ETRI webzine #16 FEB

KOREAN #16 FEB 2016

4 New ICT Trends at CES 2016

Held annually in early January since 1967, the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) has been
the world’s largest electronic appliances exhibition sponsored by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) of the United States.
Marking the 49^th anniversary in 2016, the CES presented a notable change:
the name of the sponsoring institution was changed from the CEA to CTA (Consumer Technology Association).
This indicates that the exhibition will now introduce not only home appliances, but also a wide range of future technology and products for consumers.
The 2016 event can be characterized by the rapid increase in automobile-related exhibitions, generalization of wearable devices,
initiation of competition among products based on IoT standards, and the emerging power of China.

Automobiles transforming to wheeled computers

One of the most popular products of CES 2016 was automobiles. In this industry, a total of 115 related companies participated in the exhibition, including nine car makers such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and GM. The car makers displayed cars to be released soon or concept cars under development. They also demonstrated products developed to support the continuity of user experience between smartphones and vehicles. Among others, Apple presented CarPlay, an integrated navigation solution to connect cars to its smartphone operating system; Google also introduced Android Auto to connect cars, which means vehicles that can connected to the Internet based on the convergence of automobile and information technology, with smartphones and tablet PCs operating with Android to enable users to enjoy various functions of smart devices in their cars. In addition, Audi demonstrated a service to allow users to monitor and control all conditions of their vehicles anytime and anywhere based on the LTE communication chips embedded in cars and applications for iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. In the meantime, BMW and Ford showcased Amazon Echo, which enables users to voice-control smart home services within their car. Audi also introduced an entirely new UX (user experience) called AirTouch to control the head unit’s applications only with gestures instead of touching. This new UX will be further developed to help users control navigation, music, their phone, and message functions while driving in a safer and more convenient manner. At the exhibition, NVIDIA launched its Drive PX2, a for-vehicle supercomputer necessary for self-driving cars. The company demonstrated self-driving technology that uses deep learning, which means AI(Artificial Intelligence) technology to enable computers to think and learn as humans do, in order to process information obtained from 360-degree cameras and laser-based radar in real time and to perceive surrounding objects. In sum, GM Chevrolet’s Bolt scheduled for the end of this year is expected to mark the beginning of sales of all-electric cars, and Apple’s CarPlay and Google Android Auto will increase their market share. As part of the initial stage for connected cars, car monitoring and controlling products using smart devices will be released to the market. In addition, efforts to develop new UX will be accelerated to improve driving safety and convenience. Automobiles and smart home services will be increasingly more connected and self-driving technology will advance at a faster pace.

Generalization of wearable devices for fitness and healthcare

The fitness and sports industry is developing products to make the best wearable devices, and many participating companies at the CES demonstrated a range of products not only for the wrists but also for other body parts. In many cases, new various sensors were introduced in order to measure new meaningful information. Also, a number of products for pets as well as infants and children reflect the continuously expanding applications of wearable devices. Intel demonstrated a helmet embedded with a micro-display that recognizes objects in industrial sites and instructs the wearer how to control them. Another trend is that efforts to improve the accuracy of measured data and make measurement indexes will result in increasing demand for standardization to ensure data integration and sharing. In the wellness industry, personal wellness devices for preventive purposes were displayed more than healthcare devices intended for treatment and medical services, and the market is expected to expand to meet such demand. AI technology such as IBM’s Watson will develop into more elaborate and personalized health monitoring and predicting services. As traditional watchmakers showcased differentiated products featuring connection with outdoor clothing, luxury products, and fitness, competition in the smart watch market is anticipated to accelerate further.

Competition begun for IoT standard-based products

OIC demonstrated a smart home service in partnership with Intel and Atmel by applying IoTivity to Samsung’s 65-inch SUHD Curve TV, air conditioner, oven, and refrigerator. AllSeen Alliance also showcased products and prototypes of LG Electronics and Qualcomm equipped with Alljoyn, which means an open source-based IoT platform standardized by AllSeen Alliance, an organization of IoT businesses led by Qualcomm. Considering that OIC and AllSeen Alliance began releasing certified products in late 2015, this year is expected to mark the beginning of the IoT boom. In conjunction with this situation, competition for IoT cloud platforms will become fiercer than ever before. In particular, Samsung is expected to focus on expanding IoT ecosystems by connecting its products with IoT platforms based on the SmartThings cloud. Another notable trend suggests that more businesses will collect data obtained from the expanding IoT and develop personalized services using AI technology such as IBM’s Watson. In sum, the IoT is expected to develop from simple linkage of objects and applications provided by a single company toward ensuring compatibility based on IoT standard platforms. Also, competition for cloud-based IoT platforms will intensify, and initial stage personalized service using AI will emerge soon.

Power of China

Statistics attest to the power of China: more than 1,200 businesses of over 3,600 participants at the 2016 CES came from China. In particular, with the participants from the expanded Chinese region (Hong Kong and Taiwan) combined, the number approached 1,600. In the industry of high-end appliances, Chinese companies such as Huawei, Haier, and ZTE are actively running after Samsung and LG Electronics. A number of Chinese small companies also set up their own booths and publicized their products and technology. In the section for drones, nearly 90 percent of the participants were Chinese companies, and the market for drone-related technology also showed the remarkable leadership of Chinese businesses. Korea’s future ICT market will be defined by efforts to acknowledge China’s growing competitiveness both in manufacturing and technological development and establish proper measures to respond to those competitors.