Technology X Tomorrow's Technology Today!
Monday evening our group attended PEPCOM 2015 – a by invitation only press event for vendors to display their latest wares and technology. It was a little bit of a combination of the newest technology in a lot of areas combined with a touch of nostalgic technology as far as retro gaming.
We saw several robotics displays but there were two in particular that grabbed our attention. The first was the Personal Health Assistant Robot above. This little guy monitors all of your important health measurements and immediately alerts you to any abnormalities. Even down to helping you watch your weight, he helps you monitor your calorie and food types intake.
The second robot was another “personal assistant”-style robot that follows you around. He is controlled with a small remote control and will always stay an exact distance behind you. You can even take him shopping with you and use the attached basket for your groceries or other items. Take him with you to the park and let him carry what you need, keeping your hand free for other tasks, such as controlling your pet on their leash.
Next up we found a couple of Segway-style personal mobility devices. The first was very similar to a Segway, but with much-improved balance and control. The demonstrators were zipping around effortlessly, making tight turns and avoiding objects, displays, walls and other people.
Along the same lines, an almost unicycle-style “bike” was maneuvering around with a minimum of effort on the part of the “rider”. This thing is entirely controlled by foot movements, and foot pressure forward, backward and to the side was all that was required to steer.
And for you gamers that cannot afford an SLI or cross-fire setup with multiple graphics cards and multiple monitors, check out this super-wide high-resolution monitor from HP that enables its own variation of “surround view”.
The leadfoot drivers out there will appreciate the radar and laser detection devices available from Passport/Escort. In a previous life, I was an outside sales rep driving over 100,000 miles a year. Having such a device saved me from a “high speed driving award” on more occasions than I care to remember.
Have you ever wondered just what your pet is up to when you are not present? With the PetCube camera, you can do just that. With connectivity for your smart phone or tablet, and the ability to connect it to a home network, you find yourself either pleasantly surprised or a little bit frightened at what your critter(s) is up to when you are not home. Your child just might have the real proof that “The dog ate my homework!”
And finally, we see a little bit of “what’s old is new” with Stern’s latest pinball offerings. Pinball has definitely been making a strong resurgence of late, and their business is in a welcome growth cycle. At PEPCOM they had on display their latest soon-to-be-released “WrestleMania” title.
Stay tuned for further developments as we uncover them in our travels through the convention halls here in Vegas at CES 2015.