ellu inat CES 2020: Overview + Highlights

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A magazine for curious idea seekers & culture junkies

ell uminatCES 2020: Overview + Highlights

ISSUE 16.01: CES 2020 – Overview + Highlights

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It’s been 10 years since I started attending CES and a lot has changed. CES was once a trade show for retailers and distributors looking forward to the big announcements from the tech giants congregated around the Las Vegas Convention Centre (LVCC). Today, the show is less about announcements and more about experiences and innovative ideas from new sectors to the show – such as mobility, health tech, smart homes and smart cities. The start-up ecosystem is buried in a space called Eureka Park at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. This is where you’ll see investors crawling the cramped aisles, looking for the next potential breakthrough company or idea. Some are even calling for the Consumer Technology Association to rename the show from the Consumer Electronic Show to the Consumer Experience Show. This feels more of a fashion to me than something that will stick long-term. What’s for certain is how the term IoT (Internet of Things) has evolved this year. Sensors are no longer dumb. They are not just collecting data, but they‘re actually processing data with the help of AI (artificial intelligence), in real time. The term “Intelligence of Things” is far more fitting and appropriate.

Though big announcements were light on the ground, Sony did surprise the show with a concept car. Mercedes-Benz took the limelight by cruising down the Las Vegas strip in its AVTR concept car, inspired by the work of movie director James Cameron. The most ambitious announcement was by Toyota, which plans to build an entire city near Mount Fuji. The show is still full of excitement and crazy ideas. Collectively, it gives me an idea of not only where technology is going, but also where our lifestyles are headed. It’s for this reason the show has drawn me back, year after year. In order to be effective in my day job, helping consumer brands with touchpoint marketing strategies and creative concept design, we have to understand the impact all this is having upon us.

For me, the biggest overall trend was how data is being used to make decisions on our behalf. This was much more prominent, compared to previous years. It’s refreshing to get details and examples of this from makers, instead of just describing something as powered by AI. One noticeable example was L'Oréal's Perso – a skincare, foundation and liquid lipstick system that has the ability to make products on demand, using both skin analysis and real-time environmental factors. This is a good example of hyper-personalisation – applying data, AI and robotics to everyday products to genuinely make them better for users and the environment. Read more about this in our Health + Hygiene report.

Regular readers will notice this magazine is a much shorter overview of the show. We’ve decided to topline the show here with some highlights, but you can read wider coverage of each sector in the individual reports that accompany this document. They include Health + Hygiene; Food + Technology; Robots; and Smart Cities + Mobility.

I’d also like to tell you that our magazine will change format after this issue. Instead of reporting on sectors, we’ll be posing a question and answering this with examples from across multiple sectors, which will highlight innovation in a more meaningful way. Each report will be much shorter, but will provide more value. See these new reports as vitamin shots for your brain that are both inspiring for your lifestyle and commercially stimulating.

Steven Kainth Chief curiosity officer

Bite-sized lifestyle content, curated to inspire curious minds that like to live on the edge of the future

COVER IMAGE: Samsung Sero

Words, thoughts and opinions are my own. Facts are found and are subject to change. Check before taking action. Magazine curation and design: Steven Kainth Editor: Hayley ArdAll image copyrights belong to the organisations highlighted. All other copyrights belong to Elluminate Me Limited

OPENING THOUGHT “Disruptive innovation can hurt, if you are not the one doing the disrupting.”Clayton Christensen, Harvard academic 1952-2020

IMAGE: Jeanne Detallante

Artificial Intelligence __________________________________________________

AI is almost omnipresent in the world we live in today and the smartphone is the epicentre of this new dimension. It’s actually impossible to create a report on new innovations in AI because there are so many. What do you leave out? Each of our individual sector reports talks about AI, so please enjoy those features in more depth.

I would like to highlight a few AI innovations from CES 2020 that caught my attention in this magazine because the ideas behind these features are unique and worth highlighting.

IMAGE: Samsung Newsroom

WHAT IS THIS?

