The greatest consumer electronics show in the world showcases amazing new products and cutting-edge emerging technologies in the consumer electronics industry.
Today’s annual trade show began in 1967 in New York City with 100 exhibitors featuring the latest innovations for home and entertainment. The 1960s was a fascinating era for consumers first being introduced to satellites, space travel and industrial robots… along with an array of exciting new products for home and entertainment, like personal computers, push button phones, stereo sound systems, video cameras and the introduction of video games, to name but a few… and the brand-new consumer electronics show was the place to see the latest and greatest.
Over the next 57 years, the show grew and gravitated west – first to a twice-a-year big summer show in Chicago with a smaller winter show in Las Vegas – and then finally relocating to Las Vegas in 1998 as a January show with the original once-a-year format.
2024 CES Las Vegas
Today’s consumer electrics show is the largest in the world with over 133,000 attendees interacting with over 4,400 exhibitors and continuing the original intent of bringing together the latest and most amazing new products and cutting-edge emerging technologies in the consumer electronics industry.
Truly global in nature, one-third of this year’s attendees were from foreign countries and exhibitors from more than 150 countries presented lavish displays of futuristic products that spanned 41 different technology categories, all spread over 12 venues and 2.5 million feet of exhibit space.
From January 9 to12, miles of aisles in four halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Venetian Expo and nearby major hotels connected the world’s biggest brands to innovators, decision makers, media, influencers, visionaries and potential customers at the world’s biggest and most influential technology event.
Back to the Future
The early years of CES were also the time of two popular 1960s cartoon series that captured both the spirit and momentum of the decade. One was The Flintstones, with a family that lived in a comical version of the Stone Age, with machines and daily life powered by birds and dinosaurs. On the other end of the spectrum, were The Jetsons, with a family enjoying life a century into the future filled with fanciful inventions, a robot maid named Rosie and, of course, flying cars.
With this in mind, those attending this year’s CES, entered feeling quite tech-savvy – most with the latest iPhones, laptops and hi-tech gear in hand – but within minutes, they quickly went from personally identifying with The Jetsons (circa 2068) to a humbled status more like The Flintstones as they realized their prized technology was – by comparison – a bit more Stone Age than Space Age.
What they encountered ranged from amazing home entertainment and appliance innovations, enhanced electronics for health and vision, ever smarter homes and entire smart cities to self-driving autonomous electric vehicles of all types, unmanned aerial transportation, high-performance drones and far-reaching unlimited robotics for home and industry… all with jaw-dropping embedded technologies and often controlled and/or guided by Artificial Intelligence.
Here’s a sampling of what had this year’s CES attendees adopting Fred Flintstone’s animated catchphrase “yabba dabba doo!”
Home Entertainment
Television has always been a main feature at CES and this year was no exception, with introductions from smart and smarter to intelligent, brilliant and even genius.
The first big introduction was LG’s revolutionary transparent Signature OLED T – a wireless 77-inch see-through television screen – that looks like a free-standing glass panel until, with the push of a button, a black film rises and it becomes a traditional TV. LG’s transparent TV offers unlimited interior placement options when not in use (like in front of a fish tank, decorative setting or window) rather than just being a big black unattractive square on the wall.
In addition to screens getting bigger, brighter, foldable, rollable and glare-free, new “Art Frame” TV’s also double as works of art – anything you choose, whether a famous masterpiece or uploaded photo of your choice – until it’s time for your favorite show or movie.
Along with gigantic wall-size screens, there is also new “point-and-click” technology that allows you to pause a show, highlight an object (couch, lamp or appliance), and you’ll be told its name and where to buy it. Another new twist by start-up Telly LLC joins Siri and Alexa. Just say “Hey Telly” and its 55-inch 4K HDR TV opens a smaller AI-driven smart-screen below for any number of voice-controlled options… home automation, video calls, news updates, etc… and, over time, it further recognizes the user and offers even more personalized answers, recommendations and customized commands.
