MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Alastair leads the BAFTA and Emmy winning Immersive, VFX & Design teams at Atlantic Productions; bringing world-changing factual storytelling to life through film, VFX and emerging technology such as spatial computing, Ai and virtual production. Alastair has grown and led creative innovation teams at Mindshare, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Meta, in London and San Francisco. He has partnered with many of the world's largest brands to bring their stories to life through new media platforms, consistently informing the direction of the advertising and technology industries. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: The future of visual storytelling 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: From cave paintings to generative Ai, technology has always determined how stories are created and enjoyed. But how do storytellers, whether brands, media companies, governments, or educators, keep up with the ever-accelerating pace of technological change? In this talk we’ll discuss how to make sense of the increasing complexity, how to connect with an ever-elusive audience, and how the marriage of storytelling and innovation is addressing some of the world’s largest business, environmental, educational and healthcare challenges.

​Dr. Solaiman Shokur is a group leader at EPFL's Translational Neural Engineering Lab and a Bioengineering professor at San Raffaele University in Milan. He earned his Ph.D. with distinction from EPFL in 2013. His pioneering work on restoring sensory and motor functions in individuals with paraplegia or amputation has received several accolades, including the 2022 Brain-Computer Interfaces Award and the 2024 Falling Walls Breakthrough of the Year in Engineering. His work was showcased at the 2014 World Cup (estimated audience of 400 million viewers). He is also the CSO for a neurotech company aiming to restore mobility in people with paralysis 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Bionic Hands that Restore Sense of Touch in Amputees 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: The hand is an essential tool, and losing it due to trauma, such as amputation, leads to significant physical and psychological challenges. However, advancements in robotics and bioengineering have enabled the creation of increasingly sophisticated artificial hands, greatly enhancing the quality of life. We are now on the brink of offering amputees prosthetics that feel and function as natural extensions of their bodies.In my presentation, I will describe the latest advances in bionic hands for amputees, with an emphasis on a new and exciting field: prosthetics that provide sensation to the user.