Gt march april issue 2017 Global Technologies
- 3. E d i t Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2017 1 Dear Friends This was my 11th consecutive trip to the world’s largest show related to consumer electronics and again was one of the select few hosted journalists. The Golden Jubilee event of CES turned out to be its largest global gathering of technology professionals as 175,000 + visitors from more than 150 countries convened in Las Vegas. This year apart from 3,800 exhibiting companies, CES hosted more than 600 startups at the Eureka Park Marketplace. Spread across more than 2.6 million net square feet, CES 2017 attracted more than 175,000 industry professionals, including 55,000 from outside the U.S. As always the show had some ground-breaking technologies and innovation on display. This year the range was quite varied right from automated vehicles, smart textiles, AR, VR, robotics, AI, wearable’s, content, health care, sports, travel, smart cities, and even clean energy. During the Media Days 28 companies hosted preshow news conferences, with a wide array of major product announcements including Prototype of BMW’s 7-fully automated sedan, Casios PRO TREK, a smart watch, Faraday Future – The FF 91, a fully-electric, fully-connected, self-driving, keyless, The Honor 6X dual-camera, dual-sensor smartphone, LG Signature OLED TV W, or the “The Wallpaper TV” etc. CES had all types of innovative vehicles - electric, autonomous, beta prototypes and tech savvy or advanced. But it was the beautiful red coloured 3D printed vehicle - a one- door/two-seater supercar called the Blade - that attracted both visitors and media. Divergent, the company behind this provides a disruptive new approach to auto manufacturing that incorporates 3D printed joints, which they call as NODE, connecting carbon fiber structural materials that results in an industrial strength chassis that can be assembled in a matter of minutes. As many of you may be aware the actual manufacturing of vehicles is anything but environmentally friendly. The whole aim is to radically reduce the materials, energy use, pollution and cost of car manufacturing and bring awareness and adoption of cleaner and greener cars. While future 3D printed cars won’t all be supercars capable of 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds but the possibilities with the technology look quite attractive. Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) every year organizes two major electronics shows – one in April (Spring Edition) and another in October (Autumn Edition). This year again the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and the International ICT Expo, will be staged concurrently at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 13 to 16 April 2017. Entering into their 14th editions, the two fairs will provide an international platform for around 3,400 exhibitors to showcase their hottest electronics products and cutting- edge ICT solutions to potential business partners worldwide. In the 2015 editions, the twin annual fairs welcomed around 92,000 buyers from 150 countries and regions. The twin HKTDC fairs will be launching a new Startup zone enabling tech startups to showcase their innovative electronic products and ICT solutions to potential investors This year again over 20 Indian exhibitors are participating under the aegis of Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC). ESC is considered to be India’s best Electronics and IT trade facilitation organization and assists Indian IT industry particularly the SMEs. Under the Innovation section we have covered some of the best technologies from Fraunhofer group. Chandragupta Amritkar Editor chandraguptaa@hotmail.com editor@globalfeatures.info Editor - Chandragupta Amritkar, Managing Editor - Varsha, Design - Manoj Durgam Contact - Global Technologies, B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059, India. Phone - 91-22-29252569, Mobile - 9223419060 / 9969935878 e-mail: globalfeatures@lycos.com / globalfeatures@rediffmail.com Annual Subscription Rates - India: Rs. 600; Overseas: US$ 60 (Rates include airmail charges). Printed and Published by Chandragupta Amritkar on behalf of Global Features B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059 and Printed at Sumangal Press Pvt. Ltd. "Sumangal" G-8 Cross Road "A", Near Marol Bus Depot, MIDC, Andheri (East), Mumbai - 400 093. Global Technologies makes all efforts to ensure that the information published is correct and reliable. However the publication holds no responsibility for any inadvertent errors, commissions or opinions expressed. An Indian publication, Global Destinations framed in a Ministers office
- 4. C o n t e n t s Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20172 Innovation ...........................22 CES 2017 ............................04 Cover Story e-commerce iuzeit ............................16 Curtain Raiser HKTDC ...........................18 Gadgets Galore at CES 2017 ............................08 3D printing 3D printed vehicle ............................20
- 6. T his was my 11th consecutive trip to the world’s largest show related to consumer electronics and again was one of the select few hosted journalists. As always the show had some ground-breaking technologies and innovation on display. This year the range was quite varied right from automated vehi- cles, smart textiles, AR, VR, robotics, AI, wearable’s, content, health care, sports, travel, smart cities, and even clean energy. This year apart from 3,800 exhibiting companies, CES hosted more than 600 startups at the Eureka Park Marketplace. Spread across more than 2.6 million net square feet, CES 2017 attracted more than 175,000 industry professionals, including 55,000 from outside the U.S. ““What an incredible way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CES – with the largest show floor in our history showcasing the next generation of innovation that will revolu- tionize our world. CES 2017 shifted to a new level as large and small companies from around the globe gathered to reveal solu- tions for many of our world’s most challenging problems,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Associ- ation (CTA). “Our industry is bettering the world through connec- tivity and innovation, touching literally every facet of our lives. Today’s connected world was on full display this week at CES 2017 – our largest, boldest show in history.” “From startups to established businesses, traditional tech com- panies, along with those in new industries like travel and sports, came together and vigorously embraced technology for the 50th anniversary of CES,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, CES and corporate business strategy, CTA. “This year’s show was all about connectivity – both in the form of the technologies unveiled and in the valuable face-to-face business connections happening throughout the show.” Connectivity was everywhere at CES 2017 – enabling nearly every product category, from self-driving cars and smart cities to digital health and 5G – and a major focus throughout CES con- ference tracks. During his keynote, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf intro- duced the 5G future, a new kind of network with unprecedented scale, speed and complexity. "5G will be the tipping point that builds on LTE and finally enables IoT," said Mollenkopf. Qual- comm introduced the Snapdragon 835, the first 10 nanometer mobile processor that can deliver extended battery life, built-in security, eye-based authentication, secure audio, on-device machine learning and immersive experiences. NVIDIA founder & CEO Jen-Hsun Huang made multiple groundbreaking announcements regarding developing advanced graphics processors and artificial intelligence. Mass Effect: Andromeda, a popular video game made by BioWare, was pre- viewed by NVIDIA along withGeForce NOW, a streaming serv- ice that turns any PC into a powerful gaming PC from the cloud. Huang also unveiled a new version of the Shield TV -- now just called Shield -- which will support 4K HDR for both games and C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20174 Whoa! CES 2017: Truly creates a WOW factor The Golden Jubilee event of CES turned out to be its largest global gathering of technology professionals as 175,000 + visitors from more than 150 countries convened in Las Vegas. Chandragupta Amritkar reports from Las Vegas
