Несмотря на обилие разнообразных гаджетов и громкие премьеры, настоящий WOW-эффект (если по-русски, то неподдельный восторг) вызвали немногие экспонаты. В основном внимание приковывали продукты давних южнокорейских конкурентов - Samsung и LG. Первый показал сенсационный 146-дюймовый модульный MicroLED-телевизор (первый в мире, между прочим), новейший 8K-QLED TV с интеллектуальным масштабированием картинки из менее продвинутых форматов, а второй (LG) - рулонный 65-дюймовый OLED-телевизор, способный появляться "из коробки" только когда это нужно его владельцу.
Разумеется, были представлены шикарные смарт-холодильники и прочие чудеса домашней техники. Но над всем этим великолепием царила технология IoT (Internet of Things / Интернет Вещей). Без неё своё будущее уже не представляет ни один мировой электронный гигант (да и те, что помельче, стараются не отставать).
Да, про интернет вещей, сети 5G, самоуправляемый транспорт активно говорят последние несколько лет. Это долгоиграющие тренды, которые с каждой новой технологической выставкой будут получать новое содержание.
Тем не менее, самое интересное и важное, что в ходе CES-2018 стало окончательно ясно: концепция IoT победила, стала мэйнстримом и объединила всех (автопроизводителей, производителей бытовой техники, мобильных вендоров, сотовых операторов, энергетическую промышленность, производителей электронного оборудования).
Другого способа увеличить маржинальность привычных всем товаров и услуг в индустрии потребительской электроники сейчас не просматривается, поэтому работа по созданию привычной нам техники (стиральные машины, холодильники, телевизоры, автомобили), но уже способной взаимодействовать друг с другом без участия человека, происходит повсеместно.
В качестве примера можно привести представленную в Лас-Вегасе очередную серию холодильников Samsung Family Hub.
Казалось бы, что можно сделать с обычным холодильником? Однако инженеры Samsung подключили его к интернету, поставили внутри широкоугольные камеры, вмонтировали в дверь большой дисплей и оснастили его голосовым помощником Bixby. Теперь для того чтобы понять, что находится в холодильнике даже не нужно открывать дверь и нарушать температурный режим, всё содержимое выводится на экран.
Можно просматривать содержимое холодильника через смартфон, находясь в магазине. Также на продукты можно ставить виртуальные маркеры со сроком хранения, об истечении которого предупредит специальная программа.
Холодильник может вывести на экран рецепты блюд, которые можно приготовить из продуктов, хранящихся в нём, а затем, при выборе соответствующего рецепта, дистанционно включить плиту или духовку в нужном режиме и установить таймеры на нужное время приготовления.
Аудиопомощник Bixby позволяет управлять домом с помощью голосовых команд, контролировать домашнюю технику, пользоваться интернет-сервисами. Разумеется, продажа одного такого умного устройства принёсет доход равный продаже нескольких обычных холодильников, не говоря уже о возможности продавать подписки на различные интернет- (и не только интернет) сервисы, рекламу и пр. По сути, Samsung Family Hub - это не только холодильник, но также компьютер, планшет, телевизор и умная аудиоколонка.
Пресс-конференция Samsung на СES 2018 была особенно показательна, раскрыв огромный потенциал IoT-технологий уже в самом ближайшем будущем.
Этой весной техногигант собирается объединить свои IoT-приложения в единый облачный сервис SmartThings. Важную роль в новой экосистеме будет играть голосовой помощник Bixby.
Samsung объявил о своём намерении подключить к SmartThings автомобильную облачную платформу HARMAN Ignite. Она предназначена для разработки, управления, монетизации и защиты программ и сервисов, интегрируемых в автомобили. Для пользователей это означает возможность обновления прошивок автомобильного оборудования без посещения сервис-центров, сохранение персональных профилей, если у автомобиля несколько пользователей (семейный, корпоративный, арендованный автомобиль), подключение сторонних голосовых помощников и прочее.
