Heidelberg | Ameria has been active on the market for 20 years, initially as a software developer and for the last five years as a digital signage innovator. With Non-Touch, the Heidelberg company builds on contact-free interaction with displays. More than 50 patents have already been approved or are pending. At the annual investor meeting, Ameria not only surprised investors with its first AI notebook.
The venerable Europäischer Hof in Heidelberg is one of the few owner-managed five-star hotels in Germany. Representatives of upper society have been meeting in the historic building for more than 150 years. For the first time, the digital signage specialist Ameria AG, based in the city on the Neckar, invited the public to its annual investor event in the venerable premises. State-of-the-art LED screens and LCD displays were presented under chandeliers and between elegant vases – all interactive without any touch. Over 200 existing and future investors attended the event to discover America’s latest developments and were inspired by the innovations.
This year, the Heidelberg company also surprised with an innovation beyond digital signage. An AI notebook – according to German national business daily FAZ (article behind paywall) the first AI notebook worldwide. Instead of a keyboard, the notebook is equipped with a second display and, for the first time, with self-developed sensors for contactless control. While Ameria usually integrates Intel Real Sense sensors, for the notebook integration much smaller, inhouse-developed sensors are necessary.
The highlight of the AI notebook is not only the non-touch interaction, but also the easy access to various AI tools such as the Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT offered by OpenAI. Thanks to the Large Action Model (LAM) developed specifically by Ameria, the AI notebook is built to make work much easier. If Ameria has its way, Maverick AI, as the product is called, is the first notebook designed entirely for AI use from the start. The 3D display also enables contactless interaction with spatial content.
Founder and CEO Albrecht Metter was enthusiastic about the success of the event: “We were expecting a lot of potential investors, but we didn’t expect it to be so crowded. The feedback from visitors, who were often able to try out AI and 3D displays for the first time, was very positive. Having already shown Maverick AI to a select few visitors at ISE in Barcelona, we also see huge potential in the AV industry, especially in the luxury segment.”
Albrecht Metter’s company has already raised around 30 million euros in various investor rounds. The new notebook concept, non-touch 3D screens as an alternative to XR glasses and the growing demand for non-touch interaction in public spaces are exciting investors. AI has been omnipresent for over a year, but for many people the new technology can now be experienced in physical space for the first time.