Another year of the CES trade show (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) is wrapping up in the US city of Las Vegas, with more than 4,000 exhibitors and tens of thousands of industry visitors experiencing some of the latest technology trends and concepts.
CES showcases both startups and tech giants, and always manages to feature some bold (and often wacky) new ideas while offering a glimpse at what we could see on the market in the coming months and years.
To catch you up, here are some of the biggest trends and weirdest new gadgets from CES 2024.
AI is coming to everything from binoculars to strollers and cars
If you heard a lot about artificial intelligence (AI) in 2023, you better brace yourself for 2024.
Tech companies are finding ways to implement technologies like machine learning and AI chatbots into almost everything they make.
A big focus of CES 2024 was how car makers plan to add AI to their vehicles, changing how drivers interact with them.
Volkswagen announced it would introduce a digital assistant into many of its cars this year, which is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Mercedes-Benz also revealed an AI assistant it claimed was “natural, predictive, empathetic and personal” when it came to personalising driver experiences.
Hyundai announced a partnership with Samsung that would let drivers use their vehicles to control lights and devices in their home, or change settings in their car without leaving the house.
Aakash Arora, a managing director at Boston Consulting Group, told the Reuters news agency that car companies were thinking along the lines of: “If I could get to this level of customer experience it can really differentiate me in the market.”
But some have voiced concerns with the tech. Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the Associated Press:
“We have seen an increasing number of horrific stories where people, generally women, who are trying to escape abusive domestic situations end up having their cars serve as tracking and abuse vectors.
“… All of the car companies who are racing to turn our cars into tracking devices — need to ensure that victims can turn this off.”
On the smaller side of things, CES also welcomed “the first electric stroller with all the AI features for comfort and safety”, which is set to cost about $US2,400 ($3,500).
Canadian company Gluxkind says the stroller makes it easier to climb hills, and applies breaks automatically “so that sleep-deprived parents essentially have driver assist on a daily basis”, co-founder Kevin Huang told Agence France-Presse.
The beauty industry is integrating AI advancements as well.
Industry giant L’Oreal presented an AI-supported “virtual personal advisor” app, which gives tips and recommends products based on a person’s skin type, and allows them to try products on virtually.
A number of companies also showcased AI mirrors — one offered makeup advice, while another scanned faces to determine a person’s body mass index, blood pressure, and even a “mental stress index” calculated from their heart rate.
Elsewhere, AI fridges came up with recipes by analysing the food inside them, and an “AI-powered” shopping trolley displayed personalised ads aimed at grocery buyers.
For the ornithologists, fashion and jewellery brand Swarovski showed off some AI-assisted binoculars it said could identify more than 9,000 species of birds and other animals. They cost $US4,800 ($7,165).
Transparent TVs are becoming a reality
See-through TV screens have been shown at CES for years, but this year LG confirmed it would start shipping a transparent display sometime in 2024.
Why would you need a transparent TV? The company claims it adds depth to images, and reviewers have tried it out as a water-free fish tank — if that’s your thing.
Samsung also showcased a transparent TV this year, but it’s still just a prototype.
Both companies said AI enhancements to their other TV sets would also improve image quality and help viewers to more easily find shows they would like.
It wouldn’t be CES without some weird stuff …
One product making a splash at CES was a concept version of a smart toilet by Kohler.
The company added E Ink technology — the same components that power screens on many e-readers — to its smart loo so that its exterior could light up with shifting black and white designs.
Making waves on social media was a phone case by Clicks Technologies, which gives the iPhone a physical keyboard.
Co-founder Jonathan Young told the Associated Press that the case was aimed at three core audiences: people with dexterity or accessibility issues, younger people looking to stand out, and people who miss tactile phone keyboards.
Shift Robotics showed off the newest versions of its Moonwalker shoes.
The company says its mobility devices can “allow users to walk up to three times faster”.
Ever wanted to have private conversations in public without people hearing you?
Skyted said its silent mask would allow users to take calls and speak to people without being overheard.
… and it wouldn’t be CES without robots
Companion robots haven’t gained much ground in our homes yet, but some companies believe humanoids with AI capabilities can become useful enough for everyday use.
Thanks to generative AI, robots can now depend less on communicating using pre-written scripts.
Chris Nielsen, head of US company Levatas which has integrated generative AI software into a quadruped robot called Spot, told Agence France-Presse:
“Humanoids are going to be really like coworkers in the coming years and natural language interfaces like ChatGPT are going to be prevalent.”
CES saw robots taking on some simpler tasks, too.
French company Capsix Robotics showed off a robotic masseuse that used AI to tailor its massages.
A nail-painting device by Nimble claimed to varnish and dry all 10 fingernails in 25 minutes using AI and robotics, while Lancome’s HAPTA makeup applicator aimed to help people with limited mobility apply lipstick using AI sensors.
Robot baristas were on show too. Adam, a robot created by Richtech Robotics, served coffee to CES attendees with the help of generative AI.
But he still needed humans to refill the coffee machine with milk.