Помимо Ignite, Harman (с 2017 является дочерним подразделением конгломерата Samsung) показал и своё решение для управления автомобилем Digital Cockpit. Платформа интегрируется в Harman Ignite, поддерживает голосовое управление Bixby, тактильную обратную связь, взаимодействие c традиционными механическими органами управления. Кроме того, в Digital Cockpit предусмотрена поддержка дополненной реальности и различных интерфейсов взаимодействия автомобиля с водителем и пассажирами, что позволяет реализовать индивидуальные пользовательские настройки отдельно для управления климат-контролем, медиацентром и другими функциями.
Таким образом, решения южнокорейского гиганта для Интернета вещей можно будет использовать не только в пределах «умного» дома, но и в автомобилях.
К 2020 году Samsung планирует подключить все свои устройства к экосистеме IoT (в настоящий момент эта цифра уже составляет 90% от всей выпускаемой продукции марки Samsung модельного ряда 2018 года). Всего же в исследования и разработки, связанные с интернетом вещей, искусственным интеллектом и созданием соответствующего программного обеспечения, в 2017 году корпорация вложила $14 миллиардов.
Подводя итог, можно сказать следующее: СES 2018 ясно показала, что промышленность взяла однозначный курс на внедрение связанных IoT-решений, хотя многим игрокам для реализации идеи потребуется ещё лет 5-6. При этом Samsung демонстрирует настоящие чудеса оперативности и прозорливости, поскольку "застолбил" указанное направление несколько лет назад, вкладывая в его развитие гигантские ресурсы.
Что ж, игра стоит свеч, потому как владельцы техники Samsung получат возможность организовать фантастический мир будущего в своих жилищах уже в ближайшие месяцы.
CES 2018: New Samsung Family Hub Lets Users Tap and Talk to Simplify Daily Life
These days, working parents are constantly looking for ways to spend more quality time with their loved ones – and that’s where Samsung Electronics’ new Family Hub comes in.
Family Hub not only streamlines food management like meal prep and storage, but also offers families simple ways to strengthen their connections and keep their household running smoothly.
Family Hub sits at the center of a wide ecosystem of Samsung products and solutions that make it easy for households to enjoy the benefits of a seamlessly connected lifestyle. And now, thanks to the refrigerators’ SmartThings integration and enhanced Bixby support, taking advantage of Family Hub’s personalized approach to connected living is even easier.
Let’s take a look at a few ways that Family Hub helps modern families simplify daily life.
In the Morning
Because the new Family Hub features Samsung’s intelligent voice assistant, Bixby, now, when you want to get things done, all you have to do is say the word. A great example is the Morning Brief function, which makes managing family schedules and activities a whole lot easier.
Family members can start off their day by simply saying, “Hi, Bixby. What’s new today?”, and Family Hub will compile a brief that includes the information they need – such as the day’s news, weather, and their personal schedule – for quick and easy consumption. Because Family Hub can recognize each family member by voice, everyone gets the info that’s relevant to them.
At the Office
Family Hub’s Memo app allows family members to draw or type messages and record voice notes to send from their smartphones to the Family Hub, and vice versa. Even kids without smartphones are able to send their parents messages through the smart refrigerator.
Think of the app as a sort of digital family bulletin board that family members can post to from anywhere. So, for example, if you’re rushing to the office after a weekend that’s left the house in need of some sprucing up, you can update the kids’ chore list while you make your way to your desk.
On the Way Home
Family Hub has always offered intuitive tools that make it easy for families to plan and prepare great meals. These include features like the View Inside app, which simplifies stopping by the store after work to buy ingredients for dinner by allowing you to scan the content of your fridge remotely, to ensure that you pick up just what you need.
And if by the time you get home you’re still not quite sure what to cook, Family Hub can also offer customized recipe suggestions based on your family members’ dietary constraints and much more.
On Weekends
The new Family Hub also gives households the ability to seamlessly monitor and control, via a single app, the wide and ever-growing range of products and services that are compatible with the SmartThings IoT platform.
When catching up on rest on the weekend, families can utilize the refrigerator’s SmartThings support to take the hassle out of household tasks. With a simple tap of their Family Hub’s screen, users may start their vacuum, adjust their thermostat, and do much more.
You can even use Family Hub to help keep an eye on the little ones, making it easy to check on a sleeping baby in another room; see who’s at the door when the doorbell rings, using the Ring app; and, when you’re ready for bed, turn off all the lights with a tap.
