Gt nov dec 2018 double spread

Gt nov dec 2018 double spread
E d i t Global Technologies1Nov - Dec 2018 Dear Friends Come January mid and tech professionals across the globe will try to converge in Las Vegas – not to party or gamble but to do business and update themselves on the latest innovations. Starting from just being a consumer electronics show CES has grown substantially over the years and added more and more connected topics and sectors be it automobiles, energy/solar, connected home, smart cities, wellness, sports and a growing presence of startups. The keynote speaker sessions are quite in demand and the media days have expanded to two consecutive days. Though CES considered by many as the largest tech event on planet earth and spanning more than 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space across 11 official venues featuring 24 product categories and more than 25 Marketplaces has a drawback feel many visitors. CES is just held for 4 days which visitors feel as insufficient time to cover and experience the show and should be for 6 days like IFA, Berlin. Infact the event receives international attendees from over 155 countries/regions/territories. This year the show has a wide range of topics 5G and IOT, Resilience, Smart Cities. Entertainment & Content, Self-Driving Cars + Vehicle Technology, Blockchain, Digital Health, Fitness & Wearables, Smart Home, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Gaming, 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Drones, Robotics, Sports Technology, Investors, Startups etc. Vizag Fintech Festival tastes success again as over 2000 delegates from across the globe attend the event and multiple pacts with global groups and firms got signed. Inaugurating the Vizag Fintech Festival Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that the city of Visakhapatnam would be developed as an innovation valley. By creating the right kind of ecosystem for fintech development, giving incentives to entrepreneurs and start-ups Vizag would soon become one of the top three fintech centres in the world. He said Fintech was a part of technology and knowledge and innovation was a continuous process. He impressed the audience by explaining the steps being taken by AP to promote IT, particularly blockchain technology. A strong believer in technology – the CM had made Hyderabad a techno hub when he was the CM of unified AP. He stressed that the Internet will play a key role in the fourth industrial revolution and leaders should use technology to achieve good results. The AP government is expecting an investment of up to 500 crore in fintech sector over the next two years which should generate around 50,000 employment openings. We have done a special focus on innovations in the field of medicine as Fraunhofer researchers in Germany are doing a lot for the betterment of human life by innovating new and safe technologies. Some of the interesting ones are - Interactive shutter eyeglasses to replace eye patch therapy where the standard treatment for so-called lazy eye (amblyopia) in children is to cover the nonimpaired eye with a patch where a future alternative is electronic shutter eyeglasses that automatically darken the lens in front of the nonimpaired eye when the context is appropriate. Robots can move – but not see – in all directions. The patented laser sensor SensePRO developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT provides a solution to this problem. Global air travel isn’t restricted to people and goods – infectious agents, too, can make their way on board as unwelcome passengers and travel great distances within a matter of hours. In the air, the germs can spread unchecked. The HyFly joint research project aims to establish the scientific foundation for breaking chains of infection and, if possible, prevent pandemics. One way they hope to achieve this is by using a non- invasive method to identify infected individuals based on components in their breath. Chandragupta Amritkar Editor chandraguptaa@hotmail.com editor@globalfeatures.info Editor - Chandragupta Amritkar, Managing Editor - Varsha, Design - Manoj Durgam Contact - Global Technologies, B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059, India. Phone - 91-22-29252569, Mobile - 9223419060 / 9969935878 e-mail: editor@globalfeatures.info / globalfeatures@rediffmail.com Annual Subscription Rates - India: Rs. 600; Overseas: US$ 60 (Rates include airmail charges). Printed and Published by Chandragupta Amritkar on behalf of Global Features B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059 and Printed at Sumangal Press Pvt. Ltd. "Sumangal" G-8 Cross Road "A", Near Marol Bus Depot, MIDC, Andheri (East), Mumbai - 400 093. Global Technologies makes all efforts to ensure that the information published is correct and reliable. However the publication holds no responsibility for any inadvertent errors, commissions or opinions expressed. An Indian publication, Global Destinations framed in a Ministers office
C o n t e n t s Global Technologies 4 Nov - Dec 2018 Medical Technologies IFA 2018 .....................20 Fraun .....................26 Event Review IndiaTech HK ........................08 Fintech HKTDC .....................06 Curtain Raiser CES 2019 .....................14
For the last 3 years that we have been covering global fairs like CES, CES Asia, IFA, GITEX etc we have noticed the thrust on startups is on the rise. The Hong Kong Electronics Fair was no different as for the first time the number of startups crossed a cen- tury. “This year we have 110 tech startups an increase by 20% from last year. Major focus zones are on e-Health, e-travel, IoT Devices, Smart Home, Wearable Electronics, 3D Printing etc. IoT Devices. Apart from this we have several start up events,” said Byron Lee, Senior Exhibitions Manager, HKTDC. The 38th HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edi- tion) and the 22nd electronicAsia concluded today, attracting close to 87,000 buyers from 139 countries and regions over a four-day period. Buyer attendance grew from a number of countries and regions including mature markets such as Canada, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan and the UK, and emerging markets such as Brazil, the Chinese mainland, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Russia. More than 63,500 buyers visited the Autumn Electronics Fair while over 23,400 visitors attended electronicAsia. The Elec- tronics Fair was organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), while electronicAsia was jointly organised by the HKTDC and MMI Asia. HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau said: “In the face of global economic uncertainty, Hong Kong companies are pushing to strengthen R&D and develop new technologies in a bid to launch innovative electronic products. At the two fairs, we saw how they are successfully applying advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to a wide range of electronic products, attracting the attention of global buyers. Thematic zones at the fairs, such as the Tech Hall and Hall of Fame, helped to meet the needs of the industry while a series of events at the Autumn Electronics Fair helped to introduce the products and technologies of start-up companies to potential buyers, partners, investors and the media, assisting them to capture new business opportunities.” The HKTDC commissioned an independent survey during the fair period, interviewing a total of 1,043 exhibitors and buyers on the outlook for the electronics market and new product trends. Some 60% of respondents said the recent Sino-US trade friction has had a negative effect on their export performance. Around 40% of respondents said they expect their company’s overall sales to grow this year – 13 percentage points lower than the pro- portion that gave the same response in 2017. In terms of markets with growth prospects, survey respondents view Japan as the most promising traditional market (75%), followed by South Korea (73%) and Western Europe (72%), while the Chinese mainland (77%), Middle East (76%) and ASEAN countries (76%) are seen to have the best prospects among emerging markets. In terms of product trends, the survey reveals that audio-visual products (17%) have the most growth potential in 2019, followed by electronic/electrical accessories (14%) and digital imaging (9%). For AR and virtual reality (VR) devices, almost 80% of respondents are optimistic about the market development in the next two years, while most respondents think that mobile and online games (57%) and audio-visual entertainment devices (45%) have the largest market potential. For robotics applications, 67% of respondents say they are optimistic about market developments in the next two years, with entertainment purposes such as toy robots (40%) having the largest market potential, followed by home applications such as vacuum cleaners (36%) and medical applications such as rehabilitation treatments (24%). Spotlighting AI and Other Innovations The Tech Hall at the Electronics Fair featured five thematic zones, including Robotics & Unmanned Tech, Smart Tech, Virtu- al Reality, 3D Printing and Startup zones. First-time exhibitor Tuya Global showcased its AI solutions for smart home appli- ances and lighting products, hoping to expand its overseas markets. Morgan Fang, Business Development Manager of Tuya Global, said: “Many buyers want to upgrade their traditional products into smart products. We established connections with new buyers from Europe, North America and Southeast Asia during the fair and are now discussing cooperation plans.” Another interesting company was Well Being Digital Ltd which aims to enable affordable & accurate underlying technologies for mHealth/wearable