grail research fieldnotes · 2018-07-10 · grail research fieldnotes consumer electronics show las...

Grail ResearchFIELDNOTESConsumer Electronics Show

Las Vegas | January 2017

Consumer IoT We’re not alone – Artificial Intelligence

and virtual assistants are redefining

smart home technology

Smart Auto Cars continue to become more

autonomous, connected and intelligent

3D / Immersive TechStill expensive and still fighting to

go mainstream

Smart CitiesSin City shows us the future of the

connected city

Personal ComputingStrength in numbers – market leaders

partner to improve products

Fitness / Health / Wellness / Lifestyle Sensors everywhere, connecting users

to on-demand/preventative care

Drones and DroidsFlying higher, diving deeper and

learning faster

Display TechSuper-sleek TVs and projectors drive the

future of viewing experiences

The conference tracks at CES put policy makers from multiple countries on stage with

entrepreneurs to talk about the need for consistent standards, among a host of other topics.

Observations from CES 2017

It has become a highly-anticipated

annual ritual here at Grail Research

to kick off the new year with a trip to

the world’s largest technology

showcase, Consumer Electronics

Show (CES), in Las Vegas.

A noticeable change this year is the

quickened pace at which we are

seeing prototypes and concepts

from past CES editions evolve into

viable products within still

developing ecosystems. Amidst all

the flash and fanfare though, we did

witness a few larger trends, covered

in the pages that follow, which could

bring major changes to tech-heavy

industries such as retail,

entertainment, healthcare, and

automotive, to name a few.

• Just as the industrial Internet of Things

(IoT) marches on, driving operational

efficiencies across many fields, the

consumer IoT is similarly diversifying

to target segments with specific

needs. Whether you are a professional

athlete seeking an integrated precision

training system or a parent balancing a

tough work life with raising kids, today’s

consumer IoT offers tools that help you

meet your goals, both at home and away.

• The future of retail, entertainment and

telepresence is clearly immersive, with

3D capture, augmented reality (AR)

and virtual reality (VR) tech rapidly

becoming viable and commercially

accessible. With low barriers to entry and

increasing app support, new mobile VR

and AR apps, running on smartphones

like Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, and

rumors that Apple is developing VR and

AR devices, could finally give this market

mainstream traction.

• Between modern robotics and artificial

intelligence (AI), the stage is set for a

future not constrained by the limits of

the human body or brain. Technological

advancements and economic implications

aside, a critical challenge for tech players

will be to work with policy makers across

the globe to design standards that

address privacy and public safety issues.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• The consumer tech space

continues to evolve as

companies redefine their focus

areas and diversify to stay

ahead of the curve. Many well-

known companies are now

offering connected auto and smart

home technologies or extending

their product lines to embrace

these trends.

• On the other hand, several big

names continue to look for their

next big bet on the consumer

side. Throwback firms Kodak and

Polaroid are still failing to excite,

despite flashy displays, but we did

see Nokia pull in some crowds

with its Withings wearables.

• More consumers, including early

adopters, are now looking for

smart watches and fitness

bands with friendly design, as

well as fashion and aesthetic

appeal. The tide is clearly in favor

of smartwatches that look like real

watches and fitness bands that

don’t look like activity trackers. In

this respect, firms like Garmin and

Fossil are trying innovative ways

to win space on the consumer’s

wrist.


With flying taxis already being talked about, it may not be too far out before

drones touch our lives in several new ways demonstrating the larger

benefits of such modern technologies.

CONSUMER IoT

With smart home tech maturing in recent

years, manufacturers are trying hard to

make the IoT widely available to consumers,

even as questions remain about how to

encourage them to give it a try or adopt

overarching smart home ecosystems. Based

on our show floor conversations, it seems

privacy and security concerns, together with

ecosystem compatibility, remain top-of-mind

hurdles for the industry.

This year, we saw appliance companies

work more seamlessly with major platforms

such as Apple HomeKit, Google Home,

Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings and

Xfinity Home, just to name a few.

.


Sleepace’s smart nightlight doesn’t tuck

you into bed but it does help you fall

asleep and wake up more naturally.

Using Amazon Alexa, Whirlpool’s new

range of smart appliances can be

controlled with your voice.

Griffin’s smart toaster attracted some

interest, but, as of yet, the mobile app

can’t butter your toast. Maybe next year?

Haier’s sleek Smart line of refrigerators,

coming to the US this year.


Panasonic displayed a substantial

range of smart home products

under its “lifestyles we all desire”

concept, a look into the near future.

The AI-powered Bonjour alarm

clock adjusts wake-up times based

on traffic and other data, while also

being a smart home hub and a

personal, voice-enabled assistant.

