Bosch, once a simple automotive parts company, made it clear during the CES 2021 opening keynotes that company executives see its future leading the AIoT field.
AIoT, the artificial intelligence of things, is still a budding field with companies around the globe diving in head first. While Siri and Alexa fit the bill, as a technology, this goes so much deeper into various household items and increasingly autonomous vehicles.
For Stuttgart, Germany-based Bosch, that focus begins with health and safety.
“We combine AI and connectivity to form the AIoT, which helps us improve energy efficiency and fight the coronavirus,” says Michael Bolle, Bosch board of management member. “AIoT offers enormous potential. We are already unlocking this potential and plan to expand our efforts in the future.”
How Bosch is Fighting Disease
Leading the way is a rapid Covid-19 home test it developed. The test detects Covid in about 30 minutes.
The company is also presenting a sensor that measures factors such as
air quality and relative humidity. This delivers information about the concentration of aerosols in the air – data that is important in the fight against coronavirus.
In it’s opening day keynote, Bosch also announced a portable hemoglobin monitor. The device can detect anemia by means of a finger scan. The device is particularly well suited for regions that have insufficient access to medical care. Equipped with AI, the hemoglobin monitor delivers a result within 30 seconds – no lab test or blood draw necessary.
New Directions in AIoT
Among the innovations Bosch is debuting at the tech show is the world’s first self-learning AI sensor for wearables and hearables in fitness tracking. Since the AI runs on the sensor itself (edge AI), there’s no longer any need for an internet connection during an exercise session – this improves energy efficiency and data privacy.
Bosch security cameras can also help in the fight against the virus. AI makes it possible for them to execute a wide array of customer-specific applications. For example, a new camera solution with integrated intelligent video analysis measures body temperature contactlessly,
anonymously, and with high precision – with a maximum deviation of half a degree.
Moreover, using a software solution for the open camera platform of the Bosch startup Security and Safety Things, these cameras can detect whether the number of people in a shop complies with the prevailing coronavirus restrictions.
This platform was designated a 2021 CES® Innovation Award Honoree, making it one of four Bosch solutions singled out.
