10 B2B Tech Companies That Amazed Us at CES 2020

We were among the throngs of people at CES 2020, getting an up-close look at the stunning 8K TVs, riding in self-driving cars, interacting with robots, and experiencing amazing augmented and virtual reality applications. But we also had work to do. We were on our annual mission to find the B2B technology companies who play key roles in getting all of those innovative products off the drawing boards and onto the CES exhibit floor.

The CES 2020 edition of our “B2B Innovator Series” introduces you to 10 companies that are transforming mobility, design, manufacturing and connectivity. They not only supply OEMs with sustainable materials and cutting-edge smart technologies, they are also involved in all phases of the design and manufacturing process.

We also had one of our old friends and clients with us: Jack McCauley, Innovator-in-Residence at The Jacobs Institute at UC Berkeley and Co-Founder and Chief Engineer at Oculus VR.

Here’s who we met with:
Covestro, which develops sustainable, premium polymer solutions to meet today’s greatest challenges: climate change, resource depletion, urban expansion, population growth and the resulting increase in awareness of environmental issues.

Toyota Boshoku, a company committed to delivering superior mobility experiences to customers throughout the world, offering quality of time and space in all aspects of human mobility. At CES the company introduced several new concepts―together with their component technologies―that increase the comfort value of mobility and transform mobility time and space, a part of lifestyles.

EMD Performance Materials, which develops specialty chemicals for demanding applications, from liquid crystals and OLED materials for displays and lighting to effect pigments for coatings and cosmetics to high-tech materials for the electronics industry.

Foretellix, an emerging leader in enabling the ‘measurable safety’ of autonomous vehicles, which they deliver via a transition from measuring ‘quantity of miles’ to ‘quality of coverage’.

Eyesight Technologies, which offers a market-leading Driver Monitoring System and sensing solutions for the in-car environment. The company’s core technology uses edge-based computer vision and AI to create safer and better driving experiences.

Elitac, integrates electronics into textiles, developing wearables designed to enhance society, improve the quality of life and push the boundaries of human performance, as well as create safer working environments. Elitac’s wearables are aimed for professionals and consumers in the health, safety and sports sectors, as well as for first responders.

Dialogue Trainer, who employs its proprietary technology, Netherlands-based Dialogue Trainer transforms professional conversations into challenging online simulations, using its online 3D simulation platform with virtual avatars that enable practice with difficult conversations in a safe environment. The focus is on the individual learning process and measurement.

AMA XpertEye, a software solution provider of proprietary advanced remote assistance solutions, developed to address users’ specific requirements. The company supplies secure, future-proof solutions to facilitate remote real-time communication, enhance the autonomy of corporate assets and optimize working methods.

Tacterion, which brings a new approach to how physically and functionally unique sensor modules can be designed, produced and implemented. The company’s plyon® modules offer an incredible range of problem-solving potential in the fields of robotics, body tracking and direct human-machine-interactions.

And, finally, Smart Radar System, a leader in automotive and industrial radar vision solutions, providing 4D image radar, corner radar, and radar module customization services. For over three years, the company has been specializing in radar technology, and the company’s 4-D image radar is expected to be in mass production by the end of 2020.

Follow this link to watch the CES 2020 edition of our “B2B Innovators Series” and stay tuned for upcoming installments that will provide in-depth looks at each of these 10 innovators.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Actual Agency CES 2020 B2B Innovators Showcase

Participants:

Kate Adorno, Actual Agency

Joel Matsco, Covestro

Richard Chung, Toshiba Boshoku

Dr. Owen Lozman, EMD Performance Materials

Ziv Binjamin, Fortellix

Tal Krzypow, eyesight Technologies

Merijn Klarenbeek, Elitac BV

Michiel Hulsbergen, Dialogue Trainer

Mark Fleischer, AMA XpertEye

Daniel Strohmayr, Tacterion

Paul Kim, SmartRadar

Jack McCauley, Innovator and Inventor

Kate Adorno, Actual Agency

Are you CES ready? I’m Kate Adorno with Actual Agency here at CES 2020. We’re going to uncover some of the untold stories here. It’s going to be great. Let’s go.

Joel Matsco, Covestro

What we are exhibiting today is lots on processed technology and how materials play a role with processing and design parameters to reveal the truly next generation enabled technologies, displays, embedded displays, integrated electronics through different molding processes and the like.

