Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Cameras and trackers: SEMA gathering showcases tech products

2016 SEMA: Automotive Technology

Steve Marcus

Models Tierra Benton, left, and Dani Reeves flank an light bar display at the NSV booth during the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. The light bar is a direct bolt-in for Toyota’s Land Cruiser and Tundra models.

If the car industry is veering toward autonomous vehicles, Kia wants to be there. At the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s annual trade show in Las Vegas this week, the South Korean manufacturer unveiled a concept car with no steering wheel and rear-facing front seats. There are passengers but no drivers, and the car modeled after a Kia Soul includes a television and tablets.

Many manufacturers, from newcomers like Tesla to legacy companies like Ford, are in the process of bringing autonomous vehicles to market. In September, President Barack Obama endorsed the concept, and his administration released guidelines to lessen regulatory red tape.

Despite Kia’s unveil and the trend toward autonomy, much of the technology featured on the exhibit floor was more basic in its scope. Since SEMA caters to aftermarket buyers, much of what was on the floor were products that have already come to market, products that can assist with driving the ubiquitous non-autonomous vehicles on the road today. Exhibit halls featured tires and sound systems, repair shop equipment, paint supplies, light displays and window tints.

But the technology displayed, while not serving an autonomous purpose, often had the same goal: to make the driving experience easier and safer. The Las Vegas Sun took a look at some of that technology, ranging from dash cams that record trips to black boxes that collect vehicle data.

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Davide Botturi displays VAM (Vehicle Asset Management) Rugged, left, and a VAM OBD "black boxes" at the Redtail Automotive booth during the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. Fleet managers appreciate the real-time driver information, a representative said.

Redtail Telematics

Since 2010, this company has manufactured products — small boxes — that track location and speed data. Its trackers allow insurance companies and businesses to monitor fleets of school buses or taxis. Last year, the company unveiled a consumer product that could be attached to mass-market vehicles. It would allow parents, for instance, to track their child’s progression in learning how to drive. During the SEMA show this year, the company said that it plans to break into the autonomous space, assuming black boxes will eventually be required for driverless cars.

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A Thinkware F770 dash cam is displayed during the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. The dash cam retails for about $300.00 and can be installed with an optional rear camera.

Thinkware

This South Korean company produces dash cams, an increasingly popular tool that lets drivers record their trips. They have become especially popular with the advent of Uber and Lyft, where drivers might want proof their driving behavior and interactions with passengers. What is unique about Thinkware's products are the extra layers it offers beyond video recording. Its dash cam offers road-safety features that warn of lane departures, red lights and speed signs, drawing from an international database of road information. A spokesman for the company said that it wants to add a semi-autonomous component in the coming years, whereby the dash cam would send information to the car’s computer. Thinkware is already testing this in South Korea.

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Steve Paul uses a radio-controlled model Jeep to show off BrandMotion's 360 degree vision system during the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. Images from the cameras were displayed on a nearby monitor.

BrandMotion

At the crux of this company’s product line are cameras, and all of its cameras are geared toward making the driving experience safer. To achieve this goal, it offers several products that allow for blind spot monitoring in SUVs and collision avoidance. Its most flashy offering is a 360-degree camera, which works by stitching together the images from four mounted cameras. The result is drivers can see an aerial view of their vehicle to ease road maneuvering. Like Thinkware, the company also offers a windshield camera with lane departure and forward collision warnings.

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Dean Tsai describes the features of the DOD LS475W+ dash cam during the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. The dash cam is notable for high-quality, low-light color video and a fast frame rate which reduces motion blur, he said.

DOD Tech

Where other companies boast of safety features, DOD Tech’s pitch for dash cam is based on security. The company says that dash cams can help “capture the unexpected,” “provide incident details and evidence” and “protect your rights.” The company’s products offer the usual dash cam features — recording, speed monitoring — but advertise other features, including automatic night vision on its most recent model and high photo quality with noise and blur reduction.

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