The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world’s biggest tech event. With nearly 200,000 attendees flooding into the Las Vegas strip for a week in January. Newest event CES 2017 just started. CES is often the home to consumer product announcements and demonstrations of future technologies, so it is one of the most anticipated events of the year for technology enthusiasts and press.
I am not visiting the event, I am just briefly following the event from several different news sources.
News coverage:
CES 2017: Complete Coverage of the Best Emerging Tech – IEEE Spectrum
How to follow The Verge at CES 2017
The Verge CES 2017 live blog: unfiltered commentary on the biggest news from Vegas
Trends and predictions articles:
9 of the biggest trends to watch out at CES 2017
CES 2017: AR, VR, and IoT will be hot, 3D Printing Not – IEEE Spectrum
CES 2017: The Year of Voice Recognition – IEEE Spectrum
Selected articles related to recent tech announcements:
Acer’s new Chromebook is built to survive even the clumsiest owner article tells that for budget-conscious, yet accident-prone consumers, there’s a new option: Acer’s rugged Chromebook 11 N7.
CES 2017: Kingston unveils ‘world’s highest capacity USB flash drive’ | ZDNet article tells that small 1TB and 2TB USB flash drives are here.
New HDMI 2.1 spec includes support for Dynamic HDR, 8K resolution, and more article tells that HDMI specification is advancing in the aim to make your new TV old again.
LG’s new OLED TVs are so thin they have to be wall mounted article tells that LG new W-series 4K sets — “Picture on Wall” — TVs are just 2.6mm thin across their entire frame, they can be mounted completely flat against your wall.
CES 2017 News & Highlights: The best TVs, laptops and more from Las Vegas
CES 2017: NVIDIA Keynote Live Blog
LG CES 2017 Press Conference Live Blog
CES 2017 press day 2: How to watch Samsung, Sony and more, live
CES 2017: Samsung and LG TVs battle to blend in article tells that South Korean tech giants LG and Samsung have launched TVs that aim to better blend in to consumers’ living rooms.
76 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 3D printers of CES
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/10/the-3d-printers-of-ces-2/
CES is over, and now we can take a step back, distance ourselves from the trade show booths, and figure out where 3D printing will be going over the next year.
The Hype Cycle is a great way to explain trends in fads and technological advances. VR and autonomous cars are very early on the Hype Cycle right now. Smartphones are on the plateau of productivity. 3D printing is head-down in the trough of disillusionment.
For this year’s CES, 3D printing is not even a product category.
Prusa’s booth listed their company in the ‘Assistive Technologies’ category
Makerbot presented the only 3D printer on The Colbert Report. Only Makerbot had their 3D printing storefronts featured on CNN.
This doesn’t mean 3D printing isn’t improving. In fact, it’s the best it’s ever been.
Large 3D printers have been around for years now.
However, this year we’re seeing some interesting approaches to building bigger printers.
This year, Monoprice is doubling down on inexpensive machines with a $150 delta printer, and what might be the least expensive resin printer we’ve seen. There’s going to be a second version of the MP Mini Select, with improvements taken directly from the community’s tinkerers.
The software stack has always been the weak point of resin printing, and now Lulzbot is working with Monkeyprint to improve the state of SLA printing. They’re working on their own edition of Cura, and the Blender Foundation is getting some help from Lulzbot.
What does the future hold for 3D printing? It’s going to take a while for the general public to realize that you can do more than print low-poly Pokemon.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bosch Dev Kit to Ease IoT
Kit speeds development
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331136&
Every sensor and wireless chip maker is edging into the Internet of Things (IoT) market, one of the fastest growing international markets, predicted to surpass $1.6 billion by 2021 according to IoT Analytics (Hamburg, Germany). Fellow German company Bosch Sensortec aims to maintain its current lead by integrating its microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and other sensors into every IoT device under the sun.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES, Las Vegas) it tried to demonstrate its prowess by introducing a fistful of innovative applications and IoT enablers for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices featuring mobility, logistics and Industry 4.0 (the marriage of IoT, cyber-physical systems and cloud computing).
