#HUBCES : innovation trends spotted at CES Unveiled Paris

    The HUB Institute's team headed to the CES Unveiled in Paris, held at the Pavillon Cambon-Capucines. The afternoon was the opportunity to find out more about the key technological innovations before the 2016 edition of the CES that will take place in Las Vegas on January 6th through 9th. Truly a showcase of connected objects of the "French Tech", CES Unveiled Paris brought together innovativeFrench startups that are preparing to present their disruptive concepts in Vegas ... but also large groups such as La Poste and Engie. The HUB Institute, who will accompany several companies to the CES 2016 with the CES Executive Trip, recaps the big announcements of the conference and presents a selection of the best innovations presented at the exhibition.  

What to take away from the press conference?

Keynote: Philippe Wahl, CEO of the La Poste Group, Groupe La Poste

It is with enthusiasm that  Philippe Wahl, CEO of the La Poste Group,appeared at the CES Unveiled Paris' press conference. Many changes are underway within the La Poste group to best meet the new expectations of individuals in the digital age. La Poste has started its digital transformation in its sixth century of existence with a particular interest in the Internet of Things, and more specifically for the Internet of Services.

« Whatever the technological change in our society, there will always be a boundary between the digital and the human. It is in this common space between the human and the digital is La Poste can be found. »

Digital is a response to the disruption of La Poste's business model. The proof ? Its 80,000 postemen and postwomen are equipped with smartphones, making the group the first connected and integrated mobile fleet functioning as of today. The digital divide can not therefore affect postmen and -women because their tools have become digital. They have adapted and are making millions of people sign on their smartphones when they deliver a letter or package.

« In 15 years, there will be no more letters, you wont receive any anymore and you will send fewer and fewer of them. How can La Poste adapt to the disappearance of the transported message? The postal promise for the 21st century is to bring the human factor everywhere to the multitude, for all, every day thanks to digital.»

La Poste will be present at CES Las Vegas to introduce new digital postal worker services (6 people from French provinces will show the technology they use for millions of people) and will unveil two connected objects as the basis for new postal services. But not only that: the group also unveiled its "French IoT Team", comprised of a selection of 15 startups winners of its "French IoT" program and four of its partners in the Digital Hub, the French industrial leaders: Legrand, Atol the Opticians Malakoff Mederic and BNP Paribas Real Estate.  

The technological trends to look out for duirng the 2016 CES

Professor Shawn Dubravac, Chief Economist & Sr. Director of Research du CEA (the Consumer Electronics Association, organiser of the CES), presented the key trends that should guide the CES show in Las Vegas in January. Shawn first reminded us of the 5 pillars of big data, linked to his new book "Digital Destiny: How the new age of data Will transform the way we work, live and communiquer"

1. Ubiquitous computing
2. Cheap digital storage
3. Connectivity
4. Proliferation of digital devices
5. “Sensor”-ization of tech

Next came the 4 major trends to look out for in 2016, at the CES show and beyond:

1. Ambient Sensing, aka the sensorisation of consumer technology
2. Aggregated learning: devices were initially connected to share information and services between themselves but can now also learn collectively, inform systems continually and finally develop the best "use case" scenarios to identify the most appropriate way to respond.
3. Building out the ecosystems: virtual (and augmented) reality is no longer just a matter of hardware, but also of the larger ecosystem around it - entertainment, content, distribution systems, networks...
4. Actuation (the putting into motion): how is information digitalised? How is it pushed into a digital feedback loop?

Presentation of CES 2016 with Gary Shapiro

Gary Shapiro, President et CEO de CEA and internationally recognised innovation and digital trend expert, took a look back at the evolution of the CES and the key figures for the 2016 edition. The ambition of the CES: influence brands, markets... and the world! A bold ambition, but that is well reflected in the extent and quality of the event, seen as an international benchmark for innovation. France has an  increasingly strong, and recognised, presence at CES: + 75% between the 2014 and 2016 editions. Indeed, France has the most startups in the space of Eureka Park at the 2016 CES compared to any other country except the United States! What to expect from CES 2016? Even more exhibitors (and even more French exhibitors), sensational Keynotes with experts from global companies like Intel and Samsung, more marketplaces (while existing ones continue to grow), the launch of approximately 20 000 new products, and a record number of entries for the CES Innovation Awards.    

How to adapt your business to the Internet of Things?

