CES 2016 VCCP trends report

Will Harvey Innovation Lead

Wearable 2.0

three

one two

four

five

Top Trends

Ambient Sensors

Content is King. Again

Aggregated Learning

IoT BubbleSix

Technology Meaningful

So what is ….

The largest Consumer Electronics Show in the world

Overall

170kMedia

6kExhibiting stands

3.7k

Show floor square footage

2.5m

Categories

75+

Products launched

20kCountries represented

130

Showcasing

500+

Distance over week (miles)

50

Steps per day

20K

Exhibitors New Products Startups Distance WalkedAttendees

by the numbers

one Wearable 2.0

Though wearable technology isn't anything new, this year we are seeing the release of a 2nd generation of devices that are more refined.

When we talk about the 2nd generation of wearables we are not talking about this ….

Wearable 2.0 refers to the redefined functionality and purpose of this developing product category. Technology manufacturers are learning from the mistakes and missed opportunities from the 1st generation - this includes both the adding and removing of features.

We are also witnessing the change in aesthetics of these devices. From looking like you have a smart phone on your wrist, to a more traditional look and feel of an analogue watch (though with additional and hidden features of smart devices); these watches are embracing simpler user interfaces - like the Gear S2.

We are also seeing traditional watch makers enter this space. Casio recently brought out its first Smart Watch, which on the surface looks like a traditional device, but it runs Android Wear software with voice input and has a range of smart functions.

two Content is King. Again

Another big topic this year across the board was content, with reassurances that new formats will be supported and content more widely available through content libraries. No huge surprise to see this at CES as there has always been a bit of a chicken and egg between new content formats and hardware adoption.

Even though CES is a hardware conference at its core, Netflix gave a keynote announcing its launch in 130 additional countries, which will see it become a global network - trying to break the barriers of regional-based availability.

This year also saw the recognition of the 4K HDR format (High Dynamic Range) across a number of manufactures and content providers. This will supercharge a greater adoption of 4K HDR as the standard format to follow 1080 HD.

A few years back, we saw a boom in action cameras supporting the emerging 4K format. This lead to a wave of content created by consumers who had the ease of access to shoot in this new format. This has enabled a vast liberty of high quality content for us to consume at home.

This is about to happen with the emergence of the 360 Video format, especially with the adoption of 360 Video players from companies like YouTube and Facebook. We are looking to the future of digital video as immersive experiences that we can all have access to.

We saw a range of consumer-level devices that allow you to film in 360. This is surely going to fuel the generation and experimentation with this new format, very much like the action cam did for the 4K movement.

360 Video isn't to be confused with VR (which was another hot topic this year). 360 Video will act as a bridge between the line fixed camera approach to showcasing content, and an immersive experience. We will see this fuelled by user-generated 360 content over the next six months.

three Ambient sensors

We are living in an ever-connected world in which we are always being tracked and monitored. CES chief economist said that this year we will see the rise of ambient sensors - this is in reference to embedding sensors into our everyday environments.

2006 - Wii

2007 - iPhone

2010 - XBOX Kinect

Over the years, we have seen this kind of evolution. Nintendo Wii brought with it a whole new way of interacting with games. The original iPhone packed a whole load of sensors into one device. And the Kinect brought gesture and voice interfaces into the living room.

The adoption of ambient sensors is being driven by the greater affordability of a range of technology. Companies like Sense are bringing out a range of small and affordable sensors that have a number of functions that you can attach to everyday objects.

Video of Intel

We saw Intel embed its own PrimeSense technology into a a range of environments and devices to allow new experiences; from gesture control of OOH displays and understanding the demographic of users in this space, to facial recognition and scanning.

We will see a greater level of sensors being embedded into our personal technology, with products like Google’s Project Tango coming to market sometime this year, allowing devices to fully understand the surroundings and context of an environment.

four Aggregated learning

From sensors, to what we can do with the information they generate, aggregated learning is something that has been used at a corporate level and that we will see transfer into the consumer service space.

We are moving beyond algorithms and towards aggregated learning. This is the combination of various unconnected data streams that are brought together, to get a complete contextual understanding of situations and human behaviours, and to influence new outcomes and services.

For example, the Word Error rate in computer understanding of speech input in 1995 was 100%. In 2013, it was down to 23% and in 2015, it was down to just 5%. This is due to personal assistances learning from the vast range of human speech across our connected devices.

With Driverless cars, Google is sharing the data collected from their fleet and has so far clocked 75 years worth. By gathering this data from a range of situations, the fleet has become smarter and has a greater understanding of what to do in a range of situations.

This technology can transfer to the home too. Using the biometrics of an individual’s wearable to understand your mood, paired with the temperature and air quality of the thermostat, combined with a connected camera that can tell who is in front of the TV - Netflix can deliver content that fits the context of the room.

We are seeing this tech combined in a number of new products. Parrot’s connected plant pot, for example, monitors the water content of your plant’s soil. The pot is connected to the weather forecast and waters the plant accordingly.

This isn't future thinking, this is happening now. We surround ourself with range of connected devices everyday. And they are starting to talk to one another. To understand and predict our behaviour. To cater for what we want and to offer it to us before we even ask for it. It’s a connected ecosystem.

Sony showcased how this could all work together with its Life Space UX, which brings together a range of connected products and data to generate an experience depending on the mood and context of a situation.

five IoT Bubble

The Internet of Things has been a topic in this space for some years and with its fast expansion, we may well have seen the IoT bubble burst. By simply adding connectivity to objects, there have been a number of devices coming to market that have been seen as tech for tech’s sake.

There is still a range of ‘connected-for-the-sake-of-being-connected’ devices. From smart forks that know your eating habits, to socks that read your walking behaviour, to milk jugs that tell you when your milk has gone off. As we question the need for these products, we are seeing less of them on the market.

*Not real product (thankfully)

Instead, we are now seeing connected ecosystems bringing together all these siloed IoT products, so you don't have different apps for different products. By connecting the connected objects, they are becoming much easier for the consumer to use.

It is only when the products of the IoT bring true functionality or when they solve a problem that they are likely to be adopted. For example, a connected doorbell with a camera embedded into it that can allow someone to see who is at the door remotely, and even let them in when you’re not at home, actually addresses a problem.

Samsung debuted its latest fridge with a connected digital bulletin board that takes live data and connects family members’ smartphones. The bulletin acts as a hub for the home and replaces the tradition of sticky notes; allowing you to sync reminders, to-dos and relevant family data.

six Technology Meaningful

One of the final trends we saw across the show was the idea of technology becoming meaningful and benefiting our lives. We are seeing the trend now of moving away from ‘tech-for-tech’s-sake’ and towards it making meaningful differences.

Owlet, for example, is a sock for babies that measures their breathing and heart rate. If there are any irregularities or problems, the sock notifies the parents, enabling them to take action and possibly save the life of the child.

Withings have brought out a connected thermometer for consumers. With more than 27 different sensors, it can give incredibly accurate information, allowing possible self diagnosis for us to take action. This could give doctors and pharmacists time to deal with more pressing problems.

Intel showcased an enabled car seat that notifies you if the belt has not been correctly fastened, or worse, if you’ve left your child in the car!

True Key uses facial recognition technology that allows you to unlock your devices using your face, rather than a password. This is now featured as part of the Windows 10 operating system on certain devices - and might well be the norm in the foreseeable future.

Takeaways

Content Experiential Personal Curiosity

Thank youWill Harvey

Innovation Lead @WilliamEdHarvey