Whether virtual, in-person or a mix of the two, CES is a beast. How can you keep up with all the news coming out of the show? You can’t, really. Big stores put a small army on the CES coverage and just scratch the surface.
With that in mind, and with CES 2022 now over, we thought it was worth putting everything together in one little box – a recap of our top news for the week, the trends we’ve noticed, and some of our favorite parts. It’s by no means exhausting, but it will give you a good feel for the show if you’re too busy to pay attention in real time.
The main stories:
We wrote many, many, Many news from CES. Can’t read them all? Here are some of the things people read and shared the most:
Image credits: BMW
BMW shows off color-changing car
It’s like something out of a sci-fi movie: press a button and your car changes color. Based on E Ink technology in the same vein as a Kindle screen, it will only switch between black/white/grayscale… but still – wow. Don’t go looking for a pre-order page though… for now, it’s just a technical demo.
Image credits: nvidia
Nvidia launches the $249 GeForce RTX 3050
Between cryptocurrency miners, dealers and chip shortages, it’s hard to find good graphics cards right now – especially if you don’t want to pay a huge margin. So it makes sense that a great card meant to ship at an affordable price would attract a lot of eyes…but do resellers devour all these too?
Image credits: nvidia
Nvidia Expands Its GeForce Now Game Streaming Ecosystem
Nvidia had good news about its game streaming service, GeForce Now: new games, free subscriptions for select AT&T customers, and plans to embed it directly on Samsung TVs.
Nvidia had plenty of CES; while it didn’t break the top stories list, its announcement that it’s opening up its Omniverse technology to more creators also drew a lot of eyeballs.
Image credits: Daan technology
Meet Bob, a cute little dishwasher that saves water and eliminates bacteria
Want a dishwasher but don’t have the space and/or don’t want to have to dismantle cabinets or install water lines? Bob lives on your counter and you add the water with a pitcher. Also, you can use the waterless UV-C mode to disinfect things like phones, keys, or other things that can’t get wet. Also, it’s very cute.
Image credits: scanbo
How sweet is your blood? Scanbo gives an answer without poking holes in you
“How sweet is your blood?” writes Haje in a wonderfully-Haje headline. It’s still early days, but AI company Scanbo aims to do glucose monitoring without the painful, exhausting, never-ending finger pricks.
Image credits: Sony
Sony gives first details on next-gen PS VR2 headset for PS5
We’ve known for a while now that Sony is working on a new VR headset for the PS5, but now we know a lot more… as it’s called PS VR 2, it has a much improved display, supports foveated rendering, and more.
Image credits: GAF Energia
GAF Energy takes over Tesla’s solar roof
“GAF Energy, a division of the roofing giant, claims that its new solar shingles are simple enough to install that no special equipment or expertise is needed, making home renewable energy much more affordable.” writes Devin Coldewey.
Image credits: Brian Heater
Power1 is an iPhone battery case with a place for your AirPods
Ever wish you could shove your AirPods right into your iPhone instead of carrying a little extra widget? This case makes it happen. Brian Heater works with a prototype.
Image credits: Hyundai
Spot goes to the metaverse
“By connecting robots to the metaverse, we will be able to move freely between the real world and virtual reality,” says Hyundai Motor Group president Chang Song, in a phrase that blows my mind a little. Will traveling the planet – or, as Hyundai’s promotional video Mars, suggest – in a robot avatar be something totally normal at some point?
Image credits: Sony
Sony explores building electric cars
Sony has been experimenting with cars for a few years now, showing off new prototypes at each of the last two CES. Now they’ve announced the formation of a new company, Sony Mobility Inc., just to figure out how to market their EV efforts.
the fashions:
Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt
Why Matter Matters
Smart home devices can be great… when you put them to work. But for most people, just figuring out what works together is a chore. Many of the biggest tech companies (Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.) have teamed up to build a protocol called Matter, and Christine Hall took a look at how those efforts are going so far.
Image credits: Yukai Engineering
robots are launched
Are we close to having Rosie the robot roaming our homes? Or are we forever stuck with disk-shaped vacuum robots that eat our socks? In last week’s Actuator newsletter, Brian Heater gave us a look at where consumer robotics is today and how it has advanced over the years. Also, is there a robot cat that nibbles your finger for some reason?
