A couple of weeks ago in the Rai in Amsterdam the yearly Integrated Circuits Europe Exhibition, or ISE was hold. While most of you are probably not familiar with this technology carnival, the products that are shown could have been spawned at any Creative Technology brainstorm session.
While walking through the exhibition, I had the feeling that I never left the SmartXp. Of course, everything was bigger, but everyone that participated in module two of CreaTe should recall most of the projects shown in the home automation section. Having one app to control your living room, kitchen or alarm installation is something every CreaTer came up with in their career. Complete with their own maquette, businesses proudly presented their solutions. It should say enough if the best addition to one of the most common CreaTe projects is a home automation system that comes in a plug’n play solution.
Just like the SmartXp, the ISE was filled with screens, beamers and other display devices. They came in all forms and sizes. From screens found in the normal daily life, to globes that should be placed around your head. Samsung took an extra step and arranged their screens in such a way, that it looked like a mini-museum. Screens that were transparent, or where the content could only be watched through special glasses also deserve a mention. Some screens even consisted solely out of a CreaTer’s sole purpose of life, LED’s. A screen placed behind a touchscreen was the most interesting product off them all by showing a screen could function as an input device for in this case for a large advertising billboard.
While the function of a screen differs from the company presenting it, in the end the screens did not do anything special that should impress a Creative Technologist. The same could be said about all the tracking devices presented on the exhibition. From the well known camera tracking solutions and identify persons including an estimate of their gender and age to tracking hand motions.
From all the tracking devices available, there was one device that could interest me. This was the TouchALL, designed to work with a big array of infrared lasers to track movement. While the implementation doesn’t sound that interesting for a CreaTer, the execution was as in people could play Fruit Ninja with foam swords. Other CreaTe-like and fun things the ISE showed were drones, plush animals put on robotic arms and automatically moving post signs. Eyecatchers like Tesla and other sport cars were present to complete the picture for the rich and famous.
What the ISE showed is that as a CreaTer you have the future to earn your own Tesla, because the business people seem to love the ideas we come up with. The most important part is to fill up a portfolio with all kind of worked out ideas and proof of concepts and you too can end up on the ISE exhibition in the coming years. And if all else fails, you can always start your own diner.