The start of each year is the time that the tech world flocks to Las Vegas for CES. If you are involved in the technology or digital economy in any way, it’s a "must go to" event.
The show is a test of stamina, the vast event covers everything from Home Entertainment, to Wearable tech to 3D Printed food, this year we even saw an algorithmically controlled tail for enhancing that special dress costume! One thing is for sure; the smartphone is at the centre of our universe and the remote control to our lives. Smartphones are getting faster, much faster and allowing users to experience more immersive content than ever before. The smartphone and the Internet of Things are creating more data, which is starting to be simplified and translated into facts or emotions that have relatable value. Across four days I spoke to technology experts involved in product development, design and marketing, about what is shaping things to come in 2016.
Virtual Reality
TV’s always play a big part of the super booths from tech giants such as Samsung and LG, however watching TV on the wall is becoming ambient, real information and entertainment is being consumed in so many other ways. Virtual Reality has already peaked the interest of trendsetters, however 2016 is the year makers will be targeting mainstream consumers. Some of the VR headsets showcased came from Samsung with Gear VR, Facebook owned Oculus Rift, Sony PlayStation VR, and the new HTC Vive. Exhibitors in the Gaming and Virtual Reality space included NASA, this was the space agency's debut at CES, who were showing technology they use on the International Space Station.
Don’t worry if you missed CES, thanks to VR you can still enjoy it from the comfort of your home or office, grab you Google Cardboard and check out CNET’s coverage here:
Automotive
I have observed the automotive space grow over the years and 2016 was no different, it now covers 200,000* square feet now and is a “must see” for automotive design, infotainment and safety. It’s clear that government regulations around the world is driving carmakers to build electric and hybrid vehicles in order to comply with environmental legislation, despite benefits to the planet being questionable. Electric cars are becoming cool and fun, VW showed off their “Budd-E”, a minivan concept built on a new electric platform called MEB. According to VW it will have the driving range of a traditional powered car, and has a recharge time of 30 minutes for 80% of battery capacity.
The car that really stole the show was the unveiling of the super secret Faraday Future FFZERO1. California based Faraday Future are challenging what a car should be, dubbed the “car of concepts” only can a company based in Silicon Valley think about electrical vehicles that make Tesla look retro. The FFZERO1 is a concept that features apparatus such as an astronaut style helmet that oxygenates and hydrates the driver in transit, whilst having the ability to monitor the driver’s biometric data. Unfortunately this car will never be built, however watch this space for the unveiling of a SUV/Crossover in early 2016. The SUV will be based on the same platform and promises to be as radical in design and thinking as the FFZERO1, but far more practical. Faraday Future vehicles will be built in North Las Vegas in a state of the art billion-dollar facility.
Audi envisions a future in which drivers leave their cars more relaxed than when they entered them. It sees the car as a personal yet simultaneously connected space that is ideal for health and fitness monitoring. Under the motto “my Audi cares for me”, Audi Fit Driver will become a supportive driving companion.
The architectural marvel of the Audi stand always surprises me, it’s visually stunning and usually linked to a visual metaphor connecting design to the core message on the stand. This year the design of the structure was clearly inspired by the companies advances in matrix laser lighting, and its progression with “connected” technologies.
Wearables & Internables
The Consumer Technology Association forecasts 38 million wearable devices will be sold this year, smartwatches and fitness trackers will make up the majority of sales. The combined revenue from fitness trackers and smartwatches is $4.9 billion globally. CES 2016 saw 500 plus wearable devices across the showfloors, many doing the same thing, however most makers have started to offer real solutions, and not just presentations of prototypes. We are still seeing a strong trend in the fitness tracking space and new partnerships between companies like Under Armour and HTC with their Healthbox, (a fitness band, chest strap and connected weighing scale), is making getting fit easier and more informative.
Chinese maker of Mi Band, Xiaomi are offering attractive wearable’s at sub $20, which is resulting in price erosion across the industry. At the same time we are seeing Swiss brands like Tag Heuer introduce super premium smart watches that look and feel exquisite, thanks to the use of materials like titanium. I see this trend continuing with other Swiss makers looking at digital technologies in order to capitalise on future consumers. We look forward to seeing advancements from the Swiss at Baselworld in the Spring.
CES always showcases ‘out of the box thinking’, and this year Santa Cruz based “In-Tail” showed off a tail that has the ability to simulate your favourite animals tail movements, or it will move along to your favourite music all controlled via your smartphone. I asked In-Tail CEO Bryan Kaufman, “Why”? I was told “Why not”! As silly as it may sound at first, the potential for something like this to act as a proprioceptive extension to our bodies, could be valuable for the bind or others who suffer from a sense awareness disability.
Ericsson have coined a new term ‘ Internables’, a new generation of body monitoring technology that is not worn on the body, instead lives inside us. This is nothing new of course, we have been inserting pace makers into the body for over 60 years, however as humans strive to live longer, healthier lives, is internal bio sensing the answer to longevity? According to Ericsson 1 in 3 people are interested in implants that can add Internet information at the core our brians in order to aid what is seen and heard. Google are already working on a programme that could connect the human brain to the cloud.
Rideables
After seeing all sorts of Segway type mobility solutions at CES for a number of years, a new “ables” has emerged – Rideables. These include “hoverboards” scooters, skateboards, bicycles and unicycles all seeking evolutionary advancement thanks to the use of electric power and data. Not a rideable, but another extreme version of mobility was the “Enhang 184”, the Chinese made drone is the first to be able to carry a human inside its helicopter style cabin.
Beauty
An emerging space at CES is the Beauty Tech Summit where global beauty brands have started to exhibit innovation in skincare, micro-derm abrasion, epilators, hair growth, diagnostics, bacteria killing blue light, teeth whiteners, and virtual/augmented beauty.
ModiFace, is an augmented visualisation company who showed of a smart mirror that can simulate what a user would look like when exploring a new cosmetic look. The ideas is you only purchase makeup that you know will work for you, eliminating waste on unflattering cosmetics. L’Oreal, Allergan, and Jane Iredale are a number of brands who have signed up to using the technology. The mirror also allows users to explore teeth whitening, see changes in their eyebrows and even see the reversal of signs of ageing.
L’Oreal unveiled “My UV Patch” a skin patch that can track the skin’s exposure to harmful UV rays via photographic analysis on a smartphone. The patch contains a photosensitive blue dye which changes colour when exposed to ultraviolet light, however users must use the app to see the results.
Conclusion
Are we ready to adopt all of this change? How much data is too much data? Have we resided to the fact that our personal digital data is not that personal anymore? We look forward to seeing how consumers throughout 2016 adopt some of the technologies seen.
*CEA Data 2016
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