The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the world’s largest venue for cool and innovative tech products and applications to look for in the coming year. 2020 is no exception, with exciting offerings in wearables, smart home devices, mobile technology and much more.
Our very own Business Development Engineers Kaelen Lee and Dara Shabnam were at the show and they brought back their insights about what’s cool and where many key industries are heading. Here are some of their favorites.
Smart Home
Smart home devices were one of the most prominent consumer products segments at CES 2020. And of those, this robotic assistant from Charmin gained a lot of attention.
We’re going to assume that the adorable teddy bear design makes this more suitable for younger children, but there will also be many of us who can benefit from a robotic caddy that delivers a new roll of toilet paper to you when needed.
Automotive
One of the biggest surprises at the show – which had been kept a very tightly held secret – was the unveiling by Sony of their Vision S electric car.
We don’t actually expect Sony to get into the car game. Instead, the Vision S is a mobile platform that showcases all the embedded and connected technology that Sony wants to provide drivers of the future.
On the outside, there are 33 sensors, cameras, radar and even lidar. Lidar works like radar but instead of radio waves it uses laser light to create a more detailed map of the surrounding area.
That last one especially is expected to be the next big thing since it will enhance autonomous vehicle technology greatly. Inside there’s a huge digital dashboard with handsfree technology that’s expected to sync perfectly with your Sony phone and other peripherals. With 5G coming in 2020, Sony wants to be the first to offer a complete next-generation driving experience.
Segway also announced their new S-Pod mobility solution.
Balancing on two wheels, the S-Pod will be able to whisk one very comfortable passenger up to 45 miles, at a top speed of 24 mph. It is controlled with a joystick or by leaning forward or back, with wheels at the ends to prevent it from tipping too far. Expect to see this kind of cart in controlled spaces with lots of pedestrian traffic, such as airports, university campuses or, yes, even big and crowded exhibition centers.
Mobile and Gaming
Speaking of 5G, one of the presumed advantages of this new broadband standard is that it will offer much faster download speeds and live-streaming for movies and online gaming, especially on mobile. That’s what gaming accessory and peripheral specialist Razer is counting on.
Their new Kishi mobile phone game controller is a well-thought-out piece of kit. It has two joysticks and the familiar keypads so you can use the full screen display. But its major advantage is that it works with both Android and Apple iPhones. And, it plugs directly into the phone connector – not via WiFi or Bluetooth – so there is minimal lag when streaming live games. The Kishi won the People’s Choice Award this year by a wide margin.
Environment and Sustainability
A multiple award winner at CES, including Best in Show, is the Hydraloop water purifier.
The size of a small refrigerator, the Hydraloop connects directly to your home’s main water supply and sanitizes greywater (from the sink, shower, and washing machine) using six different filtration and purifying technologies. These are the same as employed by large municipal wastewater facilities, but radically scaled down. Hydraloop says that the typical home can recycle 85% of their water for reuse in washing and gardening. This would be an immense benefit for saving money or where fresh water supplies are limited.
Another unfortunate reminder of changing environmental conditions is the quality of air to be found in crowded cities like Beijing or New York. Even in places with nominally good air, forest fires can pose a serious health risk to the population, and normal cloth masks can only do so much.
Most air filter masks need to make a tight seal against the face, which can be uncomfortable and won’t work for everyone. The Atmos is designed to sit on the bridge of the nose, leaving the mouth open. Battery powered fans in the earpieces draw in ambient air through a series of filters. Fresh air is constantly pumped towards the mouth, forcing bad air out under positive pressure.
We don’t yet know if it will work as advertised and it’s true that the fashion-forward look takes some getting used to. But it does show that tech startups are keen to offer innovative solutions for emerging environmental challenges.
Want to Learn More?
These are just a few of the highlights from the show but there were many other products that combined advanced technologies with great designs. If you’d like to know more about how Star Rapid has helped many other creators bring their ideas to life, contact us today to set up an appointment with Kaelen, Dara or any one of the other Global Sales Team members who are in your region.