Customers may be getting rid of

cable boxes, but, with Xfinity Home,

Comcast is looking to stick around

in your future smart abode.

The aptly named Laundroid, by

Seven Dreamers, can recognize,

sort and fold your clothes, and

looks like a storage cabinet.

CONSUMER IoT

SMART AUTO

Cars on display at CES offered various

combinations of three key features: electric

power, connected experiences and self-

driving capabilities. (Sleek appearances and

zippy speeds are a given.) Even as on-

demand shareonomics impacts the longer-

term car ownership model for consumers,

auto manufacturers are going hard for a

pole position in the race to the future.

Having already souped-up cars with

advanced connectivity and infotainment, car

makers are now upping their emotional

appeal with next level of interactivity and

convenience, powered not by gasoline or

diesel, but by artificial intelligence (AI).

Below are some of the highlights.

.


Toyota's Concept-i uses an AI system called 'Yui' to anticipate the driver’s needs and moods.

Through features such as facial / gesture recognition, Yui automatically switches between

driving modes and assists the driver when it detects a hazard.

BMW’s driverless concept model, with a

fold-away steering wheel and a touch-

free HoloActive control system.

Ford is teaming up with Amazon to

integrate the Alexa voice assistant into

its cars and trucks.


Faraday’s FF91 zooms from 0 to 60 in

2.39 seconds and has a range of 378

miles, with looks that pull in huge

crowds, but, no, you can’t touch it!

ChargePoint Express Plus commercial

charging stations use a modular design

that is easy to scale.

Mercedes' Vision Van holds a clever loading

bay and can deliver stuff on the fly - literally.

That’s a delivery drone on the roof.

SMART AUTO

SMART CITIES

Smart cities and green technologies

continue to command attention at CES and

this year was no different, with connected

systems that use real-time data analytics to

solve problems around energy use, traffic

congestion and urban infrastructure

sustainability.

This year, CES showcased its first ever

Smart Energy Marketplace – an area of the

show run completely on an energy

independent micro-grid, which allowed for

real-time tracking and management of

energy consumption.

.


CURB’s smart home energy management

system sits in your breaker box and feeds

data to the cloud, letting you monitor power

consumption from your computer or phone.

SolPad’s modular solar panels form the

world’s first stand-alone, self-architecting AC

micro-grid and powers an entire smart home.

DISPLAY TECH

Since 4K display technology launched a few

years ago, everyone has been waiting for

the next big thing. Although companies have

been promoting 8K resolutions for a while

now, 2017 seems to be the year 4K finally

takes off in a big way, with increasing

number of 4K movies and games on the

marketplace and more accessible display

unit pricing.

Sleek design is always on display at CES

and this year saw the slimmest displays yet

from LG, Samsung and Sony. Other Asian

brands occupied huge parts of the show

floor and featured compelling offerings.

Hisense, for example, brought the big guns

and impressed with a 100 inch Laser 4K TV.

.


LG’s new W7 premium line is wafer thin

and has beautiful picture quality, with true

black from OLED pixels. That Dolby Atmos

sound bar packs a punch, too!

Samsung's flagship 75 in. QLED 4K TV,

offers sharper LED images and brighter

colors with its Quantum Dots technology.

In the Eureka Park and University Innovations marketplaces, HoloLamp used augmented

reality (AR) to project 3D holographic displays that are visible without glasses or headsets.

Samsung’s "Lifestyle TV" is designed to

resemble a large picture frame that comes

alive when you turn off the TV.

PERSONAL COMPUTING

Gaming innovation continues to drive the

power/performance-hungry segment of the

personal computer market. Hardware

manufacturers are now packing what used

to be server-grade specs into desktops and

laptops, enabling them to power the most

demanding VR games.


Samsung partnered with Google to create the Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro.

Both models, which sport a stylus and support Android apps, are intended to compete with

Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro.

HTC is teaming up with Intel to build wireless VR headsets that adopt the new WiGig

standard, which will cut both lag times and tethering wires, solving critical issues for gamers.

FITNESS / HEALTH /

WELLNESS / LIFESTYLE

Staying fit and pushing your body’s limits is

big business – and not just limited to

professional athletes. From trackers for your

wrist, heart, limbs, ears, breath and brain, to

sensors embedded in shoes, shirts and

dresses, it has never been more possible (if

a bit overwhelming) for everyone to enjoy

the benefits of pro-level fitness tracking.

This year, however, we witnessed an

increased pivot towards applying precision

instrumentation and connected technologies

to digital healthcare. Companies showcased

smart, cloud-based medical wearables,

ranging from home-based stat monitoring to

clinical level diagnostic applications meant

to treat aliments and conditions such as:

chronic pain, stress, sleeplessness, oral

health, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory

conditions and obesity.

