Highlights of CES 2018
This past week the annual CES Show took place in Las Vegas and revealed a new batch of gadgets, robots, and tech toys for the hungry 180,000 visitors that braved the rain (and power outages). Although Beyond was snowed under in Chicago, we scoured social media and blogs for all the best and innovative products. Take a look below and let us know if we missed anything that caught your eye!
The Great Wall
Samsung’s modular TV screen, The Wall, made a splash this year. The vibrant and massive television is 146” and is comprised of numerous book-cover-sized screen tiles. Eventually, Samsung hopes this tiling will help the consumer grow their TV even larger. The combination of different LED modules and the fact that it’s borderless results in a beautiful and impressive display.
Rollable TV
While Samsung went with size, LG went for convenience and the unexpected. Their 65” OLED screen can actually scroll out of the included compartment allowing users to utilize the full 65” or a subtler size. The unrolling process is silent and quick, taking 12 seconds to complete. The 4k res showed no signs of creasing and should last for 50,000 unrolls.
LG rollable TV peaks out giving the week in weather (L), the Wall creates a beautiful and bright display (R)
Keeping Clean and Compact
Tetra is the compact countertop dishwasher from Heatworks. It’s an expensive dorm hack starting at $300, but a worthy investment for those living in shoebox city apartments. Plumbing is not required, just manually add the water and it cleans up to two full place settings in 10 minutes. It uses graphic electrodes and electronic controls to heat and purify the dish water.
Healthy and Baby Friendly
In Sin City where sleep is fleeting, CES showcased some innovative new sleep aids. Sleep Score Max monitors your sleep using bio movement analysis to determine the type of sleep you are getting and what your body actually needs.
Alexa can add baby-sitter to her list of skills for the first time. Project Nursery Baby Monitor system uses the smart assistant giving parents an extra hand. Whether it be singing a lullaby, ordering more diapers, or checking the temperature of the baby room. New parents will appreciate the ease of asking Alexa anything baby related.
Sony’s Aibo Returns
Good dog! Sony’s robotic hound returned to open arms this year. The once forgotten companion returned after a 12 year hiatus with animated, glowing eyes, response system to pats and pets, and a video streaming snout. Aibo’s AI allows him to recognize different members of a family and respond accordingly just as a real dog would.
Robotic Families and Pets Brightened Up A Dark CES
Honda had their social empathy robot 3E-A18 (not as catchy as Wall-E, but close) at CES along with a robotic chair, cargo transporter, and ATV. The friendly A18 is part of the 3E (Empower, Experience, Empathy) Robotics Concept from Honda. Like Aibo, Honda’s companion robot “face” is able to interact with the user. The bulbous moon face frequently changed its expression as it buzzed around the crowd, being patted by his human helper much like a seal and it’s trainer.
Talking Toilets
Alexa’s newest command: Flush.
Kohler’s high end Kumi toilet connects to the internet and responds to voice commands via their Kohler Konnect app. Besides “Alexa, flush”, you can also command the Kumi to lift the seat, adjust seat temperature, or even personalized bidet settings. More advantages of a $6,000 talking toilet include colored lighting, a music functionality, and a foot warmer.
Feeling Lonely or Lazy?
The Somnox lima bean shaped bot is a tiny, faceless cuddle buddy that will simulate human breathing to help restless sleepers. Through an app you can take the little sleeper one step further and add a heartbeat or lullaby. Great for both kids and adults, the bot will be ready for sale next fall for $600.
For those truly sloth-ish and with $16,000 to spend, the Laundroid has you covered. Throw your laundry in, take them out perfectly pristine. The Japanese company Seven Dreamers brought back the folding device with updates. Robotic arms fold the clothes which are reviewed by cameras that decide the best way to fold the item. It looks great in concept photos, neatly flush within a wall. Keep in mind that one T-shirt takes 5-10 minutes to fold though.
Upgraded VR
It wouldn’t be CES without hoards of visitors in VR goggles waving their arms around frantically. This year, HTC’s Vive Pro showcased their increased pixel count (+78%), built in headphones, glasses-friendly headset, and the option to go wireless.
Music and the Snap of a Finger
Enhancia’s musical accessory ring is a MIDI controller that can change the vibrations and other musical effects while playing the keyboard. The black ring is slated to go wireless soon and will be on Kickstarter come spring. The sensors in the ring track hand movements and make corresponding sound effect. The effects and movements can be chosen by the musician – Enhancia says they plan to expand to more instruments in the future.
Smart Skully Helmet
The Fenix AR is the sleek and smart motorcycle helmet from Skully Technologies. The translucent head-up display allows the user to view turn by turn directions. It also projects 180 degrees rear view from the camera located at the back of the helmet. Fenix is also hands free with voice activated Bluetooth calling and music streaming.
Robots Come In All Shapes and Sizes: From Dogs to Ping Pong Players
A massive ping pong playing robot called Forpheus drew crowds last week for it size and skill. The bot is 10 feet tall, has a War of the Worlds resemblance, and was surprisingly created to help you, not destroy you. Forpheus is a ping pong tutor and it’s purpose is to help improve the user’s game. The ball’s location is detected 80 times per second resulting in a steady volley between man and machine.
Another CES Show come and gone! 2018 should be full of great designs and electronic innovations. For a look at some of our projects, please browse our website or drop us a note at info@beyonddesignchicago.com.
Top