These are just a few of the ways that Family Hub helps modern families simplify daily life. Family Hub is a vital part of Samsung’s vision for connected living – a vision that’s not reflective of some far-off future, but ready to be plugged in to consumers’ homes right now.
“Integration is Our Secret Weapon”: Samsung and HARMAN Executives Discuss the Next Chapter for Driving
Since Samsung acquired HARMAN in 2017, the companies have poured considerable focus and investment dollars into connected car technology to help deliver what will be the next chapter for driving and communication on the road.
Samsung Newsroom spoke with Wonsik Lee, Senior Vice President, R&D Strategy Group of Samsung Electronics’ Automotive Electronics Business, and Dr. Mike Peters, President of the Connected Car Division, HARMAN, about what to look forward to in the automotive industry, including the new Digital Cockpit platform that is being demonstrated at CES 2018.
Q. What is the purpose of the Digital Cockpit, the new automotive electronics platform that was unveiled by HARMAN and Samsung at CES 2018?
Wonsik Lee (Lee): Through our CES exhibition, Samsung is planning to introduce AI and IoT experiences to visitors, where they can easily use and control our inter-connected products and services. In order to expand Samsung’s AI and IoT platform from home appliances and mobile phones to other ‘things’ including automobiles, we developed the Digital Cockpit by infusing Samsung’s mobile, IT and display technologies with Harman’s automotive technologies. Through the Digital Cockpit showcase, we will demonstrate the new lifestyles offered by next-generation mobility, and lead innovations for the connected car business.
Since Samsung acquired Harman last March, a combined Samsung-HARMAN team has been forged to boost our competitiveness in the next-generation connected car business by seeking ways to apply Samsung’s components, products and services to automotive products. It is remarkable that we were able to jointly develop a concept for the Digital Cockpit by converging Samsung’s technologies applicable to the automotive industry with HARMAN’s technologies for the first time.
Mike Peters (Peters): With the Digital Cockpit, we wanted to bring together several previously distinct computing domains into one platform. The former infotainment system, the instrument cluster, audio and lighting controls, and connected ADAS features are brought together in a single hardware and software package. This allows the OEM to bring a much more intuitive, easy-to-use and visually-integrated approach to cockpit design.
Q. What were the insights and thinking that helped you create the Digital Cockpit?
Peters: Consumer demand is dictating that the car become an extension of the connected lifestyle rather than being a product of a siloed industry. This means in-car technology needs to replicate the smartphones and smart audio experiences people enjoy at home or the office. By integrating this into the Digital Cockpit and creating more “hands-free” tools like voice activation, haptic controls and smartphone projection, HARMAN can help OEMs meet this demand while still keeping drivers safe and focused on the road ahead.
Lee: Specifically speaking, Samsung’s mobile, IT and display product development experiences can contribute significantly to increasing the consumer value of the Digital Cockpit. As the same UX that was applied to Samsung Galaxy smartphones was incorporated into the Digital Cockpit, users can easily operate our cockpit with no learning curve. Additionally, we are going to showcase a differentiated design by merging both digital and analog aspects and applying the signature, circular design of the Samsung Gear S to the three configurable knobs. The invaluable UX experiences that Samsung has accumulated from its mobile business have been a foundation for the design of the Digital Cockpit.
Q. How will the Digital Cockpit connect with other IoT devices? How important was it to incorporate this level of connectivity from the outset?
Peters: The Digital Cockpit can connect to devices, such as a driver’s smartphone, seamlessly. In a premium configuration, it weaves together a driver’s entire connected lifestyle across the Internet of Things through a multi-display layout that leverages HARMAN’s Ignite Platform.
Lee: For example, when someone gets into their car, it recognizes them and shows a welcome message on the display monitor. The driver can then select a video from his mobile phone to be played on the car infotainment systems, or control home appliances such as their refrigerator or air conditioner through SmartThings while driving. Moreover, with Bixby, the driver can easily and safely control the car’s air conditioning, audio volume, brightness settings and more with just his voice.
Peters: This means the in-car user experience can be personalized for the driver and passenger via services such as virtual personal assistants, portable profiles, augmented reality and more. This also allows for Android to be integrated on four displays – a first for the industry. Having an agnostic platform was important to us as the collaboration between OEMs and suppliers is the only way future mobility will be successful.
