Our 9 favorite stories from CES

While the Consumer Electronics Show doesn’t generally feature in the event calendar of a machine vision engineer, we have to remember that consumer electronics are often the playground for technologies which will power industry in months and years to come. So we’ve gathered a few of our favorite snippets to come out of the show, some of which are relevant to our sector, and others which we thought were just brilliantly bizarre!

Our favorite automotive demo
Hundreds of innovations for the automotive market were on display but we particularly like Bosch’s use of a driver-monitoring camera and AI algorithms to create a virtual sun visor. Instead of a physical visor blocking a large portion of the drivers’ view, a transparent LED screen throws a dark shadow over the drivers’ eye region, following their movements as necessary.

An eye on hearing
We’ve seen OrCam’s MyEye in action before, now OrCam Hear – a wearable AI aid which combines lip reading with identifying the speaker in a crowd – has been honored with a CES Best of Innovation Accessibility award.

Advancing healthcare
Binah.ai promoted their video-based vital signs monitoring app which suggests that any camera, such as that on a smartphone or tablet,  can be turned into a contactless health monitor by reading reflections in the cheek bones.

Miniaturized processing power
Intel’s latest NUC (Next Unit of Computing) was presented, sporting USB-C and Ethernet ports replacing video ports. This new small-form-factor pc is also being released with a workstation edition for the first time and users can now plug a desktop-sized graphic card into its PCIe x16 slot.

Mind games
Back in 2015, the BBC experimented with mind-reading TV controls. Now, NextMind have unveiled their neural interface in the form of a wearable device which captures electrical brain signals from a user’s visual cortex to control digital gadgets by the power of thought, effectively transforming our vision into action.

The face of advertising
Ever wanted to be addressed by more targeting advertising? No, we thought not. But CyberLink are suggesting that their facial recognition technology, FaceMe, can be used to assess the age, gender and mood of onlookers to present them with appropriate dynamic adverts on billboards. The powerful biometric solution has other applications including access control and authentication.

Essential accessories
Samsung demoed SelfieType, a virtual keyboard to work alongside your smartphone or tablet. Using AI and the phone’s front-facing (selfie) camera, SelfieType is designed to make using your mobile more convenient for longer texts and requires no additional hardware.

Don’t forget Fido and Felix
Exhibitors at CES are not shy of tapping into the wealthy world of pet products. We can’t wait to get our hands on a doggy wearable which tracks your dog’s emotions, just in case he’s forgotten how to wag his tail. And a kitty litter tray which analyses your cat’s waste to check for health issues – anything to lower the veterinarian bills!

No more getting caught short
Robots are increasingly becoming part of everyday life, and as Charmin introduce their RollBot, we wonder how we ever survived without them. This bear-like companion brings you a fresh roll of toilet paper just when you’re least able to get it for yourself…

At Active Silicon, we enjoy keeping abreast of the latest developments in technology wherever they appear so we can continue to innovate the computer vision sector. Take a look at our product range or get in touch to hear about our bespoke design and prototyping services.