Striking awe in consumers around the world, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has become a must-see for those who crave knowing what is coming next. Since it’s inauguration in 1967, CES has a stellar track record for unveiling some pretty incredible, and some pretty weird stuff.
After a two year hiatus, CES was back in action this past week and exhibitors did not disappoint. From robotic pillows to vacuum masks that make you look like you hopped right out of Gotham City – CES had it all. Let us take a look.
Baby Goes Vroom
According to Tech Crunch, ‘people movers’ of all shapes and sizes were on display. Everything from a luxury Bugatti scooter to personal motorbikes that looked like toasters. One people mover particularly caught our eye: an autonomously driving and parking baby stroller.
Introduced by a Canadian company called Gluxkind, ‘The Ella’, is an AI powered smart stroller that also includes a motor system for uphill walks and auto-braking for declines. In theory, this sounds wonderful but we cannot help but wonder what kind of accidents these might cause. Especially if being driven by a small child!
EV Palooza
We are sure it comes at no surprises that many auto-manufacturers unveiled their latest concepts and prototypes for both electric and self-driving vehicles alike. Mercedes-Benz even announced that they are moving ahead with their own charging network, which should be interesting to see materialized alongside Tesla down the line. However, one announcement regarding autonomously driving vehicles stood above the rest, especially for those of us in Wintery climates.
Goodyear and Gatik have teamed up to make intelligent tires a reality. These tires, using a software by Gatik called Sightline, intends to collect data in order to accurately predict/sense road friction and make the necessary adjustments for enhanced safety.
Most self-driving vehicles have trouble sensing road conditions, especially in snowy or icy conditions. Thus, most autonomous driving systems are tested in sunny, fair-weather places. As Tech Crunch reports ‘Cars become an extension of the body when we drive; we can feel the lack of grip in our car’s tires when driving over icy or wet roads. Autonomous vehicles do not have that same sensing ability’.
Hopefully with data collection and the advent of this new technology, we will be able to make autonomous driving safer all around.
Breath Deeply
Another interesting find this year at CES was a breathing robotic pillow called ‘Fufly’ from Yukai Engineering. Fufly utilizes what is called ‘respiratory entertainment’ in which a person’s breathing ends up matching that of the respirators.
This creates a space where the patients breathing will eventually sync up to the pillow hopefully enhancing respiratory health, oxygen flow, and overall sleep.
Not A Robotics Show...But Also A Lot Of Robotics
When thinking about technology gatherings like CES, sometimes one might tend to think of robotics. While CES is not specifically a robotics show, it always draws robotic companies in and share their hard-work. In fact, it is said that one could spend days just viewing the vast displays of robotics alone.
A key feature was Ottonomy’s delivery robot Yeti. This particular robotic is poised to take over and fill in the gaps where Amazon, FedEx, and UPS are lacking in delivery abilities. This robotic also features an auto-dispensing mechanism that sets it apart from the rest.
A fun little success story – in 2018 the company Aeolus introduced a little ‘helper’ robot named Aeo. The company attributes it’s exposure at CES to it’s success in the field. Many Japanese hospitals, schools, and eldercare facilities use these robots to help with everyday tasks.
The Takeaway
There is always something new, fun, and exciting at CES but a lot of what we are seeing will not become available to consumers for quite a while.
In the meantime, Vodigy has all the latest and most reliable technology at the ready to support your business. Why not reach out today?
