CES, the world's largest annual technology trade show, officially kicks off on Jan. 5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, but Pittsburgh-based companies are already beginning to showcase their latest products and developments for the new year. The event began with media days that started on Jan. 3 and which end on Jan. 4, followed by the public debut of the show itself from Jan. 5 through Jan. 7.
Among one of the most-prominent showings of Pittsburgh-based technologies at CES this year involve those surrounding autonomous-vehicle developments.
According to Brian Kennedy, senior vice president of operations and government affairs at the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the theory behind these companies and other organizations from Pittsburgh attending CES will ideally highlight the potential the region has at bringing these complex technologies to reality.
"Our hope is to establish relationships with some of (the auto industry's) key people and talk about Pittsburgh as a destination for solving some really complex problems, whether it be the autonomous vehicle space or whether it be advanced materials that are powering electric vehicles," Kennedy said while boarding an airplane to Las Vegas to attend the show. "We see this as a really good opportunity to form some early relationships with folks who might be inclined to come and look at Pittsburgh to do some work and solve these problems."
Strip District-based Auora Innovation Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) and Lawerenceville-based Locomation Inc. will both take to the trade show to highlight advancements in self-driving technology. Locomation plans to launch its autonomous trucking convoy concept commercially later this year with Wilson Logistics, while Aurora plans to launch its commercial trucking service, which is currently conducting testing of it with FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), PACCAR Inc. (NASDAQ: PCAR) and Uber (NYSE: UBER) Freight, in 2023.
SAE International, a Warrendale-based association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries, will join others in the automobile industry with a major presence at the trade show this year.
Canonsburg-based Ansys Inc. (NASDAQ: ANSS) will have a booth at the trade show as it plans to demonstrate its various simulation technologies involving lidar for autonomous vehicle uses as well as other developments involving electrification, autonomy and connected mobility.
Germany-based high-tech polymer manufacturer Covestro LLC, which maintains its North American headquarters in Robinson, will showcase its specialty films used in mobility, electronics, automation, health care and other applications as part of the exhibitor booth space it'll operate on the show floor.
CES will host more than 2,200 of these exhibitor booths during the event.
The University of Pittsburgh is sending the team of undergraduate students who participated in the Indy Autonomous Challenge last fall to CES as well.
"We are the hottest place on the planet right now for talent in the autonomous vehicle space as well as advanced materials," Kennedy said. "Advanced materials are what makes the world go round, including in the automotive space, whether it's sensors or whether it's just the ultra-high-strength steel that makes EVs lightweight and safe at the same time, all that's being developed right here in Pittsburgh and the world definitely knows it, which is why we think this is a great opportunity to be reaching out to those kind of companies right now in 2022."
The regional companies at CES this year aren't just involved in the autonomous vehicle space, however.
The Bosch Group, which maintains a research center in the Strip District, will highlight its new Bosch SoundSee technology in partnership with Highmark Health and the Allegheny Health Network, which uses an AI system of microphones to help detect childhood asthma and other medical conditions. The technology has already been put to use on the International Space Station to monitor vital systems.
Other Pittsburgh-area companies with exhibitor space at this year's CES include Intromark Inc., Para-Coat Technologies Inc., Powercast Corp. and Smith Micro Software Inc.
