We are in unchartered waters. Not when it comes to innovations in technology, but rather in how they impact us, our entire system of production, distribution and consumption. Some have called it the fourth industrial revolution. One thing is clear – technology is enabling us to do things very differently.
That was very much the message from last month’s Consumer Electronics Show. The red thread running through the innovations on display? Empowerment. The power of technology to empower individuals – the citizen consumer – to determine, more precisely, how they live their lives, and their impact on the environment.
When it comes to consumer electronics for many, “green” was once associated with “inferior”. Those who felt strongly enough to buy products developed with eco-friendliness in mind were usually prepared to sacrifice usability. Now, developers are providing products that prove this no longer has to be the reality. Monitoring energy consumption was a common theme at this year’s CES . The Whirlpool Smart Fridge reduces energy use, and through a smartphone app enables users to track energy usage throughout their appliance and in individual compartments.
Considering a 10 minute shower can use up to 50 gallons (227 litres) of water, water consumption is a leading issue when discussing eco-friendly practices within the home. The Hydrao Smart Shower is equipped with LED lighting that tracks water consumption. Through Bluetooth, the shower head connects to a mobile app which users can use to set alert intervals – the shower head will then flash different colours at these intervals, for example 5, 10 and 15, gallons, informing the user of how much water they are using each time.
ICT acts as the facilitating factor for this new reality, allowing us to reconsider the products that manage our lives and ensure that green credibility and effectiveness are two sides of the same coin.
However, monitoring energy usage was not all that green innovators at CES offered this year. GoSun showcased their hybrid grill which cooks food using one tenth of the energy of a traditional stove, powered by a combination of electrical and solar energy.
Fuelled by cutting edge ICT research, green transport technology continues to evolve. Faraday Future’s FF Zero1 Concept race car cut an imposing figure at CES and showed that green technology has a competitive place on the race track. The 1000 horsepower and fully electric race car can exceed 200mph and accelerates from zero to 60mph in three seconds. Information Technology is the heart of the concept car – it is equipped with smartphone integration and capable of autonomous operation through sensors and internet connectivity.
The products above do well to illustrate the ever rising bar of green technology spurred on by ICT. Be it connectivity across devices allowing for energy monitoring, or leveraging data insights to ensure optimal energy usage, ICT takes a central role in the new wave of products that are recalibrating our lives and businesses for the better.
We must not rest on our laurels. The strength of development in these innovations will be determined by how we maintain a strong and evolving ICT infrastructure. Investment in superfast broadband and the deployment of G.fast speeds go hand in hand with the sort of technological innovation we saw this week in Las Vegas. There is a responsibility for businesses to continue to innovate in wi-fi to increase accessibility and above all the integrity of security of these networks needs to continue to meet the highest standards.
If we get this right, the innovation curve and the speed at which we escalate it are boundless.
Long have we held the view that the technology to meet the climate change challenge was abundant, but our problem was inspiring a “demand-side” push. For me the key question coming from CES was this: have we reached a tipping point in empowering and enabling consumers to manage their energy use, their use of precious natural resources and even their own carbon footprint? It seems we may have reached that balance.
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