Cream of the crop in 2017

TECHNOLOGY: INNOVATION RESULTED IN SOME SURPRISING ADDITIONS TO THE MARKET

It was a year of rapid advances, intense competition and crazy new features on devices large and small. Arthur Goldstuck names his pick of the gadget crop for 2017.

to the PlayStation and Xbox. Thirdly, the Joy-Con contollers on either side of the screen can also be removed, to become separate devices so that two people can play each other.

The most significant aspect of the Switch is the extent which, a year after the groundbreaking Pokemon Go augmented reality mobile game, it underlines Nintendo’s ability to remain innovative.

Robot of the Year: Alpha 1 Pro

The average robot is a mechanical arm on an assembly line. Alpha 1 is not your average robot.

It is a humanoid educational and entertainment tool with some nifty dance moves and extensive pre-loaded content and actions, thanks to 16 high precision servo motors.

It can also be programmed, using a visual programming language called Blockly. It can be used as a fun vehicle for coding education, or used for direct education.

Wearable of the Year: Fitbit Alta HR

In 2016, Fitbit took the activity band to a new level with the Alta. It was elegant and attractive, sleek and stylish, even carrying a curved OLED screen – something we tend to see only on high-end TVs. It only missed one feature to make it my default fitness device: a heart rate monitor.

This year, it plugged that gap. The Fitbit Alta HR is every bit as elegant, but also a high-tech power play in an aesthetically pleasing form factor.

Best Vehicle Tech of the Year: Land Rover Discovery ATPC

Anyone who thinks self-driving cars are still years away hasn’t tried the new Land Rover Discovery. An offroad feature called All-Terrain Progress Control allows the driver to surrender control to the vehicle in difficult terrain. Although the driver still steers, ATPC manages vehicle speed, braking, and applying torque to each wheel for traction. It reveals the extent to which autonomous vehicles are already possible.

Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Follow him on Twitter and Instagram on