Foxconn tech exhibition showcases diverse products

Waukesha County Technical College’s two-day exhibition of Foxconn technology showcases diverse products offered by the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer and its subsidiaries.

Foxconn’s just-announced Wisconsin plant is to make liquid crystal display panels. It will make these LCD screens for many industries — education, entertainment, safety, surveillance and health care — with Wisconsin-made products ending up in self-driving cars and aircraft systems, according to a fact sheet Gov. Scott Walker’s office shared with lawmakers.

The two-day demonstration, which ends today, gave the curious a chance to get their hands on cutting-edge devices that incorporate these LCD panels.

In WCTC’s Richard T. Anderson Education Center, tables around the room displayed specialized high-definition panels of all shapes and sizes — but not all the technology was strictly screen-related.

The INTELLOS automated unmanned ground vehicle (pictured here) from Sharp, a subsidiary of Foxconn, was being shown off at the event.

The white, bathtub-sized machine trundles around the outside of secure facilities, performing basic security functions like taking photos and videos while connecting with other security systems. It can also do routine maintenance inspections.

Buyers can include a feature that independently recognizes intruders and alerts the proper authorities, according to Nalby Varoqua, an engineering specialist who works in Sharp’s Robotics Business Development division.

As he went through the details, the INTELLOS A-UGV was doing laps of its testing facility: a parking lot in New Jersey. On an 80-inch Sharp screen display behind him, he pointed to designated points at which the machine stops, scans its environment, and sends back images of its surroundings.

It’s equipped with a siren, two-way communication and LED lights, and can be outfitted with extras like thermal imaging, oxygen level monitoring and toxic gas sensors.

Elsewhere in the room, a 31.5-inch medical display from Foxconn subsidiary Innolux showed scans of the human foot, skull, jaw and other bones as well as internal organ systems.

For automotives, a 17-inch Innolux panel showed a host of options for drivers to choose from: heating, air conditioning, media options, a compass, vehicle information like temperature and other readouts, as well as a detailed first-person computer-generated map of the road giving turn-by-turn directions.

For use in aircraft, a 9.5-inch Innolux screen highlighted shifting weather patterns, as well as other complex details about aircraft orientation.

Curved display screens were available as well, ranging from just over 10 inches to over 50 inches — also for use in automotives.

Other technologies included 8K televisions — also known as Ultra HD — and transportation solutions for incorporating real-time analytics, as well as classroom displays that work like tech-enhanced whiteboards.

Sharp also had its AQUOS BOARD technology at the event, which is used in office settings as well as higher education instruction for collaborative projects, presentations and remote communications.

See more on the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: http://newsroom.wctc.edu/wctc-to-host-two-day-fox/

–By Alex Moe
WisBusiness.com