Innovation, some of it pretty quirky, is on full display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
Thousands of companies, from startups to titans, are debuting their futuristic, must-have gadgets and gizmos.
Sure, robots are fun, but the central focus of the show is serious.
“And, that’s technology being used to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges,” said Allie Fried, spokeswoman for CES.
Those challenges zero in on food and water supplies and sustainability.
John Deere, which already had unveiled an autonomous tractor, now promotes its robotic fertilizer. The idea is to save the farmer and consumer money and reduce the chemicals to the environment.
There’s plenty for the home turf, too.
A Dandy Technology robot uses AI to roam your lawn and kill weeds. And, Moen is highlighting smart lawn sprinklers.
Another bright idea is the smart light switch.
“It learns your light habits,” Fried said. “It knows when you need it dark and when you need it bright.”
You don’t have to lift a finger.
TVs are also getting smarter. If only there weren’t those wires and cables to ruin the aesthetic. Wait. LG unveiled a 97-inch 4K OLED television that’s wireless.
Even the bath mat is getting smarter.
“You stand on it and it does a full body analysis,” Fried said.
It’s Baracoda’s BBalance bath mat that tells you all kinds of things like your weight, body composition, and posture and then gives personalized tips to improve.
There are plenty of gizmos for cars, too, like the Nextbase IQ Smart Dash Cam.
One camera points out the windshield, while the other points into the car.
“If it senses sound or motion when you’re not there, you’ll get an alert on your cellphone and the camera turns on and you see what’s happening.”
That could potentially be a lifesaver when children are left in a car alone.
For parents, there’s also a self-driving stroller.
Canadian startup Glüxkind Technologies revealed “Ella,” a smart stroller that starts at $3,300. The stroller, powered by AI, includes danger alerts and smart brakes.
A product that’s a real talker is the Timekettle by WT2 Edge.
“These are real-time translating earbuds,” Fried said.
Each person gets one earbud and they can carry on a conversation in any one of 40 languages.
And for parents who need a translation for their baby’s cries? There’s a product for that, too.