devices. “For companies designing wearables or hearables, we provide sensing algorithms and hardware reference design to help you, including heart rate sensing and motion sensing. Our technology is probably the lowest power consuming, the smallest in mechanical requirements and proba- E v e n t R e v i e w Global Technologies Nov - Dec 20186 Growing Startup focus at HKTDC Electronics Fair and electronicAsia As with every year HKTDC attracted lots of innovative companies. But a major focus was the startup zone and a conference on Artificial Intelligence. A report by Global Technologies team from Hong Kong. bly the lowest price wise,” said Mr. Kow, Director, Well Being Digital. They already have 52 patents and numerous international awards. Roborock displayed its robo vaccum cleaner and the booth was attracting quite a few visitors. When queried that there are so many smart robo vaccum cleaners, Tonny their marketing manager was quick to point out that their main USP we use laser LDS and have an elegant design with the latest and best technologies. Taiwanese start-up exhibitor Serafim Technologies showcased a virtual laser projection keyboard that attracted a lot of attention from buyers. GZ Chen, CEO of the company, said they have met with new buyers from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, South- east Asia, Germany, Italy and Russia, and have secured orders for a total of 5,000 sets. He said the business results from the fair were very encouraging. Under the theme “AI Empowerment – Grow without Limits”, the Symposium on Innovation & Technology featured representa- tives from the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), Cisco, Deloitte, IBM, Microsoft, Pfizer and SenseTime. They discussed how AI can empower organisations and affect the employment picture, as well as some of the challenges associated with AI implementation. The symposium attracted more than 1,260 participants. The Startup zone The Startup zone at the Autumn Electronics Fair showcases 110 start-ups from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Denmark, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States that are looking to expand into international markets. A series of start-up-themed events are organised during the fair period, including Value Cre- ation for Technology, the Investment Pitching Competition, Media Pitch Day, Startup Smart Launch, Meet the Mentors and sharing sessions. The Letstartup.hk x Underdogs Media Pitch: Startups meet Overseas Media was well attended. The event had 8 companies and some good presentations from Doki Technologies Limited which presented their innovative smart watch for kids. Flow Entertainment Limited had an unique concept for the hospitality industry where guests can book the room on hourly rates so that both the hotels as well as the guests benefit. The other participants were Customindz Limited, Freight Amigo Services Limit- ed, Growgreen Limited, iBebot Limited, NFC Touch Limited, GreenSafety Technology Limited. The award was won by NFC Touch Limited which presented their NFC solutions that create a new and universal interface to existing devices through simple touch interaction and most suitable for integrated marketing applications. One start up that caught my attention was Revsmart Wearable which is developing a smart communication wearable and experience platform to help rider’s access communication, navigation and music effectively. “Safety is priority for us. While most hel- mets have wires for communication, we have successfully made a wireless helmet,” said Sundar Jagannathan, CEO, Revsmart Wearable. E v e n t R e v i e w Global TechnologiesNov - Dec 2018 7 Symposium on Innovation & Technology Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become more than a buzzword in recent years. It is being used to make enormous advances in productivity and enhance the customer experience in industries as diverse as manufacturing, banking, insurance and retail. HKTDC organized a Symposium on Innovation and Tech- nology, under the theme “AI Empowerment – Grow without Limits”, focusing on how AI can empower organisations, how to deal with some of the challenges associated with AI implementation, and how AI will affect the employment picture. In his opening remarks, Nicolas Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technolo- gy, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), highlighted some of the HKSAR Government’s recent initiatives to promote and develop AI in Hong Kong, noting that the government has made AI one of its key focuses. In his talk, Vincent Wong, Associate Director, Consulting, Deloitte China, discussed why enterprises around the world will adopt AI and how senior executives view AI in their companies now and in the future. Deloitte has three fintech labs, one of which is in Hong Kong, where the firm helps companies develop AI strategies, such as natural language processing (NLP) Chatbots and other analytical tools. Mr Wong concluded with three key pieces of advice: (1) jump in now, take a hands-on approach and be an early adopter of AI; (2) focus on change, not just cost-cutting; and (3) learn about AI and work with an expert. Laine Mann, Global Congress Lead of Pfizer’s Global Commercial Operations, discussed themethodology of design thinking, focusing on five pillars: empathising, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing. “AI is used in virtually every industry,” remarked Jessie Lin, Vice President of SenseTime, which is said to be the world’s most valued AI start-up. “It (AI) is becoming a general-purpose technology.” SenseTime focuses on basic research, specialising in deep learning and computer vision. Ms Lin reviewed the wide range of verticals her company works with, in which AI+ is now being used extensively: smartphones, mobile internet, smart retail, fintech, smart city and autonomous driving.
What was the main idea of creating IndiaTech Hong Kong? Though India is just 5 hours from HK and China Greater Bay Area, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of India’s technology and startup ecosystem. On the other hand, most people in India are not fully aware of the HK + Mainland Chinese ecosystems. IndiaTech HK was born with the intention to bridge the two ecosystems. How successful have you been in achieving its goals? Since our launch, we have hosted two major events in January 2018 and July 2018 getting tremendous response from those in China as well as the Indian Diaspora making our events houseful. In our first event, we hosted Demos of three Indian startups based in HK, along with a Keynote on Indian Fintech ecosystem by cofounders of Medici followed by a panel discussion on investment opportunities in India. In the second event IndiaTech HK Pitch night was held on the sidelines of Rise 2018 - Asia’s largest Tech conference. This event was organised with Consul General of India for HK and Metta, Hong Kong’s largest entrepreneur club. We had a pitch competition for which over 650 Indian startups applied but finally only 6 were shortlisted by VCs. Three of whom pitched in person and three who pitched virtually, the first of its kind in HK. The winning startup was CoutLoot and besides prize money, they also got interest for investment from the VCs. Four of the six finalists got further interest for investment by our VC panel. For Indian Fintech startups what is the potential in HK and how can IndiaTech HK play a vital role? There is huge potential. Firstly, strong tech based Indian startups can supplement the large financial services market in HK, the financial capital for Asia. Secondly, with many of the world’s top banks and insurers having their APAC HQ in HK, B2B startups can get good traction and scale. Thirdly, Chinese Mainland firms are looking to expand internationally and actively soliciting partnership. Also Indian SAAS companies have a good opportunity to enter and compete in Mainland China where they can bring to the table their experience in working with and proving solutions for large global institutions. IndiaTech HK will assist the startups & firms to connect with the Mainland Chinese & Hong Kong ecosystems for partnerships and providing advice on setting up in HK. In addition, HK and China can be fertile grounds for raising capital for high quality and scale startups. IndiaTech HK can also provide the advice on how Indian startups should approach this. You are also the GM of FinTech Association of HK. What role is the association playing? The Fintech Association of HK is a member-driven, independent, not for profit representative association for all firms including startups engaged in Fintech in HK. We work based on our three main pillars of — Advocacy i.e., working closely with regulators and government on Fintech related policy and regulations; Collaboration i.e., bringing our over 1200 members together through our 14 committees on Fintech including Digital banking, regtech, payments, blockchain, insurtech, cybersecurity, financial inclusion and China Greater Bay Area. These committees take part in a variety of initiatives, from responding to regulatory consultations & round tables to developing Industry Standards and white papers, to organising seminars & Startup Demo days; Education i.e., working with University to develop understanding of Fintech among students & conducting workshops and seminars for industry professionals. F i n t e c h Global Technologies Nov - Dec 20188 “IndiaTech HK will assist the startups & firms to connect with the Mainland Chinese & Hong Kong ecosystems” It was while working on the Vizag FinTech story that I came to know about Musheer Ahmed, GM, FinTech Association of Hong Kong (HK) and Co-founder, IndiaTech HK. Since within 10 days I was scheduled to fly to HK I thought it an excellent opportunity to get an insight into FinTech scenario in HK and relate it with the scene in India. Over dinner in an Indian restau- rant I caught up with Musheer Ahmed and Pritish Sanyal, the other Co-founder of IndiaTech HK. Excerpts “We want to partner with the Indian startup ecosystem players such as universities, investment networks, incubators, accelerators” During the Hong Kong Electronics Fair whenever I spoke with startups or other Hong Kong (HK) companies about WHub I was surprised by the kind of awe that they held this company. Fortunately for me Pritish Sanyal, who is also Director of Investment Angel Hub knew Karena Belin, Co-Founder W Hub very well. We met at the Kerry hotel, one of the largest MICE hotels in Hong Kong. Over some nice vegetarian samosas Karena Belin talked with passion on her keenness to help startups make meaningful connections to develop their business. Spearheaded by Karena Belin (and Karen Contet Farzam, the other Co-Founder W Hub) who is deeply immersed into the startups scene and acts as speaker, mentor and judge at global events recently launched WHub in India during the immensely successful Vizag Festival. Excerpts Musheer Ahmed Pritish Sanyal
