# David Rose

> David Rose is a five-time entrepreneur, author, and former MIT Media Lab lecturer who builds technology that disappears into everyday life. Today he is co-founder and CEO of LOOKOUT, a Boston marine AI company that fuses computer vision, radar, AIS and chart data into a single augmented reality view so boaters can spot vessels, debris, whales and people in the water before it is too late. Before LOOKOUT he invented the Ambient Orb (now in MoMA), built the cellular GlowCap pill cap, ran computer-vision pioneer Ditto Labs, led vision technology at Warby Parker, and wrote two influential books, Enchanted Objects and SuperSight.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at LOOKOUT
- **Organizations:** LOOKOUT, MIT Media Lab (former), Warby Parker (former), Ditto Labs (former), Vitality (former), Ambient Devices (former), Interactive Factory (former), IDEO (former), Home Outside
- **From:** Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Physics and Fine Arts, St. Olaf College, Master's in Technology in Education, Harvard University, High school diploma, Madison West High School
- **Known for:** Co-founder and CEO of LOOKOUT, with 100+ AI marine vision systems deployed globally, LOOKOUT won the 2025 IBEX Innovation Award for OEM Electronics (selected from 112 entries), Invented the Ambient Orb, now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Founded Interactive Factory; helped create the LEGO Mindstorms Robotic Invention System
- **1997** — Patented an early online photo-sharing system; founded Ophoto (acquired by Flashpoint Technology)
- **2002** — Co-founded Ambient Devices, an MIT Media Lab spin-off; invented the Ambient Orb
- **2008** — Founded Vitality and developed GlowCap, the first cellular-connected pill cap; began lecturing at the MIT Media Lab
- **2012** — Founded computer-vision company Ditto Labs and served as CEO
- **2014** — Published Enchanted Objects; appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
- **2017** — Joined Warby Parker as VP of Vision Technology, building the virtual try-on app
- **2020** — Co-founded LOOKOUT, bringing AI computer vision to marine safety
- **2021** — Published SuperSight, on augmented reality and the future
- **2025** — Spoke at CES 2025; LOOKOUT won the IBEX Innovation Award for OEM Electronics and launched LOOKOUT 3.0

## Achievements

- Co-founder and CEO of LOOKOUT, with 100+ AI marine vision systems deployed globally
- LOOKOUT won the 2025 IBEX Innovation Award for OEM Electronics (selected from 112 entries)
- Invented the Ambient Orb, now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Created GlowCap, which achieved 90%+ medication adherence in clinical trials and won a 2010 Medical Design Excellence Award
- Author of Enchanted Objects (2014) and SuperSight (2021), the latter a National Indie Excellence Award winner
- Helped create the LEGO Mindstorms Robotic Invention System
- Built Warby Parker's award-winning virtual try-on using the iPhone TrueDepth camera
- Holds multiple US patents spanning photo sharing, ambient displays, connected medical devices, and obstacle avoidance
- Lectured at the MIT Media Lab from 2008 to 2020

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — LOOKOUT unveiled LOOKOUT 3.0 with a 3D Aerial View, Dynamic Shallow Fences, and escalating light and audio hazard alerts.
- **2025-01** — Rose spoke at CES 2025 in a fireside chat on IoT standards and AI; LOOKOUT won the IBEX Innovation Award for OEM Electronics.

## Links

- Website: https://getalookout.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidloringrose
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/getalookout
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LOOKOUTCamera
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/getalookout
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getalookout
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@getalookout

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-rose
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-24