- 7. movies making it the world’s first 4K HDR entertainment plat- form. To support Shield’s Artificial Intelligence (AI), Huang introduced NVIDIA SPOT, a plug-in device that understands nat- ural language and complex patterns to help build a user’s AI experience. Huang also announced an AI car supercomputer called Xavier used in NVIDIA’s own self-driving car BB8 and a new capability on the NVIDIA AI car computer called AI Co- Pilot, which provides drivers with road alerts and recognizes facial expressions and voice recognition to improve drivers’ experience. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group in his keynote address announced a new smartphone with a dual-cam- era – a second generation Leica Dual camera, featuring dual sen- sors and 2X hybrid zoom. Yu showcased an ultra-long lasting bat- tery with the Huawei SuperCharge, which charges four times faster and lasts 50 percent longer than other smartphone batteries. He also introduced the Mate 9, the world's first intelligent smart- phone to integrate with Alexa, the intelligent voice service. Nissan Motor Corp. chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn shared the company’s vision for a zero-emissions, zero-fatality world. “The disruptive angle of autonomous drive technology, electric vehicles, connected cars and services means we will see more change in the next ten years than we did in the last 50,” said Ghosn. He then announced that the next-generation Nissan Leaf electric vehicle will come with the semi-autonomous ProPilot system, as well as the company’s plans to launch their Seamless Autonomous Mobility (SAM) system. Developed from NASA technology, SAM enables a “human in the loop” approach to autonomous driving, which monitors a vehicle’s path from a dis- tance, providing peace of mind to drivers. Ford President and CEO Mark Fields shared the company's vision for how the future of mobility will be transformed by con- nectivity. "Imagine what could happen when the way you get around looks completely different. Cities will change. The way we work and play and socialize will transform. And it will all be enabled by connectivity," said Fields. He announced that Ford Sync is expanding to deliver cloud-based services and that soon all Ford vehicles will be controlled remotely with the FordPass app. He also recapped Ford's recent partnership with Toyota to form the SmartDeviceLink Consortium to establish industry- driven standards for in-vehicle apps. With more than 6,500 members of the media in attendance, CES 2017 garnered worldwide media coverage. CES will return to Las Vegas Tuesday, Jan. 9 through Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. C o v e r S t o r y Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2017 5 Holland Startup Pavilion During CES, I had the opportunity to interact with H.R.H. Prince Con- stantijn of Holland, special envoy of Startup Delta, an organisation to promote start-ups from the Netherlands at the Holland Startup Pavil- ion. This year CES saw the first ever Holland Startup Pavilion which was shared by 22 Dutch startups. “StartupDelta represents the inter- ests of the Dutch startup ecosystem. Our Dutch companies and knowledge institutes have come to explore collaborations in numer- ous fields including the field of photonics, smart and e-mobility, ener- gy storage etc,” said Prince Constantijn. The startups represented areas in which The Netherlands play a lead- ing role worldwide: Robotics, Autonomous Driving, 3D Printing, Drones, Wearables, Nano Technology, Con- sumer Electronics, VR/AR and various Cloud based Enterprise Solutions. “Netherlands is already one of the top European countries in the field of innovation. My aim is to make Netherlands the #1 Startup country in Europe. Most of the startups are looking for large investment espe- cially from foreign venture capitalists. AT CES we expect some of our companies to get initial funding,” said Prince Constantijn. Apart from Prince Constantijn the high tech trade mission consisting of over 100 high tech entrepreneurs, startups was led by Minister Henk Kamp with an aim to strengthen the transatlantic cooperation. The improved positioning of Dutch tech startups in the US market can help attract capital and talent while simul- taneously strengthening collaboration opportunities with American companies. When queried on how he plans to help startups Prince Constantijn said, “We must organize startup missions to events like CES in Las Vegas and Slush in Helsinki, so startups can put themselves in the spotlight with potential clients and investors. CES 2017 is our first step. Next year we hope to have a bigger presence at CES.” On bringing a delegation to India Prince Constantijn said, “It would be a good idea as we can look at some good collaborations and exchange of ideas.”
- 8. C ES Unveiled the official media event of CES 2017 fea- tured 190 exhibiting companies including 60 startups from Eureka Park showcasing the latest in virtual reality, companion sensing robots, wireless headphones, sleep trackers, smart lighting, wearables etc. During the two full Media Days 28 companies hosted preshow news conferences, with a wide array of major product announcements. The major ones were - • A&D Medical/Mobile Health – The MobileHelp Tablet Med- ical Alarm with MobileVitals Monitoring. • BMW – Prototype of BMW’s 7-fully automated sedan. The BMW HoloActive Touch system is an innovative interface between the driver and vehicle and acts like a virtual touch- screen; its free-floating display is operated using finger ges- tures and confirms the commands with what the driver per- ceives as tactile feedback. • Bosch – Concept car featuring face recognition and intelligent personalization, gesture control with Ultra Haptics, a crystal- clear OLED display and digital exterior mirrors. • Carnival – Ocean Medallion, a highly personalized wearable concierge service, which enables elevated service through enhanced guest interactions during the entire cruise experi- ence. • Casio – PRO TREK, a smart watch, which uses Android Wear 2.0 and is equipped with low-power GPS and new full-color map functionality. • Continental – High-Resolution 3D Lash Lidar, capable of 3D measurement of the environment in challenging conditions such as fog, dust, rain and light. • Faraday Future – The FF 91, a fully-electric, fully-connected, self-driving, keyless vehicle experience with a “driverless valet” function that allows the car to park itself from your smartphone. • FCA – Portal, a concept car, is battery electric, cloud connect- ed and offers fully self-driving capabilities. • Hisense – The H10D 4K HDR TV, featuring proprietary ULED display technology, quantum dot wide color gamut and full array local dimming. • Huawei/Honor Brands – The Honor 6X dual-camera, dual- sensor smartphone, retailing for $250 USD. • Hyundai – IONIC Scooter, a "micro mobility" fold-up scoot- er aimed at those who live in urban environments with limit- ed parking options. • LG – LG Signature OLED TV W, or the “The Wallpaper TV.” The 65” model is 2.57 mm wide – 1/10th of an inch – with no gap between the TV and wall. • Lucaro – iRobotics 7 Medical Massage Chair, a full-body massage chair that also uses blood pressure and heart rate monitoring for added comfort and options. • Monster – Soundstage 2, to be integrated with Amazon Alexa. • Panasonic – Lumix GH5 mirrorless camera that excels at shooting video and has 4K and 6K capabilities. • Qualcomm – Snapdragon 835, the first 10 nanometer mobile processor, with enhanced efficiency that helps to create thin- ner phones with longer battery life. • Royole – The Royole Moon, a 3D virtual mobile theater com- bining 1080p AMOLED displays at over 3000 ppi resolution that simulate a giant 800” curved screen, with stereoscopic 3D and noise-cancelling headphones for a completely immer- sive experience. • Samsung – The Wash and FlexDry IoT-enabled washer/dryer system featuring four separate compartments for washing and drying, letting you maximize efficiency and customize how you manage your laundry. • Sony – Crystal LED integrated structure display, with superfine LED structures serving as a light source, making it virtually impossible to see the pixels. • TCL – The Xess series – X2 and X3 models – which are edge- less, flat and curved proving ultimate picture quality. • Toyota – Concept-i, a self-driving car allowing passengers to interact with the car’s artificial intelligence agent named “Yui,” which anticipates drivers’ needs, measures emotions and responds automatically. • Valeo – The 360AEB Nearshield, an emergency braking sys- tem that eliminates drivers’ blind spots, bringing the vehicle to a stop in emergency situations. • VOXX – Terk delivers the strongest Wi-Fi signals throughout the home, as well as free HDTV. The soon-to-be released Terk Omni features circle beam technology, which will allow you to receive broadcast signals up to 65 miles away. • ZF – The ZF ProAI, a deep learning software and ZF’s first step into artificial intelligence that goes beyond automotive applications. • ZTE – The Hawkeye, the world's first crowdsourced phone. C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20176 Press Meets and Launches
