Smartest CES Ever! 2018
6 min readMar 4, 2018
CES 2018, brings into focus how the Digital-Natives have taken over the event as the technology industry evolves as per Murphy’s law. We saw amazing exhibits and booths from the likes of Google to beat the competitors in Alexa and Siri space, we saw driverless car ranges extending for miles around the already large show, and we saw a proliferation of amazing new tech for consumers. The evolution of CES has helped drive the ever-expanding consumer tech landscape to include the whole supply chain of providers behind content and consumer-centric experiences. It has morphed from a consumer product driven event and expanded to feature industries not traditionally connected to consumer tech such as travel, hospitality, health, transportation, food, music, entertainment, new digital media services, smart cities, etc.
It’s a candy-coated playground. It’s a donut shop. It’s one of the biggest pieces of advertising at CES 2018.
CES 2018 included many more new concepts rather than products this year, with tech companies showcasing how their technology would change the way we interact with the world in coming years. For e.g. the Volocopter & Surefly you see on the right side is a drone which had a hybrid engine for automated unmanned flights in urban and rural areas costing about 200,000 USD just within the reach of the already TESLA electric audiences. There was an increased focus on industry-changing innovations such as connected, security, electric and driverless cars, the Internet of Things, drones, augmented reality, virtual reality, gaming, new media, toys, and entertainment tech. CES has now become a one stop destination for technology and industry experts to understand how technology will change the way industries operate and services are offered. What used to take 5–7 years to manifest itself into commercially available consumer technology, can be expected to be released within 1–2 years.
This year automated technologies were at the forefront of CES. More specifically, CES 2018 was about innovations making their way into our daily life and appliances. While there were many amazing gadgets at CES such as LG’s rolled up TV and HTC’s Vive Pro headset, the real star of CES 2018 was personalized AI. AI was embedded in multiple gadgets and used in everything from door locks to robots assisting with everyday tasks. Home appliances like blue-lighted smart toilet seats, refrigerators, microwave ovens, TVs and even litter boxes received an AI upgrade.
The main applications of AI at CES were the use of chatbots in daily gadgets and robots for activities such as folding clothes, taking care of the elderly and acting as a pet. Amazon’s intelligent assistant, Alexa was everywhere at CES. Tech companies partnered with Amazon and Google to bring voice controlled products ranging from coffeemakers to security systems. Robots had a large presence in CES doing everything from holding conversations to folding clothes using capabilities such as 7 degrees of freedom and integration with voice command systems. CES showcased how robotics has grown and can be used in various sectors such as construction as well as children’s learning.
Companies like Ford, Intel, Uber, etc. showcased their autonomous cars and its capability to avoid obstacles and provide hassle free autonomous transport using their AI engines. These companies are already forming partnerships to build the future of transport. Hardware companies are also investing to develop the driverless technology. One such example is Nvidia, who have developed a processor built specifically for autonomous vehicles called Xavier.
VR, AR and related controllable video devices were also showcased at CES. VR made strides in the right direction with headsets like HTC’s Vive Pro which is designed to be lighter and more comfortable. Despite higher enthusiasm and interest in VR, AR headsets like Vuzix’s Blade which looks like normal glasses and provides AR and Alexa functionality are helping AR devices/applications catch up with traditional VR devices.
Insta360 had a fantastic 360 video camera which was not only affordable but general consumer friendly too!
