January 06

VOICE-RESPONSE REMOTE CONTROLS & MORE TECH COMING YOUR WAY: CONSUMER ELECTRONIC SHOW NEWS + WHAT “IOT” MEANS TO YOU

Posted by thebplot on January 6, 2015 in Design, Technology

A robotic sprinkler from @DropletNews that waters your lawn based on the weather forecast.

The smart sprinkler from Droplet automatically waters your lawn based on the weather forecast. Available Spring 2015 at Home Depot. Photo courtesy @intlCES

Voice-response TV remotes, 1.2 inch thick LCD TVs, frameless smartphones, intuitive lawn sprinklers, your phone replacing your car key, a car that drives itself into your garage and no-touch cruise control are all coming your way very soon.

Here’s a summary of headline-making innovation news at the International Consumer Electronics Show – the preeminent tech conference in the US – including cool product announcements, trends and jargon:

Samsung – CEO of Consumer Electronics Boo-Keun Yoon spoke of a fully connected world powered by the Internet of Things (IoT). Life with IoT connectivity will include TVs that automatically pause when you leave the room, wearables that monitor brain waves to track biometric data and music systems that seamlessly transition from your home speakers to headphones. By 2017, 90 percent of all Samsung devices will be IoT-enabled; by 2020, all Samsung devices will be connected to the internet.

Mercedes-Benz – Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman, discussed the car of the future. “Mercedes aims to develop truly superhuman autonomous driving.” The concept car of the future, F015, can drive itself, has seats that swivel to face each other, and possesses a computerized brain to watch pedestrian movements. The aim of the concept car is space, time and privacy with the interior featuring gesture and eye tracking control with free-floating driving instruments. He further explained that “quality time and private space will be the true luxury items of the future.”

Mercedes-Benz car of the future emphasizes space, time and privacy featuring fully automated driving. Photo courtesy @intlCES

Bosch – World’s first sensor measuring humidity, air pressure and gas.

Child Angel – Wearable device for children or adults that enables guardians to track movements via Wi-fi and GPS, to avoid being lost in crowded public places.
Dish Network – First 4K set-top box that also allows side-by-side viewing in HD; Hopper Voice-Powered Remote and dual-mode touchpad with swipe and touch capabilities.
LifeQ – Uses continuous physiological monitoring and bio-mathematical modeling, to provide insights about personal and population-wide health.
Keyfree – Digital Key uses phone as vehicle key to remotely start/unlock car.
Panasonic – Panasonic Home Monitoring System, a self-monitoring system (no more monthly monitoring fees; watch your ADT stock), featuring smart plug, window/door sensors, indoor/outdoor cameras and a cordless handset. This is going to be great.
Qualcomm – Wi-fi based smart lighting platform to turn any lightbulb into a smart lightbulb.
Martha Stewart unveiled tablescape accessories you can create with a 3D printer at the 2015 CES. Photo courtesy @intlCES

Sharp – AQUOS Crystal frameless smartphones (meaning the picture covers the entire phone; amazing) and the world’s largest 4K Ultra HD LCD commercial display.
Sony – Play Station Vue and world’s thinnest (1.2 inches) LCD TV. Blowing my mind up!
Valeo – Cruse 4U an automated driving technology that can automatically accelerate, decelerate and stay in lane according to traffic conditions.
Volkswagen – Golf R Touch Concept Car, incorporates gesture control and networking to reduce driver distractions while attaining personalization and intuitive operation; Trained parking and future Park Assist drives car into garage semi-automatically.