- 10. I t’s difficult to showcase all that happened at CES 2017 as I attended press conferences, interacted with numerous compa- nies, handled many new gadgets and quite a few promising new startups on the expo floor spread across three venues. We attempt to showcase a few of the interesting gadgets and innova- tions from CES 2017 LG SUPER UHD TV The third generation LG SUPER UHD TV lineup features Nano Cell technology and offering Active HDR with Dolby Vision. Its 55-inch SJ9500 is only 6.9mm at its thinnest point giv- ing the illusion of floating in the air. “Our 2017 SUPER UHD TV lineup with LG’s proprietary Nano Cell technol- ogy is a break- through in display technology that advances the LCD TV viewing experi- ence by combining an expanded color gamut with the ability to more accurately create those colors, resulting in superior picture quali- ty regardless of viewing angle,” said Tim Alessi, head of product marketing at LG Electronics USA. Nano Cell LCD displays offer a technological advantage by employing uniformly-sized parti- cles approximately one nanometer in diameter to create more subtle, accurate colors that can be viewed from wider angles than other LCD TVs. Toyota Concept-i makes cars – “warm, welcoming and, above all, fun” Designed by Toyota’s CALTY Design Research the Concept-i was leverages the power of an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system to anticipate people’s needs, inspire their imagina- tions and improve their lives. “At Toyota, we recognize that the important question isn’t whether future vehicles will be equipped with automated or connected technologies,” said Bob Carter, sen- ior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota. “It is the experience of the people who engage with those vehicles. Thanks to Concept-i and the power of artificial intelligence, we think the future is a vehicle that can engage with people in return.” At the heart of Concept-i is a powerful AI that learns with the driver to build a relationship that is meaningful and human- lever- aging advanced automated vehicle technologies to help enhance driving safety, combined with visual and haptic stimuli to aug- ment communication based on driver responsiveness. In short Concept-i will know if the peak-hour traffic (be it in Mumbai or Hong kong) is becoming stressful, you’re not 100 per cent focused on the road (probably too much of drink) and will either give you a quick seat massage or will make the car take over. An onboard Super-Siri, named ‘Yui’ will do this in addition to pro- viding the driver with helpful hints about steep turnings, potential hazards and the best route to take to your destination. Yui will also greet driver and passengers thus making cars – “warm, wel- coming and, above all, fun.” myCharge myCharge, innovators in portable power, introduced quite a few new products. The RazorPlatinum and the RazorUltra USB- C are the first chargers of their kind to combine the fastest indus- try standard for charging with USB-C. The RazorPlatinum with Quick Charge 3.0 and Power Delivery (13400 mAh) features both USB-C input (36 watt PD) and output (36 watt PD) ports as well as a USB-A port with QC 3.0 for a broad range of charging options. The 12000 mAh RazorUltra USB-C with Quick Charge 3.0 expands myCharge’s USB-C product offerings. The new PowerGear Tunes case will make it possible to charge any Bluetooth ear bud set with PowerGear Tunes. The rigid shell opens for easy access and charging is as simple as plugging in the ear buds when stor- ing. They also introduced Adventure series for smartphones, tablets and other small gadgets is built for the outdoors. Smart InstaView refrigerator How nice it would be if we could peep into the refrigerator without opening the opaque door. LG’s new refrigerator fea- tures a 29-inch touch LCD display, which, thanks to its InstaView feature, instantly turns transparent with just two knocks of the screen and allows users to look inside the refrigerator without opening the door. With webOS, consumers can also explore a host of WiFi-enabled features directly on the refrigerator, creating a streamlined and powerful food management system. Ama- zon’s Alexa Voice Service gives users C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20178 Gadgets Galore at CES 2017
- 12. access to an intelligent personal assistant that, in addition to searching recipes, can play music, place Prime-eligible orders from Amazon.com including groceries, add items to a shopping list and more. With over 6,000 skills available, Alexa can also control one’s smart home, request car service, set kitchen timers and check the weather – all hands-free by just using voice com- mands. With Alexa, daily tasks in the kitchen – such as cooking or planning for the day – turn into a dynamic, entertaining expe- rience. To check inside the refrigerator remotely, a 2.0 megapixel panoramic super-wide-lens camera captures images of the interi- or from a variety of different angles which are accessible via smartphone. Samsung : Quantum Dot curved monitor Samsung’s new CH711 Quantum Dot curved monitor is designed with gamers in mind. Available in 27- and 31.5-inch variations the CH711 features 1,800R curvature and an ultrawide 178-degree view- ing angle, making content clearly visible wherever you may be in a room. Its ergonomic design also enables view- ers to adjust the monitor’s hori- zontal and vertical positioning for optimal comfort. It has nearly 125 percent RGB color coverage and 2,560 x 1,440 WQHD res- olution. LG SIGNATURE OLED TV CES Best of Innovation Award winner was the 77-inch LG SIGNATURE OLED TV W and with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos integrated viewers can recapture the magic of the cinema. The LG 2017 OLED TV lineup, consisting of the following mod- els: the 77- and 65-inch W7, 77- and 65-inch G7, 65- and 55-inch E7, 65- and 55- inch C7 and 65- and 55-inch B7. LG’s 2017 OLED TVs feature the amazing blade- slim design of the B7 and C7 series, Picture-on-Glass design of the E7 and G7 series, and the unique Picture-on-Wall design of the newest W7 series. The OLED panel, measuring only 2.57mm thin in the 65-inch model, can be mounted directly on the wall, eliminating any gap between the TV and the wall. LG has partnered with leading digital content providers such as Amazon, Netflix and Vudu. World’s Largest USB Flash Drive - 2TB Capacity Kingston launched DataTraveler Ultimate Generation Terabyte (GT), the world’s highest capacity USB Flash drive. DataTravel- er Ultimate GT offers up to 2TB of storage space and USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) per- formance. Power users will have the ability to store massive amounts of data in a small form factor, including up to 70 hours of 4K video on a single 2TB drive. DataTraveler Ultimate GT offers superior quality in a high-end design as it is made of a zinc-alloy metal casing for shock resistance. It comes with a 5-year warranty with free technical support and is ompatible with: Windows 10, Win- dows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 (SP1), Mac OS v.10.9.x+, Linux v.2.6.x+, Chrome OS. Smallest look and shoot camera PogoCam is the smallest look and shoot camera in the world attachable to eyewear. It is simple to use; just "look and shoot". It was designed from the start to fit on eyewear without distracting from the fashion look. Pogo- Cam can easily and quickly be removed if needed. Its actual size is 10.9mm x 12.5mm x 42.8mm with a 5 megapixel sensor. It can take up to 100 photos or 2 minutes of continuous video. The charge time is just 35 min- utes. Samsung Gear 360 Samsung Gear 360 which was launched mid 2016, was a rage in Las Vegas as many were using it. Gear 360 is designed for travel, festive gatherings to provide an all-encompassing visual experience. It is equipped with dual fisheye lenses, which both have 15 megapixel image sen- sors, giving users the ability to capture high-resolution (3840×1920) 360-degree video that also supports 30 megapix- el still images. Users are also able to shoot 180-degree wide angle video and images with only using one side of the camera lens. Built for any time of day, Gear 360 offers Bright Lens F2.0, which creates high resolution images even in low-light conditions, where users can create full panoramic videos. When Gear 360 is synced with a Samsung smartphone, users will be able to preview content in real time when recording. Casio WSD-F20 Casio Computer new WSD-F20 is a Smart Outdoor Watch featuring water resistance and tough performance for out- door activities. WSD-F20 runs on Android Wear 2.0 and is equipped with C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201710
- 14. low-power GPS and new color map functionality that can be used offline to expand the range of outdoor adventures. The WSD-F20 now incorporates richly-designed and easy-to-read map data from Mapbox, which is used worldwide. Maps can be downloaded in advance to the WSD-F20 and used with GPS data to track the user’s location, even when offline. The WSD-F20 enables quick access to the information during activities, such as trekking, cycling, fishing, winter sports, and watersports. This watch allows users to keep their hands free and fully enjoy outdoor activities. Honor’s 6X Huawei sub-brand Honor launched the Honor 6X - a decent phone that doesn’t pinch the pocket and brings a dual camera experience with a long battery life and sleek all-aluminum form factor. This handset features an expansive 5.5" IPS LCD screen with 1080p Full HD resolution for watching videos, viewing photos, and playing games, and 32GB of expand- able storage for your apps and media. The front of the phone has an 8MP camera for self- portraits and video chatting, while the rear has a dual-cam- era setup. A 12MP and a secondary 2MP camera. With 3340mAh battery power the phone is alive for two days and I believe bat- tery life will be a strength of this phone. It runs a Huawei operat- ing system, which is based on Android. There are two versions – the more expensive 64GB version, which also includes 4GB of RAM to the 32GB and 3GB RAM combination. IONIQ Scooter Solving the last mile transportation problem is the Hyundai Motor’s innovative portable-mobility concept IONIQ Scooter. It enables drivers to continue their journey after parking or helping them to travel to public transit stations. The compact scooter is charged while it sits conveniently inside the front door of the IONIQ Electric. Users can fold and unfold the scooter with just one hand, and its lightweight construction enhances its portability. The scooter is equipped with front and rear lights to aid visibility, and an occupant sensor detects when the rider is safely aboard before riding mode is enabled. Acceleration is controlled by the rider scrolling up their thumb switch, while braking is achieved by pressing a pad over the scooter’s rear wheel or scroll- ing down thumb switch. Asus ZenFone AR and ZenFone 3 Zoom Asus ZenFone AR is the world’s first smartphone to be both Tango and Daydream-ready. It represents a significant advance in mobile virtual-reality (VR) and augmented-reality (AR) tech- nologies. Tango is a set of sensors and computer-vision software by Google that enables smartphone augmented reality. Daydream is Google's platform for high-quality, mobile virtual reality and supports Daydream VR apps. ZenFone AR is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, and is the world's first smartphone with 8GB of RAM. Its 5.7-inch WQHD Super AMOLED display and a new five-mag- net speaker makes Daydream VR apps, games, and videos more immersive and entertaining. ZenFone 3 Zoom is built for photogra- phy and extended use with the world's best smartphone camera and a large, 5000mAh battery. ZenFone 3 Zoom’s innovative dual-camera system comprises two 12MP cameras, one with a f/1.7-aperture, 25mm wide-angle lens and a second with a 59mm lens. It is also the first ASUS smartphone with SuperPixel camera technology that enables it to focus incredibly quickly and capture clear pho- tos at night or in low-light environments. Dell Canvas Dell Canvas—a new category of smart workspace technology that expands creative productivity for content developers and designers. The 27-inch QHD smart workspace can be used at an angle or flat on a desk so profession- als can create, communicate and express their thoughts and ideas as naturally as they do with pen on paper. For example, through the use of touch, digital pen and totems, the Dell Canvas turns drawings into part of the digital workflow and enhances collaboration. Developed in partnership with Microsoft Corp. and powered by virtually any Windows 10 device, Dell Canvas plugs seamlessly into software solutions from partners including Adobe, Autodesk, AVID, Dassault Systems, SolidWorks and Microsoft. Acer Predator 21X gaming laptop The Acer Predator 21 X is the world’s first notebook with a curved screen and integrates eye-tracking technology for an even more immersive user experience. The Predator 21 X features the latest 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, 5 cooling fans and dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs in SLI for unmatched graphics performance. Featuring Windows 10 and designed for gaming enthusiasts. As the world’s first notebook to offer a curved 21-inch IPS display (2560 x 1080 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate), it delivers a truly immersive gaming experience, especially when combined with the notebook’s eye-tracking tech- nology from Tobii. Supporting all this power is 64GB of DDR4-2400 memory, up to four 512GB solid state drives in RAID 0 configuration (including 2 NVMe PCIe SSDs, which are up to 5x faster than SATA SSDs) and a 7200 RPM hard drive of 1TB capacity. Mind you it doesn’t come cheap and is priced at $8,999 (Rs. 6,00,000/-) C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201712
- 18. How did the idea of iuzeit originate and what does it mean? iuzeit was actually born out of frustration. I used to spend countless hours researching products, scouring websites for “trusted” information to ensure I was making a smart purchase. But, after all that effort, I was still left with buyer’s remorse. The credibility of the information was questionable because the sources were from unknown reviewers, not my personal network. It occurred to me a gap existed between quality data and those seeking it. Hence, the birth of iuzeit—a socially connected product dis- covery platform that compiles reliable data in one place to create personalized product recommendations for consumers. Once con- sumers have the necessary information, iuzeit directs them to their retailer of choice to make a purchase. Do you foresee such a big potential? We live in a digital, connected world. We consult Yelp, Ama- zon, Facebook, and other platforms to help us make decisions on a daily basis. This landscape demands “big data,” but consumers often find themselves struggling to organize and trust that data. iuzeit has the potential to become the essential layer between people and data. We take overwhelming amounts of information and make it relevant to each consumer, guiding them to the right purchase decision. Can you imagine the potential impact of all those decisions? We can. What is your USP? The unique value of iuzeit is our platform’s focus on streamlin- ing the consumer research process. Since iuzeit does not directly sell products, we can objectively compile and deliver the data quality that consumers seek prior to making purchase decisions. iuzeit also offers the benefit of connecting users to their networks for credible recommendations. What are your services offerings? At iuzeit, we provide a valuable serv- ice for both retailers and consumers. For retailers, iuzeit provides a new sales channel. For consumers, they have an easier way to find the perfect product for them. Our one-stop+shop is simpler; it saves the consumer time and frustration by making the data and link to purchase options available in one spot. Our initial focus is on the smartphone market, but we plan to expand to other consumer electronic and ecommerce products in the future. What is your model to tie up with retailers to sell their products through iuzeit? Our model generates revenue for retailers at a marginal cost. We join retailers’ existing affiliate programs, creating partner- ships with third-party sites, such as iuzeit, that drive traffic to the retailers’ products. These programs allow a revenue share for sales via commission that originate at the affiliate site. The affil- iate program structure will allow iuzeit to scale at a rapid pace in terms of ecommerce partnerships. Who are your major customers? Our ultimate intended user base captures all consumers con- ducting online research before purchasing a product. But current- ly, we are focused on the 81% of millennials that spend 12 to 15 hours on average finding and researching a product before they buy it online. In the future, retailers will become customers, as iuzeit will be able to provide consumer data based on products and demographics. How do you look at the Indian/Asian market? With publications like The Economist stating, “Shopping malls and chain stores account for only about one-tenth of total retail sales . . .” in India, we see major potential in establishing a pres- ence in the Indian/Asian market within our first year. With a growing, young, tech savvy population with increasing dispos- able income and ecommerce spend, the Indian/Asian market offers the perfect growth opportunity for iuzeit. Where do you see the company in next 3 years? In 3 years, iuzeit will be a household name, representing a space that con- nects consumers to trusted product and service information, which guides their purchase decisions. As iuzeit grows, so will our content, featured products, and user functionality. Additionally, by leveraging new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, we aim to revolutionize the way consumers make purchase deci- sions. e - c o m m e r c e Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201716 “iuzeit has the potential to become the essential layer between people and data” As the demand for online shopping is on the rise and more so in India the confusion for consumers is equally growing thanks to multiple sources and numerous reviews – positive or negative. In order to streamline the consumer journey Yogi Patel CEO and founder of iuzeit a site that combines ratings and reviews from consumers, experts, and friends in one place providing a good shopping experience. In an e-interview with Yogi Patel he highlights his vision and passion for using technology to solve problems and connect peo- ple. Excerpts
