What the Tech: See the big, inventive ideas at CES 2024
By JAMIE TUCKER Consumer Technology Reporter
For many companies, CES doesn’t end when they put everything away. From the very beginning and at its core, CES is about innovation. While you might think that comes from large companies, the truth of the matter is that it often comes from small companies from around the world. And they’re always located in a place called Eureka Park.
“Eureka Park is sort of an application-based program here so it’s actually quite efficient in terms of cost if you’re accepted into the park,” said entrepreneur John Merenda.
His company Oda, launched its latest product at CES (and one of my favorite inventions on the floor) the Power1. Modules that connect to iPhones for storage, power, and ports.
The modules include a wireless magnetic charger for Airpods and Apple Watch, a 1TB SSD hard drive, and another magnetic module that adds HDMI and USB C ports that can be daisy-chained between each other and the iPhone. And it’s all built into a smartphone case.
He’s at CES to get the word out ahead of a crowd-funding campaign. And like others here, to find potential investors. “Startups are pretty capital intensive. Investors are always good…yeah,” he said. Adding “the companies all have their own goals in mind.”
Eureka Park brings together inventors with big ideas. I found glasses to assist the blind, audio earrings that play sound similar to earbuds, smart shoes and oddities like PlantPetz that make plants interactive, groundbreaking AI technology, and lots of robots.
If they’re fortunate, they’ll be invited to meet with investors and large companies set up in nearby hallways where deals are made.
Lau Kofoed Kierstein from the company Amfitrack was there from Denmark showing off their chipset technology that allows for tracking a person’s fingers, arms, and legs.
“We have been working on this technology for more than 10 years,” he explained.
Amfitrack spent much of the week introducing its technology to companies needing or wanting to add tracking to their products. Some will license the technology while others will work with Amfitrack to develop similar technology.
Kierstein told me, it’s been a successful week for the company. “It’s too early to say it’s going to happen but we have more than 200 leads to follow,” he said.
When the companies return home they will follow up on those leads, hoping something big happens in the coming year. Many of them though will be back next year to try again.
