Artificial intelligence (AI) and voice assistants dominated the limelight at the ongoing CES 2018 in Las Vegas. From automotive to appliances to electronic devices to robotics, manufacturers are going all out to showcase the use cases of AI on their devices. Older categories such as TVs are also incorporating AI and going premium to increase their value sales. Faced with a rapidly ageing population, the electronics market for the elderly is also slowly gaining more attention from manufacturers.
Hey Alexa, it’s Google
Amazon was the star of the show at CES 2017 but at CES 2018, Google stepped up with its plethora of notable partnerships with global brands spanning in-car infotainment systems, consumer appliances, TVs and speakers. In 2018, there will be an acceleration in devices that are integrated with voice assistant capabilities as Google, Baidu, Apple and Samsung are ready to push their voice assistants into as many devices as possible to drive mass adoption. As user adoption grows, we can expect voice assistants to take a significant leap in maturity in its use cases and accuracy. Voice assistants and artificial intelligence (AI) will finally start to live up to the expectation of bringing more convenience to users rather than inconveniencing consumers.
TVs go premium
Samsung’s modular TV and LG’s rollable OLED TV which were showcased at CES 2018 are reflective of a shift in the TV market towards premiumisation with bigger screens, premium designs and OLED displays. Growth in the TV market is expected to remain relatively stagnant over the forecast period as demand is primarily driven by replacement sales. Instead of driving volume sales, manufacturers such as LG and Samsung are investing more in their premium models to drive up their average unit prices and increase their value sales.
Old is gold
The announcement of several electronic devices such as ElderSens’s smart diaper sensor, Blue Frog Robotics’ Buddy and Intuition Robotics’ ElliQ also demonstrates a growing focus on designing tech products for the elderly. With the number of people aged 60+ expected to grow by a staggering 80% over 2010-2030, the elderly market provides many untapped opportunities for electronics manufacturers. The population, especially in developed markets, are ageing fast, but seniors are living longer and leading active lives. AI and robotics have the potential to improve the quality of life of the elderly and we can expect to see more use cases targeted at the elderly going forward.