10 Innovations from CES 2018
The Consumer
Electronics Show – held between the 9th and 12th of January, this year –
showcased gadgetry and technologies that boast of outstanding design and
engineering. Like every year, this year was all about large screen TVs,
wearables, IoT devices and smart cars. But CES has a quirky side to it too.
Savio D’Souza and Ashutosh Desai pick...
SQUARE OFF
NOW
Mumbai-based InfiVention took one
of the oldest board games in the world, and added a bit of high-tech to create
Square Off Now – a physical chess board that lets you play against more than
two million chess enthusiasts from anywhere around the world. Pair the board
via Bluetooth to the Square Off app on an Android or iOS
device, and you’re ready to go.
The back-end packs in enough AI to
hone your playing skills with its 20 difficulty levels. And when you are ready
to take on the world, you can schedule a match with the members of chess.com through the app itself.
Make your move on the board and it
is reflected on your opponent’s Square Off Now board (if they have one) or the
smartphone app. Every move they make—in turn—is replicated on your board in
real time. The chess pieces move automatically without colliding with the
others in play.
The apparatus comprises an
ATMega2560 chip which takes care of the decoding and execution of each move,
2.5-inch chess pieces that have neodymium magnets at their base, a 2-axis
robotic arm with a magnetic head beneath the board to move the pieces, and a
rechargeable 200mAh li-ion battery that’s good for up to 50 games. The app lets
you analyse your game at the end, and even share your progress with other
members. Interested players can visit squareoffnow.com to pre-order.
RAZER
PROJECT LINDA
Imagine playing a game on your
mobile phone and then continuing it on your laptop, or viewing a document that
is on your handset on your laptop screen. Project Linda will let you do that.
The setup includes a laptop with a
13.3-inch Quad HD touchscreen and a 5.7-inch smartphone that can be docked
below the keyboard to function as a touch interface.
The laptop—kitted with 200GB
storage, a webcam, dual-array mics and two USB portsleverages on the phone’s
processing muscle: A Snapdragon 835 chip and 8GB RAM to function as a complete
computer. The handset also works as a secondary display to access apps. Linda
is still in prototype stage, so there is no information on price or
availability.
DEBUSSY
NATHANIEL
The Debussy Nathaniel are
circumaural headphones with 50mm drivers, built-in 4G connectivity, Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, and support for voice control. You will be able to answer calls,
stream music from the internet and even get navigation instructions without
being tethered to a phone. It supports live streaming on Facebook or
to its Debussy Record and Share companion app, so others can
also hear the song you are listening to. It comes with 32GB storage, and a
rated battery life of 20 hours.
A touchscreen on one of the ear
muffs provides quick access to playback controls, playlists, and equaliser
settings – and it can also be configured to display album art.
The Nathaniel, which boasts of a
premium build that includes gold, silver, leather and velvet, will retail at
$4,990 in January 2019.
WALLET CARD
Imagine a single payments card in
your wallet—no thicker than a credit card—that not only links your multiple
accounts, but also has an e-ink screen that can display your name, account
numbers and available balance.
Card-tech company, Dynamics Inc,
unveiled its smart Wallet Card that comprises a cellular chip so data can be
securely transferred between Wallet Card and the bank anywhere in the world; a
battery that charges itself through normal operation, as well as a 65,000-pixel
screen and flat buttons above it that the cardholder can use to swap between
cards and information.
With the Wallet Card, Dynamic
says, a bank can instantly delete a compromised card account number and replace
it immediately with a new one; users can potentially access their debit,
credit, or multi-currency cards on a single Wallet Card with a tap of its
buttons; and customers can also receive messages on the display. For example,
after every purchase, a message could notify the user of the purchase and
remaining balance; they could opt to receive merchant coupons directly on their
cards or be informed of a suspicious purchase and click on “not me” to have a
fraud alert set and new card number issued. Already, payment networks such as
Visa and MasterCard have announced their support for this technology – and in
India, IndusInd Bank plans on rolling these out by year end.
WELLE
Welle – brainchild of Hong
Kong-based Maxus Tech – is a nifty gizmo that allows users to convert any
surface into a touch interface. Place the device on a table, and you can drag
your finger on the surface to reduce or raise the volume of your Bluetooth
speaker; you could tap the table to turn off a smartphone alarm, tap twice to
switch on your smart TV, draw an arc to change the colour of your smart lights,
and more.
The device pairs with your
smartphone via its app; you can then use your handset to setup the gadgets you
want to control, along with the gestures—touch, swipe, tap, etc—you would like
to use.