What is WHub all about and what role has it been playing in the HK market? WHub.io, Hong Kong’s biggest startup community & power connector, is the platform showcasing startups to accelerate their business through meaningful connections. WHub starts with Why and helps startups to showcase themselves not only through their product and services, but moreover their mission, values and team. WHub works with corporations and governments to run pitch competitions, hackathons, open innovation challenges, innovation days, incubation/ accelerator programs and innovation tours to China and Greater Bay area. WHub has fostered the growth of the Hong Kong startup community over the past 5 years, being referred to as one of the fastest growing ecosystems in the World. HK's startup ecosystem now can claim to have one unicorn per 1 million habitants and holds multiple records, such as being the home to the highest valued AI company and home to the FinTech company with the highest series A fundraise. You made a grand presence at Vizag FinTech. What are your plans for the Indian market? WHub's objective of launching in India is to connect Indian startups and talent to East Asia: Hong Kong, China and SEA market. We envision connecting WHub's network to the Indian ecosystem and the starting point is Vizag. We are in the process of launching a startup launchpad program with the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh (AP) to bring AP startups to Hong Kong for an intensive eight-week immersion program. The program is designed for startups to seize the Hong Kong and Greater Bay area for market extension: Gain deep insights, actionable know how and meaningful connections through knowledge and networking sessions with leading incubators, accelerators, community builders and meet possible investors. It also includes access to resources to scale their business, such as talent recruiting, company incor- poration and connection to legal advice and banking services. Going forward we want to partner with the Indian startup ecosystem players such as universities, investment networks, incubators, accelerators and Indian startup communities to build a stronger Asian community and connect India to East Asia, vice- versa. What are the major issues currently for the Fintech startups? There are two major issues. The first and foremost is building consumer trust in digital finance. Banks have been around for 100s of years and ATMs since early 1960s. Consumers have been slow in trusting and using FinTech products and services. Also nurtured by concerns around Cybersecurity. As per PwC’s Glob- al FinTech Survey 2016, 56% of respondents identified information security and privacy as threats to the FinTech industry. As the amount of financial data on individuals grow, financial data security and avoidance of cyber acts will be a key concern for FinTech startups. A second are of further complexity for startups in the financial services space spans around extensive and sometimes diverging, country specific regulatory frameworks. This is why RegTech became a sub-sector in itself in the vertical of FinTech. This includes finding digital solutions that can comply with regulations, as well as solutions to cope with complex and changing regulatory environments. Can you throw light on some of the forthcoming start up events in HK and your involvement? The first major event will be held in third week of January - The StartMeUp Festival which is HKs premier startup conference since 2013. The festival historically brings together over 8,000 attendees and 200 speakers from all around the world, during a whole week with different verticals and partners. Startup Impact Summit, hosted by WHub, will close the week, with a focus on Impact: a) Showcasing the impact created by regional and international startups. Be inspired by successful co-innovation among startups and corporates, and discover the strength of connecting these ecosystems. b) Making an impact to startups and ecosystem stakeholders. Gain hands-on experience through workshops, and avail of business matchmaking opportunities and curated networking among world-class startups, investors, influencers and stakeholders. The other two major events for startups are RISE conference in July and Hong Kong Fintech Week, held in last week of October. F i n t e c h Global Technologies Nov - Dec 201810
Vizag Fintech Festival tastes success again as over 2000 delegates from across the globe attend the event and multiple pacts with global groups and firms got signed. Inaugurating the Vizag Fintech Festival Chief Min- ister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that the city of Visakhapatnam would be developed as an innovation valley. By creating the right kind of ecosystem for fintech development, giving incentives to entrepreneurs and start-ups Vizag would soon become one of the top three fintech centres in the world. He said Fintech was a part of technology and knowledge and innovation was a continuous process. He impressed the audience by explaining the steps being taken by AP to promote IT, particularly blockchain technology. A strong believer in technology – the CM had made Hyderabad a techno hub when he was the CM of unified AP. He stressed that the Internet will play a key role in the fourth industrial revolution and leaders should use technology to achieve good results. The AP government is expecting an investment of up to 500 crore in fintech sector over the next two years which should generate around 50,000 employment openings. The Chief Minister said his government had launched e-pragati platform to provide good governance. “Visible governance and invisible government is our motto and our ultimate objective is to make all government transactions online and integrate the data to provide the best possible governance,” he said and invited IT entrepreneurs from across the globe to assist his government in the endeavour. The CM also announced the launch of the Vizag operations of Cardlytics, DXC, First American Corporation and Federal Bank. While State IT Minister N. Lokesh highlighted the advances made by the state in the IT sector over the past four years, J.A. Chowdary, the IT adviser to the State government, and Vijayanand, the Principal Secretary (IT) spoke on the potential for Vizag and how the fintech valley has grown over the last two years since its establishment. The Andhra Pradesh government entered into agreements with several global groups and firms as part of its efforts to create a complete ecosystem of financial technologies at Fintech Valley Vizag. Pacts were signed with HDFC Bank, Whub of Hong Kong, Fintech Association of Hong Kong, SOSA of Israel, Singex, Wadhwani Foundation, Bizoforce and Udayam Associa- tion, among others. One of the major attractions was Humanoid robot Sophia as it interacted with the delegates as well as N Lokesh. Sophia also highlighted that Artificial intelligence can never be a substitute for human intelligence but it could supplement it and be of great use to humans in many fields, such as disaster management. The government will also collaborate with FinTech Association of Hong Kong for leveraging Hong Kong’s Fintech ecosystem and building an AP-HK gateway for Fintech start-ups and for knowledge transfer. WHub, represented by Karena Belin, Co- Founder W Hub, signed a MoU with Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) to forge a partnership and create synergies between the two Startup Hubs where WHub & FinTech Valley Vizag will support each other to nurture the startup ecosystems and collaborate in FinTech and EmergeTech initiatives as well as set up an international launchpad connecting Indian Startups and Talent to Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, and vice versa, and provide “soft-landing” services. F i n t e c h Global Technologies Nov - Dec 201812 Visakhapatnam to be developed as an innovation valley The Government of Andhra Pradesh, in strategic collaboration with its challenge partners, DCF Ventures and Bizofit have selected two startups each from Fintech, Agritech and Emergetech, as winners of the first ever 1 Million $ Glob- al Startup Challenge. 24 startups have won $ 10,000 (~INR 7,50,000) each while two were tied for the award of $ 5,000 each (~INR 3,75,000). All the 37 startups had an opportunity to exhibit at the Vizag Fintech Festival to more than 1500 global delegates comprising of VCs, angel investors and corporate partners. The startups were selected after roadshows in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Bay area, Tel Aviv, London, Paris, Hong Kong and Bengaluru. The finalists and winners of the challenge will also be supported by Fintech Valley Vizag in enabling them to set up operations and to grow their business in the State of Andhra Pradesh. “Across the world, we have seen unique innovations through the roadshows. The challenge proved to be a great platform to showcase expertise to enable a better socioeconomic society. Andhra Pradesh’s initiative through this challenge will boost the Indian digital transformation and also bring the best solutions from around the world to the people of India” said JA Chowdary. Agritech: 1st prize - 3Bar Biologics, 2nd prize - Bee Hero, Special Recognition - Fupple Drones; Emergetech: 1st prize - Matisoft Cyber Security Labs, 2nd prize - Desolenator, Special Recognition - Nanowear Fintech: 1st prize - NeoEYED, 2nd prize - Lapetus Solutions, Special Recognition - Asset Vault The CEO Govind Rammurthy has been the innovator – always keen to provide new solutions for IT security while simultaneous- ly combating complex and evolving IT threats. He has always made sure that the security solutions are certified by Global testing bodies like AV Test, AV Comparatives’ Real World Test & Real Protection Test and VB 100 Test etc. Their eScan Anti-Virus Total Protection, designed for home and small office users, is a comprehensive Anti-Virus and Con- tent Security Solution that provides complete protection to your computers against malicious content and security threats, such as Ransomware, Spyware, Adware, Keyloggers, Rootkits, Botnets, Phishing etc. But it’s their focus on providing cybercrime security solutions that has in recent months brought them in focus. eScan which recently participated at the 38th GITEX Technology Week 2018 in Dubai used the platform to unlock the true tech potential with its latest product technologies like Cloud Security, Remote Mon- itoring management (RMM) etc. “This event gave an opportunity to access more than 150,000 business professionals and techies to share knowledge and ideas to come together to create the future of the digital economy,” said Sunil Kripalani, Senior VP, Global Sales and Marketing, eScan. eScan Cloud is an Endpoint Security on a MSP platform with SaaS flavor for partners and customers respectively. With eScan Cloud edition you can deploy layered security to endpoints within the organizations endpoint infrastructure. Using the layered security, which encompasses Anti-Malware, Anti-Ransomware, Anti-Spam, Anti-Phishing, Firewall, Application Control & Device Control, organizations IT assets are kept safe from exter- nal and internal attacks, thereby protecting business continuity standards. Additional monitoring and managing modules like Asset Man- agement, File-Activity Monitoring & Print Activity Monitoring, provides physical visibility of assets. DLP monitoring increases scope of arresting any untoward events within your cyber-environment. eScan Cloud offers a holistic solution with value add security functionality, with minimal administrative over-heads and a high ROI. “The fast growing digital transformation today has attracted more sophisticated & targeted attacks due to vulnerabilities in the systems. From the business perspective it is important for the enterprises to move from traditional IT services to eScan’s Cloud security as a service. One of the major benefits is that it provides low total cost of ownership of technology and buy services as per requirement with public cloud model or private cloud model. Thus the need for large IT staff is diminished thereby allowing you to focus on your business,” said Sunil Kripalani. eScan Cloud Security protects against Vulnerabilities, Mal- ware, Spyware, Ransomware, Trojans, Viruses, Worms, Rootkits, Bootkits, Keyloggers, Screenscrapers, Exploits, Backdoors, Log- icbombs, Payloads, Denial of service, Spyware, Scareware, Key- logger, Adware, Phishing Attacks, SQL Injection Attacks Cross- Site Scripting Attacks, Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks. Some of the key features of eScan Cloud Edition (Managed Service Providers) are: Self-provisioned Licensing eScan MSP provides an automated infrastructure which inte- grates business and technical processes to enhance partner and customer satisfaction. It has inbuilt APIs which allows online licensing provisioning to the partner for their customers via eScan’s Cloud Licensing Servers Multi-Tenant Management The MSP platform provides a secure web based management console for the MSP partner to monitor and manage customers’ end point assets. It acts as a powerful service delivery and license management tool for the partner. Partner can provision licenses and also provide managed services/support to the end user. New Secure Web Interface with Summarized Dashboard The new Secure Web Interface uses SSL technology to encrypt all communications and also has HTML5 compatibility. eScan's summarized dashboard provides administrators the status of the managed endpoints in graphical format like deployment status, protection status and statistics. Asset Management eScan's Asset Management module provides the entire hardware configuration and list of software installed on endpoints. This helps administrators to keep track of all the hardware and software resources installed on all endpoints connected to the network. It also provides Asset change report. Role Based Administration Role based Administration through eScan Management Con- sole enables the administrator to share the configuration and monitoring responsibilities of the organization among several administrators which eases the administrative efforts. A n t i v i r u s Global TechnologiesNov - Dec 2018 13 eScan launches Cloud Security solutions at GITEX 2018 As eScan, one of the leading anti-virus and content security solution providers, celebrates its silver jubilee, the team has over the years been successful in providing anti-virus protection to several end users and corporate. Participation in global events like CeBIT, GITEX has made the company expand its horizons and today it serves most habitable countries across six continents.
Global Technologies Nov - Dec 201814 I f you are into technology then you have no other alternative but to make your gracious presence felt at CES. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50+ years attracting the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Starting from just being a consumer electronics show CES has grown substantially over the years and added more and more connected topics and sectors be it automobiles, energy/solar, connected home, smart cities, wellness, sports and a growing presence of startups. The keynote speaker sessions are quite in demand and the media days have expanded to two consecutive days. Though CES considered by many as the largest tech event on planet earth and spanning more than 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space across 11 official venues featuring 24 product categories and more than 25 Marketplaces has a drawback feel many visitors. CES is just held for 4 days which visitors feel as insufficient time to cover and experience the show and should be for 6 days like IFA, Berlin. Infact the event receives international attendees from over 155 countries/regions/territories This year the show has a wide range of topics 5G and IOT, Resilience, Smart Cities. Entertainment & Content, Self-Driving Cars + Vehicle Technology, Blockchain, Digital Health, Fitness & Wearables, Smart Home, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Gaming, 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Drones, Robotics, Sports Technology, Investors, Startups etc. Here we focus on three important topics related to the rapid growing Indian market startups@Eureka Park CES is fast becoming the global stage for startups where new ideas are funded, new partnerships are formed and new acquisi- tions happen. More than 1,100 startups have used CES as a platform to showcase their products, and been funded at more than $1.5 billion since 2012. This year the global stage for innovation, Eureka Park is expected to host a record number of 1,200 startups from every corner of the globe. Smart Cities With 66 percent of the world’s population estimated to live in urban areas by 2050, the development of smart cities is a timely trend. Funding levels are rising rapidly. According to Navigant Research, the global smart city technology market is expected to grow from $36.8 billion in 2016 to $88.7 billion by 2025. One challenge facing the smart cities movement is retrofitting existing communities with intelligence while also creating smart cities in “greenfield” new construction. Experts see the need for both implementations, hence the value of public and private partnerships and infrastructure investments. Transportation and traffic issues are among the leading drivers of smart city planning, because of the impact on the economy, C u r t a i n R a i s e r CES 2019 sees rapid growth in startups and introduces new topics CES considered by many as the largest tech event on planet earth spans more than 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space across 11 official venues featuring 24 product categories and more than 25 Marketplaces. Chandragupta Amritkar previews this all important event quality of life and environment. Also consider that most smart city projects are publically funded, and remedying traffic headaches can be a priority among voters. The future is bright for smart cities. Several emerging technologies will invariably take their place in the modern smart city during the next decade, leveling-up benefits to urban dwellers yet again through greater automation. Among these are mobility technologies like self-driving vehicles