2014 Consumer Electronics Show: What’s New?
We’ve barely landed in 2014 and already there are amazing innovations and incredible inventions to look forward to, as evidenced by this year’s edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The CES plays host to numerous companies, all showcasing their ingenuity and how far they can stretch the boundaries of technology. While the event showcases a wide array of companies, the strides being made in the automotive industry are some of the more intriguing and beguiling advancements we’re seeing – everything from automated parking technologies to highly advanced in-car audio systems seems to be making a splash. Even if you’re no auto mechanic yet, you’ll want to see all of these jaw-dropping innovations.
Bosch’s much-lauded “driverless car technology” – despite being a bit misleading – is one of the most talked about reveals of the show. While not actually providing users with a self-driving car, like one would expect from the title, it’s actually an incredibly sophisticated and nuanced self-parking system that’s operated via a smartphone app. Now that is some futuristic stuff – you won’t even need car sales training to sell that! With Bosch hardware installed on your vehicle, you can park your car just by swiping a virtual version of your vehicle on your smartphone. Using a combination of sensors and software, you’re able to take control of parking a car and starting it up, making it so much easier to pull out of a spot. Bosch also hinted at an eventual voice-activated technology, but it looks like that’s still a few years away.
Unveiling its new “i-ADAS driver assistance system,” JVC-Kirkwood claimed the system possessed two incredibly high definition monitors that were installed on both sides of the steering wheel. The technology proposes to make driving much safer, aimed at improving driver safety, stating that the cameras give you a vivid 360-degree view of the whole vehicle. Who wants to guess that automotive careers will have to involve a hefty amount of computer training pretty soon?
Finally, the most groundbreaking and buzz-worthy announcement of the show was from Google. Called the “Open Automotive Alliance,” it’s a collaboration between Google, Nvidia and a host of auto manufacturers like Honda, GM and Audi. The goal is to make more intelligent and simpler to use technologies available in vehicles. The idea is to create built-in apps in the vehicles that can do everything from navigation to entertainment – essentially creating the world’s first fleet of truly “smart” cars.
The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show is shaping up to be a heavy-hitter, and who knows what the rest of it will bring!