One premier proof-of-concept device was a cigarette-lighter sized Retrofit eCall IoT that plugs right-in to the cigarette lighter hole (usually called the auxiliary power jack) present on every car. This IoT module turns any vehicle (whose driver has a Bluetooth-equipped smartphone) into a GM-like On-Star or Ford-like Sync equipped vehicle including roadside service, emergency dispatch and even concierge services like finding restaurants and booking hotels.
To demonstrate how logistics can use the IoT, Bosch showed a Transport Data Logger (TDL). The device is attached to each high-value crate to be shipped, which it monitors with built-in sensors that log temperature, humidity, tilt, location and shocks.
For OEM’s planning their own IoT devices, Bosch showed its Cross Domain Development Kit (XDK110) which contains a MEMS accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope, coupled with humidity, pressure, temperature, acoustic and digital light sensors.
To its growing family of extension boards
a long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) that can connect IoT devices up to 25 miles apart
http://xdk.bosch-connectivity.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
MediaTek Auto Gambit: Radar, Vision SoC
MediaTek further articulates its auto plan
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331120&
LAS VEGAS — MediaTek, Taiwan’s smartphone chip giant, is dead set on entering the growing automotive electronics market, fueled by the belief that its expertise in high-performance, low-power app processors will help carmakers and tier ones develop effective digital cockpits.
A common background in smartphone app processors has driven both Meditek and Qualcomm to the automotive market. Qualcomm announced its plan with a bang, through an imminent acquisition of NXP Semiconductors. However, MediaTek, which is opting for a much more organic approach, is facing an uphill battle. The company’s appetite for automotive is understandable. But it remains to be seen if the Taiwan’s fabless company — new to the automotive market — can really catch up.
Other technologies and products MediaTek has up its sleeve include 77-79GHz millimeter wave radars, ADAS cameras, and “very low-power” vision SoCs, he said.
Of course, unlike Qualcomm, who will have the luxury of NXP opening doors
Radar is one of the hottest sensor technologies for carmakers as they augment their ADAS systems.
IHS Markit Automotive expects the market of radar sensors to grow to more than 50 million in 2021.
Hsu said that MediaTek’s experience in 802.11ad – multi-gigabit per second speed wireless communication technologies operating over the unlicensed 60GHz frequency band – and related IPs that it developed with IBM will come in handy for designing radar chips.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Continental AI Effort Stresses ‘Responsibility’
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331121&
LAS VEGAS — Continental Automotive, an old-line tire company, is among a host of car suppliers at the Consumer Electronics Show, trying to get traction in automated driving. Company executives here this week told a packed media audience that, perhaps unlike some competitors, Continental has the manpower, the technical talent and the sense of mission necessary to make the transition.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T Aims to be a Force in Autonomous, Connected Cars
With several new announcements coming out of CES 2017, AT&T is planning to position itself as the go-to provider of connected vehicle communications.
https://www.designnews.com/automotive-0/att-aims-be-force-autonomous-connected-cars/69431495847232?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170110.tst004t
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm Releases Snapdragon 835 Chip Targeted at Mobile AR/VR
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/qualcomm-releases-snapdragon-835-chip-targeted-mobile-arvr/156756304147229?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170110.tst004t
Qualcomm has released the Snapdragon 835, its first chip manufactured with a 10-nanometer manufacturing process that makes it ideal for next-generation mobile applications, including augmented and virtual reality.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NETGEAR Intros Comcast-OK’d DOCSIS 3.0, 3.1 Retail Modems
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/01/netgear-intros-comcast-ok-d-docsis-3-0-3-1-retail-modems.html?cmpid=enl_BTR_Weekly_2017-01-10
The CM1000 Ultra High Speed Cable Modem is the 3.1 version and can be used by Comcast residential subscribers for gigabit Internet services where Comcast has rolled out DOCSIS 3.1
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Smart Money’s on Smart Home
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/01/the-smart-money-s-on-smart-home.html?cmpid=enl_BTR_Weekly_2017-01-10&
The rise of smart home technologies and their adoption is one of the safer bets to come out of the CES show floor in Las Vegas last week. Let’s take a look at some of the smart home-related news that has come out both in the last few days and just before the end of the year.
Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) has made a slew of announcements of late, including the introduction of a whole-home networking solution. The cloud-based platform, which will be included at no extra cost for customers with a Comcast WiFi gateway device, is intended to allow people to add devices, pause device use during dinnertime, pair WiFi extenders to boost signal strength and use voice controls to see who’s on the network.
The new service is scheduled to be automatically enabled in the first half of 2017 for the approximately 10 million existing Xfinity Internet customers who have a compatible Xfinity wireless gateway.
Comcast also revealed that a connected thermostat from Zen Ecosystems has been integrated into the Xfinity Home ecosystem. This is a step toward the relaunch of EcoSaver technology that will help customers reduce energy usage with real-time weather analytics.
This is a step toward the relaunch of EcoSaver technology that will help customers reduce energy usage with real-time weather analytics.
Parks Associates agrees, saying that smart home applications are increasingly shifting to voice control. The research house says 44% of U.S. broadband households have used voice control functions on at least one of their connected smart home platforms, including 64% of heads of household ages 18-24.
The high usage rates among Millennials suggest that voice controls are quickly becoming the preferred means of interaction with Internet-connected devices, and younger consumers especially will see greater value in new smart home platforms with voice control as standard in the user interface.
Comcast Aims to Make Smart Homes Smarter, Greener
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/01/comcast-aims-to-make-smart-homes-smarter-greener.html?cmpid=enl_BTR_Weekly_2017-01-10
At the Smart Home Marketplace at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) announced a partnership between Xfinity Home and Zen Ecosystems, the manufacturer of a connected thermostat that is integrated with the Xfinity Home ecosystem and part of its family of core devices. The integration is another step toward the relaunch of EcoSaver technology to help Xfinity Home customers automatically reduce energy usage with real-time weather analytics to optimize a home’s heating and cooling efficiency. According to the National Academy of Sciences, heating and cooling account for about 39% of total energy use in a typical home.
“Together, Comcast’s Xfinity Home and Zen Ecosystems make ideal partners on the journey to help consumers easily turn their homes with connected devices into smart homes all manageable on one platform – the Xfinity Home platform.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world’s thinnest fuel cell
Swedish myFC already widely known for a wide range of fuel cell developer.
Last year introduced fuel cell was only 0.9 millimeters thick. Lamina new cell is clearly even thinner. So thin that it can be installed directly in the smartphone covers.
MyFC praises Lamina its cell power density higher than the new smartphone in its own batteries
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5661:maailman-ohuin-polttokenno&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T Aims to be a Force in Autonomous, Connected Cars
With several new announcements coming out of CES 2017, AT&T is planning to position itself as the go-to provider of connected vehicle communications.
https://www.designnews.com/automotive-0/att-aims-be-force-autonomous-connected-cars/69431495847232?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170111.tst004t
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2017: Robotics making life safer and enhancing the human condition
http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4443266/CES-2017–Robotics-making-life-safer-and-enhancing-the-human-condition?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20170111&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20170111&elqTrackId=13fd5dc007e4482c89901b95d9560f4e&elq=09504a4344b54bd2a9edc3992fc8fc50&elqaid=35480&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=31017
The massive CES show in Las Vegas, NV demonstrated a myriad of consumer electronics content and exhibits with demonstrations and displays at every turn.
