What The Tech: A preview of the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show
BY JAMEY TUCKER, Consumer Technology Reporter
More than 140,000 people from around the world are descending on Las Vegas this week,
along with nearly 5,000 companies, all for one reason: to show off what they believe is the future
of technology.
That event is the Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES. For more than half a
century, CES has been where some of the most important consumer technologies first
appeared. It is also where a few very ambitious ideas quietly disappeared.
CES is where 4K televisions debuted, followed by 8K. It is where ultra-thin displays made
“invisible” TVs possible. Virtual reality moved from science fiction to something you could
actually experience. Drones took off here, too, eventually becoming so common that they
needed their own dedicated airspace at the show.
It is also where a cryptocurrency ATM first appeared on the exhibit floor. If someone had
invested $1,000 in Bitcoin when that machine debuted, that investment would be worth nearly
half a million dollars today. CES has a long history of spotting trends long before they become
mainstream.
But for every success story, there are plenty of reminders that hype does not always equal
reality.
About ten years ago, companies promised 3D printers would be in every home. That never
happened. Seven years ago, robots that folded laundry were one of the biggest attractions. The
FoldiMate demonstrated perfectly folded clothes, raised millions of dollars, and then shut down
in 2021 without ever becoming a household appliance.
Rideable robot luggage created a lot of buzz at CES in 2019, but never really found a market.
The Zano microdrone raised more than three million dollars on Kickstarter and then went out of
business, leaving backers empty-handed.
Flying cars are unveiled almost every year at CES, but none have truly taken off.
Single-passenger vehicles have struggled, too. Elio Motors promised nearly 100 miles per
gallon and collected close to 30 million dollars in preorders. Not a single customer ever received
one.
Still, some ideas introduced at CES are finally gaining traction. Drone-based home security
systems can now automatically investigate movement around a property, sending live video
back to a homeowner’s phone and even alerting police if needed. A new electronic spoon can
make food taste salty without actually adding salt, a clever solution for people watching their
sodium intake.
This year, one trend will dominate nearly every booth and product category: artificial
intelligence. AI is being built into televisions, cars, appliances, and even humanoid robots
designed to look and behave more like people than machines.
I will be on the CES show floor all week, separating the innovations that might actually change
how we live from the ones that are better left as concept demos.
Follow me for daily (or hourly) updates from the CES Show floor
