THE VIRTUAL FITTING ROOM

WALMART IS USING AR TO CREATE A NEW SHOPPING REALITY FOR ITS CUSTOMERS.

T his past March, Walmart rolled out a new Ar-enhanced app that enables shoppers to see how the retailer’s clothing looks on a similarly shaped avatar. Choose My Model included more than 50 figures that ranged from size XS to XXXXL, but there always seemed to be one size missing. “The biggest feedback was, ‘Hey, I want somebody who’s a little different, who looks a little more like me,’ ” says Cheryl Ainoa, Walmart’s SVP of core retail services and emerging technology. Six months later, Ainoa’s group addressed that demand by introducing another Arpowered app, Be Your Own Model, which enables customers to use their own photo for the virtual fitting-room experience. Both apps (leveraging technology created by Zeekit, an Israeli-based startup Walmart acquired in May 2021) feature a carousel of diverse body types modeling an article of clothing selected by the customer.

The two modeling apps are yet another example of the retail behemoth’s ongoing efforts to adapt to its customers’ increasing interest in tech-fueled convenience. In 2019, Walmart lured Amazon expat Suresh Kumar from Google to join as CTO and chief development officer, and a few months later John Furner was elevated from his perch at Sam’s Club to become president and CEO of U.S. operations. Under their leadership, the company has earned accolades for everything from RFID inventory scanners to an initiative to install 1,000 EV chargers at locations across 36 states. “They realized that retail is being transformed,” Ainoa says, “and we want to be on the leading edge of transforming retail through technology.”

SMALL AND MIGHTY

CREDO AI

This young startup is working with giants such as Mastercard on AI systems that are fair, transparent, compliant, and auditable.

INTEGRATED ROADWAYS

Its Smart Pavement system offers wireless EV charging, 5G wireless access, and realtime high-resolution traffic data—all inside our roads.

OMA FERTILITY

Oma’s AI helps embryologists pick more promising sperm cells for IVF, yielding higher healthy embryo rates in early trials.

SAMSARA

SOCIAL GOOD

ACCENTURE

With AI and optical character recognition, Accenture is digitizing a massive World War II document archive, eventually making it public and searchable.

ASTRANIS SPACE TECHNOLOGIES

By developing smaller and less expensive satellites, Astranis hopes to bring internet access to billions.

MPOWER FINANCING

To make refinancing easier on international and DACA students, Mpower’s algorithm looks at academic performance, degree program, and other factors. TRANSPORTATION

CLEARFLAME ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES

Modifying engines in existing heavy-duty trucks, Clearflame could ease a transition from diesel fuel to plant-based ethanol.

DRONEUP

This Walmartbacked drone delivery startup aims to be airborne in six states by the end of 2022.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Through tossing durable sensors into wet concrete, highway departments and contractors can monitor when vulnerable new pavement is strong enough for traffic.

XWING

This autonomous flying tech retrofits planes to make short-range cargo transport cheaper, with human supervisors watching from the ground. WELLNESS AND FITNESS

HAMMERHEAD

With the Karoo 2 cycling computer, riders can analyze upcoming paths for the steepness of their terrain.

NATUREQUANT

The Naturedose mobile app analyzes users’ time spent outside and offers a “prescription” for doing it more often. WORKPLACE AND PRODUCTIVITY

BLUESCAPE

Major film studios and the federal government are using Bluescape’s virtual whiteboards to securely work with images, documents, and videos.

CANVA

Canva’s new video editor lets anyone create, share, and edit items such as ads and demos right from a web browser.

GIIDE

By mashing up audio recordings with images, text, and web links, Giide is offering an engaging format for presentations.

LEVEL

This firm wrangles healthcare, education, transportation, and other benefits into a single app for employees and a unified dashboard for employers.

MOTH+FLAME

Its VR simulations could make diversity, equity, and inclusion training more memorable and powerful.

TANGO

To help businesses document their processes, Tango’s browser extension lets anyone create step-by-step guides with images and annotations.