5 glimpses into technology of the future from CES

In early January, I had the opportunity to make my first trip to Las Vegas to experience the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). CES started in 1967 with 250 exhibitors and has grown to showcase the latest technology from more than 3,000 companies. While I only had time to scratch the surface of the show, I was able to see some interesting exhibits to keep an eye on for agriculture.

On-road trucking technology

Walking into the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (the third largest convention center in the U.S., with 2 million square feet of exhibit space), the first thing I saw was the Paccar exhibit with Kenworth and Peterbilt semi tractors on display.

These trucks use hydrogen fuel-cell technology to create water (H2O) as the only by-product. The prototypes displayed at the show have a range of 450 miles and require 20-30 minutes to refuel. They are currently testing on-road applications but plan to work on off-road applications in the near future.

Transparent bucket

The HD Hyundai exhibit showcased two award-winning technology concepts: Smart Collision Mitigation with Sensor Fusion and X-Agent. Smart Collision automatically stops the machine when it detects people or objects within a certain range and X-Agent is an AI-based machine-assistance tool for various construction equipment.

The exhibit also featured a driving simulator that showcased a transparent bucket, a feature available on all new wheel loaders. A camera system sends real-time images to the driver to see what’s in front of the machine, increasing safety and effectiveness.

“The transparent bucket technology is very helpful for agriculture applications because using the material bucket creates hindered visibility,” says Thomas Lee, director of product, DEVELON.

Autonomous mower

Autonomy was a common theme at CES, and Bobcat was no exception. Featuring several autonomous machines, my favorite was their mower. For anyone with a large area to mow, this machine can make life easier.

“I grew up on a farm, and I mowed a lot of grass, and after about 50 times, I got sick of it,” says Joel Honeyman, vice president of global innovation, Doosan Bobcat. “We’re trying to make it very simple. It can mow while you do the weed eating or whatever other tasks you have to do while the mower does its job.”

Designed to operate manually, remotely with a smartphone app, or autonomously, the zero-turn mower can reach speeds of up to 12 mph. Object detection recognizes and avoids known objects, like trees or benches, as well as stopping and alerting users via the app when encountering unexpected objects. Slated for limited release later this year, the mower will be Bobcat’s first commercially available autonomous machine.

Using AI to automate

Another big question being answered in many ways at CES: how to harness AI technology. Companies like Mineral are working in agriculture to automate repetitious tasks that remove human error and free up manpower for more critical jobs.

“Our solutions are built to augment human capabilities, not to replace,” says Will Conrad, head of product at Mineral. “AI tools that can take your knowledge as a farmer and execute with high precision very quickly is a powerful system.

“We like to use the analogy of Terminator and Iron Man when talking about AI. The Terminator version is where AI and machines take over, but the Iron Man version is technology augmenting the human capability. We’re building the Iron Man version, and we don’t even see the Terminator scenario as a realistic outcome.”

Mineral, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, was built to look for cases in agriculture where core technologies like AI can be useful.

“It’s different than other companies in that it was founded around having the technology and looking for ways to make it useful, instead of the other way around,” Conrad says.

One company working with Mineral to incorporate AI is Driscoll’s. “They’re using AI models and perception systems to grade fruit, which is something that people do manually today, which can be inconsistent. AI automates that,” he says.

Vegas Loop

While not an exhibit at CES, I did have the opportunity to use the Vegas Loop to move between convention buildings and found it interesting.

The Vegas Loop is an underground tunnel system currently connecting the Convention Center to several hotels, with plans to expand and connect additional sites and Harry Reid International Airport.

Built from connected concrete rings as shown in the photo, passengers ride in electric vehicles between destinations. The cars currently hold three passengers plus a driver, but future plans include larger vehicles that will hold up to a dozen people. It was a quick, inexpensive way to get around and was a welcome break from walking – from one end of the Convention Center to the other can take about 25 minutes, where the Loop makes the trip in two!