CES 2022: Bosch connects its worlds - and thereby IoT and AI

Bosch is also working on intelligent and connected solutions to simplify everyday life for people in all situations. At the same time, the company claims to be opening up new business areas through software, services, and licenses. Tanja Rückert, Chief Digital Officer of the Bosch Group, explained at CES in Las Vegas:

“We are consistently digitizing our core business to increase customer benefits. In the future, we want to derive service revenue from every sale of digital products.”

To achieve this goal, Bosch relies on the combination of IoT and AI – in other words, connecting the Internet of Things (IoT) with Artificial Intelligence (AI). This way, a cycle is created in which connected products provide information that is processed using AI and integrated into software updates for the products. This allows the customer to be involved in developing the product, so to speak. According to Bosch, the solutions can then be tailored precisely to their needs. And: Neither development nor value creation ends with the sale of the products. “We see the combination of AI and IoT as the key to deriving the greatest benefit from these two technologies,” explains Rückert, adding:

“This opens up not only new business models for us but also better products and solutions that offer real added value for individuals and society.”

Bosch has long laid the foundations for this. At the beginning of the year, all electronic product classes became connectable. The sales of connectable power tools, home appliances, and heating systems alone increased by half within a year – from four million in 2020 to more than six million units in 2021. With the Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence (BCAI), the company has built a strong unit in the field of AI, which already contributes positively to the results with around 300 million euros.

Furthermore, over four billion euros flow annually into the company's software expertise, with around three billion going into the mobility sector. Bosch will consolidate vehicle software development into a single unit in mid-2022. In the future, under the umbrella of ETAS GmbH, the company will develop and market universally usable vehicle base software, middleware, cloud services, and development tools. Bosch is also rapidly advancing connected and automated driving. In the past five years alone, the company has generated around nine billion euros in sales with driver assistance systems and the associated sensors.

Bosch Tech Compass: Survey conducted in five countries worldwide

The Bosch Tech Compass, a representative survey conducted in five countries and presented for the first time at CES 2022, provides insights into what people worldwide expect from new technologies. According to the survey, a large majority of respondents (72 percent) believe that technological progress makes the world a better place and is key to tackling climate change (76 percent). At the same time, four out of five people believe that technology should focus more on addressing the major challenges of our time rather than individual needs. "We at Bosch are also convinced of the broad benefits of technology," says Rückert. “When we talk about high tech, it’s not just about pushing the limits of what's possible. We use technology as a means to improve people’s lives wherever they are.”

From Outer Space to Pediatric Medicine: Bosch's SoundSee Sensor System

An example of the benefits that AI and connectivity bring is the SoundSee sensor system. It has been in space since the end of 2019 to filter out unusual noises on the ISS, analyze them using AI algorithms, and signal when maintenance is needed. Bosch is now pursuing a very earth-bound application of this technology together with the non-profit healthcare company Highmark in Pittsburgh: Research is being conducted to see how audio AI can be used as a diagnostic tool in pediatric medicine. Specifically, Bosch and Highmark are working to adapt the sensors and algorithms to detect lung diseases such as asthma at an early age by listening to and analyzing breathing patterns. "Using innovative technology to improve children’s health – that's what we understand by high tech," says Mike Mansuetti, President of Bosch in North America. The use of SoundSee in medicine also illustrates what Bosch means by its corporate mission statement "Technology for life.”

The first gas sensor with AI from Bosch available on the market serves to protect both humans and nature. It is used as a digital nose in the Silvanet Wildfire Sensor from Dryad and helps to detect wildfires early. Dryad's sensors are attached to trees, where they continuously monitor the local microclimate to detect emerging fires – and wirelessly notify local authorities long before camera- or satellite-based systems can do so. This can not only protect against devastation caused by fire but also reduce global carbon emissions caused by wildfires. "These sensors will help to save countless lives and homes and prevent tonnes of CO2 from releasing into the atmosphere – all thanks to AI and connectivity," stresses Mansuetti.

What does this mean?

Unlike most other suppliers in the automotive sector, Bosch is also active in other fields and thus always bridges to the household sector at CES – which was also true for their booth, prominently located there and not in the automotive hall.