At this year's CES, Intel's keynote is all about the future of computing.
It just unveiled the Curie, a computer that's literally the size of a button. It's just a prototype, but it's loaded with sensors and can run for extended periods of time.
Intel intends to use Curie for wearable devices. Since it's so small, the company says it'll be easier to create wearable gadgets that are slimmer and natural-looking.
Although it's just a prototype, Curie is already capable of simple tasks like tracking steps, as Intel showcased on stage.
In addition to shrinking down computing components to impressively small sizes, Intel also showcased exactly what it's 3-D cameras can do. Drone maker Ascending Technologies along with Intel demonstrated a new set of Firefly drones on stage that can see without being piloted by a human. These Firefly drones had six Intel Real Sense 3-D cameras embedded inside, which enabled them to see their environment and even navigate through an obstacle course.
Intel is also talking a lot about how to control computers through gestures rather than with a traditional keyboard and mouse. As one of its examples of how that tech can be used, the company demoed a 3D monitor that had a 3D camera embedded inside.
During the demo, the man was able to play a virtual piano without actually touching the screen. This allowed him to actually press virtual keys as if he was really playing a piano rather than just tapping a screen.
Intel hasn't implemented this type of technology in any real products yet, but it's an interesting concept.
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