Adoption patterns over time: a replication

Based on new data, we replicate Mahajan et al.’s (1990) paper on adopter categories and Goldenberg et al.’s (2002) paper on saddles and offer explanations and extensions. We use a new dataset to replicate the results, namely, the U.S. Consumer Technology Association’s Sales & Forecasts, which provides longitudinal data on numerous consumer electronic products. Goldenberg, Libai, and Muller utilized the same source for 1999, while we use the updated 2021 report for the adopter category as well as the saddle replication, thus employing the same data source for both studies. We find that in the adoption of consumer electronics, there are fewer saddles, and these saddles are shorter and shallower in 2021 than they were in 1999. Regarding adopter categories, we break the data down by decades and show that, while the early adopter categories just barely decelerated over the six decades of our analysis, the average growth of the new dataset is much faster, with the peak occurring considerably sooner than that of the earlier data.

Wireless Power Transfer

In the recent years, the wireless power transfer technique has attracted a lot of attention in research. As a result, it is becoming an increasingly popular technology in consumer electronic devices and electric vehicles. However, there are other methods in which energy could be transmitted, and they could be further classified according to their working ranges, namely the near-field and the far-field transmission. In this chapter, an overview on the principles of different types of wireless power transmission is described. Then, the investigation of the receiver block is discussed through studying the features of rectifier technologies. Later, the book continues to describe the Rectenna system (rectifying antenna) adopted to the Internet of Things (IoT) wireless charge in remote locations.

Flexible iron oxide supercapacitor electrodes by photonic processing

We report the preparation of flexible and nano-porous iron oxide-reduced graphitic oxide (Fe2O3–rGO) electrodes using a novel photonic processing method. Due to this unique technique, high-temperature thermal processing could be accomplished on inexpensive and low-temperature substrates instantaneously as opposed to longer processing times of conventional thermal processing. The nano-porous morphology of the electrode not only accommodates the volume changes of the electrode but also facilitates the transport of the electrolyte ions into the electrodes. The as-prepared electrode showed excellent electrochemical performance with an initial specific capacitance of 179 F/g at 2 A/g. Moreover, it exhibited excellent specific capacitance retention after 5000 cycles (70%), revealing its superior cyclic stability. Along with having specific capacitance comparable to that of rigid electrodes, the as-prepared electrode is bendable and lightweight, signifying its potential application in foldable and wearable consumer electronic devices which require continuous energy supply while going through physical deformation. Graphic abstract

Customer Knowledge Enabled Innovation: Analyzing Pricing-Promotion Coordination Mechanism

Pricing and promotion are two important decisions during the market launch of new consumer electronics products. Nowadays, the pricing and promotion of consumer electronic products are often not made separately but at the same time. This study focuses on the pricing-promotion coordination mechanism of a secondary supply chain of new consumer electronics products (which consists of a manufacturer and a seller). Price and the degree of promotion together affect the demand for products. Manufacturers give sellers a sales target. Manufacturers and sellers set prices and promotions separately, introduce repurchase penalty joint contracts, and establish supply chain profit models to compare and analyze optimal pricing, promotion efforts, and maximum profit of supply chains under different decision-making situations. We prove that the repurchase penalty joint contract can coordinate the supply chain under the assumptions of a single-period game and a multiperiod repeated game. The results show that under the repurchase penalty joint contract, when manufacturers and sellers choose high prices and high promotions at the same time, the supply chain of new consumer electronics products has the largest profit. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted to study the influence of parameters on optimal decision-making and supply chain profits.

Satellite mega-constellations create risks in Low Earth Orbit, the atmosphere and on Earth

The rapid development of mega-constellations risks multiple tragedies of the commons, including tragedies to ground-based astronomy, Earth orbit, and Earth’s upper atmosphere. Moreover, the connections between the Earth and space environments are inadequately taken into account by the adoption of a consumer electronic model applied to space assets. For example, we point out that satellite re-entries from the Starlink mega-constellation alone could deposit more aluminum into Earth’s upper atmosphere than what is done through meteoroids; they could thus become the dominant source of high-altitude alumina. Using simple models, we also show that untracked debris will lead to potentially dangerous on-orbit collisions on a regular basis due to the large number of satellites within mega-constellation orbital shells. The total cross-section of satellites in these constellations also greatly increases the risk of impacts due to meteoroids. De facto orbit occupation by single actors, inadequate regulatory frameworks, and the possibility of free-riding exacerbate these risks. International cooperation is urgently needed, along with a regulatory system that takes into account the effects of tens of thousands of satellites.

Design and analysis of a waterproof capacitive touch key sensor interface circuit

Traditional mechanical keys are gradually replaced with touch keys. Capacitive touch keys have advantages in achieving higher sensitivity with a longer service life and lower cost. Hence, the capacitive touch key technology is widely used in consumer electronic products. In use of household electric appliances, such as electric kettle, induction cooker and exhaust hood, sometimes the water vapor would condense into visible moisture or even the water would splash out of the pot when overheated, which may lead to a falsely trigger of touch key. So, waterproof becomes a big challenge in household electric appliances. This paper analyzes how water affects capacitive touch key and proposes a waterproof capacitive touch key sensor interface circuit to overcome the challenge. Sensing of touch key capacitor would be influenced only when water covers more than two touch keys. Compensating channels working in certain strategy are used to decrease the influence of water. For the same water capacitor, the bigger threshold voltage, the bigger change of the counting number. A much smaller threshold voltage is better to further weak the effect of water. The circuit is implemented in a standard 110 nm CMOS process. The measured results show that the touch Signal to Noise and Water Disturb Ration (SNWDR) is 20.7 dB which proves that the proposed waterproof capacitive touch key sensor interface circuit is effective against water splash.

Developing a Product Knowledge Graph of Consumer Electronics to Manage Sustainable Product Information

Transformational computing paradigms, such as artificial intelligence, home automation, and the Internet of Things, are being rapidly applied to consumer electronics products, thus aiding in the development of integrated and innovative features. Hence, ubiquitous computing and electronic devices are increasingly becoming essential to everyday life. In this context, a wide gulf often exists between the capabilities and technical features of consumer electronic devices and the consumers’ understanding of such devices and ability to operate them correctly and effectively. This study proposes a machine-readable knowledge model representing technical terms in product specifications along with a product knowledge graph to discover semantic relationships among various products. Formal concept analysis is applied to conceptually analyze the specification terms of heterogeneous electronic products and design a hierarchical knowledge structure of extracted concepts, to elaborate the proposed knowledge model.

A Universal Machine-Learning-Based Automated Testing System for Consumer Electronic Products

Consumer electronic manufacturing (CEM) companies face a constant challenge to maintain quality standards during frequent product launches. A manufacturing test verifies product functionality and identifies manufacturing defects. Failure to complete testing can even result in product recalls. In this research, a universal automated testing system has been proposed for CEM companies to streamline their test process in reduced test cost and time. A universal hardware interface is designed for connecting commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) test equipment and unit under test (UUT). A software application, based on machine learning, is developed in LabVIEW. The test site data for around 100 test sites have been collected. The application automatically selects COTS test equipment drivers and interfaces on UUT and test measurements for test sites through a universal hardware interface. Further, it collects real-time test measurement data, performs analysis, generates reports and key performance indicators (KPIs), and provides recommendations using machine learning. It also maintains a database for historical data to improve manufacturing processes. The proposed system can be deployed standalone as well as a replacement for the test department module of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems providing direct access to test site hardware. Finally, the system is validated through an experimental setup in a CEM company.