Intel spider robot (Photo : YouTube)
This year's Intel Developer Forum (IDF) featured BMX bike tricks, dog training devices, and even spider robots, showing that the semiconductor chipmaker wants to expand its product line due to the shrinking PC market. It also has invested in Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets, wearable devices, and 3D-scanning technology.
Intel recently bought several wearables-making companies, including Recon and Basis, and developed its RealSense 3D-scanning tech. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said that his company wants to be "everywhere."
At the IDF show floor Krzanich claimed that wearables' capacity can be greatly boosted. Such devices could also be more connected.
The Intel forum also featured a BMX stunt bike with a small Intel Curie module. It recorded data such as maximum height and airtime.
Krzanich explained that a biker's wearables such as smart goggles could track other information such as his heartrate or the bicycle's speed. That tech could be used for wristbands and golf clubs.
The Intel CEO also showed its guide dog bib being developed. One of its works-in-progress products will be a smart dog collar for training the helpful canines.
RealSense's 3D-scanning machines were also featured at IDF. The camera mimics a human eye's depth perception, and its tech could be integrated into video game devices and vending machines.
The most high-tech feature of the IDF show floor was the 3D scanners. They were featured in 3D-printed body scans, depth-sensing drones, virtual clothes-testing mirrors, and Google-Intel smartphones with three-dimensional scanning, according to Engadget.
Intel's wearables tech will hit the market sooner than its RealSense products. Krzanich summed up Intel's vision as including all types of devices, ranging from datacenters to drones, and from PCs to spider robots.
Some industry analysts have argued that Intel's IDF resembled a TV realty show more than a developer's conference. However, the "reality" it needs is a huge hit in a new microchip market, according to Fortune.
Here is a video clip that features the dancing spider robots at IDF 2015:
