Bosch is transforming people’s everyday lives from all walks of life with smart and connected solutions at home, on the road, at work, in the hospital, and even in space. Simultaneously, the corporation is expanding into new markets through software, services, and licenses.
“We are systematically digitalizing our core business to increase the benefits for our customers. Going forward, we aim turn the sale of every digital product into services-based revenue as well,” says Tanja Rückert, the Bosch Group’s chief digital officer, at CES in Las Vegas. To do this, Bosch is working on the integration of IoT and AI – in other words, the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) .
This creates a virtuous circle in which connected items supply data, which is then processed by AI and incorporated into product software upgrades. The advantage to consumers is at the heart of this method, because it allows users to be a part of the development process and allows products to be tailored precisely to their needs. Furthermore, neither product development nor value creation comes to a stop with the sale of the goods.
“We see the combination of AI and IoT as holding the key to leveraging the most user benefit from both of these technologies,” Rückert says.
He added, “Besides enabling us to develop new business models, this approach helps us offer better products and solutions that deliver real added value for individuals and society as a whole.”
Long ago, Bosch set the groundwork for this. All electrical product classes will be connectable as of the new year. In just one year, sales of connected power tools, household appliances, and heating systems increased by 50%, from four million units in 2020 to more than six million in 2021. The corporation has developed a significant unit in the field of AI with the Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence (BCAI), which has already contributed almost 300 million euros to the result.
Furthermore, the corporation invests more than four billion euros in its software expertise each year, with about three billion of that going to the mobility sector. As of mid-2022, Bosch will combine development activities for application-independent software into one entity in order to build the software-defined future of mobility. The company will create and market fundamental automotive software, middleware, cloud services, and development tools for universal use in the future under the umbrella of its subsidiary ETAS GmbH. Bosch is also advancing connected and automated driving at a rapid pace. Bosch has made about nine billion euros in revenue only from driving assistance systems and sensors over the last five years.
The Bosch Tech Compass, a global poll done in five countries and presented for the first time at CES, reveals what people expect from emerging technologies around the world. According to the survey, the majority of respondents (72%) believe that technology advancement is making the world a better place, such as as a means of combating climate change (76 percent). At the same time, four out of five people believe that technology should be used to address the world’s grand concerns rather than to meet individual wants.
“We at Bosch also believe that technology offers a broad range of benefits,” Rückert says. “When we talk about high-tech, we’re not talking only about pushing the envelope on what’s possible. We use technology as a means to improve people’s lives wherever they are.”
The SoundSee sensor system is an example of how AI and connectivity can help. It has been cruising through orbit since late 2019 to locate strange sounds on the International Space Station, utilising AI algorithms to evaluate and indicate when maintenance is required. Bosch is now studying how audio AI may be used as a diagnostic tool in pediatric medicine, in conjunction with the non-profit healthcare business Highmark in Pittsburgh (USA). Bosch and Highmark are aiming to tweak the sensors so that they may detect lung problems like asthma in youngsters at an early stage just by listening to their breathing patterns. Bosch’s awareness of its “Invented for life” strategic goal is further demonstrated by SoundSee’s use in medicine.
Bosch’s new gas sensor, the first on the market to include AI, protects both humans and the environment. It’s essentially a digital nose that enables Dryad’s Silvanet Wildfire Sensor detect forest fires early on. Dryad’s sensors are affixed to trees, where they continuously monitor the local environment to detect incipient fires — and wirelessly warn local authorities, far ahead of camera- or satellite-based systems. Not only will this help to prevent fire damage, but it will also help to cut global carbon emissions from forest fires.
A new, playful Bosch campaign highlights the company’s solutions for bettering the minor things in people’s daily lives. “Hightech #LikeABosch – with many connected, intelligent, and sustainable solutions,” the video’s protagonist takes viewers on a tour of her daily routine, demonstrating how she uses a variety of Bosch products, including smart glasses, a linked e-bike, and a digital access permit for work. This makes her adolescent son, who indicated his mother was “old school” at the outset of the video, appear out of touch.
