Four days, about 130,000 people, and way too many mentions of AI words, CES 2024 is officially over.
This massive tech event has built a reputation as the place to see the biggest tech releases, the hottest new gadgets of the year, and even glimpses of the future tech we'll be using.
But while there is a lot to see, encompassing every little corner of technology, some clear trends have emerged, which will likely shape the next two years.
Artificial intelligence is in everything, everywhere and at once
Yes, artificial intelligence, who could have guessed that the biggest talking point in technology would appear at CES? Covering every sign, label and product description, AI not only left a mark on the event, it covered the event… But not all AI products are created equal.
Cramming technology into every crevice, there have been AI-powered pillows to stop snoring, pet doors that use AI to make your pet drop any dead animals they carry before letting them in, and even an AI-powered toilet that, despite its $11,500 price tag, However, it doesn't do much that you can't do yourself.
Of course, there was a sea of products that used two things – ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence. Cars with ChatGPT installed, TVs that can answer questions, and every version of an AI art generator you can imagine flooded the event.
But that doesn't mean all the AI tools on display at the event aren't worth getting excited about. The Rabbit R1 was the device that captured the hype at CES, where it was praised from all angles.
This palm-sized gadget resembles a modern Gameboy, containing a screen, camera, button, and rotary dial. Essentially, the R1 is designed to be a “pocket companion” able to answer questions, order rides, play music, check bus schedules, and answer the big philosophical questions we face in life.
It does all this through a large language model (such as ChatGPT) and calling a set of applications. Just ask him a question and he'll get on with it. In any situation where you're going to spend money, it verifies all the details with you first… You don't want to accidentally book an Uber for eight hours because of an AI error.
Transparent TVs
Television has seen many developments. HD, Ultra-HD, flat panel, 4K and even 8K TVs, but now things are taking a more unique path – transparency. Both Samsung and LG used CES 2024 to showcase their new transparent TVs.
Now, this sounds like an April Fool's joke or a bad joke, but these new TVs, while completely bizarre, are undoubtedly impressive. When both devices are in their transparent modes, they're like holograms, displaying images in a floating space with the rest of the room clear behind them.
So what happens when you actually want to enjoy a movie or some TV show? The contrast screen can be dropped at the back to revert this to a regular HD TV.
If you think this sounds like an expensive sci-fi dream, you're right. Although prices have not yet been announced, they will likely exceed what most people, except the richest and most ostentatious, consider normal for TVs.
Robot Uprising is surprisingly cute
The robot uprising has arrived, but don't worry, it's cooler than you think. CES 2024 revealed a sea of robot helpers, all set to resemble a cooler, less menacing Wall-E.
Take Samsung, for example, which chose CES to unveil its “Ballie” robot. At first glance, it looks like a technologically advanced hamster ball, aimlessly rolling around your house, but it's smarter than that.
Equipped with a projector and arrays of cameras, the Ballie can follow you around your home, projecting exercise videos onto the ceiling, TV shows on your living room wall, or video calls on your coffee table.
Not just an over-engineered monitor, it can also control lights, set up smart home products, monitor your home, and send updates throughout the day about your pets and general home safety.
LG has taken a similar path, developing a smart home robot. Rolling around on two legs, staring at you with giant digital eyes, it's both adorable and strangely terrifying.
It can collect information about your home's temperature, humidity, and air quality. However, its main use is as a security robot. Although it won't resist intruders, it can check open windows and even turn off appliances and lights you've forgotten about.
Not every robot at CES is designed to be a roaming butler. For example, Yerbo unveiled a robot with a borderline military design. The robot system can do everything from blowing snow to spreading seeds, watering plants and cutting grass.
There's even a robot designed just to park your car in tight spaces, lift the car and place it in the gap – thank goodness robots don't have consciousness because that would be a difficult realization.
Technical health care at home
Thanks to CES in recent years, we've seen smart toilets, scales that shock you, and beds that monitor your emotional state. Walking a tightrope between innovation and weirdness this year, CES 2024 produced some impressive health tech.
Take, for example, the Vivoo Sensor, which allows people to test for urinary tract infections at home. By connecting to the app, users can send test results to their GP, quickly expediting the process.
Mirror mirror, who is the healthiest of them all? Baracoda BMind, the health-tracking mirror, can tell you that. A smart mirror can offer mental health tips, mapping your daily mood and stress levels and adapting accordingly… Who knew you needed some morning therapy from your mirror?
