Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018

The trends, the tech, the future.

First thing seen on the monorail... let the AI battle begin!

Artificial Intelligence is being integrated into manufacturing automation, this movement is being dubbed ‘Industry 4.0’.

Building #trust with #AI.

The plan seems to be to work with all the leading digital assistants: Alexa, Google, Apple

Will people grow tired of voice control and return to wanting tactile and button controls?

Cujo’s network-level home security system controls all devices in the home, providing security holistically, not just at the device level. We applaud their choice to make it look approachable and friendly.

Moen’s cloud-based, WiFi enabled shower system was announced at CES last year as a system that can pair with an iPhone to deliver a customized shower experience. This year they announced it will be Alexa and Siri enabled.

Tobii Gaming leverages eye movement to control your virtual player.

The super-gorgeous Byton concept car is gesture controlled.

Can Augmented Reality end the struggle to make your kids brush their teeth without a fight? Kolibree thinks so.

Tomaggo’s camera lets users capture 360 degree, VR 180 images, so you can share immersive experiences with anyone.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Studio the future of amusement park rides?

Cerevo is thinking in terms of systems- VR paired with haptic feedback.

Get ready to see this at your local park #VR.

Vuze’s VR technology uses mathematical algorithms to create unique projections and reconstruct multiple viewpoints, creating the effect of viewing a scene from different directions.

If the fact that wearable backpack battery power for your VR system exists doesn’t tell you we need better battery technology, we’re not sure what does.

Foot powered VR controller- a unique way to interact with content and a great accessibility device.

BMW dared show attendees to compare VR and the real deal, and in the process drove home the fact that VR is not a replacement for real experiences.

Ready for this in your living room?

LG’s 4K curved OLED “Grand Canyon of displays” was a cool, walk-through experience.

Light panels from Nanoleaf- very cool.

Royole displayed a clear cordless phone to show off their flexible sensor technology.

Skyworth showed AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology in  jewelry rather than in typical uses.

Get ready for micro LEDs.

Hypervsn signage from Kino.mo.

OLED wallpaper from Skyworth.

Lots of speakers from Microlab.

The EchoBox Explorer is fully open source Android OS music player made with absolutely gorgeous materials.

That’s not a chair, it’s a speaker from HiVi.

Plenty of wireless in-ear headphones around the show, these from Audio-Technica.

Blue’s audio equipment is focused on the details- both in sound quality and materials/finishes.

Beyer Dynamic headphones are equipped with beyerdynamic Tesla technology and Mimi sound personalization, which connects to an app that determines the wearer’s personal hearing profile, customizing sound delivery.

Sennheiser’s binaural headsets enable users to capture realistic sound that sound like you’re there.

That glowing light saber looking piece is the microphone for these fun gaming headphones.

Simple and beautiful speaker and record player combo from Hym Originals.

The Sensel Morph is a mobile, modular system for creating digital art.

Nice looking autonomous package delivery drone.

Specialized heavy lifting drone has a 10’ by 10’ footprint.

This fully waterproof drone from Swell Pro can take off from land or water and drop bait right to the fish.

Yamaha’s crop sprayer takes care of the dirty chemical dropping work without a pilot.

The Robotix Rescue Drone is equipped with an integrated radar system that can monitor vital signs on the ground.

DJI is the leader of this space. It showed by the size of the booth and the amount of traffic.

Grab on to the Mix drone and have it pull you through the water- no swimming skills needed. Sublue’s underwater drones pair functionality with fun, personality packed forms.

Drone fighting time with Vex Robotics.

Alpha 1 pro, Alexa enabled robot from UBTech Robotics

Abilix educational robots

Sanbot’s Max is lauded as your new favorite coworker, designed to perform in multiple business scenarios.

photos: http://en.sanbot.com/

Beam’s personal telepresence robot allows you to be there and make eye contact... sort of.

Futuristic robot meets classic Astroboy.

Pretty amazing tech, folks.

Want a #robot handing you that Starbucks coffee in the morning?

smart home

A fridge that does everything but go to the store for you...

The Kohler Konnect system lets you set personal preferences for your shower, toilet, tub, mirror and even the kitchen sink.

Cocoon Cam’s app-based monitoring connects mom and dad to baby, monitoring breathing real-time and pushing alerts if baby needs momma.

The Motorola Halo+ WiFi baby monitor and sleep companion makes your crib connected.

If you’re looking for a new home product, chances are it will be connected and have an integrated camera.

A modular, open-platform ‘brain’ for your home from nCube. Start with the hub and add connected components.