My first observation from the first day of CES was the wearable robotic exoskeleton that Hyundai Motor Company showed, presented by Dr. Dong Jin Hyun.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Netflix Is Deepening Our Cultural Echo Chambers
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/technology/how-netflix-is-deepening-our-cultural-echo-chambers.html?_r=0
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile Processors Move Beyond Phones
Qualcomm, other vendors look to autos, drones, and other applications.
http://semiengineering.com/mobile-processors-move-beyond-smartphones/
Mobile processors, also known as application processors, are well-known as the engines that run smartphones, tablet computers, and other wireless devices. But these chips increasingly are finding their way into autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things, unmanned aerial vehicles, virtual reality, and other applications far beyond phone calls and text messages. Moreover, they are gaining in complexity as they are adapted for other markets.
This shift was evident at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show. Little attention was paid to smartphones and their apps, even though this is still one of the largest markets for complex SoCs. The real buzz was artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, and self-driving cars.
As the market for smartphones and tablets flatten, processor vendors and their many suppliers in design software and services are branching out.
“Qualcomm maintained its smartphone AP market share leadership despite MediaTek’s strong inroads in 1H 2016,”
Blurring the lines
Mobile processors historically have fallen into two main buckets, those with a modem and those without. But that distinction is becoming fuzzier.
Bigger, faster, more complex
With these advanced SoCs, bigger, faster, and more heterogeneous are competitive advantages. Multi-core chips are almost required, and the vast majority have between four and eight cores.
Driving sales
Arvind Narayanan, product marketing architect at Mentor Graphics, looks to the next wave in mobile processors, with significant growth in AI, automotive-class chips, and IoT. Image sensors are key to self-driving cars.
“There’s so much demand in that area,” he says. “There’s going to be a lot more chips in these cars. That will help us in EDA.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infineon: What Makes Robo-Cars Zero Defect?
One-on-one interview with Infineon CEO
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331142&
Name the top five semiconductor companies in the automotive electronics market today.
If you answered NXP Semiconductors, Infineon, Renesas, ST Microelectronics and Texas Instruments, you know too much about semiconductors.
However, ironically, most of the attendees at a chip-dependent trade show like the Consumer Electronics Show likely have little clue. When talk about the future of automobiles tends to revolve around artificial intelligence and autonomous cars, the companies stealing the show at CES are chip vendors armed with massive processing power – namely, Nvidia, Mobileye and Intel.
But honestly, you can’t blame the masses for getting excited about the idea of a car that has a built-in supercomputer with trillions of floating point per second (TFLOPS).
Infineon Technologies, however, is not in that TFLOPS race. “We don’t intend to get into that business,” Reinhard Ploss, Infineon CEO, told us last week.
Meanwhile, despite the seemingly never-ending M&A activities among global chip vendors, the Infineon CEO said he’s not looking for another big target any time soon.
Having completed acquisitions of International Rectifier (IR) and Wolfspeed in recent years, Ploss believes Infineon today is big enough, and well-positioned for organic growth.
Tomi Engdahl says:
At Last, An Open Source Electric Vehicle From A Major Manufacturer
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/12/at-last-an-open-source-electric-vehicle-from-a-major-manufacturer/
There is a rule of thumb to follow when looking at product announcements at the fringes of the motor industry that probably has something in common with crowdfunding campaigns. If the photographs of the product are all renders rather than real prototypes, walk away. It is said that small volume vehicle production is a space that attracts either crooks or dreamers, and parting with your money to either can be a risky business.
It is with interest then that we note an exciting announcement made last week at CES, that the French carmaker Renault are to release an open-source vehicle platform. It is called the POM, and it is based upon their existing Twizy electric buggy platform.
