. The platform takes requests from vetted nonprofits and connects them with corporate partners looking to donate. It was a runner-up for a Social and Cultural Impact prize. 

A runner-up for a Virtual Reality prize, AVEnueS is a VR experience designed to help human social workers practice and sharpen their decision-making skills in high-stress situations. Case workers are often asked to make quick decisions regarding child safety that have tremendous repercussions. Is the child at risk in this home? Should we remove the children to foster care? AVEnueS lets workers practice in an immersive 3D environment, with angry parents, perhaps a frightened child. Creators say it is useful not only for social workers but for anyone who interacts with children, from teachers to police officers to family counselors. 

A finalist for an educational innovation prize, Caribu is a digital platform that lets you read with your kids, even when you're far away. The app combines face-to-face video calling with digital picture books, so you and your kid can both see each other and the book. Interactive workbooks even let you draw together. Military families get access for free.