Would you learn classical pieces on a smart piano?

smart outside the home

Day 1 and I thought I had seen it all... until this. An Internet of Things horse saddle.

The BHyve allows you to ‘water smart’, controlling watering with your smartphone based on the ecological needs of your lawn.

Hyundai’s in-house agency displayed their smart driving glasses, adjusting automatically to light conditions.

A smart backpack for bikers from Royole signals the rider’s intention- look! No hands!

Smart gardening at CES 2018.

Ford asks the big question.

smart cities

smart countries

Smart everything ushers in a new era: the data

days.

Keynotes repeatedly pointed to the fact that we’re in or moving into the Data Era: the next natural step following the Connected Era.  The smart devices developed during the last handful of years are now out there now capturing massive amounts of data; “connected” seems to be assumed. Today’s question seems to be, who does something with all that data to make sense of it? Will and can it be aggregated and processed to make some meaningful impact?

LiFi... will it replace some WiFi?

But really, props to Ford and Dominos for focusing on what really matters... autonomous vehicles for pizza delivery.

This panel discussion raised questions about whether these systems should be open or closed for developers. There are still really big questions to be answered in this space.

Honda’s focus at CES was around multiple robots working together to ‘make life better’, dubbed 3E.  The robots, delivering on diverse mobility needs, were designed with empowerment, empathy and experience at the forefront.

What’s old is new again? The Electron wheel makes your regular bike an electric one in 30 seconds.

eBikes everywhere... a function of better battery tech or sheer laziness?

CyclEye handlebars with built-in radar technology gets a nod from the Innovations Awards judges.

Wow, Yamaha! Amazing booth with creative mobility systems.

The 06GEN is a low speed autonomous mobility system.

The MOTOROiD proof-of-concept model senses the rider while autonomously transporting him

Segway’s space had loads of mobility solutions on display. The company’s sharp focus on transportation for lifestyle and recreational riders was emphasized at this year’s CES.

Ford’s Ojo electric commuter scooter can go 25 miles on a single charge... wouldn’t be too practical for Chicago winters though.

photos: www.ojoelectric.com

Hyundai’s Nexo fuel cell vehicle promises to deliver on a 370 mile range.

Now Generation

Airfrance’s forward-looking ‘Junior Lab’ event sought to see the travel experience through this generation’s eyes.

If you want to charge a premium price, look to deliver convenience.

"Assistance is really the new battleground for growth. As expectations of the empowered consumer continue to rise, the most assistive brands will win."

--Google President of the Americas Allan Thygesen, opening remarks for a panel discussion at 2018 CES

Wearables for very specific industrial reasons are fresher than the now-common step counters.

The Manesphere delivers Magnetic Resonance Therapy, enhancing feelings of relaxation. Linked to the HaloBeat™ IOS app, real-time measurements of the user’s Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and other aspects of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are provided for insights into effectiveness.

Given the state of the country’s opioid crisis, it was good to see tech being leveraged to ease pain without meds.

Choose your own adventure from Hivox: pain relief or building bulk.

Peloton does it again, this time with a treadmill. Beautifully designed machine connected to a system that makes you keep coming back for more (and paying more each month for the paired subscription service).

Interesting new sleep innovations, but we wonder at what point the tech that’s supposed to help becomes a distraction, keeping us awake.

Sleepace urges us to ‘smarten our bedroom’ with devices that ease users awake and asleep with light, smell and sound, tailoring the experience based on information gathered in their app.

Muse combines IoT tech with meditation to help us find our zen.

Turner Sports, whose focus is on delivering coverage on major sporting events across a wide variety of media, had a big presence, participating in live events and keynotes.

Fitlight’s wireless reaction training system aims to help improve athletic performance by delivering analytics real-time to the athlete and trainer.

Prevent Biometrics’ smart mouth guard monitors and records head impact, and most importantly, alerts connected team personnel when a wearer is in need of assessment.

The Halo Neuroscience Halo Sport stimulates the part of the brain responsible for muscle movement. The headset delivers neuropriming, which is the process of using electrical stimulation during movement-based training to build stronger, more optimized connections between the brain and muscles, improving athletic performance.

Wi-Charge technology delivers power over distances using infrared beams of light, here powering trains without batteries..

A few intriguing power solutions from Power-Tech.

Handheld robot play 3D pen from Poloroid: Caution: not for engineering use.

These robots seem to do it all: 3D printing, writing and more.

MoonRay desktop 3Dprinter uses DLP technology.

Digital conference, analog notes.

When will battery tech advance enough that it keeps pace with our needs?