and drones, but also enabling technologies like artificial intelligence and 5G that will bring a new dimension of possibilities to the smart city. Resilience A new conference program and exhibit area focused on Resilience and resilient technologies will be introduced for CES 2019. To compliment the successful launch of CES Smart Cities at CES 2018, the Resilience Conference will allow attendees to experience technologies that keep the world healthy, safe, warm, powered, fed and secure, even in the face of adversity. “Our mission is to encourage and expose innovation which improves the human condition. People expect and need basic services like power, water and broadband. Localism is becoming more important. Recent natural disasters and climate change make it clear that our future history must ensure innovation will focus on preparedness and recovery,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “CES Smart Cities already successfully showcases the technology, solutions and players that shape better urban design. Resilience will expand on these topics with a greater focus on how technology aids the localism and continuity of critical infrastructure and the ability to operationally bounce back or keep going during a crisis.” The Resilience Conference will deliver world-class conference programming, insights and solutions from the world’s most influential leaders and government officials, law enforcement, investors, startups, city planners, major brands and corporate technology attendees. Themes include preparedness, responsiveness and recovery, with deep dives into communication and redundancies, energy, water crises, cybersecurity, health and disaster recovery. Nov - Dec 2018 15 The show venues at CES Tech East - LVCC, Westgate Las Vegas, Renaissance Las Vegas Tech West - Sands Expo, The Venetian, The Palazzo, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore at Wynn (Encore) Tech South – ARIA, Park MGM/Park Theater, Vdara
C u r t a i n R a i s e r Global Technologies Nov - Dec 201818 Corporate Keynotes CES stands for innovators and the promise and power of technology. Corporate keynotes showcase global industry leaders, offering insider insights into the technologies changing our industry and our lives. LG Keynote by Dr. I.P. Park, President and CTO on Jan. 7 at 6:30 PM in Park Theater at Park MGM LG Electronics will deliver the pre-show keynote address, offering fresh perspectives on the evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, while exploring how AI will impact the lives of consumers in the years ahead. IBM Keynote by Ginni Rometty, President and CEO on Jan. 8 at 8:30 AM in Venetian, Palazzo Ballroom IBM will share a unique outlook for how technology - discussing how technologies such as AI and quantum, when built on a foundation of trust and transparency, will drastically change business and society for the better. Verizon Keynote by CEO Hans Vestberg on Jan. 8 at 4:00 PM in Venetian, Palazzo Ballroom Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg will take a deep dive into the impact of 5G that will change our world for the better — from building smart cities infrastructure to improving education, aiding first responders and beyond. AMD Keynote by president and CEO Dr. Lisa Su on Jan. 9 at 9:00 AM in Venetian, Palazzo Ballroom AMD president and CEO Dr. Lisa Su will provide a view into the diverse applications for new comput- ing technologies ranging from solving some of the world’s toughest challenges to the future of gaming, entertainment and virtual reality with the potential to redefine modern life. CES 2019 will run from January 8-11, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada Partial List of Indian Exhibitors at CES 2019 Exhibitor Contact Person City Booth/Location Invento Robotics Balaji Viswanathan Bangalore Sands, Hall G - 52975 (Eureka Park) Livekraft Electronics Puneet Suvarna Bangalore Sands, Hall G - 51323 (Eureka Park) Playshifu Vivek Goyal Bangalore Sands, Halls A-D - 44169 Wellnesys Muralidhar Somisetty Bangalore Sands, Hall G - 52341 (Eureka Park) Nymble Labs Raghav Gupta Bangalore Sands, Hall G - 51125 (Eureka Park) Tata Elxsi Bangalore Westgate - 915 Wipro Ltd Deepak Kadambi Bangalore Westgate – 521/MR532/MR534 AllGo Embedded Systems K Srinivasan Bangalore Westgate - Suite 473 Oakter Smart Home Shishir Gupta Noida, UP Sands, Hall G - 53178 (Eureka Park) H-Bots Robotics Hyderabad Sands, Hall G - 53374 Sasken Technologies Ltd. Bangalore Westgate - 537MR Square Off Bhavya Gohil Mumbai Sands, Halls A-D - 44767 Ginni Rometty
Acer’s Predator Thronos gaming chair One of the biggest attractions for the media at IFA 2018 was the Acer’s new Predator Thronos gaming chair that almost lets one become a part and parcel of the computer. Ergonomically designed with an recliner-style chair (up to 140 degrees) and foot rest it’s basically a steel structure that's 1.5 meters tall, hosting a cabin where with a single button press you can acti- vate the motors in the overhead arm and keyboard. The Thronos’ overhead brace supports three curved 27-inch monitors side-by-side. It puts the gamer in the game through deep impact vibration, where the chair vibrates upon in-game impact. Apart from this Acer released quite a few good products this year including mid-range workhorse laptops like the Acer Swift 5, an ultralight 15-inch Notebook (990g) powered by an eighth-gen Intel Core i7-8565U or Core i5-8265U processor, set to deliver up to 10 hours of battery life. The new Predator XB273K gaming monitor that features a rapid 144Hz refresh rate with an IPS3 display panel + Acer VisionCare —a suite of technologies that help pro- tect eyes during longer gaming sessions. Sony WH-1000XM3 Sony unveiled WH-1000XM3 their new wireless noise cancelling headphones with the newly-developed HD Noise Can- celling Processor QN1 to deliver approximately four times greater performance. The newly-developed component can not only negate low-range noises from airplanes, but also further can- cels mid to high-range noise such as street noise and human voices. The inclusion of a high quality internal headphone amp for the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 realizes stunning high sound quality. Customers can comfortably immerse themselves in their music anytime, anywhere. Elsewhere in the wireless headphone category, Sony showed off the WF-SP900 truly wireless sports headphones. The water-proof 2 and dust-proof 3 WF- SP900 features an internal memory, letting customers play music from their smartphone with Bluetooth connection or no device at all, even while swimming in the ocean. Somnox Sleep Robot The Somnox Sleep Robot is the world’s first sleep robot. According to a recent report from the CDC, more than a third of American adults do not get enough sleep. The Som- nox Sleep Robot works by using scientifically proven cognitive and simulated human breathing techniques to accelerate the process of falling asleep. Its users snuggle the Sleep Robot and subconsciously replicate the physical sensation of falling and rising of the breathing of the robot. Research has shown that breathing is essential to naturally reduce stress and increase relaxation. Additionally, the Sleep Robot provides users audio engineered by dedicated audio technolo- gists from Manglemoose. Soothing sounds such as medita- tive music, ambient sounds and cognitive shuffling are included in the accompanying app, which is available on both iPhone and Android smartphones. Being huggable and soft, the robot makes the user calmly doze off again. “Knowing about sleep is nice and there are plenty of products out there that help track your sleep, but it's time for a device like the Sleep Robot that actually does something to help you get to sleep,” said Somnox co-founder, Julian Jagtenberg. Samsung QLED 8K Launch Finally 8K is commercially here and arrived in full force at IFA 2018 in Berlin. Leading brands TCL, Sharp, Toshiba, LG, Sam- sung etc showcased their latest 8K TV which is expected to hit 5 million sales by 2022. 8K resolution has 16x more pixels than Full HD, and 4x more than 4K Ultra HD. But the LG, Samsung 8K TVs garnered most attention. Samsung’s unique ads on QLED 8K’s utilizing real-life models and objects to encapsulate the “Perfect Reality” at three Berlin landmarks: the Berlin Congress Center, the Weinmeister station, and RAW-Gelände, a cultural center truly caught on with the IFA fever. With more than 33 million pixels, QLED 8K Q900R delivers crisp detail, even in super big screen sizes.. the Q900R’s connec- E v e n t R e v i e w Global Technologies 20 Nov - Dec 2018 Best of IFA 2018 IFA again had some amazing products to impress its global visitors – right from gaming-related gadgets to ultralight Notebooks, QLED 8K TV to wireless noise cancelling headphones, Smart Kitchens to electric male grooming products. Chandragupta Amritkar reports from Berlin tions are located not on the back of the set, but on a separate One Connect Box. will announce its foray into 8K with the unveiling of the Q900FN QLED 8K TV. Available in the U.S. starting Octo- ber in an 85” size, the Q900FN will feature all the benefits of Samsung’s flagship QLED line and several enhancements that bring 8K-quality images to life. LG World’s First 8K OLED TV LG Electronics launched the world’s first 8K (7680 x 4320) OLED TV at IFA. The 88-inch 8K LG OLED TV features over 33 million self-emitting pixels to produce the unmatched contrast ratio and true blacks that define OLED TV’s iconic picture quality. Despite advancements in LCD field, OLED has been often referred to as the “next-generation display technology” because it emits its own light, eliminating the need for any kind of back- lighting. “LG’s first 8K OLED TV is the pinnacle of technologi- cal