The most interesting gadgets at CES
CES 2024 kicked off in Las Vegas this week. The multiday trade event put on by the Consumer Technology Association features swaths of the latest advances and gadgets across personal tech, transportation, health care, sustainability and more — with burgeoning uses of artificial intelligence almost everywhere you look.
The AP will report of everything we find interesting from the floor of CES.
Your own personal bartender
Ryan Close loves a good cocktail, but he’s the first to admit that he is a terrible bartender.
That’s why, he said, he created Bartesian, a cocktail-making machine small enough to sit on your kitchen counter. Its newest iteration, the Premier, can hold up to four types of spirits. It retails for $369 and will be available this year.
On a small screen, you pick from 60 recipes — like a cosmopolitan or white sangria — drop the cocktail capsule into the machine, and in seconds you have a cocktail over ice.
Letting the right ones in
It can be tricky to keep track of your furry friends in and out of the house — but a new pet door might make it a little easier.
Tech startup Pawport has unveiled a motorized pet door that will let your pet come and go as they please — while keeping other critters out. An accompanying collar tag will open the door when your pet is near. But there’s also customizable guardrails.
The product, which can slide directly onto existing pet door frames, can be temporarily locked for specific pets or set to “curfews” using the Pawport app or with remote-control through compatible virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.
Pawport’s pet door and app are available for preorder and are set to make their way into homes during the second quarter of 2024.
Smart locks go biometric
It’s 2024, of course your face can unlock your phone. And your front door is next.
Lockly, a tech company that specializes in smart locks, is showcasing a new lock with facial recognition technology that allows consumers to open doors without any keys. The new smart lock, dubbed “Visage,” is set to hit the market this summer. In addition to facial recognition, this lock will feature a biometric fingerprint sensor and secure digital keypad for alternative ways of entry — similar to past Lockly products. Visage is also compatible with Apple Homekey and Apple Home.
AI twinsies
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a twin? Rex Wong, CEO of Hollo AI, says his company has created “AI personalization technology” that can create your digital twin in minutes after uploading a selfie and voice memos in a phone app expected to launch this month.
Wong said he wanted to create a technology that could help digital creators and celebrities connect with fans in a new way.
Standing next to a television screen projecting her AI clone, Los Angeles-based content creator Mckenzi Brooke told AP that her digital twin will allow her to interact 24 hours a day with her followers across various social media platforms – and make money off of it.
“It’s not a 9-to-5 job. It’s a 24-hour job. There’s no break,” she said, noting that she posts more than 100 times a day just on Snapchat, a photo-sharing social media platform. “Now I have my AI twin who is able to talk to my audience, but it talks the way I would talk.”
Playstation controller a cameo appearance
Sony Honda Mobility returned to CES this year with some updates to its Afeela EV. While the car itself may not be any closer to moving out from being a concept, Sony had some fun with it: driving it onto the stage with a Playstation controller.
President of Sony Honda Mobility Izumi Kawanishi was quick to point out that Afeela owners likely won’t be driving cars using controllers in the future.
A future in hydrogen
Hyundai spotlighted its future plans for utilizing hydrogen energy. Beyond hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, the South Korean automaker pointed to the possibilities of moving further into energy production, storage and transportation — as Hyundai works toward contributing to “the establishment of a hydrogen society.” Company leaders say this sets them apart from other automakers.
“We are introducing a way to turn organic waste and even plastic into clean hydrogen. This is unique,” said José Muñoz, president and global Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Company.
Hyundai also shared plans to further define vehicles based off of their software offerings and new AI technology. With so-called “software defined vehicles,” that could include opportunities for consumers to pay for features on demand — such as advanced driver assistance or autonomous driving — down the road. Hyundai also aims to integrate its own large language model into its navigation system.
Samsung, Hyundai team up on AI for your car
Samsung has announced a collaboration with Hyundai to develop “home-tocar” and “car-to-home” services to all Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
That means people will be able to use Samsung’s Smartthings service to set their car’s cabin temperature or open its windows, and when they’re in their car, they’ll be able to control their home’s lights and interact with any of their connected smart devices.
‘Pawfect’ companion for your pet?
Busy families with dogs may want to be on the lookout for a new Ai-powered robot that promises to play with, feed and even give medicine to their furry best friend.
Consumer robotics firm Ogmen was at CES 2024 to show its new ORO pet companion, an autonomous robot designed to assist with pet care by feeding, providing medicine and even playing with dogs using a ball launcher built into its chest.
Transparent TVS
Consumer electronics giants LG and Samsung have unveiled transparent TVS at the show, with LG having just announced its Oled-powered display will go on sale this year.
Almost invisible when turned off, LG’S 77-inch transparent OLED screen can switch between transparent mode and a more traditional black background for regular TV mode.
“The unique thing about OLED is it’s an organic material that we can print on any type of surface,” explains David Park from LG’S Home Entertainment Division.
“And so what we’ve done is printed it on a transparent piece of glass, and then to get the OLED picture quality, that’s where we have that contrast film that goes up and down.”
Content is delivered wirelessly to the display using LG’S Zero Connect Box, which sends 4K images and sound.
Why would you need a transparent TV? When not being watched as a traditional TV, the OLED T can be used as a digital canvas for showcasing artworks, for instance.
Samsung’s transparent MICRO Led-powered display showed off the technology as a concept.
Ads coming to shopping carts
Food companies advertise all over the grocery store with eye-catching packaging and displays.
Now, Instacart hopes they’ll start advertising right on your cart.
The San Francisco-based grocery delivery and technology company is unveiling a smart cart this week that shows video ads on a screen near the handle. General Mills, Del Monte Foods and Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream are among the companies that will advertise on the carts during an upcoming pilot at West Coast stores owned by Good Food Holdings.
Instacart says a screen might advertise deals or show a limited-edition treat, like Chocolate Strawberry Cheerios. It might also share real-time recommendations based on what customers put in the cart, like advertising ice cream if a customer buys cones.
Instacart got into the cart business in 2021 when it bought Caper, which makes smart carts with cameras and sensors that automatically keep track of items placed in them.
Instacart says it expects to have thousands of Caper Carts deployed by the end of this year.