LG Electronics (LG) is wowing attendees at CES 2019 with its “LG OLED Falls” display, which features 260 LG OLED digital signage screens, in curved and flat configurations.

Welcoming visitors to LG’s sprawling CES booth adjacent to the main entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center, stunning LG OLED Falls exhibit features 76 concave, 72 convex and 112 flat 55in. LG OLED screens. The LG OLED Falls is a must-see CES exhibit, following in the tradition of the “LG OLED Canyon” at CES 2018 and the “LG OLED Tunnel” at CES 2017.

The LG OLED Falls measures 20 feet high and 65 feet wide, displaying alluring images of curves of the desert, waterfalls, ocean and light. The video experience is further enhanced by advanced, immersive audio, which is included in 2019 LG OLED TVs for the consumer market.

LG OLED technology has created a new high-end category of displays that delivers an awe-inspiring picture with perfect blacks and incredible color, even from wide viewing angles, unlike any LCD/LED display. OLED uses self-lighting pixels that can be turned on and off individually for exact control of image brightness and quality, delivering infinite contrast ration optimized for high-dynamic range content. And with no separate light source, the displays are extremely lightweight and thin, making them flexible enough to be rolled.

During the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) State of the Industry Address at CES 2019, CTA announced 16 out of 61 countries are leading the world in having the best environment for innovation, according to its new 2019 International Innovation Scorecard. This year's Innovation Champions are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

During the CTA keynote, the Netherlands' State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Mona Keijzer, the U.K.'s Secretary of State for International Trade Dr. Liam Fox, and Estonia's Minister of Education and Research Mailis Reps joined Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA, onstage to accept the Innovation Champion awards on behalf of their countries. 

"These countries are world-class leaders in growing innovation," said Shapiro. "When it comes to technology and policy, they value disruptive innovators. To be leaders in innovation, nations must drop protectionist rules and end barriers that limit them from creating the next great startups that will change the world for the better." 

The new Innovation Champions include first-time honorees Germany and Israel. Germany climbed into the highest tier thanks to improved new business growth and widespread access to telecommunications and online services. In Israel, over half (51.5 percent) of its workforce is employed in high-skilled jobs, almost half (46.8 percent) of its college students earn degrees in STEM fields - second only to Singapore - and 4.3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) goes toward research and development (R&D), more than any other country on the Scorecard. 

Overall, Innovation Champions typically outperform other countries in measures of freedom, broadband, entrepreneurial activity, resiliency - a new category to quantify the degree to which a country's government and society are sustainable - and self-driving vehicles. 

Meanwhile, three former Innovation Champions dropped in the 2019 rankings. Austria's top individual tax rate of 55 percent, the Czech Republic's 15 percent year-over-year decline in R&D investment and Portugal's decision to pressure short-term rental websites to share their data with the government moved them down to Innovation Leaders this year.

Other 2019 trends include: 

• Small countries tend to lead in R&D investment. Israel and South Korea spent the most of their GDP on R&D, with more than four percent, followed by Switzerland (3.4 percent), Sweden (3.3 percent), and Austria (3.1 percent). 
• On each continent, the countries with average download speeds above 18 mbps also ranked highly overall. 
• Eight of the 10 most resilient countries - graded on criteria including the visibility of supply chains and strength of digital and physical infrastructure - are European.
• None of the 38 returning countries saw its self-driving vehicles grade drop. In fact, many have further encouraged self-driving vehicle development by deploying self-driving public transit vehicles or preparing to build international test tracks. Year-over-year, we have seen more countries adopt laws allowing SDV testing. 
• The U.S. and China dominate in unicorns - domestic startups valued at USD 1 billion or more - created in the past decade, per 10 million people in population. The U.S. leads with 133, China has 120, and the third-ranked U.K. has 12.

The 2019 International Innovation Scorecard includes an additional 23 countries, for a total of 61 countries and the European Union. The International Innovation Scorecard is a comparative analysis across 14 different categories including average broadband speeds, sharing economy policies, adoption of self-driving vehicles, drone regulations and the ability of a country to withstand and recover from disasters.

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced that it will invest $10 million in venture firms and funds focused on women, people of color and other underrepresented startups and entrepreneurs.

 “To continue to evolve and grow, the tech industry needs more equal access to venture funding,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “Various research reports indicate diverse teams make better decisions and achieve greater profits. At CTA, this is one more tool we are deploying to help promote diversity in the technology industry.”

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“The U.S. needs to invest in a diverse talent pool to capture great ideas and innovation and help birth more ‘unicorn’ companies,” said Tiffany Moore, senior vice president, political and industry affairs, CTA. “CTA is committed to this investment and will work with established funds and fund managers who focus on women, people of color and other underrepresented groups.”

[See video highlights from CES 2019.]

The CTA is the trade association representing the U.S. consumer technology industry, counting more than 2,200 member companies. CTA also owns and produces the CES tradeshow. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

The What: Safe Zone will introduce its Safe Zone Gunfire Detector (GFD) at CES 2019 (Jan. 8-11, 2019) in the Stampede Booth #25708 in South Hall 2.

The What Else: The Safe Zone Gunfire Detector is a small (less than 3” x 3”) triangular unit that mounts in a ceiling corner and provides gunfire detection for an area of up to 9,000 ft3. Safe Zone utilizes WiFi communication and cloud-based machine learning technologies to send and analyze data that returns usable information to local law enforcement and on-site administrators in less than 10 seconds. Unlike many other gunfire detection solutions, Safe Zone can be connected to third-party alarm, surveillance, door lock, and mass notification systems.

