Whilst the New Year starts on the 1st January for most of us, if you are associated with the universe of gadgets, it doesn’t really begin until CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show, opens its doors. During the 4-day event for CES 2018, around 4,000 companies arrived in Las Vegas to give 200,000 attendees a sneak peek into the future.
While the usual suspects – phones, PCs and robots – came out in their thousands, there were also a number of new products and concepts for us to add to our wish lists. To give you a glimpse into the wide array of announcements made, we’ve zeroed in on our top 10 that could change the world as we know it!
IBM Quantum Computer
IBM’s hotly anticipated 50-qubit quantum chip computer was one of the big highlights of this year’s CES. The company’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, described the breakthrough as the next step to “quantum supremacy”. The computer will be capable of a range of activities; from developing new synthetic materials to providing an advanced back-end to power consumer apps.
LG Rollable OLED TV
After releasing a proof concept a few years ago, LG unveiled their new prototype at last week’s show. This 65-inch, 4K OLED TV is the first of its kind and can be neatly hidden away when not in use. You don’t have to worry about screen ratio either with this TV, as it smartly shifts aspect ratio automatically.
Aura
Smart home security was a continuing trend at CES 2018 and one of the stand out products was the new Aura. Unlike other home security systems which use camera or infrared sensors, Aura works by monitoring activity through Wi-Fi radio wave patterns, which bounce off walls and objects in the home. At the point where any of these patterns are interrupted, Aura will detect motion and can set off alarms or trigger smart home set-ups.
Honda 3E Robotics Concept
Honda unveiled not 1 but 3 new robots at CES 2018: Empower, Experience and Empathy. While their functions aren’t exactly clear yet, Japanese automaker Honda hopes to create a harmonious experience using all three robots to complete a variety of functions us humans can’t.
Toyota e-Palette
This multi-use vehicle is designed to change the way we use transport. With no steering wheel, pedals or gearshift to worry about, this car is completely driverless. The vehicle also has several potential uses, from deliveries and public transport, to storage; it’s therefore no surprise that many big names, including Amazon and Uber, have already signed up to be launch partners.
Nvidia’s Drive Xavier
Nvidia’s new system-on-a-chip (SoC) has been specially designed to aid AI in the autonomous vehicles industry. With over 9 billion transistors, this latest drive will be able to perform 30 trillion operations per second; using only 30 watts of power. The technology could be revolutionary for the continued development of electric vehicles, as manufacturers look towards methods to prolong battery life and vehicle range.
HTC Vive Pro
The Vive Pro is the latest VR headset from HTC; which received an overwhelmingly positive welcome at CES 2018. As well as improved comfort, the standout feature of this latest launch from HTC has to be the wireless feature; a first for VR headsets.
Samsung Family Hub
Smart home technology continues to get savvier, with Samsung unveiling their Family Hub at CES 2018; a fridge designed to bring families closer together by allowing them to complete a series of activities, from creating shopping lists to creating schedules and displaying recipes. If you’re in the market for a fridge that does more than just keep your food and drink cool, Samsung has your back.
CX-1 from ForwardX
If you despise hauling your luggage around, you may not have to fret much longer. ForwardX showed off their CX-1 at CES – the “world’s first self-driving carry-on”, which uses facial recognition and AI technology to keep your hands free while travelling. The company is planning to launch the product later this year, with the hopes that it will help to prevent people from losing their luggage or even having it stolen.
Volocopter
Flying cars may be closer than we think! During the final moments of their keynote, Intel showed off the Volocopter, an autonomous passenger drone that has been created by a German company to effectively become an ‘air taxi’. CES 2018 marked its first official flight in North America, albeit briefly and while it was tethered to the stage. Currently, the Volocopter 2X has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes and range of 17 miles.
With such an array of new technology on display at CES, it remains to be seen how many new products will make it to the marketplace in 2018 and beyond. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with the latest!
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