FFrom color-changing cars to digital art televisions to stress-predicting watches, the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which opened Wednesday, featured its usual mix of quirky, visionary and desirable products. Here are some of the highlights.
NFT television
The non-fungible token, which confers ownership of a unique digital item such as a work of art, became a multi-billion dollar market in 2021 and Samsung announced a new TV function that allows enthusiasts to browse, display and purchase NFT-based art. Given the cost of some NFTs, you may not have much left to pay for the display.
The stress forecast clock
Nowatch has produced a Smart watch It monitors your cortisol levels to predict stress. Developed with electronics firm Philips, the watch predicts if you’re about to get stressed an hour in advance and recommends activities to avoid it, like going for a walk or meditating.
The Health Check Bulb
Running out of interconnected home products? A light bulb that tracks your body temperature and heart rate Sengled, the Shanghai-based smart bulb maker, introduced the use of a combination of radar technology and artificial intelligence. The bulb connects to a smartphone app and its colors change if it detects something wrong. Sengled says its Smart Health Monitoring Light can even detect drops.
The portable burglar detector
The Bosch of Germany presented the spexor, an 11.9 cm high (4.7 in) device that monitors air pressure, noise and movement to detect theft. It can also measure air quality and temperature.
The metaverse wardrobe
The immersive world of the metaverse, the woolly concept of working and socializing in virtual reality, received a sensory boost from Japanese firm Shiftall, which has produced the Pebble device that is attached to the user’s back and allows them to experience the temperature of the virtual reality environment they are exploring. It was demonstrated in conjunction with Shiftall’s HaritoraX full-body motion tracking system, which allows user avatars, their digital representation in virtual reality, to lie down, jump and spin.
The invisible headphones
The Noveto N1 sound bar transmits music via ultrasound to the “pockets” just outside the wearer’s left and right ear, giving the effect of wearing headphones, even though it is not head-based hardware. The Israeli company says other people in the room will only hear a “whisper” of sound.
The chameleon car
CES is also a big event for the auto industry, which likes to showcase its cutting-edge advancements alongside the usual displays from cell phone makers, TV makers, and big tech players. BMW, for example, presented a concept car that, thanks to an external envelope filled with electronic ink, could change the color from white to black at the touch of a button.
The autonomous tractor
John Deere released a autonomous tractor which can be controlled with a smartphone and plow and sow seeds in a straight line. It plans to make the autonomous driving system available to a small number of farmers later this year.
The 1,000 km electric car
Mercedes-Benz produced a electric car prototype with a range of over 1000km, about a drive from Brighton on the south coast of England to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The Vision EQXX, whose range is three times that of the average electric car, could go on sale in 2024.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism