Tweet
CES 2019 summarized in a few words (separate post will have some pics)
CES 2019 (Consumer Technology Association show) certainly covered a lot of ground (along with some air and water…). IMO it was a demonstration of evolution rather than revolution (or true disruption) of technology and products. Don’t take this to mean it wasn’t impressive (and exhaustive), but for the most part, no real surprises.
Here are eleven major/prevalent themes (not necessarily independent):
• IoT aka, the Internet of Things. In essence almost everything being shown was able to be connected to the internet. From every appliance in your home, to your car, to wearable electronics, etc. However, just as the key issue in autonomous car telemetric applications, that doesn’t typically mean that they speak the same language nor can really interact/piggy-back off of one another’s data sets.
• Connected House. Virtually everything in your house from computers, to alarm systems, to surveillance, to kitchen appliances, to washers and dryers, to TVs and mirrors were capable of two-way internet connection. The ‘selling’ point was that you could control, look in on, check contents, etc., through your smart phone from anywhere in the world. In my somewhat jaundiced perspective, that of course opens up the possibility for others, via hacking, to do the same.
• Electric Locks. For applications from cars to homes, all you need is your smart phone or finger print or face recognition to open sesame.
• Robots. They were there in every size and shape including ones that were designed to recognize and play with your pet, to rove your home and bring things to you or allow you to remotely view and check on all parts of your home, to automate manufacturing tasks, to deliver product (like a mini-vending machine) in an office building, to those that were autonomous and could navigate sidewalks and streets in cities.
• 8k TVs. TVs of all sizes up to and including full walls and ceilings, and showing images in 8k and above. Included in this theme were advances in projection units that looked more like an amplifier and could be positioned as close as a foot or so from the wall on a shelf or credenza, projecting an HD image 60 to 80 inches across on the wall in front of it.
• Alexa. It was hard to find a new product that didn’t incorporate Alexa, from speakers, to refrigerators, to cars.
• Flexible printed circuit ‘boards.’ Conductive ink circuits that could be printed on a variety of flexible, highly bendable materials. Applications included normal uses where the smaller size offered advantages, and new uses for example, in very futuristic shaped automotive dashes. A clear advantage, in addition to being able to bend and flow with non-linear shapes, is that these conductive ink ‘boards’ could handle the vibration of machinery without developing stress cracks.
• New ways to get you from A to B. A number of companies are bringing out technology (for example scooters, bikes and autonomous vans) to go the last mile making parking less a hassle, or apps that bring together and integrate alternate types of transportation available to get you from A to B, including public transit, shared ride and on demand.
• Power and data through the air. There were lots of exhibitors showing new and improved WiFi (faster, farther, and more secure) as well as wireless charging. The later including capabilities of charging phones, smoke detectors, etc., across a room.
• Audiophile. Everything from head phones, ear phones, speakers, amplifiers and turn tables were touted as the latest and greatest.
• 3D printing. There was a plethora of faster, less expensive and more capable printers, ranging from intended for the home to factory settings. A relevant application demonstrated making automotive parts that were no longer available in the OEM form, but could replicate all functionality of the original.
Stay tuned for some highlights from interviews I conducted with CEOs of technology ranging from Integration of choices for getting from A to B (does this mean you will be saying good bye to your car…), latest LED for the garage, and the use of hydrogen to clean out carbon deposits from combustion engines.
Here are eleven major/prevalent themes (not necessarily independent):
• IoT aka, the Internet of Things. In essence almost everything being shown was able to be connected to the internet. From every appliance in your home, to your car, to wearable electronics, etc. However, just as the key issue in autonomous car telemetric applications, that doesn’t typically mean that they speak the same language nor can really interact/piggy-back off of one another’s data sets.
• Connected House. Virtually everything in your house from computers, to alarm systems, to surveillance, to kitchen appliances, to washers and dryers, to TVs and mirrors were capable of two-way internet connection. The ‘selling’ point was that you could control, look in on, check contents, etc., through your smart phone from anywhere in the world. In my somewhat jaundiced perspective, that of course opens up the possibility for others, via hacking, to do the same.
• Electric Locks. For applications from cars to homes, all you need is your smart phone or finger print or face recognition to open sesame.
• Robots. They were there in every size and shape including ones that were designed to recognize and play with your pet, to rove your home and bring things to you or allow you to remotely view and check on all parts of your home, to automate manufacturing tasks, to deliver product (like a mini-vending machine) in an office building, to those that were autonomous and could navigate sidewalks and streets in cities.
• 8k TVs. TVs of all sizes up to and including full walls and ceilings, and showing images in 8k and above. Included in this theme were advances in projection units that looked more like an amplifier and could be positioned as close as a foot or so from the wall on a shelf or credenza, projecting an HD image 60 to 80 inches across on the wall in front of it.
• Alexa. It was hard to find a new product that didn’t incorporate Alexa, from speakers, to refrigerators, to cars.
• Flexible printed circuit ‘boards.’ Conductive ink circuits that could be printed on a variety of flexible, highly bendable materials. Applications included normal uses where the smaller size offered advantages, and new uses for example, in very futuristic shaped automotive dashes. A clear advantage, in addition to being able to bend and flow with non-linear shapes, is that these conductive ink ‘boards’ could handle the vibration of machinery without developing stress cracks.
• New ways to get you from A to B. A number of companies are bringing out technology (for example scooters, bikes and autonomous vans) to go the last mile making parking less a hassle, or apps that bring together and integrate alternate types of transportation available to get you from A to B, including public transit, shared ride and on demand.
• Power and data through the air. There were lots of exhibitors showing new and improved WiFi (faster, farther, and more secure) as well as wireless charging. The later including capabilities of charging phones, smoke detectors, etc., across a room.
• Audiophile. Everything from head phones, ear phones, speakers, amplifiers and turn tables were touted as the latest and greatest.
• 3D printing. There was a plethora of faster, less expensive and more capable printers, ranging from intended for the home to factory settings. A relevant application demonstrated making automotive parts that were no longer available in the OEM form, but could replicate all functionality of the original.
Stay tuned for some highlights from interviews I conducted with CEOs of technology ranging from Integration of choices for getting from A to B (does this mean you will be saying good bye to your car…), latest LED for the garage, and the use of hydrogen to clean out carbon deposits from combustion engines.
Comment