.


Under Armour launched some snazzy duds

for times when athletes aren’t so active, such

as sensor-connected recovery sleepwear.

Under Armour’s sensor-equipped running

shoes pair with its MapMyRun mobile app to

record routes, elevations, times and more.

Philips’ HealthSuite heart health app gathers

vital stats from connected devices to track

lifestyle-based risk factors for heart disease.

Polar’s Team Pro Shirt integrates heart-rate

sensors directly into the fabric, and includes

motion sensors and GPS tracking.

FITNESS / HEALTH /

WELLNESS / LIFESTYLE

.


Philips DreamStation Go is a lightweight,

portable PAP therapy solution for travelers

suffering from sleep apnea. It comes with a

mobile app to track a user’s sleep quality.

The Willow wearable breast-pump is

designed for on-the-go convenience. Its

integrated smartphone app helps nursing

mothers keep track of relevant stats.

Dental product manufacturer Kolibree

showcased its smart toothbrush, ara, which

collects data about the user's brushing habits.

Say hello to your virtual dental assistant…

L'Oreal's new Kérastase Hair Coach is a

smart brush with five sensors that assess

data about your hair's health and relays it

to a smartphone app.

3D / IMMERSIVE TECH

Even though immersive 3D technology in

TVs never took off the way some

envisioned, it still remains the inspiration

behind some cutting-edge gadgetry this

year. Virtual / Augmented / Mixed Reality

(VR/AR/MR) exhibits from dozens of

manufacturers showed the potential for

some spectacular sensory experiences.

However, with mainstream consumers –

and hardcore gamers – still unlikely to

spend upward of $1,000 to soup-up their

existing setups, the gaming console market

could see more VR action in future. HTC’s

announcement of a VR/gaming app studio

should help encourage growth in the

broader VR/AR/MR ecosystem.

Mobile VR also looks promising, with its

low-cost, entry-level consumer accessories.

However, the quality and availability of

supported apps and games will determine

when the market gathers steam and goes

beyond the Google Cardboard and

Daydream-style phone mounted headsets.

The real excitement about VR this year

comes from advances in compact, 360-

degree, 3D camera technology, which will

finally make such content creation

accessible to mainstream users.

.


Tobii brings eye tracking technology to PC

gaming, notebooks, VR and smartphones.

While top VR headsets like Oculus Rift and

HTC Vive remain the pinnacle for VR fans,

this year saw a huge interest in mobile VR,

which could take the tech mainstream.

Attendees kicking back for a VR demo was

a common sight this year.

Several industry players are combining VR

with customized gameplay and controllers

to deliver near real-life experiences that

range from flying to boxing and more.

DRONES AND DROIDS

Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles

(UAV) were in ample supply at CES and

are poised to become big business thanks

to the US Federal Aviation Administration’s

move last year to open the skies to

commercial UAV use.

This year, though, a new set of stars

arguably stole the show: Robots! Several

keynote speakers attributed the increasing

proliferation and capabilities of robotics to

rapid advances in AI and voice-activated

personal assistant technology. From

telepresence to mowing the lawn to

brewing a custom cup of coffee, robots

have their hands in several new areas

already.

.


LG showcased its new robotic lawnmower

– think of it as a Roomba for your backyard

and one more chore off your list.

Mayfield Robotics unveiled kuri, which can

understand its surroundings, recognize

specific people and respond to questions

with facial expressions, motion and sound.

China’s Ehang 184 can fly itself – and a

human passenger – for 40 miles on a

single charge. Is the flying car finally here?

PowerVision's underwater drone, PowerRay,

can dive 98 feet and is controlled through a

mobile app that streams video and images,

taking a leisure fishing to a whole new level.

Here fishy, fishy!


The ubiquity of AI is the new

normal. The competitive landscape

is being redefined by companies

looking to harness the power of real-

time predictive intelligence to

customize experiences, provide

tailored recommendations and

automate tasks.

Voice recognition and virtual

assistants are changing the way we

view IoT and will likely lead to

increased adoption as connected

devices become easier to use and

voice recognition capabilities

continue to improve.

The merging of technologies is

driving cross-overs across

industries and markets. Traditional

markets such as automotive, home

appliances and personal fitness are

no longer led by legacy players

alone, as technology firms eye new

areas for disruption and growth.

Technology moves fast. Markets move faster.

Stay on top of what it means for your unique business.

To learn more, drop us a line at [email protected]

grail research fieldnotes · 2018-07-10 · grail research fieldnotes consumer electronics show las...

Documents