- 20. H ong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) every year organizes two major electronics shows – one in April (Spring Edition) and another in October (Autumn Edition). This year again the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and the International ICT Expo, will be staged concur- rently at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 13 to 16 April 2017. Entering into their 14th editions, the two fairs will provide an international platform for around 3,400 exhibitors to showcase their hottest electronics products and cutting-edge ICT solutions to potential business partners worldwide. In the 2015 editions, the twin annual fairs welcomed around 92,000 buyers from 150 countries and regions. Hong Kong’s electronics industry is the largest merchandise export earner of the territory, reaching US$ 271.6 billion in the first 11 months in 2016, up 1.3 per cent year on year. As the important electronics trading hub in Asia Pacific, Hong Kong is the ideal location to stage influential trade fairs for industry play- ers to preview the upcoming trends and exchange market intelli- gence. Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director, HKTDC, said, “HKTDC organises the Spring and Autumn Electronics Fairs in April and October respectively each year to align with the sourc- ing periods of global buyers. The Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) is the largest spring electronics fair in Asia. Together with the concurrent International ICT Expo, this is an effective platform for exhibitors to present their new products and solutions to buyers which creates abundant trading opportunities for crossover business activities.” Inaugural Startup Zone Startups are a growing force in driving economic diversity. A new Startup zone to be located at Hall 3F-G Concourse will be launched at the two fairs, which will gather tech startups from around the globe to present their innovative electronic products and ICT solutions, allowing investors to explore investment and partnership opportunities. A series of themed events will be arranged to provide an excel- lent platform for startups to present their ideas. These include pitching session where startups can pitch solutions or product ideas to potential investors on the spot, “Startup, Smart Launch” where newly developed technology and products can be intro- duced to buyers, as well as Startup Mentoring sessions where suc- cessful entrepreneurs will share their experience with startups. Debut Virtual Reality Zone at Spring Electronics Fair A new Tech Hall will be introduced at Hall 5F-G of the Spring Electronics Fair this year, clustering four thematic zones includ- ing the inaugural Virtual Reality zone, as well as Connected Home, Robotics & Unmanned Tech and Wearable Electronics. This assemblage will help buyers source high-tech electronic products with ease. During the Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) held in October last year, the HKTDC commissioned an independent survey, dur- ing which more than 1,000 exhibitors and buyers were inter- viewed about the outlook for the electronics market and new product trends. The survey found that over 70 per cent of the respondents believed that the market potential and demand of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) devices or applications would be 'promising' or 'very promising' over the next two years. To satisfy the market demand, a new Virtual Real- ity zone will be launched at the Spring Electronics Fair to feature a range of VR headsets and related technology as well as VR video cameras. The Connected Home zone will return to introduce the applica- tion of Internet-of-Things (IoT) for home automation such as smart home system controlled by mobile apps. The Robotics & Unmanned Tech zone will feature aerial camera, electric scooters, industrial and household robots amongst others. Another popular zone returning is Wearable Electronics, which will showcase a wide range of related products such as smart watches and smart wristbands with healthcare and sports monitoring functions. C u r t a i n R a i s e r Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201718 New Startup zone garners interest at the twin HKTDC fairs Be it CES, MWC, GITEX or any major event in the field of electronics or ICT and there is a surge to get startups involved in a major way. The twin HKTDC fairs - Hong Kong Electronics Fair and ICT Expo will be launching a new Startup zone enabling tech startups to showcase their innovative electronic products and ICT solutions to potential investors
- 21. The fair’s Hall of Fame will return with over 570 internation- al leading brands, including Bigben, Desay, GP, HKC, Hubble, Intel, Motorola and Polaroid. Other themed zones include Audio- Visual Products, Electronic Accessories, In-Vehicle Electronics & Navigation Systems, Personal Electronics and many more. Global ICT Solutions for Enhancing Competitiveness Running concurrently with the Spring Electronics Fair, the International ICT Expo is one of the signature events of the “International IT Fest 2017”. It is the ideal platform for different industries to keep abreast of the latest products and solutions in information, communication and technologies (ICT) with the objective to enhance business efficiency and stay competitive. The Expo is categorised under various themed zones for busi- ness visitors to look for the solutions suitable for their business- es. e-Commerce zone will showcase cyber security, e-commerce platform, e-payment, logistics, O2O business solutions and IT integration. Retail Technologies zone will feature business improvement solutions which include retail and payment technologies. Enterprise Solu- tions zone will present software solutions for the corporate world enabling business to upgrade internal processes and everyday operations. Home-grown Innovation zone will feature the latest technolo- gies developed by some local companies and institutions. Other themed zones include Digital Infrastructure, Digital Marketing and Smart Devices & Accessories and more. There will be dedicated theme for the seminars and sharing ses- sions held on each day of the Expo, featuring hot industry issues which include Startups, e-Commerce & FinTech, Disruptive Technology and Career Development. Besides, for the first time, the Expo will open to tertiary students on the last day (16 April), providing fruitful information on ICT career development and job opportunities. Besides, the popular SME IT Clinic will return to offer compli- mentary professional consultation services on ICT systems and solutions to help SMEs enhance business efficiency. hktdc.com Small Orders and Value-added Events The hktdc.com Small Orders zone will continue to serve as a convenient platform for buyers to source in smaller lots, featuring products available in the minimum order quantities between five and 1,000 pieces. It is also online at http://smallorders.hktdc.com for global buyers to source products and complete transactions online, featuring over 120,000 products from more than 11,000 suppliers. A series of seminars, themed under the 2017 Tech Trends Sym- posium covering industry hot topics such as Wearables, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Smart Home and Robotics, will be held at the fairs. Besides, there will be Product Demo & Launch Pads, networking events and business matching services for exhibitors, buyers and visitors to share industry trends and market knowledge, as well as expand their business networks. Partial List of Indian Participants Under the aegis of ESC, India the ICT Expo held in Hong Kong along with Hong Kong Electronics Fair will again see a substan- tial Indian presence both exhibitor and visitor wise. With India becoming an economic power house thanks to its excellence in the field of ICT many Indian IT companies exhibit at major events across the globe trying to provide their knowl- edge and skills to local players in that market. One such impor- tant show is the HKTDC ICT Expo. Infact for Indians the Spring Electronics Fair is more attractive than the Autumn Electronics fair (even though it attracts more exhibitors and visitors) as this has the ICT Expo running parallel to it. This year again over 20 Indian exhibitors are participating under the aegis of Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC). ESC is considered to be India’s best Electronics and IT trade facilitation organization and assists Indi- an IT industry particularly the SMEs. HKTDC International ICT Expo (all exhibitors in Hall 3G) 1. Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council 2. Hiteshi Infotech Private Limited 3. Neosoft Technologies 4. Variance Infotech 5. ABC Buildtech Pvt Ltd 6. Roger International Pvt Ltd 7. Linkites Infotech Private Limited 8. Cyber Infrastructure 9. InSync Tech-Fin Solutions Ltd. 10. Infonet Solutions 11. NexusLink Services 12. Evolvan Info Solutions Private Limited 13. Emorphis Technologies 14. Hypersoft Technologies Limited 15. eQuasar Solutions 16. Empower Integrated Solutions (P) Ltd. 17. Jenixcloud Software Solutions Pvt Ltd 18. Uflix international private limited 19. Clavax Technologies Private Limited 20. CDN Solutions 21. Nick IT Solutions Private Limited HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2017 (Spring Edition) 1. HAL Robotics Pvt. Ltd. Booth No. 3CON-206 - 91 8010 275 275 2. Gospell Digital Technology Private Limited Booth No. 1C- A08 C u r t a i n R a i s e r Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2017 19