Or if a mood-monitoring therapy mirror sounds too normal for you, how about a 7-layer 3D printed vitamin gummy? Elo allows you to customize your gummy candy, with a possible combination of 389 million nutritional ingredients. Its marketing is complete with a host of scientific buzzwords and a celebrity appearance from climbing legend Tommy Caldwell.
Among the truly weird, wonderful and revolutionary products is this one from health tech giant Withings, with its new product BeamO. Although it looks like a Wii controller, it's actually a very smart health monitor.
Able to track heart rate, temperature, blood oxygen and even able to function as a stethoscope, the Beamo is intended as an on-the-go health monitor. This information can then be shared with your doctor if any abnormalities arise.
Hidden home technology
The idea of hidden technology leads the brain into the glamorous world of James Bond and spy devices hidden inside shoes, pens and umbrellas… This area of CES unfortunately isn't quite as exciting as that.
There's a growing trend, fueled by companies like Ikea and Sonos, where hidden home technology is a way to integrate your technology into your home without it being noticeable. Think speakers trapped in lamps, projectors hidden in fake books, or wireless chargers built into tables.
This year's CES was full of this kind of technology, most notably Samsung's new Frame product. Inspired by Samsung's existing frame — a TV that looks like a panel when not in use — the Music Frame speaker is a way to keep your speakers hidden.
The Music Frame, a small square picture frame, contains an array of speakers, ready to connect to devices via Bluetooth or connect to existing Samsung speakers for a shared speaker system.
Photo frames can be swapped and display different artwork, album covers or an image of a generic record player. Ikea isn't the first to offer a product with this idea, having been selling the SYMFONISK music frame for years, albeit with a somewhat simpler design.
Elsewhere, projector company XGIMI was praised for its new product Aladdin, a 4K smart projector hidden in a ceiling light. Despite its combination of light, the projector is still powerful, capable of projecting images up to 100 inches on the wall.
Of course, with all of this year's new technology in your home, you'll need a way to control it. Instead of having a giant console sitting somewhere, the Mui Board Gen 2, a product announced at CES, provides a precise hub for your smart home.
Although it looks like a simple wooden accent in your home, a light touch turns it into an interactive way to control lights, speakers, curtains, and any technology in your home.
Cooking without hassles
Over the years, CES has produced some amazing gadgets that have revolutionized the kitchen, as well as a sea of weird, overpriced accessories, ready to be used once and then tossed in the back of the cupboard… This year was a big part of the same.
Let's start with the good. As more and more people live in apartments or homes with no outdoor space, DIY meat enthusiasts are missing out on getting into meat smoking — a problem GE Appliances is looking to correct.
The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker (not the sexiest of names, we know) is a smoker that doesn't let any smoke out into the world. Instead, it's all converted into hot air that's slowly released out the back.
This way, it can be set up inside your home, which is perfect if you don't have outdoor space, or simply don't want to spend a cold evening checking out smoked meats.
Elsewhere, the brand launched Chef AI with the aim of turning even the worst chefs into chefs. One-Touch Air Fryer This product uses artificial intelligence to detect food and adjust the cooking time and temperature to match — easily and at just $250.
Other cooking gadgets at CES were more specialized: a super-fast ice cream and protein shake maker, for example, or a giant robot designed solely for stir-frying. There was also a smart refrigerator that scanned your ingredients to provide possible recipes.
Making the world more accessible
The past two years have seen accessibility technology advance by leaps and bounds, pushing the boundaries in everything from gaming to getting dressed in the morning, and CES 2024 is pushing the boundaries even further.
The GyroGlove, a $5,899 (about £4,650) device, has a simple but incredibly useful purpose – to reduce hand tremor. Using gyroscopic force, the glove counteracts tremors in the hands, aiming to help make everyday tasks easier for people with Parkinson's disease.
In the more unusual but still useful area of accessibility, the MouthPad is a product that made headlines at CES. Tongue Operated Bluetooth Controller for Phones, Tablets and Laptops The mouth pad can help give back control to those who cannot use their limbs to operate their devices.
TranscribeGlass was at CES showing off its conversation transcription glasses. For anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing, glasses can show you exactly what is being said in a conversation, presentation or movie – real-life subtitles are a fun and useful idea we can get around.
There were also accessibility features for games – a growing area thanks to pushes from the likes of Sony and Microsoft. A product called Audio Radar has been unveiled, which is able to interpret audio signals in games, turning them into flashes of RGB lights around a computer screen.
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