Groupe Renault and partners showcase innovative mobility solutions at CES 2017
http://press.renault.co.uk/press-release/fb984a0e-7b5e-4f09-9c17-02fb185bd49d
Renault open platform enables co-innovation with partners, opportunity to explore niche markets and allows partners to build their own electric vehicle, creative apps
Renault partners OSVehicle, ARM, Pilot and Sensoria showcase innovative new projects
Renault-Nissan Alliance tech on display at CES 2017 during CEO keynote, Nissan demonstrations
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/valmistajan-messutiski-ryostettiin-varkaat-kahmivat-julkaisemattomia-laitteita-6614581
http://www.mikrobitti.fi/2017/01/laitevalmistaja-razer-joutui-varkauden-kohteeksi-kaksi-prototyyppia-rikollisten-matkaan-ces-messuilla/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bosch’s visions
The morning opening corresponded to my own case Bosch.
Bosch’s Executive Board Werner Struth attributable painted a morning presentation, the future of the Internet of Things. Everyone is familiar with the forecast is for example the field of IOT-projected 250 billion in revenue by 2020.
A couple of degrees more concrete figure came from Struth promised that all Bosch products are in some way connected to the network or to other devices in 2020.
For example, on top of the oven or coffee residues no longer need to stress about the evening in bed or in the morning on a business trip, but their status can be checked from the phone app.
Mayfield Kuri is one the most advanced domestic robot (manufactured by subsidiary of Bosch). It can, for example, to identify family members face, and behaves differently family with children and parents. It is possible with, for example, at their eye on the children makings of a built-in camera. The robot uses to communicate beeps little R2-D2 style.
New ways of creating the kitchen is also available. Smart speaker style Mykie can tell you recipes, and brings with it an entirely new phenomenon – “virtual social cooking”: everyone can to cook at home, and share the experience
However, most of the world-altering changes will be like motoring. Bosch’s new technologies utilizing the demo can be found in the car, for example, the contact area for providing a virtual haptic feedback.
Slightly more realistic vision is already becoming a beta-testing, together with Mercedes-Benz: Car will be installed sensors that continuously investigating streets. An empty parking space hits you want, they will indicate whether a cloud service, which information is shared on the Navigator to the goal it has set for other drivers that region.
Source: http://www.mikrobitti.fi/2017/01/mikrobitti-ces-messuilla-paiva-2-internet-porakoneita-ja-virtuaalipiparibileita/
More:
Mayfield Robotics launches $700 home robot Kuri
http://venturebeat.com/2017/01/03/mayfield-robotics-launches-699-home-robot-kuri/
Tomi Engdahl says:
new HDMI 2.1 standard was published
Included are, for example, support 8K-resolution image at 60 Hz refresh rate, and 4K image 120 Hz image update, VRR-player mode, in turn, supports changing the refresh rate.
Dynamic HDR allows you to define the color reproduction and contrast of the scene, or if necessary, a single image resolution.
Source: http://www.mikrobitti.fi/2017/01/mikrobitti-ces-messuilla-paiva-2-internet-porakoneita-ja-virtuaalipiparibileita/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nvidia takes high-end graphics cards to the cloud
Hardware Manufacturer Nvidia told the CES show quite the news of plans for the future. Nvidia intends to deprive the expensive graphics cards to the cloud, and thus resolve the lack of graphical power, for example, laptops plagues.
TechCrunchin according to Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said in his speech that the majority of the use of computers is not too low for the new games. The new GeForce Now subscription service allows these players to solve the problem by outsourcing design in rotating the cloud.
Huang also declares that the delay is small enough for the joy of the game.
The service works on virtually all computers, including Macs.
Source: http://www.mikrobitti.fi/2017/01/jymyuutinen-laitteistopaivitykseen-kyllastyneille-nvidia-vie-huippuluokan-naytonohjaimet-pilveen/
More:
Nvidia’s GeForce Now puts a gaming PC in the cloud
https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/04/nvidias-geforce-now-puts-a-gaming-pc-in-the-cloud/
Nvidia today announced the launch of its GeForce Now platform for PCs during its CES keynote tonight.