Image credits: intermittent loading
EV chargers charge
Electric vehicles tend to make the most headlines… but what about the boxes you plug them into to power me? There is increasing competition in space, and Rebecca Bellan has an overview of what each team is doing differently.
Image credits: Cake
E-Bikes and Scooters take charge
What’s left to build in the world of e-bikes and scooters? How can one high-end electric scooter differentiate itself from another? Our mobility team took us on a tour of all the new micro-vehicles at the fair.
Image credits: wacomka (opens in a new window) / Getty Images
VR Simmers
Rather than any headset or “killer app” making VR a ubiquitous thing overnight, its story so far has been one of incremental progression – and this year’s CES has taken a few more steps along the way.
Image credits: Samsung
Metaverses Metaverses Metaverses
Metaverse? Metaverse! “Metaverse” was by far the hottest word at CES this year, even if the use of the word by some companies was…questionable.
Image credits: TP-Link
Gadgets galore
The organization behind CES may no longer want anyone to call it the “Consumer Electronics Show” (since it aims to broaden its scope to all technology, not just electronic bits), but there are still many, and many, and lots gadgets and gadgets to be found. Heater took a look at some of the more interesting ones.
BOCCO emo robot
Older technology can help everyone
As much as we’d like to pretend otherwise, we all get old. Before we know it, we will have a generation of seniors who have grown up from day one with the Internet always within reach. How can technology evolve to help seniors live more comfortably? From robotic companions to light bulbs that can help detect falls, Catherine Shu has brought together the latest advances in ancient technology.
Our favorite pieces:
We’ve spent the last week with our heads buried in the CES news – and for much of the CES team, it was our 7th or 8th or zillionth time doing so. What stood out to us? Here are some of the things we are still thinking about.
The John Deere autonomous tractor
The average age of the American farmer is 57.5 years. Fieldwork is arduous, intensive and increasingly difficult for the team. Farming is one of those functions that makes a lot of sense to automate, something John Deere has been working on for several years to improve. Available later this year in select US markets, the 8R finally brings full autonomy to the company’s popular tractor lineup, with several features currently in the works.
— Brian Heater
Mercedes-Benz Vision
This is not just a concept car that will never see the light of day. Mercedes has leveraged the expertise of its R&D department, Formula 1 and Formula E teams to develop advanced components for this concept that will appear in future models from 2024.
It is important to note that they have improved the battery’s energy density by making “significant progress” in the chemistry of the anodes, which have a higher silicon content and advanced composition that allow them to retain considerably more energy than commonly used anodes. Translation: More range packed into a smaller package. Another item that will appear in 2024 includes ultra-thin roof panels that power the battery system for extra range.
— Kirsten Korosec
BMW’s color-changing concept car
Will you be able to buy BMW’s color-changing car soon? Probably not. Is it super practical? No! Who knows how much it will cost to replace a door panel when someone hits that thing with a full grocery cart. But one thing I really miss about in-person CES is the absurdity, “we did this mostly just to flex” the look of everything, and this one fits perfectly into that category.
—Greg Kumparak
the labrador robot
We hear a lot about the promise of robotics, but the robots that are most useful to people are not going to look like us.
It will be things like Labrador, which is essentially a moving table. It is intended for elderly people who may have problems with everyday tasks, for example taking a plate and a drink from the kitchen to the dining room or taking the laundry basket to the washing machine. With built-in voice controls, you should be able to say “wait in the room” or “come to me”. It’s the kind of thing that can make a lot of people’s lives easier, and something I hope to see more of in robotics.
—Devin Coldwey
Mui Lab’s “calm” smart home device
One of the hottest smart home devices at CES was the Mui Labs Matter-ready “muiPlatform”, which turns smart home devices into “quieter”.
The more devices we add to our home, the more we mess up our furniture. Mui Labs allows you to adopt a minimalist lifestyle, as well as allowing your Amazon Alexa to function more like a piece of art on your wall with a visual interface.
— Cristina Salon
Bob
For me, some of the most exciting technologies at CES are about how we can make better use of our limited resources. With California permanently dry, Bob caught my eye.
Bob is a small dishwasher aimed at families of 1-2 people and uses much less water than washing dishes by hand. It even has a UV mode to clean items without using water.
— Haje Jan Kamps