Q. What are the strengths of the HARMAN-Samsung automotive electronics business?
Lee: Along with rich and diverse development experiences, Samsung owns a vast range of leading technologies in the areas of mobile, IT and components including wireless communications, UI/UX, displays and semiconductors. HARMAN, meanwhile, retains proven automotive technologies, development expertise and affluent business experiences with car makers.
Peters: Indeed, the synergies between HARMAN and Samsung have astounded me. Becoming part of Samsung has accelerated the depth and breadth of resources for innovation and synergy across all of HARMAN’s business: from the car to home and everything in between. What I admire most about our relationship with Samsung is the balance our companies offer each another. Together, we increase innovation through scale, resources and competencies, leveraging Samsung’s global scale, R&D and distribution channels, and HARMAN’s deep heritage in automotive technology.
Integration is our secret weapon, and an open ecosystem encourages collaboration to accelerate innovation and bridge ecosystems. At CES this year, we’re showing that while the in-car experience is fueled by technology, it’s ultimately human at heart. With this mantra driving our mission, we’re becoming the leader in connectivity and autonomous driving.
Q. What are the challenges you need to overcome?
Lee: Automotive electronics is relatively new to Samsung compared with other sectors that we have been focusing on, leaving a lot of room for us to grow. Especially, since it is critical that the automobile and auto components industries meet the safety standards and comply with a wide variety of different regulations in different countries, close cooperation between car makers and suppliers is essential.
Peters: The automotive technology market is also a crowded one, and with the excitement of autonomy on the horizon, there’s even more clutter to cut through. We’re no longer just in competition with other automotive suppliers, but are part of a future of mobility revolution, along with suppliers, OEMs, tech companies and even rideshare startups fighting for a piece of the pie. In order to drive innovation and lead the pack, we’re forging partnerships and harnessing our best technologies and global scale to better serve the needs of automakers in this rapidly-evolving automotive market.
Q. How do you foresee the future of connected cars combined with 5G technology, AI and autonomous vehicles?
Lee: It is expected that cars will become more than just a means of transportation in the future. Cars will gradually evolve to be our living and working space. If lesser burden is put on drivers with the advent of autonomous driving technology, users will be able to enjoy more value while on the go.
Peters: That’s true. Autonomous vehicles will create a paradigm shift in how people operate cars and many drivers will transition into passengers. 5G technology and AI will play a pivotal role in this evolution to ensure autonomous vehicles have the situational awareness needed to navigate a wide variety of environments safely. This is why HARMAN is building the industry’s first automotive-grade, 5G-ready connectivity solution that automakers can use to start building telematics solutions that will handle today’s requirements, but also be flexible in the future when 5G becomes more ubiquitous.
Lee: Connected car technology is moving beyond simply converging automobiles with IT. Cars will become a part of IoT, and be connected to all infrastructure including houses and offices. Therefore, connected cars will help us not only control appliances inside the home but also enhance road safety by data transmission among cars on the roads, and will eventually lead us to develop intelligent transportation systems that could minimize traffic congestion. With the implementation of self-driving technologies, people won’t have to drive and thus they will come to enjoy the car as a living and working space, which is essentially the ultimate goal of connected cars. This means that drivers can relax, enjoy movies, search the internet or write an email inside the moving car. This will bring about fundamental changes in our life. Furthermore, this will create new business opportunities such as real-time navigation services based on traffic data in the IT service industry, location-based services in the content industry and insurance premium discounts based on driving behavior in the insurance industry, among others.
Q. How do Samsung and HARMAN plan to lead the future automotive electronics industry?
Peters: Our collective mission is to become the architects of experience and the leaders in connectivity and autonomous driving: connecting the lives of people, whether at home, on the go or together in the car. HARMAN plays the role of expert in the automotive field while Samsung’s global scale, R&D capabilities, dominance in mobile/TV/semiconductors and distribution channels will help accelerate innovation and drive fast growth. Through the HARMAN-Samsung relationship, we can now provide a true chip-to-cloud, fully-integrated offering.
Lee: Samsung and HARMAN will continue to cooperate closely and through our close collaboration, we will reinforce our position in the connected car industry and drive innovation across the business.
