CES 2022
CES was back in person for 2022 and there was plenty of show to see. Vaxxed and masked-up, we bring you some of the trends and interesting finds from the show.
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Emerging Technology Trends from the Consumer Electronics Show
accessibility
How does technology improve lives by blending into the background?
As sensing devices for accessibility continue to rise in prominence, an increasing number of devices are pairing the technology with artificial intelligence to create truly inclusive products. Usability experiences included AI-enabled closed captioning to automatically move text boxes on television screens based on the displayed picture, and display avatars that translate menus to visual sign language. Accessible technology showed us how it can transform everyday life in the background, as subtle braille on children’s toys, automatic medication dosing machines, and even AI-monitoring reusable diapers. We wonder how inclusive designs will continue to improve lives?
Those with mobility limitations have rent a series of equipment from Labrador to retrieve and carry items around the house.
Waay offers an automatic sliding doors, to help anyone or even robot easily enter or leave a room.
Smart Closed Captions
Have you ever had a hard time reading text behind CC text? Samsung uses artificial intelligence to know if the CC text is covering another message and automatically moves it.
Color Vision Deficiency
Televisions can be optimized for different types of color capabilities.
Sign Language Guide
Hearing impaired users may not be able read the text based menus on televisions.
Smart Underwear
A reusable smart-sensor attaches to the outside of adult underwear. It will notify people or even announce a message over Alexa if it notices a need for a change.
Personal Medicine Dispenser
A pharmacy can package pills and control when they are dispensed. The device can keep care givers up to date.
Word Games
These lettered discs use NFC chips to be identified by a collection box paired with a tablet. The braille on the discs make this educational game more accessible, a perfect example of design for good.
Digital Monitoring
These little houses are wireless phone chargers. AI in the form of a digital koala monitors what a child accesses on a phone and informs them what is not approved by their parents. When the child has had enough screen time, the koala tells them that they are tired and need to go home to sleep. When placing the phone on the house, the phone displays an animation of the koala opening the door of the house to go to bed.
How did CES become the ideal place to unveil mobility concepts?
As reported by Chang-Hyeon Song, President of Hyundai Motor Group, “it is not the end of the car as we know it, it’s the beginning of the car as we will know it.” The transformation of vehicles powered by its technology, with performance as a secondary point, is well underway. Autonomous mobility concepts, such as Cadillac’s InnerSpace, create platforms instead of vehicles, completely reinventing the travel experience. Fully autonomous driving provides limitless potential for vehicles to become modular connected spaces offering entertainment, socialization, productivity, and more. We wonder at what point will mobility concepts replace automobiles in a traditional sense?
transportation
Sony
Sony introduced their EV at CES and not an autoshow. There are plenty of displays to be entertained while watching Sony movies. No word if there is any PlayStation integration.
Triggo
This vehicle is for one person and it's wheels move inward to navigate tight spaces, like in-between two lanes of vehicles during rush hour.
Safe Gaming
Cleanbox is a UV light box that rotates objects on a carousel, to make sure the UV light reaches as much surface as possible. The outside LCD screen shows a live feed, giving a similar experience to watching microwave popcorn cook.
Hands-free Interactions
This video shows how remotes could be a thing of the past, and how interfaces can expand beyond a display.
Hands-free Interactions
Moen now allows gestures to control water temperature. It does take a couple of tries to get right, however time will tell if this will become a standard in the industry.
Are we moving away from the sanitizing tech movement?
As last year’s CES show was dominated by cleanliness technology motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were surprised by the lack of unveilings this year. As the world returns to normality, the technology that seems to still have a hold is UV light sanitization. No longer reserved for hospitals and industrial applications, UV tech was seen with many innovative uses, including an overhead closet light for laundry sanitization, and phone cases with integrated UV for personal use. We wonder if these types of solutions will continue to have applications in the future?
cleanliness
Always On
This far-UVC light from Christie is safe to use in public spaces while people are currently in the space.
Sanitize
Use steam and UV to sanitize clothes and shoes.
IoT
Is there a limit on the number of solutions that need to be connected?
As smart sensing devices become more accessible in terms of price, availability, and complexity, we wonder if everything really needs to be “smart”? Matter has finally unified the protocols of an IoT ecosystem providing a connectivity standard for smart home devices to work alongside one another. This truly enables every “thing” to be connected. IoT has transformed industries such as smart homes, digital health, transportation… yet we wonder at what point does connectivity of everything become intrusive?
Smart Block of Wood
If you feel that you have too many screens in your life, you can have a block of wood that connects and controls all the other smart objects in your home.
Printable Tattoos
This device allows you to share and download artwork to print directly onto your skin. Great for parties or just wanting to try a new face tattoo each day.
Smart Baby Bottle
Nfant introduced the Thrive Smart Bottle. It will track feeding history of a baby, giving parents data to know if their child feed enough, timing, and temperature. The removable smart disk at the bottom allows the bottle to be safely cleaned.
Connected Fan + Selfie-Light
Need that hair-in-the-wind look during your conference calls, or social media posts? This fan and light combo can be controlled on the base or remotely via an app.
The Ultimate Ice-Box
Samsung offers a connected, camera-filled refrigerator with a speaker so it can play music while you view your food inventory.
AI Vision
AI can be used to identify objects, it can be used to also identify the actions of a person, even their limb position. This is helpful when learning how to exercise properly.
Personal NFT Museum
Showing your NFT collection to others in the real world can be a hassle, but in the metaverse, you can create your own personal NFT museum. How many visitors will your museum have?
Will you charge admission?
entertainment
Will digital experiences from the metaverse continue to rise in acceptance?
As brands are feigning to encourage adoption of the metaverse, it was a term that was impossible to miss at CES this year. Experiences varied with the strangest being a full sensory engagement, proposed by Hyundai and Boston Dynamics, offering a digital twin experience complete with “bridges” between physical and digital worlds including tours of Mars. We wonder… will the promises of bringing people and places together in the virtual world for collaboration, productivity, or socialization be enough to overcome consumer apprehension to this idea?
Projectors
Samsung showcased a new line of portable projectors that you can decorate and personalize
NFT TV
NFT opportunities have become so big, TV manufacturers are exploring rotating displays to show off vertically-oriented images and access to NFT stores at the touch of a remote.
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Contributors: Gil Cavada, George Guffey, Erik Moses, Jake Vail, Angelika Halama, Brian Perille, and Nick Cucci