Each detector monitors ambient noise and infrared level, with a full second of data recorded around any instance of a sudden increase in noise or light level. If an Infrared flash or sound more than 10 dB louder than ambient noise is detected, all detectors in range send the captured acoustic and IR signals to Safe Zone’s cloud-based machine learning system where they are compared against a database of thousands of signatures of known firearms and other non-firearm disturbances. The system analyzes more than 3000 datapoints in each record. False alarms like car backfires, firecrackers or balloons popping are filtered out through their distinct acoustic signatures.

Property Managers can increase the capability of their Safe Zone Gunfire Detection system with additional Safe Zone security products including door and window sensors, silent alert units, and wall-mounted emergency duress buttons.

The Bottom Line: Designed and manufactured in the U.S., and priced at $149.00 per unit, the Safe Zone Gunfire Detector combines the latest infrared and sound detection technologies with immediate cloud-based data analysis. Safe Zone’s advanced machine-learning algorithms analyze more than 3,000 data points of each loud noise that exceeds ambient levels by a certain threshold. 

By utilizing the data from multiple detectors simultaneously, the system determines the location of shots fired, the number of shots, and the type and caliber of gun being used. Within ten seconds of the trigger pull, an alert is sent to Public Safety Access Points in the appropriate dispatch center, giving local 911 dispatchers all the critical information right on their computer. This can greatly reduce the time needed to locate and engage shooters, as experts say officers arriving on scene would normally take up to 12 minutes to obtain usable information from shocked, and often conflicting, witnesses. 

Dr. I.P. Park, LG Electronics president/chief technology officer, will deliver the pre-CES 2019 keynote address, the Consumer Technology Association announced, marking the first time an LG exec has keynoted the show.

Park will speak on the evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, while exploring how AI will impact the lives of consumers in the years ahead. His address will take place at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 7, in the MGM Park Theater.

“LG is a global powerhouse at the forefront of the AI revolution, which will impact nearly every major industry from technology to healthcare, agriculture, transportation, engineering and beyond,” said Gary Shapiro, CTA president and CEO. “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Park to the CES 2019 stage as he delivers LG’s first keynote in CES history. We look forward to hearing his insight into the future of AI that is redefining our homes, businesses and communities.”

Park oversees five LG AI labs around the world, including the new Toronto AI Lab and expanded Silicon Valley Lab in Santa Clara, Calif. Prior to joining LG in 2017, he held leadership positions at such companies as Harman, Samsung and Panasonic.

Other CES keynoters include AMD’s Dr. Lisa Su and IBM’s Ginni Rometty.

CES will be held Jan. 8-11, 2019, in Las Vegas. Registration is now open. 

This articles was originally published on TWICE.

A second CES 2019 keynoter has been announced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA): AMD president/CEO Dr. Lisa Su.

Su’s keynote address, which marks the first CES keynote from AMD in show history, will provide a view into the diverse applications for new computing technologies, said CTA. She will touch upon everything from solving some of the world's toughest challenges to the future of gaming, entertainment and VR, and their potential to redefine modern life.

Prior to AMD, Su held executive leadership and engineering positions with AMD, Freescale Semiconductor and IBM after receiving her bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

They keynote will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 9:00 a.m., in the Venetian Palazzo Ballroom.

"AMD is transforming the future of computing in our ever-expanding digital world and revolutionizing the $35 billion gaming industry," said Gary Shapiro, CTA president and CEO. "We look forward to Dr. Su's keynote as she paints a picture of the next-generation of computing that will help redefine the future of gaming and virtual entertainment."

CES will be held Jan. 8-11, 2019, in Las Vegas. Registration is now open.

IBM’s Ginni Rometty will also keynote.

Women in Consumer Technology (WiCT) has opened it 2019 Legacy Award nominations.

"The WiCT Legacy Awards honor women in our industry who truly serve as role models and pioneers in every way possible," said Carol Campbell, the group's founder. "Each year, I am more and more inspired by the powerful group of nominees."

Anyone active in the consumer tech industry is encouraged to make a nomination; nominations close October 5, 2018. Winners will be honored at a CES 2019 reception.

Nominations can be made here: bit.ly/WiCTAward

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced that Ginni Rometty, IBM chairman, president and CEO, will headline the CES 2019 keynote stage.

This is not the first time Rometty has delivered a keynote address at CES; she also spoke at CES 2016.

Rometty will speak at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, at the Venetian's Palazzo Ballroom in Las Vegas. She will open the show, which runs Jan. 8-11, by sharing an outlook on how technology, built on a foundation of responsibility and trust, will significantly improve how businesses operate and people work and live, said CTA.

Stay up to date with all things CES-related with one-click access to the TWICE CES Hub.

"We're proud and excited to welcome Ginni Rometty back to the CES stage and put the work that she and her teams at IBM are doing on artificial intelligence, Cloud computing, and quantum front and center," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. "Ginni and her IBM colleagues represent some of the very best minds in technology today, and we look forward to kicking off CES with a deeper look into her vision for a world elevated by improved connectivity, more robust data analysis and more capable artificial intelligence."

Rometty has been named among Bloomberg's 50 Most Influential People in the World, Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, and TIME's most important people in tech.

Registration for CES will open later this year.