After all, it’s not about a specific connection, nor is it about one particular talk or presentation. It is neither about any particular individual that you catch up with or meet for the first time. The real value of the LDV Vision Summit, instead, is the sum of it all. Like a great book you keep on thinking about months after you finish it, the LDV Vision Summit fills you with so much inspiration, so much broad thinking, so much forward vision (no pun intended) that you leave it forever elevated.  The questions asked ( and solved), the emotions relived and shared, the magic of discovery, understanding new paths,  it’s all in the new neuron connections you create.

The Sixth edition of the LDV Summit did not disappoint. If there was a main theme, it was certainly computer vision in the medical field. Advances in visual A.I. is now extracting data previously unknown, allowing the health community to much better understand (and cure) the human body. But like with previous summits, the path to the main theme can take a long and winding road.

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Where are the next Tech Unicorns panel ?©Robert Wright/LDV Vision Summit

We heard from companies that create avatars that will soon help you select the best fitting for clothes. Companies that create or use visual content created by AI to replicate our world, others that use computer vision to steer massive cargo boats in and out of complex sailing channels, others working on Lidar sensor that fit on your fingertip. And so many more.

However, two presentations maybe stood out for most of the audience. One by Thomas Reardon of CRTL Labs, the other by Emi Gal of Ezra:

Thomas Reardon presented his company via a firechat conversation with host Evan Nisselson. This allowed the audience to learn from his amazing rise from a 13-year-old self-made computer programmer to Microsoft’s 14 years lead behind the multiple versions of internet explorer to a Ph.D. in neurology and to his current project.

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Thomas Reardon from CTRL-labs during his firechat. ©Robert Wright/LDV Vision Summit

The discreet brilliance of Reardon’s mind as he talked about his path would have been an experience into itself until he spoke about his current project.  In a few words, CRTL Labs is building an interface to read our neuron electrical impulses and transforming into actions in the virtual world.

Here’s more from a previous demo:

No one that sat through this chat was left unchanged.

The presentation by Emi Gal of Ezra was as engaging. After a  lighthearted intro, he quickly launched into a series of statistical data, showing how devasting cancer can be if not caught early. Yet, most healthcare system worldwide still do not offer a comprehensive easy pre-screening that could save millions of lives, mostly because of the complexity of the procedures. This is what Emi is solving, with his company Ezra. Using an MRI coupled with Artificial Intelligence, Ezra can run a full pre-diagnostic on over 11 types of cancers in one go, allowing doctors to quickly spot potential issues.

A study found AI to agree with medical experts on prostate cancer detection 90 percent of the time
A study found AI to agree with medical experts on prostate cancer detection 90 percent of the time

 

Not to say that any of the other presentations were not of interest. Quite the opposite, in fact. But if you didn’t attend, it is your lost.  This summit remains unique.

It’s like an ax breaking the ice of the daily work routine letting you discover the vast ocean beneath, forcing you to step back and realize that it’s way deeper than you thought. Those who share the stage are amongst some that have visited its depth and are here to testify. Others are on the verge of taking the plunge with fascinating devices. All will take you with them, but only if you listen.

And then you will see how the real value of the LDV Vision Summit is in the silence after it all ends.

[Kaptur is a proud media sponsor of the LDV Vision Summit since its first edition]

Photo by Ken Treloar on Unsplash

Author: Paul Melcher

Paul Melcher is a highly influential and visionary leader in visual tech, with 20+ years of experience in licensing, tech innovation, and entrepreneurship. He is the Managing Director of MelcherSystem and has held executive roles at Corbis, Stipple, and more. Melcher received a Digital Media Licensing Association Award and is a board member of Plus Coalition, Clippn, and Anthology, and has been named among the “100 most influential individuals in American photography”

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