Life in the 2020's Experience a little earlier-this is your home? ~ January 10 17:49

America Las Vegas. If you've been to sightseeing, you'll be familiar, but the first thing you'll meet at the airport when you get off the plane is a casino slot machine. Once a year, the city of entertainment overflows with the latest technology, transforming it into a space that predicts the future.
That's CES, the world's largest technology trade fair, open from 7 to 10 this month. How will life change in the new era of the 2020s? I experienced it a little earlier. (Ryoto Iga, Economic Department Reporter)

That tech This is also tech

This is my first visit to CES, but the first thing I was overwhelmed was the waves of visitors. It is said that about 175,000 people from more than 160 countries will visit during this period.

The latest digital technology, which covers such a large number of people every day by walking close to 20,000 steps, has been classified into more than 30 such as AI = artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, fitness, education, and travel.

Something like, "What?

At first glance it is a normal suitcase, but the handle is hidden. Yes, it's a small mobility with a motor and small tires that can be moved sitting on a suitcase.

It is small enough to carry in an airplane and runs on a rechargeable battery. It weighs about 9 kg. At a maximum speed of 11 km / h. Considerable speed when riding! It is certainly useful if you can carry a suitcase around the airport. The price is about $ 1,500 (about 160,000 yen), which means that the company aims to sell it in Japan.

There are others. At first glance it is a normal yoga mat, but the sensor is built into the mat.

When linked with the app, the sound will be heard from the speaker and will tell you how to take the correct yoga pose. He is using AI technology and will teach poses to improve places where the user is bad, such as back pain.

There was also a "smart kitchen system". Just put the ingredients in a pot-like device, cut and boil or bake, it is a product that automatically makes your favorite dishes.

○○ Tech

XX Tech multiplies various fields with the latest technology.

In addition to FinTech (finance), which has become quite familiar, there are Beauty Tech (beauty) and EdTech (education), but Health Tech was particularly attracting attention at the venue. It utilizes the latest technology for healthcare and health promotion.

This is also true for wearable devices such as watch-type smart watches. There are also technologies for measuring body conditions such as heart rate and blood pressure with sensors, and for performing remote medical treatment by matching doctors and patients with apps. Companies around the world are competing for these Healthtech products and services.

Resolve the worries of modern people with tech

Of these, Sleep Tech, which promotes comfortable sleep, was provided up to a dedicated corner.

Even in Japan, the word "sleep debt" has become a hot topic, but it has been pointed out that lack of sleep due to the stress of everyday life has affected the physical and mental condition.

The “smart bed” automatically adjusts the temperature and hardness of the mattress so that you can sleep comfortably. Sensors measure turnover, heart rate, etc. to quantify the "quality" of sleep, and adjust the mattress based on that. The aim is to improve sleep quality with the latest digital technology.

Prominent Chinese presence

What I felt while walking around the venue this time was the presence of Chinese companies. When I went to the interview thinking that it was an interesting technology, many of them were from Chinese companies.

For example, a projector-type touch screen that does not require a liquid crystal screen. By projecting the screen on a desk or wall and detecting the movement of your finger with the built-in camera, you can perform operations such as entering text and tapping as if you had an LCD screen.

Also, last year's CES, a Chinese company whose folding smartphone attracted attention was exhibiting an AI speaker with an ultra-thin LCD screen. The screen is curved neatly by utilizing the technology to make liquid crystals as thin as 0.01 mm. LCDs can be flexibly bent.

According to CES, more than 1,000 of the 4,500 exhibiting companies this time are Chinese. As the confrontation between the United States and China has deepened, some companies that have attracted attention last year have stopped exhibiting this time, but still more than one in four companies are Chinese companies. About 70 companies from Japan are exhibiting. At the venue, many people pass by Japanese companies, but I still hear Chinese conversation everywhere.

Keywords are data

There is no doubt that digital technology will make life easier in the 2020s.

On the other hand, what matters is how personal data collected by companies is used. The basic business model is to collect data collected in daily life, analyze it with AI, etc., and improve convenience.

Yoga mats, smart kitchens, and smart beds will all increase convenience while collecting personal data of users.

At the CES debate on data utilization and privacy, that was exactly the case. Speakers are Apple, Facebook, and the US government.

Watch over capitalism coming?

When the moderator asked, "Are you finally entering the age of 'supervised capitalism' where all data is extracted and turned into corporate profits?" You need ads that take advantage of Google. "

He further emphasized that the privacy of users was protected by saying, "It clearly displays what data the user is collecting."

On the other hand, a person in charge of the U.S. government prefaced that it was a general theory and said, "Too much data is being collected every day and we know exactly which companies collect what data and how they are used. There are no people, and privacy is not protected in that sense. "

There was a lot of standing at the venue, and it was very hot. Even if it does not seem to be very important information, I think that there is a strong sense of caution that if it is linked to personally identifiable information and even the location information of the smartphone, all of your personal life will be highlighted.

In the future, digitalization will make life surprisingly convenient, but how will you use and protect the data that is essential to it? The global debate has just begun.

Economic Department Reporter
Akihito Iga Joined in 2006 Sendai Bureau Okinawa Bureau Economic Department Network News Department
Ministry of Economy again from summer 19

bonus.
Although not mentioned in the article, there is also such a video.