Once again, the main manufacturers of consumer electronics have presented their novelties at CES 2018, the most important annual fair in the sector, held this year from January 9 to 12 in Las Vegas, USA and, without a doubt, the The main protagonist this time has been artificial intelligence.
As in recent years, Internet of Things devices also maintain a prominent position, but mostly adapted this year to incorporate virtual assistants and other AI-based functionalities.
In this article, some of the most outstanding devices and announcements of the Fair in the field of artificial intelligence are collected.
Main innovations with AI at CES 2018
1. Virtual assistants come to cars
Can you imagine being able to talk to your car like Michael Knight did with Kit in the famous 80's television series? Well, it seems that, finally, it has come true. And it is that various manufacturers have announced the incorporation of virtual assistants in their vehicles.
- Hyundai Intelligent Personal Agent: The Japanese car manufacturer is developing a voice-activated bot that we can ask, among other things, to make a call or send a text message to one of our contacts, to turn on the vehicle's heating, open the hood, or tell us how reach our destination.
- Google Assistant now also for the car: Google has unveiled the immediate integration of its virtual assistant with Android Auto. Starting this week, drivers in the US who have Android Auto will be able to enjoy all the features of Google Assistant in their vehicles. The Google Assistant already has numerous third-party applications, so in addition to being able to ask things like those already described for the Hyundai agent, we can also ask him for information on the most important news of the day, ask him the price of bitcoin or even order a pizza on the way home.
- Auto Muse: Muse, the device with Alexa from Speak Music, already available for the home, is now also available in cars. On sale from January 9 for $69, it can be connected to the vehicle via Bluetooth or through a jack input and, basically, it transfers all the functions of Alexa to our car.
- Panasonic will integrate Google Assistant and Alexa Onboard into its car entertainment system: the company will combine the assistants with the Skip Generation In-Vehicle technology of its system so that, in addition to offering the usual capabilities, they can control some vehicle devices, such as heating, windows, etc. The main novelty is that Alexa Onboard will work with or without an internet connection, although offline its functionalities will obviously be limited.
2. Artificial intelligence will invade everything in the home
Until now, in homes we could enjoy smart devices like Google Home or the Amazon Echo, but according to what was seen at CES 2018, artificial intelligence in the home will go much further to be integrated into practically everything, from the kitchen to the mirror in the bathroom. bath or shower head. These are some examples:
- ThinQ, LG's new artificial intelligence platform for the home It will allow the integration of all the company's household appliances and other home devices with the virtual assistants of companies such as Amazon or Google. Thanks to this, we will no longer have to fight with an instruction manual anymore. It will be enough to ask our TV, refrigerator, kitchen, etc.; what do we want it to do In addition, electrical appliances will gradually learn our preferences as we interact with them.
- Samsung will incorporate its assistant in all its household appliances: the company has announced that in 2020 all its products will be ready for the Internet of Things and will be intelligent, communicating with the user through its Bixby assistant.
- Haier has introduced an interactive mirror for the bathroom: The new mirror from the Chinese manufacturer shows us data about ourselves and our health by reflecting on it. Among other things, our weight or the results of a urine test, for which it is connected to the toilet and other devices in the bathroom.
- Kholer has presented your Konnect Verdera Voice Lighted Mirror, the first mirror for the bathroom with Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa, integrated.
- Vobot Halo Light: an alarm lamp that says good morning to us in the morning and gradually increases the light in the room, imitating the effect of sunrise. Once awake we can also ask you for information about the weather or recent news.
- Haier Smart Washing Machine: Combining its development with that of another of its subsidiaries, GE Appliances (GEA), Haier has created a washing machine capable of reading wireless tags sewn by the clothing manufacturer on the labels that contain garment care information, in order to choose the most suitable washing cycle.
3. There will be all kinds of robots
At CES 2018 we have seen all kinds of robots. One of those that has attracted the most attention has been the new version of Aibo, Sony's robot dog, which will go on sale in January 2018 in Japan for around 1.400 euros. Aivo is able to recognize people and interact with them, remembering each interaction.
We have also seen robots to help with housework like Aeolus, which in addition to identifying people is capable of picking things up with its robotic hand, mapping the house and remembering the right place for each thing. That way you can pick up what you find around the house and take it to your place. Or bring us a soft drink from the fridge to the living room.
O companion robots, such as Honda's 3E-A18, designed to interact with people. It is capable of showing emotions and has been created with an ergonomic design to be able to embrace it.
Other interesting robots presented by Honda are, for example:
- El Honda Empower 3E-D18, a robot to help in tasks of search, rescue and firefighting.
- El Honda Empathy or 3E-C18, designed for help people and give information in places like airports or shopping malls.
As for Humanoid robots, the most attention has been taken Sophia by Hanson Robotics. In addition to having a hyper-realistic face, with human-like skin, she is capable of conversing and telling jokes, showing emotions, and even walking.
Some curious ones have even been seen «robot strippers«.
4. Autonomous driving extends beyond cars, trucks or drones.
Once again at CES we have seen multiple drones and autonomous vehicles, including a Pizza Hut mobile stand or the rinspeed, a means of autonomous transportation presented by Harmon, which recreates the living room of a house with all its comforts.
In addition, autonomous driving has reached other devices, giving rise to things as varied and useful as a autonomous travel suitcase that is capable of recognizing its owner and following him wherever he goes.
Conclusion
In short, it seems that artificial intelligence is not only here to stay, but that it will also be integrated into practically all areas of our daily lives, completely transforming the world.
Keep reading:
- Google presents Tacotron 2, an AI system with a practically human voice
- Nvidia introduces Titan V, its new PC GPU designed for AI processing
- IBM predicts the outcome of chemical reactions with artificial intelligence
- Toyota launches Kirobo Mini, a small robot to keep you company
- Top 5 Trends at CES 2016