achievement and the next evolutionary step in display technology” said Brian Kwon, president of LG Home Entertainment Company. “4K OLED played a major role in reshaping TV industry and LG is confident that 8K OLED will do the same.” World’s First Thunderbolt 3 QLED Curved Monitor Samsung Electronics expanded its ground-breaking curved display line-up with its new CJ79 monitor. The CJ79 34-inch curved monitor is the first of its kind to feature Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 connectivity and is designed for creative and business audiences who seek a comfortable and efficient work experience through powerful connectivity. Compatible with Macs and PCs, the CJ79 features two Thunderbolt 3 ports that transmit display, data and power at a superhero processing speed of up to 40 Gigabits per second (Gpbs), eight times faster than USB 3.0, and simultane- ously charges devices up to 85 watts(W), all through a single cable. The CJ79 offers a clear and crisp picture quality while providing a seamless dual monitor experience on a single screen. The 3440×1440 ultra-wide curved display with its 21:9 aspect ratio provides all users with the workspace needed to multi-task efficiently and in comfort. With the Picture-by-Picture (PBP) feature, professionals can display two sources and for optimal multi-task- ing it allows users to resize the second source to up to 25 percent of the screen and position it anywhere for a more readable format. Samsung also launched CJ89, a 43-inch super ultra-wide curved monitor with remarkable 3840 x 1200 resolution, 32:10 aspect ratio, which creates a larger and more vibrant workspace. The robust design includes a built-in KVM switch, USB-Type C ports and built-in stereo speakers for greater functionality. Philips SmartSleep headband Philips’ new SmartSleep is the world’s first and only clinically- proven wearable solution for consumers to improve deep sleep quality for people who do not get enough sleep due to lifestyle. Unlike other sleep trackers that merely monitor a user’s sleep pat- tern, SmartSleep actively enhances the depth and duration of deep sleep. It uses two small sensors and advanced algorithms that accu- rately identify an individual’s different sleep stages during the night. When detecting periods of deep sleep it intervenes with clinically proven technology to boost it in real time with customized audio tones. An accompanying app logs sleep improvement over time and provides tips and advice on how to get the best possible night's sleep. Family Hub fridge The kitchen has become the epicenter of a global shift in how people utilize their home spaces. Samsung has evolved a Family Hub concept. The Family Hub has been designed with the understanding that convenience and personalization in food preparation is a priority for families, and so the Meal Planner capabilities sug- gest recipes based on your family’s food preferences, dietary restrictions and even food expiration dates for convenient week- ly and monthly tailored meal plans – based on the ingredients E v e n t R e v i e w Global Technologies21Nov - Dec 2018
already stored in the fridge and users’ taste. Family Hub can rec- ognize individual voices and match them to each family member’s profile. Lenovo Yoga Book C930 Lenovo Yoga Book C930 is an ultra-slim, ultra-light and ultra- flexible world’s first dual display laptop with E Ink technology. Yoga Book C930 is 2-in-1 convertible running Win- dows 10 and the world’s thinnest and lightest dual- screen device (it tapers down to 4mm at its thinnest edge when open and 9.9mm when closed. It offers 10 hours of battery life and is designed to produce no thermal noise. The E Ink display that functions as a notepad, sketchbook, eRead- er and a self-learning keyboard. It’s got a 10.8-inch QHD 2K IPS display, two speakers, and features Dolby Atmos immersive audio. Its 360-degree hinge allows users to transition seamlessly between five different modes - type, create, read, browse and watch. Philips male grooming product Philips set another male grooming milestone with the global introduction of its new Shaver Series 9000 Prestige, the solution for an uncompromised shave, cutting facial hair feeling as close as a wet blade. It comes with new NanoTech precision blades and the BeardAdapt Sensor that makes the shaver automatically adapt to the user’s hair 15 times per second, permitting the razor to give a clean cut. Also on display at IFA in Berlin include the Philips 5000 LatteGO coffee machine, and the Philips Pregnancy+ app and daily pregnancy tracker. These solutions are showcased alongside many other innovations in the areas of sleep, oral care, air purification, nutrition, and personal care. E v e n t R e v i e w
Interactive shutter eyeglasses to replace eye patch therapy The standard treatment for so-called lazy eye (amblyopia) in children is to cover the nonimpaired eye with a patch. This trains the impaired eye to work harder. Such therapy is successful only when the patient wears the eyepatch for the prescribed period of time. This is often not the case, however, as many children feel self-conscious about wearing the patch they reject this form of treatment. A future alternative is electronic shutter eyeglasses that automatically darken the lens in front of the nonimpaired eye when the context is appropriate. These eyeglasses also have integrated sensors that provide young wearers with feedback on whether they are being worn in the correct position. Lazy eye is a common complaint among children. The standard treatment for this visual impair- ment – amblyopia, as ophthal- mologists call it – is to cover up the good eye with a patch. This trains the lazy eye to work harder – and the brain to receive its signals. The sooner treatment begins, the greater the chances of recovery. However, there are two main drawbacks to this form of occlusion therapy: vision is spatially restricted, and children often experience the eyepatch as unsightly and therefore refuse to wear it. Moreover, such treatment is successful only when the eyepatch is worn for the prescribed period of time. In a col- laborative project (see box “InsisT – project overview”), research and industry are aiming to achieve a decisive improvement in this often difficult therapy for young children. They hope that new interactive, context-dependent shutter eyeglasses with sensor- based feedback will increase treatment compliance for this complaint. This new technology covers up the patient’s good eye only when the situation is appropriate. During sport, for example, or other activities that demand good spatial vision, this function is deactivated so as to avoid any risk of accident. Multimodal sensor system integrated in temples Use and operation of the shutter eyeglasses are controlled by a multimodal sensor system integrated in the temples of the eyeglasses. Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engi- neering IBMT have developed this new technology along with a smartphone app to enable parents to monitor the treatment. All the data generated by this technology is compiled in a digital patient file system, which was also developed by the IBMT team. This web-based application is compliant with data-protection laws and can be accessed by the ophthalmologist in order to monitor, adjust and enhance treatment. For example, it tells the doc- tor if and when the patient has worn the eyeglasses – information that was never available with conventional treatment. “The data is uploaded to the app via Bluetooth and then securely archived in a cloud database,” explains Dr. Frank Ihmig, a scientist at Fraunhofer IBMT in St. Ingbert. “Our goal is to provide an individual, patient-based therapy.” Boosting therapy acceptance Data for real-time processing is generated by various sensors. These include temperature and skin-contact sensors to monitor the length of time and the position in which the eyeglasses have been worn. They also measure the occlusion phases, during which the LCD lenses are darkened. “This data is logged in an electronic memory device integrated in the eyeglass frames,” Ihmig explains. The eyeglass lenses are darkened by means of an electronically controlled shut- tering system based on integrated liquid crystals. The frequency and duration of the occlusion therapy can be individually adjusted to each specific case. It is therefore more versatile than conventional eyepatch treatment. In this way, project partners hope to encourage young patients to wear the eyeglasses for the prescribed duration. The skin-contact sensors monitor whether the eyeglasses are being worn in the correct position and even provide the young wearer with child-friendly feedback. This can help increase acceptance for this form of therapy, too. An acceleration sensor recognizes specific patterns of movement and can distinguish between different activities such as standing up, lying down, sitting down, walking, running, jump- ing, cycling and climbing stairs. “Our shutter eyeglasses are context-sensitive,” Ihmig explains. “This means that when the wearer is involved in energetic activities such as sport, for example, the mechanism for darkening the LCD lenses is deactivated, and they remain clear. This ensures full spatial vision and removes the risk of the wearer being involved in an accident.” Treating the fear of spiders with augmented reality Arachnophobia is the technical term for the fear of spiders. Approximately 3.5 to 6.1 percent of the population suffer from this phobia. Exposure therapy is the most common form of treatment. However, 60 to 80 percent of arachnophobes do not receive any therapy because of a lack of services. Others simply cannot M e d i c a l T e c h n o l o g i e s Global Technologies 26 Innovations in the field of