Richard Chung, Toshiba Boshoku

We are focused on the future mobility interior space. The car is really about bringing the autonomy of the vehicle operation into interior space. As they detect your vital signs, your biometric signals and your expression and so forth so that we can either cool down the cabin temperature for you or provide a massage or uplift your emotions if you are depressed by using various sensory stimulation.

Dr. Owen Lozman, EMD Performance Materials

We have some examples. For example, over here we have a one of our window technologies which is a switchable liquid crystal display effectively in a window. So, you can use this to manage the temperature and the lighting inside your building in a very digital way. We’re also showcasing a lot of new materials which are involved in novel computing technologies. So, we built up recently our semiconductor materials business and we’re now looking at novel chip architectures for things like neuromorphic computing and quantum computing which will be big disruptors in the semiconductor industry over the coming years.

Ziv Binjamin, Fortellix

Autonomous vehicles are a great technology that are going to save a lot of lives and make our life much easier and more comfortable. But the main barrier to the adoption of this technology is safety. Our approach is to provide what we call measurable safety. So, we don’t just claim—in our using our system, car providers will not just claim that they are safe. They will be able to provide a measurable, quantifiable way to demonstrate the safety of their car.

Tal Krzypow, eyesight Technologies

With all the sophisticated systems out there that look outside of the vehicle, the real problem is sitting behind the steering wheel. You have to monitor the driver if you want to prevent the accident. We are very excited about first of all the application of our technology not only for safety but also for advanced interaction and interfaces because when you know where the driver is looking, it’s also a very powerful indicator of their intent. If I look at the particular screen, it means that I want to interact with it. So, you can see a whole host of new interactions. For example, automatic adjustments of the mirrors or lightening up screens and dimming them if I’m not looking at them, adjusting head-up displays to my preferences, etc.

Kate Adorno, Actual Agency

So, talk to me a little bit about what I’m wearing.

Merijn Klarenbeek, Elitac BV

You are wearing the balance belt. So, that’s a belt for people with balance disorders so they don’t feel how they are standing anymore. They’re often in a wheelchair or use a stick to walk. With this belt, they can feel how they are standing because of the vibration patterns in the belt.

Kate Adorno, Actual Agency

Yep. So, when I stand, I’m feeling each side tell me how I’m leaning. Correct?

Merijn Klarenbeek, Elitac BV

Yes, exactly. You are feeling in which direction you are tilting and then you are able to move again freely.

Michiel Hulsbergen, Dialogue Trainer

We’ve developed a platform for online simulations of conversations. So, yeah, what we’re presenting here is this platform. It’s got a user interface with character you can interact with by choosing to answer options and what I’m also presenting then is the back end of this platform which is an editor which helps us develop high class scenarios and we’re an expert in developing scenarios.

Mark Fleischer, AMA XpertEye

Somebody on the field needs help, what they do is find that expert, press one button and it calls and now we’re connected. And so, this is a microscopic camera. So, some companies need to see cracks in metal or really fine detail. So, this is my skin and we’re able to show you here what that person would see. So, have a conference call over this speed and be able to see this sort of detail in any remote environment can solve a lot of problems.

Daniel Strohmayr, Tacterion

So, this is a flexible sensor for force and touch. So, wherever you build this in into whatever product, it becomes a smart surface. We built this sensor here into this handle which represents a handle, for example, of a power tool and wherever I press, we can finally analyze the level of interaction, the level of force. So, if you built this, for example, in the power tool, it can be really highly intuitive. You don’t need any mechanical buttons anymore but you have the smart surface and we can do a lot more intelligence by implementing this sensor technology.

Paul Kim, SmartRadar Systems

One of our major application is for weapon detection inside your clothing. So, just like when you go to the airport, there is a scanner. So, we are creating a portable scanner for everyday uses for the cops and then any security bodies. We can use a radar for active measure so that you can actually create a radar enabled camera system and then after that, once you detect any kind of behavior, then you can use your radar to continuously track a person.

Jack McCauley, Innovator and Inventor

Most security systems have the ability to detect and alert you to the presence of a person but my interest is to actually drive them away defensively and with a smart radar system like Paul here has developed, it seems to me that you’d be able to find out exactly where they are and point your annoying device at them.

Kate Adorno, Actual Agency

And that’s a wrap for CES 2020. We’ve met with and talked to some of the coolest B2B technology companies out there and we’re looking forward to seeing how they’re going to change our world. I’m Kate Adorno with Actual Agency.

‍