Every year, businessmen, inventors, and geeks from around the world gather in Las Vegas for CES, North America’s largest consumer electronics show. They go in search of products, profit, and above all, a glimpse of what the future may look like when we live alongside robots and artificial intelligence.
The exhibition is enormous, featuring over 3,200 tech companies that range from the world’s largest companies like Apple and Amazon, through to solo inventors that believe they’re the next Graham Alexander Bell. The giant companies spend tens of millions of dollars announcing their next generation of products and building outrageous concepts which will not make production this decade, nor probably even the next.
My favourite stands are the humble ones. They’re not staffed by public relations agencies, but by the founders who are filled with passion and conviction that their invention will be the one to change the world. In many cases, this is where ingenuity hides. By the third day of the show, many of the promising prototypes have investment offers and next year we’ll see them upstairs on a stately stand with a public relations team.
The best technology is people-centric, that solves common issues and improves our quality of life. Here are my top 10 favourite innovations that were launched at CES 2023 that may change the world:
ZERO Glasses by SK Biopharmaceuticals
These trendy looking glasses conceal electrodes that monitor brain activity, heart signals and body movement to give the wearer an early warning before a seizure event. It integrates with an app that advises the user when to take anti-seizure medication to help avoid focal-onset seizures.
Motion Pillow 2023 by 10Minds
It’s 10.30pm, you’re just drifting off to sleep when your husband starts snoring. Fortunately, he has a Motion Pillow, that hears the snoring and inflates itself, readjusting the airways and applying a mild tension to the neck muscles, allowing you both to wake up feeling rested.
Formovie V10 4K Ultra HD
This looks like a normal portable speaker, but it contains a 4K ultra-high definition projector for viewing of up to 200”. It is also features two 7.5W speakers and a 15W subwoofer, to make it the first 2.1 track smart projector. Gamers will love it too, as it has a 240Hz refresh rate and only 12ms of latency allowing for portable competitive gaming. It’s small enough to be totally portable, so wherever you go, you can take the cinema with you.
GlucoSOUND
Diabetics need to constantly monitor their blood sugar levels to maintain a healthy range. With current technology, they need to take regular blood samples for self-testing or get a device implanted for constant monitoring. Both are invasive procedures that most people would rather avoid and come with additional risks of infection. The GlucoSOUND uses laser-based ultrasound to provide accurate glucose measurements directly to a phone app.
Yoga Book 9i by Lenovo
Finally, a dual-screen laptop so that we can work with full productivity, without needing to be at our desk. The screens are dynamic and can be orientated either portrait or landscape, to suit whatever project you’re working on. This laptop would’ve been a gamechanger during lockdowns, as you can now do complicated spreadsheets while reclining on the sofa. I wrote this article on the plane home from CES, and I was desperately missing my second screen so that I could view my notes without having to switch between windows.
Wi-Charge – long range wireless charging
Mainstream use of induction charging still feels relatively new, however Wi-Charge have taken wireless charging a step further and can recharge devices from up to 9 meters away, without causing harmful radiation. It uses infrared light as the power source, and it has been approved as totally safe by US regulators. While it’s currently only suitable for low power devices, it’s already working with wireless smart home devices to eliminate the need to remove them from the wall to recharge. It is a sign of the future where even our phones may have smaller batteries as they’re constantly being recharged.
Yarbo
Instead of relying on multiple different robots, Yarbo is a groundskeeping robot with interchangeable attachments for different jobs. With the one robot, it can cut the lawns during summer, clear leaves in autumn, and transform into a snow blower in winter, with additional attachments coming in the future!
Yarbo is also unique to the domestic robot world as it uses tracks instead of wheels. It uses real time kinematic GPS allowing it to mow up to 2.3 acres methodically, on slopes of up to 34°. Yarbo will be available in May next year.
Displace Wireless TV
This slim 55” TV requires zero installation. It’s the world’s first completely wireless television that sticks to almost any surface without a mounting system or screws using active-loop technology. It runs on batteries and only needs to be charged every 30 days, even if you’re watching 6 hours per day! You can also sync up to 16 TVs together for an almost seamless 220” viewing experience.
Ilume – smart dog care
Ilume’s smart dog tracker and bowl helps us keep our best friend healthy. After you tell it about your dog and equip the tracking device, it then uses artificial intelligence to recommend an exact healthy diet, factoring in the dogs exercise, sleep, and even temperament! Ilume is founded by Kiwi Craig Silbery, so it’s exciting to see them presenting on the world’s stage.
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is the next generation of robot floor cleaner. It shares a lot in common with the S7, which is a good thing. It has 6,000 pascals of suction, a vibrating mop, and a newly designed dock that empties the vacuum contents, washes the mopping pads, and refills its own water tank. The navigation is incredible and it knows exactly where it is at all times, as it automatically creates a map of your home using a LiDAR laser measurement tool. The S8 Pro Ultra will be available in May or June this year.
The amount of innovation at CES is always overwhelming. It’s an impressive feat to simply walk the entire show in the 5 days of the event and many visitors come with a carefully planned route to ensure they see the products they’re most interested in. There are countless exciting products not in my top 10, however I don’t need to tell you about them – you may be using them daily in a few years from now.
