By Evans Woherem

IT is no longer news that Nigeria is in a serious recession with a very high misery index. So, as year 2016 Christmas approached, those living in the country were advised by experts in money management to conserve whatever little funds they had at their disposal.

They particularly advised that folks should stay at home, travel less, spend less, cut out on luxury items and save more, as the economic headwinds in the country will continue well into 2017. So, I struggled to convince myself to stay put at home for the Christmas and New Year.

However, the allure of the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) was too strong for me to resist, thus compelling me to set out for the CES 2017, which is hosted annually in the city of Las Vegas, United States of America.

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Teeming audience

Whilst in the lounge at Heathrow waiting for my NY flight, I thought of some of the previous CES events I attended. What a showman Gary Shapiro (the CEO of the Consumer Trade Association, which organizes the yearly CES) is, I said to myself.

He usually will strut to the stage with swagger where he then makes a resounding speech stating what the CES is all about and describing what to expect in the year’s CES before going on to declare it open.

Usually, he would use the occasion to inform the teeming audience that the CES is a bazaar of sort – where people from different parts of the world – Tech Lovers, Tech Practitioners, Techpreneurs and Exhibitors, come to hang around, do business, share technology ideas, get ideas for new innovations to pursue, as well as get inspirations for new lines of technological innovations to undertake.

On arrival at Las Vegas, most of the exhibition booths were already setup for the start of the event the next day. On the morning of the first day of the conference, I was eager to attend Gary Shapiro’s 2017 keynote. It is difficult to describe the CES to anybody – you never know what to expect. It can be a game changer for most companies showcasing their innovations even in a matter of just a day. It was the 50th anniversary of the CES show. It started in June 1967 in New York where it concentrated mainly on TV and HiFi Electronics exhibition.

We are now all seated and patiently waiting for Gary Shapiro to appear on the stage. At exactly the programmed time, he comes on to the stage, welcomes participants, saying “This year is a special year being the 50th anniversary of the CES.”

He went on to point out that the CES has been a launch pad for new innovations and technologies that have improved the world during its 50 years of existence, with over 700,000 new products being introduced by companies during the 50 years’ period. This includes every major breakthrough technology product – the VCR, DVD player, HDTV, 4K ultra HD TV, Tablets, Cameras, Autonomous Vehicles, Drones, Robots, Virtual and Augmented Reality Systems, Wearables and 3D Printers, to mention but a few.

The first CES, which held back in 1967 in New York featured 117 exhibitors spanning 100,000 net square feet of space with 17,500 persons in attendance. There is a high contrast with the technologies exhibited back then and what is being showcased today: then it was transistor radios, stereos and small screen black and white TVs. This year’s CES event featured more than 3,800 exhibitors covering 2.6 million net square feet of space and attracting an audience of well over 165,000 from across the globe.

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This shows tremendous growth from the inaugural show and goes to reflect the global growth of the consumer technology industry.

Several new technologies are changing the way we live. Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and biometrics are some of such technologies, with self-driving cars becoming a reality. One of Tesla’s AI-powered autonomous vehicles predicted and avoided a terrific traffic accident in Germany. This shows the power, reliability, accuracy and usefulness of such driverless vehicles.

It thus would be a revolution in our transportation industries. Imagine the impact of such technology in a country such as ours, Nigeria, where vehicular accidents occur almost on a daily basis. The benefits of such technology will be far reaching, as it would greatly reduce loss of lives and properties on our roads.

AI is gaining waves and  improving the way we interact with our world. Technology is making things smarter, with products and technologies that can be useful in just about every segment of our lives. We now have smart homes, smart cars and an entirely connected eco-system which is fast becoming a main stay.

This will be powered by the emerging 5G technology which is the future of communications. It would facilitate the incorporation of technology into everyday lives. Transportation is going to be massively transformed. There is a need however, to ensure that our privacy and security are protected amidst living in this massively connected brave new world. This is an ever growing challenge with the influx of technology into our daily lives.

Influx of technology

Arnold Donald, the CEO of Carnival Corporation, said in his keynote that the more we give to people the opportunity to connect and enjoy shared experiences, the more technology assists us to have more freedom and enjoy life to the fullest.

This connectivity would be enhanced by 5G technology. Most telecommunications companies are exploring the possibilities of this technology. As such, our indigenous telecommunications companies are encouraged to follow the trend and work towards greater connectivity by leveraging the technology which is an enabling factor for several innovations that are being developed today.

Jeroem Tas, CEO of Connected Care and Health Informatics at Phillips, in his keynote highlighted the benefits of a world of connected care with sensors everywhere and connected to everything around us and even to us. He asserted that this will help in better managing our lives. The network efforts required to transform healthcare is being built. It gives a complete picture of you and your health that helps in monitoring your health and connect you to the required service. This is such that even before a patient goes to the hospital, the doctors are already aware of their conditions and are ready with the necessary help and prescriptions.

Dr. Evans Woherem, Chairman, Digital Africa Global Consult Ltd writes from Abuja

…To be concluded next week