IFA – Showcasing next stage in cyber future
The annual electronics and home appliances fair, Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) in early September was the showcase for numerous innovations and product launches which transported the attendees to the next stage of space.
Guitar on display at IFA
Some of the things that were showcased at the 5-day exhibition were the ultra-slim HD TV screens that blend in with the walls, hi-fi music components that feature optimum sound, cameras that film 360-degree videos, voice control for media and the fully connected home, mini-worlds from a 3D printer, hip gadgets such as activity trackers and watches that promote fitness and health.
Hans-Joachim Kamp, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the IFA organiser, gfu Consumer and Home Electronics GmbH told media that IFA has witnessed a constant rise in (appliances, etc) order volume, which last year exceeded 4.5 billion Euros. “Home appliances and consumer electronics products and markets are converging all the time. IFA was first to recognise this trend and transformed it into a successful event. This means that IFA 2017 will be celebrating the 10th edition of Home Appliances@IFA. By targeting specific audiences IFA has lived up to its role as a unique platform for both markets. No other trade show meets the requirements of the leading brands of the respective industry, its retailers, consumers and the media so comprehensively,” he added.
IFA provided buyers, manufacturers and the media with an insight into the latest developments, opportunities and challenges in consumer electronics, consumer IT and home appliances sector, while addressing different product categories. Participants discussed on-demand solutions and technologies (e.g. the Internet of Things, robotics, drones, virtual reality, wearables and Smart Home) as well as conventional consumer electronics and home appliances (TV, audio systems, mobile devices and small home appliances).
Office assistant
RoBoHon, the sharp-dressed bot (short for “robot”) from Sharp Corporation, can detect your face and tell you that he likes you. Sounds freaky? There’s more.
The 20-centimetre-tall robo-phone hybrid is voice-controlled and can make calls, read messages and emails out loud, auto-type dictated replies, click selfies and group photographs, double as a talking alarm clock, as well as display images, videos and maps onto walls and other surfaces. So your life is sorted.
The robot’s back is a small touchscreen for more complicated functions. While the device office has been available in Japan since last year, its latest iteration (with English-language abilities) will make its way to other markets, starting with Europe, from this year.
The Windowmate is a homemaker’s dream come true. An inside and an outside module, each about the size of a chair cushion, clamp themselves together on either side of your dust-strewn window through “powerful neodymium magnetics” (the strongest type of permanent magnetics). Then you simply press the on button, and the Windowmate does its thing.
Smoothly and hypnotically, it moves itself up to the top corner of the window, and then proceeds to clean the window with a “zigzag movement pattern,” returning to its starting position once your windows have been wiped free of grime and grit. It’ll remain there in the top corner of your window, if you want it to, even after it’s turned off. Manufactured by Korea’s RF Co, the Windowmate is available in white, blue, red, gold and black.
The IFA venue
Artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the Internet of Things were displayed as key enablers for personal health solutions that serve people of all ages at every stage of the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, through precision diagnosis and personalised treatment, and back to care in the home where the cycle of healthy living begins again.
Egbert van Acht, Chief Business Leader of Philips’ Personal Health businesses in his keynote at IFA discussed how these technologies, combined with Philips’s extensive experience in consumer product design and long history in medical innovation, have been brought together to embed personal health in the things we do every day. He added that it’s important to empower each person to take an active role in managing his/her health and well-being so they can stay healthy, live well and enjoy life.
Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices Engineering at Microsoft Corporation, who was joined on stage by Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President, Consumer and Device Sales and Peter Han, Vice President, Partner Devices and Solutions, to share key areas of innovation and demonstrate how together with partners, Microsoft is bringing new Windows devices and experiences to market that excite and delight customers, noted that the company is coming up on its fourth major update to Windows 10, and their mission with these updates is to create a platform that inspires creativity. “We see students playing and learning with Minecraft, lawyers creating with words, accountants painting with numbers, designers sharing their ideas with slides, and engineers crafting in code. Creativity is universal and it’s aspirational in its nature. Unleashing that creativity with new experiences, that is what propels us into the future. And for us, those experiences begin with Windows 10, the most-popular version of Windows on the planet, with over 500 million devices in homes, businesses, and schools helping you create and play.”
There were audio product launches at the IFA 2017 event, showing a clear trend towards smart speakers, smartphone app integration, and “truly wireless” earphones.
IFA was operating at full capacity, with 1,805 exhibitors showing their latest products and services on 159,000 square metres of fully booked show floor at Messe Berlin. With more than half of all trade visitors coming from abroad, IFA Berlin provided a huge boost for both manufacturers and retailers of showcased products.