CES 2020
Everything is getting smarter. What we used to call automation is now “supported by AI”. Everything needs energy and has to be plugged. We have no idea which persona will need all of this gadget. But we are curious if one or the other item resonates with you.
SMART LIVING – TURNING YOUR WARDROBE INTO A WONDERLAND
LG and Samsung have incorporated a smart wardrobe system that freshens up your clothes (steam) and helps you decide which clothes to wear through a smart mirror.
By using the deep penetrating steam, it immediately reduces wrinkles in your clothes. Besides, it has a special technology that reduces bad odors, leaving clothes cleaner and keeping them in better condition. At the same time, it has remote control technology. The smart wardrobe can be turned on or monitored anywhere and anytime through a smartphone. You can, quickly fix any minor problems through intelligent diagnostics and check your energy usage.
SMART HOME – BABY ITS COLD INSIDE
Panasonic presented its latest vision on how the smart home will control everything in your home individually. How it works is that, for example, if two people are sitting together in a room and one wants a cold and humid environment and the other one prefers a hotter and drier mood, then the temperature immediately adjusts to each person’s preferences and conditions. The other interesting feature of this new system is that it also analyzes your mood and changes the lights while you walk… pretty futuristic right?
TV SCREENS – I SEE YOU
As was to be expected, this year the TV screens were also one of the most awaited moments throughout CES2020. After Patric and Karel went through the whole exhibition from top to bottom, they can tell us that the most marked trends for this 2020 in terms of TV screens are twofold.
The first consists of movable screens which can be vertical or horizontal depending on the personal style and mood of each person making it in a way a mirror or window.
The second one is the use of the television as furniture, in fact, the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this trend, was to think about the beginning of the television during the ’50s, where they were embedded inside this huge wooden cabinets, creating the entertainment room for the whole family… Well, it’s incredible how 70 years later the trend returns, of course, in a more “modern” and stylized way, however, the proposal does not change.
INTELLIGENT KITCHEN – MAKING HOUSEWORK MORE CONVENIENT
From robotic arms that help you cut up all your vegetables like a real master chef to smart cameras inside refrigerators helping you design personalized weekly meal plans, smart kitchen technology was one of the hottest trends seen throughout CES 2020. A series of assistant robots that are trying to reinvent the kitchen around Internet connectivity promising users a more enjoyable lifestyle.
Particular LG’s proposal of a robot that washes the dishes for you, triggered Karel – not in a good way. Read here his post “Unseen at CES”.
Bosch presented a working prototype where your kitchen is taking with two cameras pictures of your food content and then uploads it to your app from where you can check what you can cook with the content. Furthermore, it also recognizes when your vegetables expire.
ROBOTS – YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME
As expected, one of the strongest trends this year were robots, which were presented in a more humane and friendly way. Samsung introduced us to Balli, a ball that accompanies you throughout the day reminding you of daily tasks, such as watering the plants or letting you know if your dog has peed, then sending immediately a bigger robot to clean.
Another of the robot friends we met was the puppet robot, showing us how advanced the technology is. Not to mention the dog robots, delivery robots and of course the long-awaited #NEON, another claimed artificial intelligent display presence with language processing capabilities.
MOBILITY – TAKING TRANSPORTATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Integrating Amazon’s Alexa into cars is not a big deal, but a selected number of original equipment manufacturers are integrating Alexa more deeply into car hardware, giving the voice assistant even more control over the driving experience. Rivian is the latest company to take Alexa a step further. Now, Alexa will not only turn on the headlights but also control the vehicle’s own starting systems.
The Internet giant showed Rivian’s electric truck and SUV. Supported by Alexa, they will be able to change the actual configuration of the vehicle, either by adjusting the climate control or by opening the trunk and windows. For example, if you have an Echo Show or Fire TV, you can use those to access the pickup truck’s bed camera, for a little extra peace of mind.
The futuristic idea of flying cars was presented by UBER and Hyundai. The basic plan is to finally have a vehicle capable of transporting up to three passengers plus driver by air. Thus offering an alternative of mobility against the still unavoidable transit knots. A project that could see the light son (advertised for 2023).
Once again CES leaves us stunned with all the technologies and innovations that were just too wild or too sci-fi in those days. But we also wonder if all that smart stuff makes us better or lazier… and where shell all that energy needed for fancy displays and advanced robotics come from…