As the company’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang noted during today’s keynote, the majority of PCs in use today aren’t able to play modern games simply because they can’t support modern graphics cards. GeForce Now for PCs will simply these potential gamers to access a cloud-based gaming service.
GeForce Now will be available in March for $25 dollars for 20 hours of play. “It’s basically a GeForce gaming PC on demand,” Huang said. The idea here is to give all of those who want to play PC games but simply don’t have the hardware to do so a way to easily play virtually any modern game on their computers — even if they are Macs.
That does sound awfully familiar for anybody who ever used the old OnLive platform. That platform, though, depended heavily on support from gaming companies. During today’s keynote, Huang showed the Steam store running on Nvidia’s GeForce Now platform, though, so the number of supported games shouldn’t be an issue.
To use the service, gamers will have to download a small client. Installing and starting games should only take a few seconds,
Tomi Engdahl says:
Biggest Robo-Car Roadblock Is Human
CES 2017 Automotive Recap
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331148
In the midst of the glitzy keynotes, the media feeding frenzy and a lot of amped-up floor noise all focused on autonomous cars, it isn’t easy to discern the real news from last week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
So, here’s our recap.
What did really stand out this year in the hot robo-car segment? The “human factor” is how we’d sum it up.
The case for human and social factors was stated softly, but there it was. More companies — including Toyota and Mobileye — are scrambling to address the inconvenient truth that robo-cars pose a man-machine relationship more complicated than we care to admit.
At issue is how the human factor alters the future of self-driving designs.
Gil Pratt, CEO of Toyota Research Institute, noted, “As wonderful as AI is, AI systems are inevitably flawed…” Mobileye’s co-founder, CTO and chairman Amnon Shashua, described teaching vehicles to learn human intuition as “the last piece of the autonomous driving puzzle.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Best of the Weird from CES
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/01/the-best-of-the-weird-from-ces.html?cmpid=enl_btr_weekly_2017-01-17
Frivolity aside, though, that some of these innovations will stick to the wall, and those Internet of Things (IoT) devices will inevitably affect cable operators, requiring more bandwidth, bringing up security issues, and creating opportunities for management.
CES offered the opportunity to see some of the IoT devices operators might have to accommodate. Here are some that made us smile.
The Kerastase Hair Coach won the International CES Innovation Award for its WiFi-connected hairbrush.
The Hydrao Digital Showerhead is a Bluetooth-enabled device that changes color to alert the bather to how much water has been used.
Spinalli Design jeans buzz on different sides of the body to alert the wearer whether to turn left or right. The company also has a “smart” bikini that alerts the wearer when to apply sunscreen and a beanie that keeps the user connected while skiing.
Genican revealed a trash can sensor that scans barcodes and creates a shopping list of what to reorder.
The Ceravo Teclim is a pair of virtual reality shoes and gloves that that give the wearer the sensation of walking on different surfaces or touching different objects.
A smart All-in-One Combo washer/dryer by Whirlpool washes and dries a load in one machine.
The smart sensors determine when laundry supplies are low and order from Amazon.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alexa: Secret Agent or Double-Agent?
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1331216
I’m now sufficiently intrigued with Amazon Echo and Google Home. But when it comes to an actual purchase, I’m still on the fence. What about you?
Maybe it’s just me. The idea of having “machines” constantly listening to me in the privacy of my living room, bedroom, kitchen or — God forbid — the bathroom? It freaks me out.
When Nvidia’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang introduced in his keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show something called “Nvidia Spot,” a small artificial intelligence microphone designed to “extend intelligent control throughout the house,” as he put it, I did a double-take. “Did he just say ‘Nvidia Spy?’ ”
At CES, we also learned that Alexa isn’t just for the Amazon Echo anymore. With the help of Alexa Voice Services, any developer can now add the Amazon virtual assistant to their device; Google’s letting developers do the same with Google Assistant.
In short, even if I don’t want a microphone eavesdropping on me, I may no longer have a choice.