Seoul, South Korea__________________________________________________

• Samsung Star Labs (a skunkworks division of the electronics maker) has created Neons – or artificial humans.

• A Neon is a computationally created virtual being that looks and behaves like a real human, with the ability to show emotions, express empathy and demonstrate intelligence (think what Amazon’s Alexa would look like if she had a face).

• The Neons are based on videos taken of real humans. However, complex animation techniques have been used for real humans to control facial expressions.

• Augmented natural language has also been programmed for the speech to match the emotive state. The Neons can speak any language.

• These prototypes are very early versions of research the lab is carrying out, so there are lots of glitches. The Neons are not that convincing, but the idea and application is genius.

• The company sees a huge market for the Neons – an interface with the internet, for example, or in call centres, airports or anywhere where video-based information needs to be engaged with.

• https://www.neon.life/

IMAGE: Neon

NEONArtificial human

https://www.neon.life/

IMAGE: Neon

WHAT IS THIS?

Seoul, South Korea__________________________________________________

• Samsung’s SelfieType project only uses two things: a virtual keyboard AI algorithm and a selfie camera.

• Users need to open an app and start typing on any surface.

• The phone has to be facing forwards, so that the AI engine can monitor where the hands’ positions are, to interpret them into words.

SAMSUNGSelfieType, a virtual keyboard

for your smartphone

IMAGE: Samsung

WHAT IS THIS?

London, UK__________________________________________________

• Software company Mirriad has developed a way for adverts to be “inserted” into films and television shows streamed online.

• It uses AI techniques to recognise objects in a scene and spot slots where branded goods and posters can be added without looking out of place.

• The aim is to ultimately tailor the product placements to individual viewers' interests.

• https://www.mirriad.com/

MIRRIADInsert ads into empty

spaces in videos

IMAGE: Mirriad

https://www.mirriad.com/

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I first became curious about smart cities about 10 years ago, when I saw a vision of the future presented by Audi. Automotive companies have been envisioning smart cities in dynamic ways for a long time. However, the trouble with all of the concepts is that they put the car at the heart of every concept. I understand their reasons for doing this, but the vision is always skewed and not reflective of all the other aspects of daily life we need to consider. At this year’s CES, Toyota presented something that was truly breath-taking: a proposal to build an entire prototype city of the future, where 2,000 people would live, as part of a large-scale experiment. The best part of Toyota’s vision is that this is a space not only for Toyota to test new ideas, concepts and technologies, but it’s also being opened to other organisations that may want to test ideas in the city of the future, which Toyota calls the Woven City. I feel Toyota’s concept would not have been possible to design internally. The company enlisted the help of world-renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. Take a look at why I'm so excited by the Woven City project.

Alongside smart cities, we’ve featured all sorts of future mobility in this issue, from cars that are designed to be empathetic, to wild creations inspired by Avatar. As smart cities evolve to become greener and cleaner, new forms of micromobility are emerging, alongside new forms of air transport.

2021 could be an exciting year at CES for the mobility sector. Through his Boring Company, Elon Musk plans to complete a tunnel that will connect the new west wing at the Las Vegas Convention Centre with the existing halls. The new one-mile tunnel will operate a high-speed autonomous driving link (155mph), powered by Tesla. I suspect the anticipation to ride this will be high. After all, many of the tech community at CES look up to Musk as their visionary leader.

Download the full issue here: https://www.elluminateme.com/magazine/

Smart Cities + Mobility

IMAGE: Bjarke Ingels Group

https://www.elluminateme.com/magazine/

IMAGE: Elluminate

Robots_______________________________________________________________________

Robots has evolved to include AI assistants embedded into smart products, such as speakers, cars, wearable devices and many other products. According to the giant Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn (which makes iPhones and will soon produce robots), a typical middle-class household in the developed part of the world could have five to seven robots helping out with household and lifestyle tasks by 2025. This isn’t inconceivable when we think about the use of AI in everything from speakers, to showerheads and a virtual coach in a gym app.

