What We Can Learn From Consumer Technology Conferences

Generally speaking, I do not consider myself a technology junkie. I have never waited in line for the newest smartphone, my tablet hasn’t been charged in a few years and unlike my neighbors, I do not own a drone (yet).

While I don’t buy into every new tech product that comes to market, I am fascinated with technology as it impacts nearly everything we do in life. I enjoy looking at new technology and envisioning whether or not it might become part of our everyday lives in coming years. I like to see which technologies stick. And which ones don’t.

You’ve most likely seen this yourself in law enforcement—new products that aim to “revolutionize the industry.” The neat thing is, some do. In early January, innovators of breakthrough consumer technologies converged in Las Vegas, Nev., for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Many companies launch the “latest and greatest” technology at this show and it’s a good indication of where technology is headed. Although many of the products seem as if they came from sci-fi, some may have the ability to influence our industry in the future.

Voice control, or voice assistants, were aplenty at this year’s show. Toyota announced it would add Amazon’s Alexa to vehicles. Now imagine this in your daily life at the station—will voice control become a natural integration in your patrol car? Possibly.

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about self-driving vehicles over the last few years. The technology seems to be getting closer to a reality. In fact, millions of cars are hitting the streets this year equipped with technology that will enable the creation of high-definition maps which are vital to autonomous driving systems. Toyota unveiled the “e-Palette,” a fully autonomous, battery-electric vehicle, and Nissan introduced “brain-to-vehicle” technology which, “interprets signals from the driver’s brain to assist with driving and to help the vehicle’s autonomous and manual systems learn from the driver.”

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE is partnering with Qualcomm and Wearsafe on a new category of wearables—personal safety trackers. The device is designed to connect the consumer to third parties such as first responders. The device may reportedly store and record information about the user’s situation, including location, how fast a user is traveling and any available audio information for greater context to the third party. This technology could impact the industry if more consumers begin using the wearables.

Lastly, the First Responder Network Authority presented the first public-safety-focused technology conference track, “Transforming the Future of Public Safety Communications,” at CES, which included an exploration of the ways emergency vehicles, when connected with FirstNet broadband technology, can integrate with smart cities technology for a faster, safer response for first responders.

Consumer technology undoubtedly influences law enforcement already and it will continue to do so in the future. Which trends are you most closely following? I welcome your thoughts.

Stay safe, readers.

Adrienne