medicine Fraunhofer researchers in Germany are doing a lot for the betterment of human life by innovating new and safe technologies. We compile a few of the new transforming technologies in the field of medicine. Nov - Dec 2018 Functional model of electronic shutter eyeglasses. © Fraunhofer IBMT, Bernd Müller bear the terror of facing up to real spiders. Together with partners, Fraunhofer researchers are developing a digital therapy system that is designed to facilitate treatment in the home environment and give sufferers a better sense of security. In Germany, there are no wild spiders that pose a threat to humans. But that does not stop many people panicking at the sight of one. Their bodies react with heart palpitations, shivering, dizziness, sweating and shortness of breath. Sometimes the psy- chological stress is so great, the fear so overwhelming, that sufferers of the phobia have to undergo therapy. Behavioral therapy approaches have proved most successful in treating arachnophobia. Exposure therapy, which involves confronting patients with one or more real spiders, is considered particularly effective. However, sufferers of the phobia often do not avail themselves of such treatments, either because exposure to the eight-legged crea- tures is a too terrifying prospect, or because of a lack of therapy options available where they live. In the “DigiPhobie” project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT are working to reme- dy these problems in collaboration with Promotion Software GmbH, Saarland University and Saarland University Medical Center. They are developing a new kind of digital therapy system that is designed to enable exposure therapy in a domestic environment. It is based on the idea that by confronting the feared object in virtual or augmented reality, patients will find it easier to face their fears and be less intimidated by the prospect of starting treatment. The system comprises a digital therapy environment, wearable sensors and augmented reality (AR) glasses to be precise. Exposure therapy in virtual reality “We transfer real exposure therapy to the digital game system that runs on the data glasses. All therapy tasks are digitally simulated. The phobia sufferer can perform various challenges – such as catching a spider with a glass and a postcard or prodding one with their finger – in virtual reality,” says Dr. Frank Ihmig, scientist at Fraunhofer IBMT, describing the therapeutic approach. Ihmig and his team create the software for therapy management and the biofeedback control system, which consists of wearable sensors that measure the patient’s vital parameters during a ses- sion, such as their heart rate variability, skin conductance and breathing rate. The Fraunhofer researchers use adhesive electrodes to measure ECG and skin conductance. Breathing is monitored with the aid of a chest strap with piezoelectric sensors. The measured signals are transmitted wirelessly via Bluetooth to the therapy management software. All data on the sessions and the course of the therapy is archived in the database and made available to therapists and clinical researchers for analysis. Effectiveness to be determined in clinical study In spring 2019, a validation study will begin to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital therapy. Similar approaches using virtual reality (VR) glasses have shown that good outcomes can be achieved with this form of therapy. The results of the analyses are to lay the foundation for further treatment concepts. It is conceivable, for example, that the therapy could be applied to other phobias such as the fear of snakes or cockroaches. “We hope that the results of the clinical study open up new perspectives for treating patients suffering from specific phobias,” says Ihmig. Individualized therapy for patients with osteoporosis More than six million people in Germany suffer from osteoporosis. The disease is characterized by chronic bone resorption, leading to frequent fractures as a consequence of the bone loss. In many cases, treating the condition with drugs does not work well, and people with osteoporosis often suffer from cardiovascular diseases at the same time. Research partners in the OsteoSys project are working toward customized, personalized treatment. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT are contributing, among other things, their development of a sample management system to the project. Osteoporosis sufferers have to cope with bone loss, leading to frequent fractures and unstable, fragile bones. The risk of osteoporosis increases with age. Progressive loss of bone mass leads to complicated fractures, which often results in patients needing long-term care. Health insurance companies project this will cost billions as demographic change takes hold. In Germany, more than six million people already suffer from the widely prevalent M e d i c a l T e c h n o l o g i e s Global Technologies27Nov - Dec 2018 With the aid of a digital therapy environment displayed in data glasses, exposure therapy is transferred to virtual reality. © Fraunhofer IBMT, Bernd Müller In the OsteoSys project, researchers are developing a system to sim- plify the handling and administration of samples. © Shutterstock
disease – most particularly women, who make up 80 percent of the total. Drug therapies are intended to inhibit bone depletion, but patients often do not respond to treatment. Studies also indicate a link between osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Further- more the primary therapy for loss of bone mass is to increase calcium intake, the mineral is said to increase the stability of the bones. But raising the dosage of the mineral can lead to calcium deposits in veins, leading potentially to an increased risk of vas- cular occlusion and heart attack. The OsteoSys project (see box “Overview of the OsteoSys project”) therefore aims to investigate the interactions between cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, and bone metabolism, with a view to providing patients with personalized therapy and minimizing drug-related side effects. Whether genetic or epigenetic (the influence of the environment on genes), the scientists take factors at the level of cells or organs into account to develop biomarkers and algorithms that predict adverse effects and enable patients to receive individualized treatment. The role of the Fraunhofer FIT researchers in Sankt Augustin is to integrate data and create algorithms and models for the project. They are also establishing a sample management system and biobank management tools. “The software we develop to manage samples and laboratory procedures supports physicians in handling samples. Efficient data management supports our partners in their research work through the secure and traceable exchange of data, samples, and information,” says Carina Goretzky, a scientist at Fraunhofer FIT. The robot eye with an all-round field of view Robots can move – but not see – in all directions. The patented laser sensor SensePRO developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT provides a solution to this problem. Where am I? Like humans, robots also need to answer that question, while they tirelessly glue, weld or apply seals to work- pieces. After all, the production of precision products depends on robot control systems knowing the location of the adhesive bonding head or welding head to the nearest millimeter at all times. This means the robot needs some sort of eye. In the automotive industry and many other sectors, specialized sensors perform this function, most of which operate on the principle of laser triangu- lation. A laser diode projects a line of red light onto the workpiece, from which the light is reflected at a specific angle before being detected by a camera. From the position of the light strik- ing the camera chip, the position and distance of the sensor with respect to the workpiece within the coordinate system can be cal- culated. However, there is a problem with such systems: “Shadowing effect limits the flexibility of existing sensors. They also restrict the freedom of movement of the robot systems and integrating them is very labor-intensive,” says Mauritz Möller, head of the additive manufacturing systems department at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT in Hamburg. The only way to measure height with conventional sensors is to mount them along the direction of processing. With these sensors, however, the robot is blind when it changes its direction of movement. Having to predefine the processing direction significantly limits the flexibility of the handling systems. The only alternatives are to use several sensors or additional axes – either of which, given today’s state-of-the-art technology, can sometimes cost more than the robot itself. Patented measuring technique Mauritz Möller and his colleagues Malte Buhr, Vishnuu Jothi Prakash and Julian Weber have developed an innovative solution called SensePRO. This compact sensor system measures 15 cen- timeters in diameter and is equipped with specially developed image processing algorithms, thus providing a shadow-free all- round field of view, and generating a 360° measurement field, offering complete flexibility with regard to the direction of measurement. No matter where the robot moves, at least one laser line is always optimally positioned, supplying precise positional information to the camera. This approach also solves another problem – shadowing of the laser light by components with complex shapes. The researchers have now patented the technique. No additional programming is required to integrate the new sensor system in existing robot sys- Global Technologies 28 Nov - Dec 2018 Conventional sensors limit the directional flexibility of robots. © Fraunhofer IAPT The innovative SensePRO sensor provides a 360° all-round field of view for process control and quality assurance. © Fraunhofer IAPT M e d i c a l T e c h n o l o g i e s
