TOMORROW’S WORLD?
WE ROUND UP SOME OF THE MORE FUTURISTIC GADGETS IN THE PLANNING THIS YEAR
IT GOES without saying, of course, that this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was not held in Las Vegas as usual. It was held online. Virtually. Via the internet. As miserable as that sounds for those taking part – who wouldn’t like a “work” trip to Nevada’s capital of fun? – the show did not disappoint when it came to innovation.
Every year at CES some of the world’s biggest companies show off what they’re working on.
We’ve rounded up some of the most “conceptual” products and some of the most unusual – which means we might never see some of them in real life.
But it’s always a glimpse into a potential future that shows, at the very least, what’s possible and the direction of travel.
YSL LIPSTICK POD
WHAT if you could have a single lipstick that could be any colour?
Well, this one, from the venerable YSL stable, is no pie in the sky – it’s a real and actual thing that is coming your way very soon.
The Yves Saint Laurent Beauté Rouge Sur Mesure Powered by Perso (to give it its Sunday name) is available for pre-order in the US now for shipping in spring, but will roll out more widely later in the year.
It comes with three “pods” with complementary shades from the same colour family, which combine when pumped out into the end of the device for the user to mix and apply. The shades are, of course, selected via a smartphone app.
LG ROLLABLE PHONE
THIS one has been a long time coming – it’s not the first time LG has shown off the technology. But a phone with a rollable screen, quite distinct from a folding screen – is in the works.
We’ve seen LG’S rolling screens for large TVS, but this new concept miniaturises the technology and puts it in a smartphone.
If you want a bigger screen, just roll a bit more out…
In a video revealing how the device works, it actually seems a little bit more elegant than you imagine – and the big advantage is with no fold there doesn’t seem to be any kinks in the display, which is a bit of an issue with the current crop of folding devices.
The phone now has a name – LG Rollable – so it seems a bit more real than it once did.
And an LG spokesperson at CES insisted the device would hit the market this year...
SAMSUNG WAITER ROBOT
THIS is just a concept – but it shows how serious Samsung is about robotics and how much money it is spending in a bid to bring the technology to market.
Two concepts were shown off at CES this year – the Bot Care and the Bot Handy.
The Care device’s use case was a little vague, described as an assistant and companion, which seems a little sinister.
The Handy device, with its robotic arm and the ability to pick things up, seems a lot more useful, potentially being able to tidy stuff up around the house and “help with the dishes”.
Which seems much more like it to me.
ALARM.COM’S TOUCHFREE DOORBELL
A FEW companies showed off products that are a response to the pandemic, with Alarm. com developing a doorbell you don’t have to touch.
The device, which is an actual real product, comes with a special mat that connects wirelessly to the bell itself (which, of course, also includes a camera so you can see who’s come-a-not-knocking).
All you have to do is stand on the mat, which features handy instructions for the easily confused.
It’s a sound idea for now… but let’s hope the need for it becomes obsolete within months.
TOTO WELLNESS TOILET
I APOLOGISE in advance for this one, which seems like a product that ought never to have been even thought of, let alone actually invented.
Toto is apparently the world’s largest manufacturer of bathroom fittings (a lot of hotels, it says).
It showed off a few touchless devices in a nod to the Covid crisis, but the one that caught the eye was the company’s entry into the “wellness market”.
The Wellness Toilet is a device which looks after the user’s mental and physical health.
I will leave it to them to explain: “Each time the individual sits on the Wellness Toilet, it scans their body and its key outputs, then provides recommendations to improve their wellness.”
Feedback on health and diet is given via a smartphone app.
Place your orders now.
Every which way but loos: The Toto Wellness Toilet