Cooking with AI
Billed as the world’s first AI powered grill, the Seergrills Perfecta quickly cooks foods standing upright. Dual-sided vertical infrared burners achieve perfect rare, medium or well-done steaks, burgers and fish every time… at 1625°F and in under three minutes.
The NeoSear Innogrill by Brisk It, makes the art of barbecuing foolproof. Ask the grill questions to create the perfect recipe – “What seasoning should I use to make my chicken skewers spicy?” or “How do I sear a medium-rare steak?” – and it creates a recipe. You prep the food and InnoGrill’s AI technology does the rest, telling the grill how to cook it up just right.
Start-up Chef AI unveiled a one-touch air fryer that uses (you guessed it) AI to detect and analyze what type of food you put in the air fryer. Just press start and AI does the rest. No additional commands or settings.
Gadgets – “Gotta Have” and ?
One of the hottest products introduced at this year’s CES was a small, three-inch square personal assistant called the Rabbit R1. With a 2.8 inch screen, camera, scrolling wheel and side button for voice commands, the AI-controlled device knows how apps work and communicates directly with yours via WiFi to complete entire tasks. Tell it what you want, like ordering an Uber, delivering groceries or booking a vacation… and it launches all the various apps required and seamlessly completes a complex task start-to-finish.
In a convincing exhibit demonstration, the Rabbit R1 planned a vacation – booking flights, ordering ground transportation and making hotel reservations – all with one command. It also answered philosophical questions, checked stock prices, looked up movies, played music on Spotify, scheduled a ride share and ordered a pizza for delivery. On the first day alone, over 10,000 Rabbit R1s were sold. The second day, another 10,000 were sold and/or ordered.
Other interesting AI-infused products included the Anura MagicMirror that analyzes your facial image for blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol and more… along with the Oclean X Ultra AI-powered toothbrush that maps your teeth using bone conductivity technology to provide optimum brushing patterns (telling you which side and area needs more attention).
And for those who think Artificial Intelligence is for the birds? You’re right. There are now AI solar-powered bird houses and feeders, by Bird Buddy and Birdfy, that tell you which feathered friends are visiting with video images on your cellphone – and AI-powered Swarovski Optik Visio binoculars that, with a click, fully identify and record over 9,000 types of the birds and wildlife you’re watching.
Up, Up and Away
As for flying cars, the XPENG AeroHT eVTOL is a sleek electric vertical takeoff and landing Lamborghini-style “flying supercar” that converts from highway to skyway with the push of a button. As interior controls and instruments changeover, eight rotors emerge from its roof to lift and fly passengers to their destination traffic-free.
The Supernal SA-2 electric Air Taxi, by Hyundai – also an eVTOL vehicle – lifts straight up from small local “Vertiports” and whisks four passengers and a pilot to nearby locations up to 40-miles away at 120 mph and a 1,500-foot low altitude while operating as quietly as a dishwasher.
And to better park both today’s Flintstone-esque automobiles and tomorrow’s flying cars, there’s the “Parkie” by HL Mando… a sleek AI-operated commercial robotic valet parking system. When you pull in, a flat plate rolls under your car, lifts it up and heads off to a compact parking spot. Along with tighter computerized spaces and no dings from opening car doors, garages can handle up to 30% more vehicles with faster in-and-outs which is better for drivers and owners alike.
For Those Who Can’t Wait
Tech-savvy junkies may find themselves a bit frustrated by all of the “oohs and ahhs” of the 2024 CES – and feeling a bit like Fred Flintstone – in not being able to obtain and employ all these wonderful gadgets and innovations today.
But take heart, as the George Jetson lifestyle of 2068 will be here before you know it… with robot maids, AI-cooked meals-in-minutes and flying cars… it’s all just around the corner.
Good news indeed… “yabba dabba doo!”
Don Logay is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of three national magazines. Today he writes luxury lifestyle articles for numerous publications. He can be reached at (949) 240-4444 or [email protected].
The post 2024 CES: What’s New – What’s Next appeared first on Vegas Legal Magazine.