Speakers:

• Nathalie Collin, Directrice Générale Adjointe chargée du Numérique et de la Communication for La Poste
• Bruno Barlet, VP France for Legrand
• Fabrice Obenans, Marketing Director of Atol Les Opticiens
• Moderator: François Sorel, Journaliste for 01Net and BFM

From left to right: Bruno Barlet, Fabrice Obenans and Nathalie Collin

Key points: La Poste Group La Poste is developing the Internet of Services with an ability to bring people to new services in a very simple way. How to extend a hand to people for their digital lives? The specificity of La Poste is a different value proposition that goes from your digital identity to being able to access all  postal services digitally (La Poste plans to provide a mailbox that will be able to send packages). Bringing people into the digital age while ensuring control over their data in a simple way is one of the key objectives of the group. Citizens' digital identity thus appears as the next big revolution after that of data. La Poste also created the Digital Hub, a platform that allows individuals to manage his or her connected objects from a single interface. The success of this innovation is its ability to converge the physical and the digital within the connected home. To do this, La Poste namely created a partnership with Legrand to reflect on a combination between connected objects, the house and individuals. Atol the Opticians Atol is a major player in maintaining customer relations, advising consumers and providing them the right product. Thus, the store is the number 1 media. Atol goes one step further by allowing consumers to try on frames in store thanks to augmented reality. A real break with traditional sales and retail but also providing more interaction with the consumer, a playful solution and an unlimited stock for retailers are the main strengths of this project. Atol also developed a connected eyewear frame and associated app that allows the user to see clearly, first and foremost, but also to find his frames quickly. Simplifying consumers' lives: this is one of the key values of digital innovation today! Legrand Legrand invests heavily in the connected building. The Smart Home, where it will be possible to control all equipment remotely from your smartphone, is becoming a reality. Tomorrow, it will be possible to better manage energy in a building through connectivity, but also to bring more security to infrastructures or even perform maintenance in real time.    

5 innovative startups seen at #CESUnveiled Paris

#1 Romy-Paris : beauty that comes in capsules  Figure is THE connected Nespresso for beauty. The skin care formulator is connected to the smartphone and knows when its owner has not slept, when she goes to the gym or even if she partied too hard yesterday. By combining capsules of active ingredients (anti-aging, moisturizing...) to a cream or serum base, the machine prepares an individual dose of beauty product 100% tailored to the needs of each individual. Find out more about Romy-Paris #2 Connected health par BewellConnect A revolution for connected health: this ecosystem of connected medical devices is grouped together in a single application. The objective of BewellConnect with its My Health Box is to allow the patient to obtain reliable health data to send the doctor to analyse the results. A new feature in the platform will enable the user to have access to primary diagnostics compared to the measured constants to give him guidance tracks for better medical care, particularly in the case of serious and / or chronic illnesses.Find out more about BewellConnect  #3 Concierge : a bouton connecting the home The Smart Home was prominently featured at CES Unveiled Paris. Concierge aims to free the user of the management of his home during his absence. Concierge will set a number of actions in the house and ask the owner via a notification on their smartphone permission to undertake those actions itself (such as close the shutters, vacuum, turn lights on or off...). Still in the prototype phase, Concierge will wait for the 2017 CES for its international launch.Find out more about Concierge #4 Leka gives  a smile back to handicapped exceptional children Leka has given itself the mission of helping exceptional children to lead exceptional lives. In order to do so, the company developed a little spherical robot that is both autonomous and interactive to help children with autism, Down syndrome or multiple handicaps. Find out more about Leka  #5 C-way, the connected bracelet for children C-way has developed the first geolocalisation bracelet for children with an innovative Plug&Play concept. Children can clip accessories, such as a watch or Lego characters, on the bracelet while enabling the parents can geolocalise their little ones on their smartphone. C-Way's goal is to develop connected objects to create a useful and fun link between parents and children. Find out more about C-Way

French Tech in the spotlight with the visit of the Minister of the Economy and Finances

Emmanuel Macron visited CES Unveiled and stopped by some of the 50 stands showcasing tomorrow's innovations to the public. The Minister came encourage the startups that will go conquer the USA on January 6 at CES in Las Vegas. An opportunity for us to remember that the French government is mobilised in the digital transformation of our country, as explained by Axelle Lemaire, Secretary of State in charge of Digital, at the HUBFORUM Paris 2015, while detailing the political agenda of building sites come on digital.