Host of futuristic idea highlights at electronics show

LONDON: Often cited as a window into the future, the annual Consumer Electronics Show parades countless cutting-edge innovations and crazy gadgets on the larger-than-life strip that is Las Vegas.

Among the giant TVs and cute robots that draw huge crowds to the mega conference – now in its 10th year – technology that aims to solve social or environmental problems is also on show.

From clever farming to fake meat, here are some of the best inventions for good at the 2020 consumer show, which comes to an end today.

● Tulsa-based Exaeris showcased its solar-powered AcquaTap device that extracts up to 19 litres of clean, drinkable water a day from the atmosphere, allowing it to generate water anywhere, even in drought and disaster.

● Swiss group Farmer Connect and software giant IBM launched a mobile app using blockchain technology so coffee drinkers can trace their beans and support the smallholders who grew them.

● US-fake meat start-up Impossible Foods unveiled soy sausages and other substitute pork products, aiming to curb environmental and animal welfare concerns engulfing the global meat industry.

● Aiming to make farming more sustainable, Taiwan’s AgriTalk Tech’s AI sensor and monitoring devices collect real-time data – from soil temperature to atmospheric pressure – to help farmers.

● With air pollution on the rise,

Brooklyn-based start-up Ao Air has devised a transparent face mask whose battery-powered fans bring in clean air to the wearer, free from pollutants.

● With sales of sports utility vehicles increasing, Los Angeles-based electric car company Fisker showcased the Ocean, an electric version with a solar panel on the roof and vegan interiors.

● Amid privacy and security concerns over facial recognition technology, Israeli tech company D-ID demonstrated a tool that tweaks photos, preventing recognition by computer algorithms.