- 22. C ES had all types of innovative vehicles - electric, autonomous, beta prototypes and tech savvy or advanced. But it was the beautiful red coloured 3D printed vehicle - a one-door/two-seater supercar called the Blade - that attracted both visitors and media. Divergent, the company behind this provides a disruptive new approach to auto manufacturing that incorporates 3D printed joints, which they call as NODE, connecting carbon fiber struc- tural materials that results in an industrial strength chassis that can be assembled in a matter of minutes. Divergent’s NODE connectors are the key building block we developed to build cars. They are connectors made of a metal alloy and are produced using 3D printers. The NODE connectors in conjunction with carbon fiber structural materials are the key components in building a car chassis. With this approach one can build a very strong and very light chassis, and do so while saving energy and generating less pollution. The NODE approach dema- terializes and democratizes auto manufacturing, and it enables continuous long-term innovation and adaptation. The current pro- totype is composite. Since the body is not structural, it could be made from virtually anything – even spandex. As many of you may be aware the actual manufacturing of vehicles is anything but environmentally friendly. The whole aim is to radically reduce the materials, energy use, pollution and cost of car manufacturing and bring awareness and adoption of clean- er and greener cars. They plan to radically reduced resource-use and pollution generated by manufacturing; Up to 90% lighter than traditional vehicles with more strength and durability; A stronger, lightweight vehicle means less wear on roads and fewer accident fatalities. Divergent’s NODE connectors made of a metal alloy and are produced using 3D printers. The NODE connectors in conjunc- tion with carbon fiber structural materials are the key components in building a car chassis. With this approach they can build a very strong and very light chassis, and do so while saving energy and generating less pollution. It takes less than 30 minutes to assem- ble the chassis by hand and weighs 630Kg. It can go from 0-60 in about 2.5 seconds and uses a 700 HP, 4-cylinder turbocharged internal combustion engine fueled by compressed natural gas or gasoline. A standard set up can produce from a few cars up to 10,000 cars per year. While future 3D printed cars won’t all be supercars capable of 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds but the possibilities with the technology look quite attractive. 3 D p r i n t i n g Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201720 3D printed vehicle It was my first chance to see a 3D printed vehicle and I was quite impressed as I saw a remarkable 3D printed ‘Blade’ car and 3D printed ‘Dagger’ motorcycle at CES. The car was displayed as a prototype along with its 3D printed frame.
- 23. How to contact us Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-GmbH | Festplatz 9 | 76137 Karlsruhe fon +49 721 3720-0 | fax +49 721 3720-2116 info@kmkg.de | www.messe-karlsruhe.de | contact: Regina Feiner How to find us - easy to travel to - by rail, roads and air - direct access to nearby motorways: A 5, A 8, A 65 - only 1 hour from Frankfurt airport - direct rail link - approx. 3 hours from Paris on the TGV (high speed train) - excellent local transportation infrastructure, Messe-Express (shuttle service) from the main station to the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Center Capacities Trade Fair Center - award-winning architecture, premium quality materials - 3 halls, each measuring 12.500 sq. m plus the 12.500 sq. m dm-arena - an atrium with events hall measuring 1.800 sq. m - an atrium with garden atmosphere for events - an open-air exhibition area totalling 10.000 sq. m - a conference centre accommodating approx. 2.000 guests Convention Center - 4 event venues/halls, 28 rooms, space for approx. 13.000 seated guests - 20.000 sq. m exhibition area in the halls and foyers - 10.000 sq. m open-air area for exhibitions and events - 1.000 underground parking spaces - attractive location in the city centre Europahalle - Room for 9.000 guests, seated or standing, or 5.097 guests seated in rows in the inner area and seating galleries - 4.400 sq. m usable area - best conditions for any kind of sporting events and entertainment Support from A to Z - exhibitor services - visitor/participant services - event organiser services - travel services - KMK-TV - Germany´s first trade fair TV channel Hotel recommendations Best Western Queens, Novotel, Radisson SAS, Renaissance, Ringhotel Residenz, Schlosshotel Everything. Out of the ordinary. Open new doors. Savour success. Experience inspiration. Stage trade fairs, conventions and events in Karlsruhe and everything fits together. More than you would expect. In three world-class locations for events, with plenty of room for creativity . For your latest innovation. And your ideas. Welcome to Karlsruhe Messe- und Kongress-GmbH.
- 24. Stable Biological Coating for Implants The extracellular matrix (ECM) regulates all important cell functions and is an interesting biomaterial for scientists. Fraun- hofer has developed an ECM that contains artificial chemical groups which supports natural cell behaviour outside the body. It can be applied as a stable coating on implants or be used in cell culture dishes. Biologists, chemists and physicians have to know how biolog- ical reactions occur inside the human body to be able to – for example – insert new implants, develop new active substances or to replace dis- eased tissue. The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an impor- tant role in these researches. In human tissue it is the natural envi- ronment of cells and is responsi- ble for important functions (see box). Tissue spe- cific composi- tion makes it the ideal material for use in medical technology. “However, it is very complicated to modify the matrix in such a way that it can be adapted to dif- ferent uses, but still behave naturally”, says Dr. Monika Bach from the Department of Interfacial Engineering and Materials Science, in the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB. Biological Coating in Medical Technology The chemists and biologists at the Stuttgart research institute have worked together to develop a functional ECM, which sup- ports natural cell behaviour even outside the body and which can be flexibly adapted to problems related to biology or to materials science. Prof. Petra Kluger, Head of the Department of Cell and Tissue Engineering, described the current state of the research as follows: “We have shown in the laboratory that the biomaterial fulfills its functions in spite of the additional artificial chemical groups and supports the natural behaviour of cells that are in con- tact with it.” The IGB scientists are currently looking for collab- orators to help them to develop specific products with the patent- ed technology. One possibility would be to coat implants so they are more rapidly accepted by the body. According to Dr. Bach, “In principle, this technology would also be interesting to devel- op new materials that can be used to support healing in bones or wounds.“ The material could also be used to coat cell culture dishes in the laboratory. It is providing cells with an ideal envi- ronment, so that they exhibit their natural growth properties dur- ing culture. “Complex living material reacts very sensitively to even small changes in the environment”, Bach explains. Chemical reaction that clicks In order to equip ECM with artificial chemical groups, the sci- entists exploit natural cell metabolism and let the chemical groups incorporate themselves. For this purpose, cells isolated from human tissue samples are incubated in cell culture dishes with sugar molecules which differ from normal sugars in that they have a reactive artificial chemical group at one position. The cells pick up this modified sugar and use it as a building block to assemble molecules within the cell and in the ECM. As Dr. Bach describes it, “This chemical group can then undergo a selective chemical reaction – a click reaction – with a suitable binding part- ner. Imagine it is like a fastener button: one half, the other half and then click!” The advantage of the clicking together is that the selective chemical reaction has a high yield, without side reac- tions and under physiological conditions, without interfering in natural cell processes. Planning building projects faster and more efficiently Building Information Modeling, an innovative modeling method, displays blueprints clearly in three dimensions and pro- vides additional information such as technical specifications and requirements, building costs and timeframes. Its main advantage is that all the various data sources are digital, so information can be merged coherently into joint models. Building Information Modeling, BIM for short, is a new con- struction planning method. BIM creates digital building plans with detailed information. All the various data sources are digital, so information can be merged into joint models. This speeds up building projects. Example of a virtual building model Architects, bricklayers, plumbers, pipe fitters – tradesmen of all sorts work together on building construction. This variety means that coordinating work isn’t always easy, as domain-spe- cific plans are hard to understand for others, leading to errors and delays. Building Information Modeling (BIM) simplifies work I n n o v a t i o n Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201722 A scientist from Fraunhofer IGB cultures cells to form a functionalized extracellular matrix – the click ECM. © Photo Fraunhofer IGB © Photo pbbReference object »OfficeCenter Pionierkaserne« in Ingolstadt.
