Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for many things, including a bountiful harvest in the U.S. It’s also known as a day to spend with family and friends eating delicious scrumptious food and enjoying each others’ company.

In honor of Thanksgiving 2023, I asked the community which technology they’re most thankful for and why. I also asked my rAVe colleagues to share some of their favorite recipes. Here’s what they had to say…

Frank Pisano, CEO, Bluefin

Who doesn’t love touch screen technology!? No more need for buttons when you can just tap and swipe your way interacting with displays. With the magic of touch, everyone from toddlers to grandmas are a tech whiz! Touch screens turned our devices into companions staying connected, informed, and entertained. Here’s to the touchscreen, making life more fun, one tap at a time!

Paul Dexter, Founder and CEO, Jetbuilt

I’m thankful for Arduino technology. I’m no coder, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to use a couple of these amazing little $20 computers and automate my kids’ Lego rollercoaster. I implemented a clock for it to run on the hour, sound effects and screams play as it passes by sensors. I dreamt of building things like this when I was a kid, and I just had to wait until my fifties for it come along!

Victoria Garcia Massimo, Operations Manager, North America, Airzone

This year, Airzone is thankful for the remarkable advancements brought by Z-Wave technology. In a Z-Wave system, each device acts as a communication node, allowing for quick integration and configuration, which means that you can integrate a climate control system into your Z-Wave network in just about 10 minutes. The Aidoo Z-Wave focuses on communication reliability and collaboration with HVAC manufacturers and utilizes the proprietary protocols of each brand, ensuring that the application reflects the real status of the installation at all times, all thanks to the effectiveness of Z-Wave technollogy.

Sean Matthews, President and CEO, Visix

Every year, I’m always most thankful for the people who work at Visix. In terms of technology, we’re thankful for the advances in augmented reality (AR) and WebAR. It’s allowed us to launch a disruptive space booking product that really changes the way people think about interfacing with scheduling systems. We’re also excited by all of the artificial intelligence (AI) advancements in 2023. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities for digital signage products and features, and we expect it to advance even further next year.

Zack Stewart, CTS, DSCE, Regional Sales Director, INFiLED North America

Our team is incredibly thankful for several technologies that enhance our daily lives. These include GPS and food search capabilities on our phones that guide us to job sites and local businesses, Apple Air Tags, which help locate lost items and vehicles, and the fascinating impact of artificial intelligence increasing our speed, accuracy, and effectiveness to bring new value to our partners. Additionally, beyond all, we all appreciate our smartphones and modern communication tools, allowing us to stay connected with our AV industry friends and significantly improve our ability to connect face-to-face globally fostering a closer sense of connection to everyone, regardless of our location.

Britt Yenser, CTS, Director of Event Technology, Moravian University

The technology I am most thankful for is videoconferencing technology. From the complex combination of hardware and software for a hybrid event to the simple conference call, videoconferencing brings people together in ways we haven’t been able to accomplish before. My favorite events are ones where we bring people together internationally, and videoconferencing allows us to do that in a reasonably priced and accessible way. I also just love being able to chat with my team from the comfort of my home! I am just so thankful we have the tools to bring people together.

Grigory Mindlin, General Manager for Broadcast, disguise

The most exciting technology that is trending in broadcast has to be AI by long shot. Both in what is already possible and disrupting the industry today, and the future innovations that are to come in the next two-to-three years.

Already, AI is enabling broadcasters to drive a new type of programming where virtual characters can interact with on-set talent, thanks to markerless mocap solutions like the disguise Invisible system. New audience engagement is also being driven by AI and enhanced data analysis. This is especially evident in sports where we are seeing live AI generate data and graphics overlaid over football and soccer coverage in real-time.

We’re also seeing AI drive instant virtual backdrops, using technology known as NeRFs (Neural Radiance Fields). This is enabling broadcasters to take images of the real world with the latest iPhone or another high-spec capture device, upload them onto an AI platform and then transform that image into a 3D virtual scene in minutes.

Andrea Varrone, Director of Strategic Accounts, Creative Realities

I would have the say the #1 tech item I am most thankful for is the smartphone. I grew up in an era where we only had a landline—and only got Caller ID in my teens. I think back on my college years and how challenging it was to communicate with friends and family. We used to have to call our answering machine to find out about time-sensitive changes to plans. My mom tells a story about getting separated from my grandmother and I at Disney World and what a nightmare it was to find us. I’m so glad we no longer have to worry about the disconnect!

Mitch Albers, Digital Media Specialist, Carousel Digital Signage

Without the help of cutting-edge technology that has revolutionized the digital signage industry, Carousel would not be where it is today. High resolution displays and screens enhance the visual impact of signage, engaging audiences with stunning visualizations. Cloud computing technology enables remote content management, ensuring real-time information is delivered in a timely fashion. Content creation tools such as AI and other machine learning tools make it easy to personalize, style, and create both dynamic and engaging content. Mobile integrations have become pivotal and enable viewers to actively engage with screens in their pockets wherever they happen to be located.

Brandon White, Director of New Product Development, Vanco

At Vanco we are thankful to see the progress of USB-C over the last year. We certainly seem to be moving toward the promise of a single connector, capable of handling an array of tasks across numerous devices, without the chaos of tangled wires and incompatible plugs. What more can dealers and end users ask for?

Rebecca Sullins, CTS-D, CTS-I, Senior Design Engineer, AmpThink

I am always thankful for technology that makes people’s lives easier—tech that allows us to work where we want to, to connect with people whenever and wherever we want. I am deeply thankful for anything that allows us to be together, anywhere we want to be.

Larry Pieters, Production Manager, Telecine

I’m thankful for the progress being made in transparent LED tech. We are now at a point that using office windows for external-facing signage doesn’t have to be a trade-off between employees having access to natural light and line of site to the outdoors or screens blocking everything. Also, the tech has advanced enough that it has much better pitch resolution than it used to, allowing for crisper visuals.

Alex Wills, CXO, disguise

I am thankful for the next computing paradigm—spatial computing. A concept that has been well understood for sometime, but has been waiting for the technology to catch up and particularly interesting when applied to location based experiences.

By combining markerless motion capture (like the disguise Invisible system), real-time engines, and augmented reality, we can create completely new, unique experiences that give each participant far greater agency. Plus the experience itself can now start to be extended virtually with the advent of the Vision Pro from Apple. And we at disguise are aiming to be the visual experience platform that connects these physical location-based experiences with the virtual in real time.

Want to read more about gratitude?

Check out this article from 2022 where #AVTweeps shared why they’re thankful to work in tech.