Now more than ever, big technology companies are focused on exploring how traditional robots could assist humans, from the kitchen and bathroom, to other parts of our lifestyles. Take a look at Samsung and LG’s creations in the full Robots issue of Elluminate magazine.

Robots are increasingly being used for educational purposes and even for emotional support. Check out the crazy Petit Qoobo feature. CES would not be the same if it were not for at least one hilarious bot each year, and my vote for the craziest one this year is Qoobo.

Robotic mobility and dexterity still remains the biggest challenge for designers and makers. Our world and buildings have not been designed to consider how a robot would move around, open doors, and navigate steps and stairs. However, companies like Boston Dynamics are tackling these precise challenges with remarkable, if not scary, success. Makers have already started to test robots in environments such as restaurants and hotels, which are fully operated by robots. See the Bellabot example.


IMAGE: Samsung


IMAGE: Elluminate

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Healthcare technology is fast becoming intelligent, to the point that it’s assisting humans with early diagnosis of disease, aiding in treatment, and working alongside medical practitioners to guard against future ailments. This is best seen through the many wearable technology and healthcare device companies at CES. Though the presence of big pharmaceutical companies is almost non-existent at CES (with the exception of medical healthcare and device company Abbott), there are many collaborations between traditional healthcare companies and technology giants like Google, which is working with patient groups in order to understand biometric data that’s being organised with the help of AI. This will lead to much greater efficiencies for the healthcare industry and rapid treatment for patients.

Medical technology aided by consumer-grade wearables is still in its infancy, but this is fast-changing, with exhibitors such as Valencell supporting product designers with cutting-edge sensors for blood-pressure monitoring (a common feature among wearables exhibited this year). The company is bringing medical-grade technologies to the consumer space. These new sensors will power the next generation of wearables, hearables and even insertables. Other products within the personal hygiene sector, such as smart toilets that have the ability to diagnose diseases, have previously been shown at CES.

I was surprised by the number of companies using electronics for personal hygiene, from electric light-therapy face washes and Alexa-equipped showerheads, to electronic neutralising deodorants. It seems there is no escaping digital devices, even in the bathroom. Who said electricity and water don’t mix? Take a look at some of my highlights in the full issue.


Health + Hygiene

IMAGE: Techspot


IMAGE: Elluminate

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I have a real passion for food and though I love eating out (who doesn’t?), I love to cook! The big technology companies such as Samsung and LG have always featured kitchens within their gigantic booths. For years, we’ve seen various iterations of connected fridges: fridges with computer vision and fridges with transparent displays that act as communication or entertainment centres. In this issue, I’m not going to cover any regular high-tech fridge. I have, however, featured Samsung’s Chef Garden –a completely new product that looks like a refrigerator, but is actually a “fogponic” (don’t you just love that word?) atmosphere that is optimised for growing plants, minimising the distance from garden to plate. Only technologists would come up with this. After all, milliseconds matter to these guys!

As discussed in our other CES issues, the Intelligence of Things has extended to food. In the past, if someone asked me how you connect food to the internet, I would have thought this person was crazy. But Yummly has done exactly this, and it’s done it in such a simple, useful and ingenious way.

Once again, Impossible Foods made the most noise within this sector, with the launch of its Impossible Pork meat. This was an inspiring innovation that not only promotes a healthier meat alternative for consumers to enjoy, but could also have the most positive impact on our environment. Pork is the most popular meat consumed globally, but, unfortunately, the conditions the vast majority of pigs are kept in are despicable. The question is: could Impossible Pork hold the same status as real pork in places like China, a market the company is heavily targeting?


Food + Technology

IMAGE: Impossible Foods


IMAGE: Elluminate

INNOVATION | INTELLIGENCE | IDEAS

IMAGE: Samsung SeroAll image copyrights belong to the organisations highlighted. All other copyrights belong to Elluminate Me Limited.

Elluminate Me Ltd accepts no responsibility for inaccurate information or facts presented in this issue.

Elluminate Me Limited

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ellu inat CES 2020: Overview + Highlights