2013 PMA@CES: The Hidden Treasures

The outer reaches of the show floor feature hot tech, too.

January 9, 2013 By Michael McEnaney

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Most of us who have been doing trade shows for quite some time understand the allure of the larger booths that greet us the minute we step onto the show floor. Music blaring, lights flashing and models, well, modeling of course. Those mammoth exhibits are always impressive, as is the imaging tech they are showing off.

Undoubtedly you’ll be hearing announcements from the “big boys,” so we thought we’d take our annual trip to the outer reaches of the PMA@CES show floor in the LVH and, in some instances, off the floor completely, to tip you off on some of the coolest stuff at this year’s event. Sans the music, lights and pretty faces, there is some amazing new technology being demonstrated all over the PMA@CES expanse.

And, of course, we’ll also venture a bit farther, to the various other halls that encompass the entirety of the 2013 International CES to show you that digital imaging tech wasn’t confined to the parameters of the PMA@CES LVH location.

So put on your most comfortable pair of walking shoes . . . we promise it’ll be worth the trip.

2,000 Pics a Day. How about a groundbreaking camera that decides itself when to take the shot? Developed by British motion capture company OMG Plc, the Autographer uses five built-in sensors and software developed by Microsoft to chose the best moment to capture an image without any intervention from the user.

The high-resolution pictures, which can number 2,000 in a day, can then be combined to create a visual record of an event like a party, a music festival or a typical day in the life of the owner. The Autographer, which the company suggests be worn around the neck, clipped to clothing or placed in a particular vantage point, is the first consumer device from OMG, whose stop-motion technology is used in fields ranging from computer game development to surveying roads.

The company originally developed an earlier version of this camera as a memory aid for people with dementia, but they recently decided to launch it to the broader consumer market after finding clients and their families were also using the device to record special occasions. The camera carries an SRP of $650, and the company claims a U.S. launch could be forthcoming in early 2013. omgplc.com

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