- 25. coordination by integrating all data into a three-dimensional model, adding details of technical requirements, building costs or timeframes, and storing it all centrally. In this way, all project par- ticipants can be sure that they are referring to the same, up-to-date architectural plan for their work. As a result, planning is coordi- nated, decisions are made more transparent and construction is quicker, more accurate and more cost-efficient. A wide variety of additional information can be attached to individual construction components, for example fire protection data, energy characteristics, data from life cycle analyses, manu- facturer details, assembly instructions, operating characteristics or maintenance intervals. Each component can have additional information associated with it. “BIM effectively creates a digital twin of the building,” says Peter Noisten, project manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP. This enables proj- ect participants to visualize the nascent building better and earli- er and to make more informed decisions, resulting in more accu- rate planning and a decreased error count. “BIM in Germany” – BIMiD Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institutes for Building Physics IBP and Industrial Engineering IAO aim to promote this planning method in Germany by gathering practical experience and generating recommendations. To this end, they are collabo- rating with various partners in the “BIM Reference Project in Germany BIMiD” project, which is focused on two construction projects funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy: a Volkswagen Financial Services building in Braun- schweig and the Pionierkaserne office complex in Ingol- stadt. A reference process – developed by Fraunhofer IBP togeth- er with AEC 3 Deutschland GmbH and approved by the architects and engineers association AHO e.V. – maps out the main building development stages according to HOAI, Germany’s official Fee Regulation for Architects and Engineers, in chronological order from the initial concept to a building’s dis- mantling. This refer- ence process is available online since May 2016; Fraunhofer IBP will use it in construction projects receiving the institute’s support as a tool to help builders and planners as well as facility managers during the introduction of the BIM method. “Decision-makers are convinced of the benefits of BIM,” says Noisten. “Not only does it let them make important decisions much earlier on than before, but those decision makers are also much better informed.” Günter Wenzel, head of department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, elaborates: “BIM is extremely effective when experts get together to com- pare notes, too. Construction professionals stand together in a CAVE projection room for an immersive virtual reality simula- tion, where the technology lets them experience the latest plan- ning status naturally and intuitively, with no laborious explana- tions necessary. This notably increases efficiency – issues that previously required two or three meetings to resolve can now be completed with just one. Simulating indoor climate with reliable data Having a “digital twin” of a building presents advantages that prove useful far beyond the normal construction planning process. For example, Fraunhofer IBP researchers use the virtual plans to simulate and optimize indoor climate, acoustics and energy use and optimize them – long before the foundation stone is laid. “Until now engineers were obliged to reenter data from the plans manually into other software. With BIM, we can plug data directly into a simulation,” says Noisten. BAU ZEIT – A tool for everyone, including SMEs To date, smaller trades such as pipe fitters have not been able to benefit from BIM’s advantages, as the relevant software was too expensive to be profitable for them. Instead they have contin- ued with their previous planning methods. The problem is, their current software is not compatible with BIM software, so pipe fit- ting companies are left without access to the overall plan and any changes to it must be sent to them separately. Breaks in commu- nication of this sort are a frequent cause of building errors. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg seek to fill this gap with their IT project BAU ZEIT, with a view to smoothing the path to BIM for small and medium-sized enterprises. “We’re integrating com- mon planning tools such as MS Project and Excel into BIM soft- ware,” explains Stefanie Kabelitz, a scientist at Fraunhofer IFF. “Communication will become easier, planning effort will decrease and costs will fall. We expect individual parties to save up to 30 percent of working time.” The BAU ZEIT tool collects all information in a central database and communicates any changes to all the different participants. I n n o v a t i o n Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2017 23 © Photo Fraunhofer IAOVirtual construction meeting at Fraunhofer IAO. © Photo AEC3 GmbHExample of a virtual building model.
- 28. Communicating better with future users and citizens BIM isn’t just good news for construction professionals: “laypersons” also benefit from BIM. It allows a building’s future users to connect with the project early on – doctors monitoring the construction of a clinic for example. Digital imaging serves here as a comprehensible visualization tool. It also helps citizens connect with public building projects, as researchers at Fraun- hofer IAO found out working with communication scientists from the University of Hohenheim on the VisB+ project. Previ- ously, many taxpayers had the feeling that they were only pre- sented with beautified versions of draft designs for planned con- struction projects, rather than realistic designs. BIM now makes it possible for members of the public to view the current planning status of a project as an intuitive and credible 1:1 virtual model. Compound eyes for industry and smart- phone Fraunhofer researchers have developed a process enabling the production of a two millimeter flat camera. Similar to the eyes of insects, its lens is partitioned into 135 tiny facets. Following nature‘s model, the researchers have named their mini-camera concept facet VISION. The mini-camera from the Fraunhofer IOF has a thickness of only two milli- meters at a resolution of one megapixel. The cam- eras are therefore suitable for use in the automotive and printing industries and in medical engineering. Thanks to their low thick- ness, their basic principle may change the design of future smart- phones. Just as the insects’ eyes, the Fraunhofer technology is com- posed of many small, uniform lenses. They are positioned close together, similar to the pieces of a mosaic. Each facet receives only a small section of its surroundings. The insect’s brain aggre- gates the many individual images of the facets to a whole picture. In the newly developed facetVISION camera, micro-lenses and aperture arrays take over these functions. Due to the offset of each lens to its associated aperture, each optical channel has an individual viewing direction and always depicts another area of the field of vision. "With a camera thickness of only two millimeters, this technol- ogy, taken from nature’s model, will enable us to achieve a reso- lution of up to four megapixel", says Andreas Brückner, project manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Preci- sion Engineering IOF in Jena. "This is clearly a higher resolution compared to cameras in industrial applications – for example in robot technology or automobile production." This technology was developed together with scientists from the Fraunhofer Insti- tute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen and was funded by the Fraunhofer-Zukunftsstiftung. Economical production on wafers The micro-lenses of the Fraunhofer researchers can get eco- nomically manufactured in large quantities – using processes similar to those applied in the semiconductor industry. Computer chips are mass-produced on wafers (large and thin semiconductor slices) and subsequently separated by sawing. Accordingly, thou- sands facetVISION camera lenses can be manufactured at the Fraunhofer IOF in parallel. "The cameras are suitable in medical engineering, for instance – for optical sensors, which will be able to quickly and easily examine blood", says Brückner. "In the printing industry, however, such cameras are needed to check the print image at high resolution while the machine is running." Fur- ther applications: Cameras in cars that help parking or in indus- trial robots that prevent collisions between man and machines. An eye on smartphones Compound eye technology is also suitable for integration into smartphones: today, their mini camera lens is normally five mil- limeters thick in order to show a satisfactorily sharp image of the surroundings. The manufacturers of ultra-thin smarthones face the following challenge: since the camera is thicker than the smartphone housing, it sticks out of the smartphone’s back cover. The manufacturers call this the "camera-bump" – the unaesthetic "camera bulge". The camera lenses for smartphones are, howev- er, not made on wafers, but in injection molded plastic. In this procedure, hot liquid plastic is poured into the mold in a similar way as batter into a waffle iron. Robots then assemble the fin- ished lenses into the smartphone camera. "We would like to trans- fer the insect eye principle to this production technology", says Brückner. "For example, it will be possible to place several small- er lenses next to each other in the smartphone camera. The com- I n n o v a t i o n Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201726 The first prototype of the technology transfers the images from the camera to the smartphone by Bluetooth via a transmission box. © Photo Fraunhofer IOF The facetVISION camera can be industrially manufactured in mass production. Fraunhofer researchers have shown this in trial runs. © Photo Fraunhofer IOF