Welle uses Sonar technology, which
transmits signal pulses and collects the reflected echoes that are created by
objects in its path; much like how submarines detect obstacles and bats use
echolocation for navigation. Since Welle uses ultrasound technology, gestures
in front of the device are also detected in pitch darkness. Welle is still
raising seed funding, and more details on the project can be found on www.indiegogo.com.
MINDSET
These headphones come with
Bluetooth connectivity to pair with your phone, 3.5mm audio cable for wired
sound, 40mm Onkyo drivers for aural fidelity, active noise cancellation for
disturbance-free listening, embedded mic for calls, 800mAh li-ion battery for
up to eight hours of playback, and a USB-C connector to charge it.
But that’s not all. These cans,
which look like any other headset, also pack in passive EEG sensors in its
headband to discretely track brain activity while you wear them. The process,
called neurofeedback, monitors and relays the brain’s electrical activity to
Mindset’s mobile app or desktop software. The backend uses advanced machine
learning to recognise the patterns in your EEG signal; it learns about your
work habits, and provides you with tools—white noise, binaural beats, nature
sounds and more—to help you improve your concentration and control the way you
work.
The Canada-based company informs
that the sensors are safe to use, and that this technology is also used to
treat people with ADHD; train athletes as well as NASA astronauts. Basically,
think of it as a mind coach that works with you to achieve deep focus. Those
looking to achieve this zen-state can pre-order these at www.thinkmindset.com for
$279, with shipping slated for April 2018.
OSSIA COTA FOREVER BATTERY
Battery specialists Ossia have
unveiled the Cota Forever Battery, a AA cell that recharges itself wirelessly
at home.
The setup comprises a plugged-in
transmitter that locates Cota charge receivers in its vicinity – the Forever
Battery, for instance – and directs power over-the-air to its cells to recharge
them. This is done 100 times per second, so the batteries get juiced even while
they are in your TV remote control.
Besides AA pencil cells, Ossia is
also working with companies that are interested in incorporating their wireless
charging tech into smartphones, etc.
LG 65-INCH UHD ROLLABLE DISPLAY
LG showcased a prototype of an
18-inch flexible display at CES 2017. This year, it unveiled a 65-inch UHD
rollable TV, where the screen scrolls in and out of its docking base at the
press of a button. The picture on the screen automatically adjusts to the
available area even while it retracts into the enclosure. The screen can also
be set to remain partially out, and configured to display widgets like
temperature, news and stock tickers.
DOPPEL
If you think the Mindset is a bit
too much, consider the Doppel. This device creates a silent vibration – like
the beats of a heart – on the inside of your wrist to reduce stress in the
wearer. Its UK-based developers, Feel Doppel, say that slower beats result in
calm and positive emotional states, while faster settings increase mental
focus.
In a study, conducted by the Royal
Holloway, University of London, two groups of volunteers were asked to wear the
Doppel and were subjected to a stressful situation. The device was only turned
on for one group. When the researchers measured the anxiety levels in the test
subjects, they found that the group, which felt Doppel’s heartbeat-like
vibration, displayed lower anxiety levels.
The wearable works with a
companion app for iOS and Android handsets that allows you to turn Doppel on
and off, adjust the intensity of the vibration, and check battery status. It
will retail for $179 in the first half of 2018, but will only be available in
Canada, UK and US.
MOODO, OBLEND
& NOTA NOTA
Moodo, Nota Nota and oBlend are
three gizmos that let you create custom fragrances and therapeutic oils that
you can use to freshen up your room, as a perfume, and even for wellness. All
these devices come with aroma/oil capsules, and you can use their respective
apps to create custom blend “recipes” that you can share with other users.
Moodo (pictured top right)
comprises receptacles for four aromatic capsules and variable-speed fans that
diffuse scents into your surroundings. The Wi-Fi-enabled device supports Amazon
Alexa as well, allowing you to control it with voice commands. The starter
pack, which ships to India, includes 12 scented capsules at a starting price of
$209.
Nota Nota (top left) lets you
create your own perfume with the help of cartridges or “Tolas” of different
essences. You can create custom fragrances by precisely mixing Tolas, and when
you’re satisfied, fill 5ml vials for use. The Nota Nota is currently available
for $800 in Saudi Arabia only.
And finally, there’s oBlend that
lets you concoct therapeutic oils and scents for massages and culinary use. The
“blender” can hold up to 24 cartridges that are filled with herbal extracts.
This machine will be available for $949, later this year.
TNN 13JAN18
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