If you want to see what the future looks like, go to Vegas.
The CES tech show takes place in Las Vegas at the beginning of each year and is the place to take a look at next year’s biggest products. What really makes most people’s gadget diapers work are the weirder inventions. These could be the future of technology, or they may never see the light of day.
You’ll find a bit of both in this selection of CES 2023 highlights. But which is which? We will dedicate announcements to cars, entertainment tech, home innovations, and accessibility. Thumbs up to anyone who managed to correctly guess all the real breakthroughs from the demo-hungry steam software.
Automotive
BMW’s Color Changing Car
An electric car isn’t high-tech enough for you? How about someone who can change their ending 100 times a day? The BMW i Vision Dee is a concept design with 240 E Ink panels throughout its body. These can display one of 32 colors each, allowing for pretty wild designs. BMW will probably never sell a car covered in E Ink screens, but this computer image was not. It was shown live at a CES stage.
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Sony will produce cars
The idea of a Sony car might make you think of a Tesla replica with a baked-in PS5. This is a little different. Honda and Sony collaborated to create Afeela, a new brand that hopes to start producing cars in 2026. Sony is there to provide sensors and in-car entertainment that abound in modern cars. So maybe we’ll have that on-the-road PS5 experience despite everything.
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Fun
Your next TV could be completely wireless
We saw a few interesting wireless TVs at CES 2023. LG’s M3 is a relatively normal OLED TV, albeit pricey, but can be connected wirelessly to LG’s Zero Connect box. This streams 4K content up to 30ft across a room so you can hide game consoles and other boxes from view. Good things. The Displace TV goes even further with slotted batteries that provide up to 180 hours of use without a power cord, and a vacuum mount lets you easily cradle this 20lb 55-inch TV into the wall.
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HTC Vive Elite
Most regular people who love VR use a Meta Quest 2, but HTC had great success in high-end VR at CES 2023 with the Vive XR Elite. It can go through the high-definition full-color version of the outside world, seen by the 16MP cameras on the front. You can use it alone, like the Quest 2, or connected to a gaming PC for high-end VR experiences. But at £1,299 this isn’t an obvious fit for first-timers.
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Accessibility
Sony’s accessible PS5 controller
Gaming is not always easy for people with disabilities because of the complex and often precise movements required. Sony has found a solution for PlayStation players. For now it is known as Project Leonardo. It has a circular body around which customizable buttons sit. A flat base allows this pad to sit on a table or be mounted on a surface so the player does not have to hold it. No date or price yet, but the controller has been working with disability experts and charities for years.
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L’Oreal’s balancing makeup applicator
Cosmetics has become one of the thematic pillars for online creators, but makeup tutorials can seem stifled for those with limited dexterity or a wobbly grip. L’Oréal teamed up with Verily from Alphabet to make this solution called Hapta. It is an effective lipstick gimbal that keeps one’s hand steady even if their hand is shaking.
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home and work
sound absorbing face mask
Yes, you’re probably tired of face masks by now, but this one is very different. The Skyted mask “absorbs” your voice so no one close to you can eavesdrop on your phone calls or hear your swearing while you play Fortnite online. Its maker suggests that one of these masks is perfect for flights with job interviews. It’s not our bag, but you can see the mask in action on YouTube. It has some of the same materials used for soundproofing in airplanes.
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Bicycle table with laptop charger
Working from home can mean your steps are too low and your energy bills are too high. However, this can be a solution, albeit a bit strange. The eKinekt BD 3 from Acer is an exercise bike that is also a desk. We’ve seen these before, but this one turns your mid-meeting workouts into electricity that can be used to charge your phone, laptop – whatever you want – via the three USB ports. With an expected price of £999, it may take some time for the costs to stabilize.
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AI baby monitor that knows why the child is crying
There are four reasons why babies cry. That’s according to this “AI” baby monitor and night light called Q-Bear. It uses software that has been trained on 10,000 baby cries and will recognize your own child’s cries as it is used over days and weeks. What are these four reasons? Obviously hunger, dirty diaper, being tired or wanting to relax.
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self driving pram
First self-driving cars, now self-driving baby carriages? This GlüxKind pram is a far less bad idea than it sounds. The self-driving part can only be used when there is no baby inside. And if you have it, the onboard engines can help you climb uphill and stay in control on downhills with a weight of 20lb.
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The smart toilet that tests your pee
When the word “smart toilet” is mentioned, Vivoo’s toilet may not come to mind. It’s not one of those Japanese wonders with a heated seat and a massaging water tap. This is a clip-on urinalysis device that inserts a test strip into the path of your pee. It then tests the “four health” parameters and sends your results to the app within 90 seconds. We may not want to use this Each It’s time to go to the bathroom, but aren’t you a little curious about the magnesium, pH, protein and sodium content of your urine and – more importantly – what these mean for your health?
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AI oven that alerts you when food is burnt
Tired of your family saying you burned the food again? Samsung’s AI-enhanced oven can now tell you too, but hopefully before it ruins the meal. A camera watches foods as they cook, and the oven’s software can recognize more than 100 types of food and judge when they’re overcooked.
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