tems. It can be employed completely flexibly and, above all, reli- ably in all adhesive bonding and welding processes. The technique significantly simplifies process control and quality assurance – with just one sensor. Intelligent thermal management To operate over long periods in harsh production environments, the sensor contains a cooling module, which utilizes either water or air. To enhance cooling, the optical bench on which the laser diodes and cameras are mounted has an internal cooling structure. Due to its highly complex shape, the only way to produce it is by 3D printing. This intelligent thermal management system extends the sensor’s service life. The sensor is designed to fit robots made by all leading manufacturers, from Kuka to Fanuc, and is well suited for any conceivable application scenarios. As a result, it can be easily integrated into existing production systems. SensePRO is expected to be ready for full-scale production in 2021. Since no competing systems are currently available, Sense- PRO has a good chance to successfully establish itself in the rapidly growing industrial robot market. In Germany, around 1,300 new robots for welding or adhesive bonding applications that require such a sensor are sold every year. Pandemic prevention at airports Global air travel isn’t restricted to people and goods – infectious agents, too, can make their way on board as unwelcome passengers and travel great distances within a matter of hours. In the air, the germs can spread unchecked. The HyFly joint research project aims to establish the scientific foundation for breaking chains of infection and, if possible, prevent pandemics. One way they hope to achieve this is by using a non-invasive method to identify infected individuals based on components in their breath. Airports are hubs for pathogens from all over the world. Infectious diseases spread swiftly by air across countries and continents. According to the World Health Organ- ization (WHO), the risk of global epidemics is increasing. New anti-infection strategies are needed. This is where the HyFly joint research project comes in, with 2.6 million in funding under the German Federal Ministry of Educa- tion and Research InfectControl 2020 initiative (see box “HyFly – project overview”). Partners from industry and research are developing strategies for disrupting the chains of infection in air transport and establishing effective countermeasures as a precau- tion. The project is expected to deliver concrete action plans for airport operators and airlines. Using non-invasive diagnostics to detect infectious agents One of the ways the project is attempting to control migration paths is by detecting infections quickly and efficiently as passengers undergo screening at airports, without using molecular biological methods. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI are establishing a non-invasive method for this purpose, based on ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). “Molecular biological methods aren’t suitable here, as they are too time-consuming. Instead, we will rely on IMS, a non-invasive method that doesn’t require, for instance, any smears, or any blood or saliva samples. This method has proven successful in detecting drugs and explosive residues at airports around the globe for many years now,” says Dr. Dirk Kuhlmeier, manager of the Working Group on MicroDiagnostics at Fraunhofer IZI. The researcher and his team are developing a system that will distinguish bacteria from one another in a matter of minutes based on volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are components of human breath. “IMS is notable for the possibility it offers to quickly and sensitively detect volatile organic compounds direct- ly in the air,” says Kuhlmeier. Using gas chromatography, the breath components are first pre- separated and then transferred to the coupled ion mobility spec- trometer, where charged particles are produced. “Neutral VOC molecules are ionized by high energy,” Kuhlmeier says, explaining the method. “The charged molecules move toward the detec- tor very quickly in the homogeneous electric field. A molecule can be characterized based on the drift time required before it strikes the electrode, and the bacterium can be identified based on a specific VOC composition.” Initial lab tests have been successfully completed, and the newly developed non-invasive diagnostic procedure has great potential to discriminate between different pathogens. Kuhlmeier and his team are currently optimizing the method. The plan is to perfect the diagnostics in the new Fraunhofer Project Hub for Microelectronic and Optical Systems for Biomedicine. The Proj- ect Hub in Erfurt will be officially inaugurated on October 19, 2018 by Fraunhofer President Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, together with Thuringian Minister for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society, Wolfgang Tiefensee. In addition to Fraun- hofer IZI, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Optics and Preci- sion Engineering IOF and for Photonic Microsystems IPMS will cover bioscience, microelectronics and microsystems engineering, as well as optics and photonics with their core competencies. Preclinical studies are scheduled for 2019. Then the research team in Leipzig plans to conduct further tests to analyze the influence of food intake on the breath and to check how this affects diagnoses. Global Technologies 30 Nov - Dec 2018 Isabel Steppert, scientist at the Fraunhofer IZI, during Sample measurement. © Fraunhofer IZI M e d i c a l T e c h n o l o g i e s
For Your Information Global Technologies 32 Nov - Dec 2018 November 05-08 Web Summit, Lisbon, Portugal November 05-09 Silicon Valley Innovation Center, Silicon Valley, USA November 06-08 Vision (machine vision and identification technologies), Stuttgart, Germany November 07-09 SEE-IT Summit, Novi Sad, Serbia November 12 – 16 Singapore FinTech Festival, Singapore November 13 – 15 AfricaCom, CTICC, South Africa November 13 – 15 Simo Educación Learning Technology Exhibition, Madrid, Spain November 13 – 16 Matelec (Electrical and Electronic Equipment), Madrid, Spain November 20 – 22 Automation, St. Petersburg, Russia November 20 – 21 Data Protection World Forum, London, United Kingdom November 21 – 22 FinTech World Forum, Kensington Conference and Events Centre, London, UK December 03-05 AI World Conference & Expo, Boston Seaport Hotel & WTC, Boston, USA December 04-05 Africa Fintech Festival, Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, Nigeria December 04-05 Big Data & AI Asia 2018, Suntec, Singapore December 05-07 Indonesia Fintech Show, Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, Indonesia December 11-13 Intersolar India, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bangalore, India January 04 – 06 India Med Expo (IME), Hyderabad, India January 08 – 12 International CES, Las Vegas, USA January 10 – 12 Mobile Tech Expo, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, USA January 23 – 25 IBEX India (Banking Technology), MMRDA Grounds, Mumbai, India January 23 – 25 Iot M2m Expo Osaka, INTEX Osaka, Osaka, Japan January 29 – 31 27th Convergence India 2019, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi February 04 – 05 Indiasoft 2019, Hyderabad February 12 – 14 Global SEZ Expo & Convention, Jaipur, India February 13 – 15 Saudi International Expo for Internet of Things, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 25 – 28 Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain Feb 27 – March 01 Fintegrate Zone 2019, WTC, Mumbai, India March 04 -08 International Wireless Communication Expo, Las Vegas, USA March 19-21 CEBIT RUSSIA, Moscow, Russia April 04-05 Intersolar India, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India April 11 – 14 Global Sources Electronics (Auto, office, security), AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong April 13 – 16 HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), Hong Kong April 13 – 16 HKTDC International ICT Expo, Hong Kong April 18 – 21 Global Sources Electronics (Mobile, drone), AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong May 15 -17 Intersolar Europe (Solar Technology), Munich,Germany May 22 -24 Smart Cities India + Solar India, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi May 28 – June 01 COMPUTEX TAIPEI, Taipei, Taiwan June 11-13 CES Asia 2018, Shanghai, China June 12-13 CE Week, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, USA June 18 – 20 CommunicAsia, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore June 18 – 20 BroadcastAsia, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore June 26 – 28 Mobile World Congress Shanghai Exhibitions and conferences not only give you an opportunity to see and hear about the latest technologies and products but also becomes a venue to meet and interact with International partners. One should plan much in advance to participate in an expo so that he can get in touch with existing and prospective customers. We have compiled a list of ICT and related Exhibitions for 2019. If your event is not listed, please e-mail us at editor@globalfeatures.info. It's free! Your Dateline If you are organizing an exhibition/Conference not listed above please get in touch with us at- Global Technologies, B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059, India. Phone - 91-22-29252569, Mobile - 9224339001 / 9223419060 e-mail: editor@globalfeatures.info

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