The Consumer Electronics Show curtain raiser, dubbed CES Unveiled, offered a glimpse of consumer market trends and how small and midsized companies are leveraging emerging technologies to create variations on current products.
One unmistakable trend is the proliferation of devices using wireless (WiFi and Bluetooth) and sensors, along with gadgets designed to work with apps running on smartphones and tablets.
Click on the image below to see some of the latest devices that just might catch on with consumers this year.
PURE, which initially built its reputation by developing Internet radio, has added wireless HiFi adapters to WiFi and Bluetooth (shown, front) along with wireless speakers. Plug in the HiFi adapter, and the company claims you can transform a HiFi system into a multi-room audio system. PURE also introduced portable wireless speakers (shown, rear) with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The wireless speaker offers 360-degree sound (mono and stereo). WiFi can be used to stream synchronized audio to multiple wireless speakers in and outside the home.
Actually, Cabe, I hate to bring politics to an engineering discussion but we may be detecting the onset of Hyperinflation...needing a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. The Wikipedia article on hyperinflation contains no less than 40 examples of hyperinflation all over the world. "Causes: Hyperinflation occurs when there is a continuing (and often accelerating) rapid increase in the amount of money that is not supported by a corresponding growth in the output of goods and services." The assumption that it cannot happen in the United States is an exercise in hubris.
CES announces the arrival of new goods before increased demand and economies of scale in production costs can kick in. $80 for a wireless stylus, $350 for the new LEGO Mindstorms. Early adopters feel it first. Hang onto your hat when hyperinflation hits fuel and food... =\
To be honest, everything at this year's CES that is available to buy is way too over-priced. $80 for a connected stylus, $30,000 for a 4k TV, $350 for the latest LEGO Mindstorm, it's just too much. It is as bad as buying a Pepsi on the CES showroom floor, $5 to $7 for a 20oz bottle.
Is this a result of the prior recession or a sign that people are will to shell out the cash for novelty?
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
By refining topologies and using new fluid technology, Moog's new peak sine drive controller increases available power without increasing controller volume.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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