by
Mark A. Ollig
What
event contained over 2.2 million net square feet of display space, some 3,600
exhibitors, approximately 160,000 attendees, and over 20,000 products?
Yes,
it was the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Online
social media was buzzing last week.
The
CES Facebook page, and the Twitter hashtag #CES2015, saw thousands of messages
containing photos, opinions, and information about the latest and greatest
technology being shown during CES.
Intel
Corporation, during its CES keynote address, announced a new, button-sized
computing chip module, called Curie.
Curie
will be used in smart wearables, and IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
One
Intel-engineered wearable is called MICA (My Intelligent Communications
Accessory), a smart-bracelet touted as “Hi-Tech Meets High Fashion.”
A
luxuriously looking bracelet, it uses a curved, sapphire glass touchscreen, and
comes with 18-carat gold coating.
MICA
allows the wearer to manage their calendar schedule, perform text messaging,
view notices from their online social media contacts, and more.
You
can see MICA on Intel’s webpage: http://tinyurl.com/lhj4aul.
Sharp
Corporation announced its prototype Aquos Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV.
Some
folks were mistakenly calling this an 8K resolution screen model.
Because
of the splitting of pixels to create “subpixels,” this TV does not provide true
8K resolution, and Sharp is mindful not to describe it as such.
Sharp
did say the Aquos Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV delivers 167 percent greater resolution
than traditional 4K HD TV’s.
The
Aquos Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV display screen contains some 66 million subpixels;
meaning four subpixels, containing red, green, blue, and yellow, are within
every single pixel.
The
display screen measures 80 inches, and because of the splitting of individual
pixels into subpixels, it has an effective resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels.
It
uses Google’s Android TV platform, including all the Google Play applications.
The
Aquos Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV will be available this fall.
This
year’s CES also saw the newest Parrot Pot introduced.
The
Parrot Pot is a circular flower pot, measuring about 12 inches high.
It’s
an autonomous container, comprised of sensors for monitoring temperature,
sunlight, soil moisture, and fertilizer levels.
This
pot has its own built-in water reservoir, which it monitors.
When
the plant needs watering, you can be notified via your smartphone,
If
you’re not available, the built-in 2.2 liter water reserve tank will
automatically spray the container’s 2 liters of soil, using its Intelligent
Watering System.
Parrot
Pot’s intelligence is supported by a 32 MHz processor, 8 KB of RAM, and 250 KB
of flash memory.
It
includes Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology, and its battery lasts one year.
Monitoring
a plant’s condition can be remotely accomplished by using an app on a
smartdevice.
The
Parrot Pot provides a database of 8,000 different plants, allowing a user to
know how best to care for a specific plant.
A
video demonstrating this second-generation Parrot Pot can be seen at:
http://tinyurl.com/l7f3rtw.
Drone
maker DJI, demonstrated Inspire 1, its flying quadcopter.
Inspire
1 includes a 4K high-resolution video and 12- megapixel motorized camera, for
capturing video and photos from the air.
This
camera can operate independently, or be controlled from a user on the ground
using an Inspire 1 remote controller, or via a mobile device software app.
DJI’s
Inspire 1 webpage is: http://www.dji.com/product/inspire-1.
Inspire
1 will be available later this year.
For
those interested in self-driving cars, our friends at BMW demonstrated
Connected Drive Active Assist, using their BMWi3 research vehicle.
This
specially-equipped demo car has Remote Valet Parking Assistant; meaning, when
you arrive at your destination, instead of hunting for an open parking spot,
you can exit your vehicle, enter a command into the car’s app on your
smartphone (or wearable smartdevice), and let your car park itself.
When
the car receives the command, it will begin searching for an open parking spot
on its own, while you enter into the hotel, theater, or other venue you’re at.
In
a multi-level parking garage, this autonomous car will have already downloaded
the parking spot arrangement, and will be carefully steering itself through the
different levels.
The
car uses 360-degree collision avoidance sensors, which take into consideration
other cars and any hazards; all while looking for an open parking spot.
As
the car approaches an unused parking spot, it will park itself, lock the doors,
and faithfully wait in the parking space until it’s instructed to pick you up.
Connected
Drive Active Assist could be ready by 2020.
Mercedes-Benz
also unveiled its vision of the self-driving car of the future.
The
F 015 Luxury in Motion is a concept vehicle designed to drive autonomously on
the open road.
Inside,
passengers will relax and enjoy their private space with a 360-degree view
within a wood-paneled interior.
Yours
truly also liked the car’s swiveling, white leather chairs.
The
F 015 Luxury in Motion concept car is still a work in progress, but looks very
promising.
We
may not be seeing driverless, autonomous cars zipping by us on the highways, or
buzzing through parking lots anytime soon; however, the day is fast approaching
when we will.
The
CES website is located at http://www.cesweb.org.