This is the new norm the industry was trumpeting at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Hardware suppliers, software designers and service providers are enamored with the power of AI. The next big thing is AI data centers fully equipped to collect, learn and analyze data, transforming all that eavesdropped data into “information.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2017: 29 intriguing products
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4443279/CES-2017–29-intriguing-products-
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lego Boosts Their Robotic Offering
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/21/lego-boosts-their-robotic-offering/
Kids often have their first exposure to robots in school using Lego Mindstorm kits. Now Lego is rolling out Boost — a robotic kit targeting all Lego builders from 7 years old and up. The kit is scheduled to be on the market later this year (it appeared at the recent CES) and will sell for about $160.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/boost
EXCLUSIVE: Hands on with LEGO Boost robotics prototype at CES in Las Vegas [News and Video]
http://www.brothers-brick.com/2017/01/06/exclusive-hands-lego-boost-robotics-prototype-ces-las-vegas-news-video/
The main programmable brick pairs via Bluetooth to a tablet app.
I asked Lasse and Jesper what their plans were to handle situations where numerous LEGO Boost sets and multiple apps were present in the same area. While they acknowledged that the product is being designed primarily as an entry-level LEGO robotics kit for kids to play with at home and no solution for the issue is currently available, it was clear they’re aware of this challenge (which I expect would also be an issue in a school as well).
The coding app will only be available at launch on iOS and Android tablets like iPads or Samsung Galaxy Tabs, and unfortunately, there are no current plans to support PC, Mac, or phones. With the product launch 8 months away in August, the prototype app that Jesper and Lasse demoed for me had its limitations, but they are planning to enable users to drill down into many of the grouped default behaviors to move the logic around a bit more.
Overall, the coding logic is fairly linear, without any branching logic through if/then/else conditions — just reactions to stimuli from the sensor. Condition statements are a concept at the core of nearly every programming language, so this was a bit disappointing to me, but if this helps get kids started with the basics earlier, I’m all for it.
Software developers often use LEGO bricks as a metaphor, particularly with the modularity of object-oriented programming, so it’s only fitting that LEGO creates its own modular coding system.
What comes next
LEGO is always very careful about talking about future products. And no wonder — I saw no fewer than three separate LEGO Mindstorms knockoffs (some “compatible” with LEGO bricks, some not) on the show floor at CES, and it’s understandable that LEGO doesn’t want to reveal too much about the future of LEGO Boost too far in advance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
RFID-enhanced CES badge helps you get to the show
http://www.edn.com/design/wireless-networking/4457427/RFID-enhanced-CES-badge
The Las Vegas Monorail is a great way to get around the city during the Consumer Electronics Show, assuming your current location and destination are both in reasonable proximity to its stations (i.e. those wanting to visit the exhibitors at the Venetian or Sands Convention Center are still in for a “bit” of a stroll). And the service’s multi-day passes are a great deal, assuming you’ll be riding the Monorail a lot while you’re there; considering that we’re talking about CES, that’s a reasonable assumption.
A single-ride ticket costs $5, while a four-day unlimited-ride pass, for example, is $28. Better yet, the “days” clock doesn’t start ticking until you take your first ride, regardless of when you initially purchase the pass.
This special service, as it turns out, was offered by NXP (specifically its MIFARE contactless IC brand) in partnership with Monorail, the Consumer Electronics Association, and event provider ITN International.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth at CES – An IoT for Everyone
https://blog.bluetooth.com/bluetooth-at-ces-iot-for-everyone
This year, we had the privilege to host some of the top leaders from the associations, companies, standards, and technologies that are building the Internet of Things (IoT) in a three-panel speaking track at CES 2017. As the IoT continues to grow (and rapidly!), the fight to win the consumer is building un-scalable walls between use cases, crippling adoption, and limiting innovation. In our sessions, we focused on how to overcome these challenges by working together to put the consumer first. We wanted to know: how can we make the IoT accessible to everyone?