January 22, 2018
After last year’s CES, we wrote about one of the most common themes of that show, IoT consumer applications in the home and Voice Control. Our thought then was that “most devices were only adding voice or remote control that provides essentially a one-to-one relationship, from controller to device”. Although that one-to-one relationship still exists at this year’s show, we found that Voice Activation across ALL devices is definitely coming …connecting your entire life.
Not unlike
last year’s show, AI seemed to be everywhere this year and Amazon Alexa and
Google Assistant were the most prominent. As these virtual assistants become a virtual
family member, the next big push is for them to be EVERYWHERE in the home,
including our kitchen appliances, in our showers, in our bathroom mirrors and even on our toilet! Companies like Kohler and Samsung
say that communication amongst all of these devices is coming soon eliminating
the thought of a cold shower in the future!
Cars and
smart cities also took center stage at this show. As one of the top 10 shows in
the country for auto manufacturers, CES 2018 proved to be their playground. AI
is creeping into the automobiles and gone will be the days of buttons on a
car’s dashboard controlling the “infotainment” functions inside your car. Voice
will soon activate everything from the HVAC system, media, communication and
navigation systems. One of the most interesting we saw was an AR “holographic” screen displayed on the car’s dashboard
that moves with eye movement and displays what we “tell” it to. Cars will be soon
be able to talk to your connected refrigerator and you will never be low on
milk again.
Perhaps
the biggest way that we saw AI transform itself to a truly IoT connected
platform was how the future consumer will move from their smart home to their
smart car through their smart city. Connected infrastructures, integrated
public transit, and intelligent electricity grids through 5G connectivity will
help to reduce traffic congestion, increase public safety and the ensure the city’s
sustainability. “Smart cars” will be able to talk with the “smart cities” to help
achieve the perfect ecosystem.
A fully integrated,
connected lifestyle with many different relationships built through AI is still
not a reality yet, but CES 2018 proved it’s only a matter of time.
Posted by Jill OToole at 2:00 AM