- 29. bination of facet effect and proven injection molded lenses will enable resolutions of more than 10 megapixels in a camera requiring just a thickness of around three and a half millimeters." Watching computers think Neural networks are commonly used today to analyze complex data – for instance to find clues to illnesses in genetic informa- tion. Ultimately, though, no one knows how these networks actu- ally work exactly. That is why Fraunhofer researchers developed software that enables them to look into these black boxes and analyze how they function. The software recognizes which parameters a neural network uses to make decisions. It is of interest for any area in which data such as text, images and signals are automatically processed and evaluated by neural networks. For example, the software can ana- lyze complex production data and deduce which parameters are decisive for product quality or possible deviations. Sorting photos on the computer used to be a tedious job. Today, you simply click on face recognition and instantly get a selection of photos of your daughter or son. Computers have gotten very good at analyzing large volumes of data and searching for certain structures, such as faces in images. This is made possible by neural net- works, which have devel- oped into an established and sophisticated IT analysis method (see box, “How neural networks function”). The problem is that it isn’t just researchers who currently don’t know exactly how neural net- works function step by step, or why they reach one result or another. Neural networks are, in a sense, black boxes – computer programs that people feed values into and that reliably return results. If you want to teach a neural network, for instance, to recognize cats, then you instruct the sys- tem by feeding it thousands of cat pictures. Just like a small child that slowly learns to distinguish cats from dogs, the neural net- work, too, learns automatically. “In many cases, though, researchers are less interested in the result and far more interest- ed in what the neural network actually does – how it reaches deci- sions,” says Dr. Wojciech Samek, head of the Machine Learning Group at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI in Berlin. So Samek and his team, in collaboration with colleagues from TU Berlin, developed a method that makes it possible to watch a neu- ral network think. Machine learning enables customized cancer treatments This is important, for instance, in detecting diseases. We already have the capability today to feed patients’ genetic data into computers – or neural networks – which then analyze the probability of a patient having a certain genetic disorder. “But it would be much more interesting to know precisely which charac- teristics the program bases its decisions on,” says Samek. It could be certain genetic defects the patient has – and these, in turn, could be a possible target for a cancer treatment that is tailored to individual patients. Neural networks in reverse The researchers’ method allows them to watch the work of the neural networks in reverse: they work through the program back- wards, starting from the result. “We can see exactly where a cer- tain group of neurons made a certain decision, and how strongly this decision impacted the result,” says Samek. The researchers have already impressively demonstrated – multiple times – that the method works. For instance, they compared two programs that are publicly available on the Internet and that are both capa- ble of recognizing horses in images. The result was surprising. The first program actually recognized the horses’bodies. The sec- ond one, however, focused on the copyright symbols on the pho- tos, which pointed to forums for horse lovers, or riding and breed- ing associations, enabling the program to achieve a high success rate even though it had never learned what horses look like. Applications in big data “So you can see how important it is to under- stand exactly how such a network functions,” says Samek. This knowledge is also of particular interest to industry. “It is conceivable, for instance, that the oper- ating data of a complex production plant could be analyzed to deduce which parameters impact product quality or cause it to fluc- tuate,” he says. The invention is also interesting for many other applications that involve the neural analysis of large or complex data volumes. “In another experiment, we were able to show which parameters a network uses to decide whether a face appears young or old.” According to Samek, for a long time banks have even been using neural networks to analyze bank customers’ creditworthi- ness. To do this, large volumes of customer data are collected and evaluated by a neural network. “If we knew how the network reaches its decision, we could reduce the data volume right from the start by selecting the relevant parameters,” he says. This would certainly be in the customers’ interests, too. At the CeBIT trade fair in Hannover from March 20 to 24, 2017, Samek’s team of researchers will demonstrate how they use their software to analyze the black boxes of neural networks – and how these net- works can deduce a person’s age or sex from their face, or recog- nize animals. I n n o v a t i o n Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2017 27 Fraunhofer HHI’s analysis software uses algorithms to visualize com- plex learning processes (schematic diagram). © Photo Fraunhofer HHI
- 30. For Your Information Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201728 Feb 27– March 02 Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain March 03-06 Infacoma, Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, Thessaloniki, Greece March 05-09 EuroCIS, IT and Security in Retail, Dusseldorf, Germany March 07-08 Internet World, Munich, Germany March 08-09 easyFairs ICTexpo, Helsinki, Finland March 13-16 GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONGRESS GEC, Johannesburg, South Africa March 14-16 embedded world, Nuremberg, Germany March 20-24 CeBIT, Hanover, Germany March 21-22 Cloud Computing World Expo (CCWE), Paris, France March 21-23 Cabsat, Dubai, United Arab Emirates March 22-23 Embedded Systems, Paris, France March 27-31 International Wireless Communication Expo, Las Vegas, USA March 28- April 01 Comex, Muscat, Oman April 11 – 14 Global Sources Consumer Electronics, Security, Components fair, Hong Kong April 12 – 14 InfoComm China 2017, China National Convention Center (CNCC), Beijing April 13 – 16 HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), Hong Kong April 13 – 16 HKTDC International ICT Expo, Hong Kong April 18 – 21 Global Sources Mobile Electronics Fair, Hong Kong April 24 – 28 Digital Factory / Hannover Messe, Hanover, Germany May 04-06 CE China 2017, Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center May 23-25 Broadcast Asia/ CommunicAsia, Singapore, Singapore May 30 – June 01 Sensor+Test, Nuremberg, Germany May 30 – June 02 COMPUTEX TAIPEI, Taipei, Taiwan May 31 – June 02 Intersolar Expo (Solar Technology), Munich,Germany June 07 – 09 CES Asia, Shanghai, China June 14 – 16 InfoComm 2017, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL July 11 – 13 Intersolar North America July 30 – Aug 03 International Conference on Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH), Los Angeles, USA August 21–23 Africa Mobile & ICT Expo (MOBEX), Accra, Ghana August 22–24 Intersolar South America, São Paulo, Brazil September 01 – 06 IFA 2017, Berlin, Germany September 25-27 Intersolar Middle East, Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE October 08 - 12 GITEX 2017, DWTC, Dubai October 09 – 20 World Telecommunication Development Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina October 11 – 14 TAITRONICS (Taipei International Electronics Show), Taiwan October 13 – 16 Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2014, Hong Kong October 13 – 16 electronicAsia, Hong Kong October 18 – 20 Taiwan Int'l Photovoltaic Exhibition, Taiwan Oct 31 – Nov 2 Integrated Systems Russia, Expocentre, Moscow, Russia November 20-22 Startup Nations Summit, Tallinn, Estonia December 5–7 Intersolar India, Mumbai Exhibitions and conferences not only give you an opportunity to see and hear about the latest technologies and prod- ucts but also becomes a venue to meet and interact with International partners. One should plan much in advance to participate in an expo so that he can get in touch with existing and prospective customers. We have compiled a list of ICT and related Exhibitions for 2017-18. If your event is not listed, please e-mail us at globalfeatures@lycos.com. It's free! Your Dateline If you are organizing an exhibition/Conference not listed above please get in touch with us at- Global Technologies, B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059, India. Phone - 91-22-29252569, Mobile - 9224339001 / 9223419060 e-mail: editor@globalfeatures.info