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2019 Consumer Electronic Show, Day 1

 

Every year a large group of technology companies get together on the Las Vegas Strip to show off their latest and greatest gadgets. This year there are over 4,400 exhibitions to view over the course of January 8-11. Intel, Microsoft, and Samsung are some of the biggest names there, but I’m expecting to see some cool new tech from some of the lesser known brands.

Pre-Party

                I had the opportunity to go to a pre-party at the Bellagio in Hyde, which overlooks the fountain show with a view of the Eiffel Tower replica in the background. It was sponsored by Technics (a subsidiary of Panasonic). The music was good, the view was amazing, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. It was a good start to the event.

Day 1

                I spent the day at the Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center and the Westgate Las Vegas. Going through bag checks was a breeze and all the staff were super friendly. As soon as I walk in, they offered me a raffle for $500, which of course I accepted.

                The first booth was Sony, which had some really cool toys, but nothing I could see being used by the construction industry or IT fields to make our jobs easier. Next, I went to the Canon booth where I found a Bluetooth printer, Canon Ivy, that would make life easier when you need to give a customer a picture to help them visualize what you are explaining. Each picture prints in less than a minute and has an adhesive back so you can attach it to a piece of paper. This can help customers understand complex subjects and help protect the company from liabilities.

                Cemtrex SmartDesk was one of the booths I was most impressed with. These desks are all-in-one workstations with three touchscreen monitors, up to 32GB of Ram and 6GB of VRAM, and upto 250GB SSD with 2TB HDD. In addition, the desk is height adjustable and includes motion sensors. With a starting price of $4,499, it is definitely a workstation for someone who wants both comfort and performance. I can see engineers, photographers, graphic designers, and gamers loving this desk.

                Forum is a software company that helps meetings run smoother by helping people share files, exchange contacts, ask questions without having to interrupt, and is unique because when combined with their router does not need an internet connection. This software would be great for construction meetings or sales presentations, but it does have a downside. The software does not currently have the functionality to be utilized by people in different locations unless they are on the same network as the presenter. This means it can be used by enterprises with people worldwide, but not a team of contractors who have to be in different places during a meeting (there are work arounds that Maryland Computer Service can help with if you want to utilize this technology).

                Another company that really impressed me was Panasonic. They were showing off their emotion sensing technology and it was pretty impressive.  This was accomplished through a variety of devices including a camera, thermal imaging sensor, odor sensor, and pressure sensor. The presentation included readings for the following scales:

Positive-Neutral: This seemed to be fairly accurate as I was pleased with how the day was going and curious about this technology.

Cold-Comfortable: I would have liked to see a cold to hot spectrum, and I think this was inaccurate currently because it was reading that I was cool when I was a little warmer than I would like.

Stressed-At Ease: This was accurate as I was at ease, but only a little more than normal.

Irritated-Pleased: This was almost dead on as I was fairly pleased with this experience.

Relaxation Index: The relaxation index was about 1/3 of the way through the ideal range, which summarized my overall state.

                Right now, it is intended as a safety device for alert driving, but I can see it doing so much more. The business implications of this technology for businesses could be substantial once the technology is fully developed. Imagine a cell phone or computer being able to capture all this information and give advice to an employee dealing with a customer, or a manager with an employee.

 It gives us the knowledge to be able to make better decisions about how to interact with people. Ultimately, I believe this can help increase societies emotional intelligence, help put people at ease by learning to respond more appropriately, and warn people when to tread more carefully.

In addition to business applications, I could see this technology being used in therapy to help both the client and therapist understand the client’s emotional state. It could also be used to detect people with ill intent in large gatherings like schools, sports events, and concerts.

There were many other amazing exhibitions seen today, but many of them were in the section for Smart Cities, which I’ll write a separate blog about because it is heavily related to the construction industry and I’m sure you’ll want to hear more about them. If you want help analyzing potential solutions, Maryland Computer Service is always willing to help. You can reach us at  301-202-6521 or by email.

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