What a week it was. From the CES iBeacon-based scavenger hunt using TI Bluetooth® low energy technology to the thousands of visitors checking out our latest innovations in the TI Village, it was a non-stop four days of activity. The 2014 International CES has now come to a close, but not before some final thoughts on what we learned during our week at the world’s gathering place for technological innovation.
Automotive
When people weren’t talking about wearables, they were talking about automotive electronics. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our video showcasing the many ways in which TI is driving the future of automotive technology:
(Please visit the site to view this video)
We had lots of automotive announcements at CES including Cinemo, an in-vehicle infotainment company, introducing a high performance Blu-Ray automotive multimedia player using both TI’s OMAP 5 and Jacinto 6 processor platforms. Jungo Connectivity, a provider of automotive multimedia and connectivity solutions, also announced the availability of its MediCore version 4.5, offering support for complete audio, video and photo playback and distribution in a car. Running on the DRA74x “Jacinto 6” platform, the MediCore version 4.5 can be used on the infotainment stack near the front seats or the rear seat entertainment (RSE) units, along with on wireless devices brought into vehicles like smartphones and tablets.
Wearables
Wearable technology was everywhere at CES this year. Whether it’s for our health and fitness, communication or just making our lives easier, the talk of the town involved wearable devices.
TI is no stranger to the wearables market, from the Misfit Shine to the Pebble smartwatch. This year at CES, we talked about DLP’s Near Eye Display. The TI DLP Pico chip offers such features as mobile internet, virtual texting, personal navigation and more for eyeglasses.
On the health and fitness front, we combined our Bluetooth low energy chips (used to partner wearables with smartphones and tablets) with Movea’s data fusion and motion sensing technology and Xm-Squared’s wristband design for the new G-series high-performance multisport wearable solution. The G-series is an energy-optimized solution for incredibly accurate activity tracking, advanced sports and sleep monitoring.
Wireless Power
So much of our technology today has gone portable and most of us power our portable devices by plugging in (all across the Las Vegas Convention Center we saw people charging their smartphones and tablets wherever they could find an outlet). PowerbyProxi, a New Zealand based wireless power developer, and TI have teamed up to tackle wireless power challenges with PowerbyProxi announcing at CES an agreement to license its technology to TI.
“Consumers have a deep desire to charge portable electronics anywhere and anytime and designers of end equipment want wireless power interoperability,” said Steve Lambouses, TI vice president and general manager of battery management. “PowerbyProxi’s wireless power technologies can work across any standard being used and developed globally. We believe this is an excellent opportunity to use their expertise and intellectual property to provide new and exciting capabilities to the market.”
Internet of Things (IoT) and Home Automation
In the always connected world we live in, why wouldn’t we also be connected to the things in our home? At CES, we showcased SimpleLink ZigBee Wireless MCU, using energy harvesting and low-powered connection to the cloud to digitally connect lights, appliances and more in a home or building.
We also introduced a streaming audio software and hardware combination using the TI Sitara™ AM335x processor and the WiLink™ 8 solution to make streaming audio between wireless devices like smartphones and tablets to speakers and sound systems easier to use than ever before.
Finally, some things at CES just don’t have a category they fit under, and that’s a good thing. Cirque du Soleil, which calls itself ‘a dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment,’ is now using TI technology to power its innovative clothing worn during performances. World-renowned designer Anouk Wipprecht showed us some of her amazing designs that use the Sitara-processor-powered BeagleBone Black open-source computer. One example is the ‘smoke dress,’ a 3D-printed interactive dress with a smoke system controlled by BeagleBone Black:
(Please visit the site to view this video)
While CES 2014 is over, the exciting opportunities in wearables, automotive, wireless power, IoT, home automation and so much more are just getting started.
At TI, we’re all eager to tackle the technological challenges this year will bring! What are you most excited to see in 2014? Leave us a comment below.