The CES is full of inventions that leave more than one speechless: airbags for motorcyclists, inflatable farms, leggings who aspire to increase sports performance, pots that aim to turn plants into pets, razors that fit in the palm of your hand, photo frames with speakers and robots more typical of science fiction. At the largest consumer electronics fair on the planet, held between January 9 and 12 in Las Vegas, pillows to prevent snoring, smart mirrors or systems that promise to read the emotions of babies and pets are usually exhibited year after year. These are some of the most curious inventions of this edition.
Among the most curious devices of 2023, there were interactive masturbators, printers for dyeing hair or masks for confidential calls. In this edition, a light bulb with facial recognition from Lepro sneaks into this list. “It can analyze users' expressions, capture their emotional state, and recommend lighting effects that match their mood,” its creators say. The bulb is also equipped with an algorithm that simulates the human auditory system and synchronizes the lights according to the music that is playing to “create an immersive audiovisual experience for the user.”
The startup french Neoplants claims to have created a plant that can remove air 30 times more effectively than a standard houseplant. This is how Alexandre Galbiati, the company's marketing director, explains it: “We work on the DNA of plants. “We designed them through bioengineering to insert a gene into them that makes them capable of absorbing contaminants and transforming them into plant matter.” At the moment, they only sell it in the United States, since in that country it is allowed to edit the genome of plants, as Galbiati highlights.
A stroller that rocks itself
In one of the rooms at Mandala Bay, one of the hotels where CES is held, a baby stroller rocks automatically. A few meters away, Kevin Huang, CEO of Glüxkind, watches him. This Canadian company has created a stroller that uses artificial intelligence to make parenting easier. The goal is to give parents “an extra pair of eyes and hands while they are away from home.” “You can go up the steep hills of San Francisco effortlessly or go down a hill with groceries in hand without worry, since the cart, in addition to moving, can stop and brake automatically,” he says. At home, the stroller can also be useful. For example, “by rocking the baby while you read a book, drink coffee or rest.”
A robot to walk well
A portable robot whose intention is to make walking an “easy and effective” exercise. This is how Wirobotics defines one of the most curious inventions at CES. The robot in question is made up of a kind of belt that is attached to the knees with irons. It has two modes. One for assistance to “walk with ease and safety that helps you lift your legs and push them to the ground.” And another exercise, which offers some resistance and is designed to strengthen the legs. With this mode activated, it is similar to walking in water. Although the robot is designed mainly for older people and people with Parkinson's or sarcopenia—a condition characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength—has also been designed with young people in mind. “It can be effective in getting them to adopt a calm posture when walking,” says Ji Young Kim, an employee at the company.
A case to turn the iPhone into a Blackberry
Gone are cell phones with physical keyboards. They were progressively replaced by touch devices that gave priority to a large screen. Clicks Technology has developed an iPhone case for the nostalgic, as it is partly reminiscent of a Blackberry. In fact, its creators claim that among them there are former employees of Blackberry, Apple and Google. At first glance, this case has two drawbacks: the high price – it costs 125 euros – and its large size, which makes the terminal more reminiscent of a wide television remote control than a mobile phone.
An artificial intelligence that designs clothes
Generative AI goes far beyond ChatGPT. “Everything you see here has been generated by an AI,” says Florent Michel as he points out several bags, pants and leather jackets with diamonds. He is an employee of Imki, a startup which works alongside fashion brands to apply AI to clothing design. Before, designers had an idea, they started by drawing it by hand and then used programs like Photoshop, according to Michel. Now “they just have to write it and see the results.” What is the difference between these clothes and those designed by a human? “None. That is the question,” says Michel.
A head for avatars
Some inventions on display at CES seem straight out of the series
Black Mirror. If last year some avatars of deceased relatives drew attention, in this case one of the gadgets more surreal is a head for avatars. It is called WeHead and its goal is “for you to feel the presence of a virtual human or a digital clone of a person in the physical world.” “As people enter virtual worlds through their digital avatars, WeHead offers developers the ability to bring these characters into the real world through a physical device,” its creators note.
A 'gadget' to touch virtual reality
Palmplug is a device that monitors every hand movement. Thanks to haptic technology, gives the user the sense of touch in video games. This is what Kevin Shi, an employee of the company, indicates: “Imagine that there is a car in front of you and if you touch it, you can feel the vibration. Or let's say you put your hand in moving water and you feel it,” he says. This device can also be used to carry out rehabilitation, for example after suffering a stroke. “It is possible to prepare the exercises as if they were a game so that you don't get bored so quickly and send the data that comes out of the glove to your doctor,” says Shi.
An artificial intelligence that translates medications
“You can't go to Google Translate and get the medication equivalent to Tylenol (paracetamol) in France. You won't get the answer,” explains Cristopher Burrow, head of Humetrix's medical informatics and data analytics group. This company has developed SOSQR Global, a platform powered by artificial intelligence that translates medical terms and recipes into more than 20 languages and in more than 150 countries. Something that could be useful “if you travel and a specialist needs to consult your medical history or when the medication you use has a completely different name somewhere else.”
A telescope that makes astronomy easy
Using a telescope for the first time can be frustrating, according to Laurent Marfisi of Unistellar. “The first problem is that you may not see much with a normal telescope. The second is that these devices are difficult to maneuver,” he highlights. His company has a solution: a smart telescope to make astronomy more accessible. The device has been designed to identify what is in the sky, take photos and send them to your mobile phone. You can also send notifications. “For example, it will tell you that today is a good day to see Jupiter in your neighborhood,” says Maggie Zaboura, another company employee.
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