CES 2021 unveils visionary gadgets that will change your life
A camera that makes your trailer ‘invisible’ and a sensor that detects COVID-19 signs among the gadgets revealed at international showcase.
A medically graded sensor that claims to detect the signs and symptoms of an early COVID-19 infection is among gadgets revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Companies have already unveiled hundreds of new devices at the show which is being held online due to coronavirus, and wearable medical technology around sensors is a big-ticket item.
How it started: How it's going: pic.twitter.com/nISnzo0kvP
— CES 2021 (@CES) January 11, 2021
All of the items below have won awards at the event.
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BioButton
The BioButton is billed as a coin-sized disposable wearable device that continuously measures temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate at rest and analyses statistical changes that may show the signs and symptoms of an early COVID-19 infection.
There has been concern about scams around COVID-19 and overreach however CES judges have given the BioButton the tick of approval with a CES innovation award and the company cites US FDA approval.
The BioButton is a disposable, single-use stick-on device that sends data to the company.
“As a scalable health screening and contact tracing solution, the BioButton enables safe return to work, school, travel, conferences and entertainment,” says BioIntelliSense.
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Airthings Wave Plus
The Airthings Wave Plus for Business with Virus Risk Indicator similarly crunches data from its WavePlus system to determine the risk of an airborne virus.
The Wave Plus sensors monitor CO2, humidity, temperate and airborne pollutants, and evaluate the virus risk by correlating this against a virus’s survival rate, body‘s natural defence, room occupancy, and ventilation rate.
The idea is to avoid the preconditions within an indoor environment that makes the spread of a virus more likely.
Likewise, AerHome is a device that pairs with your smartphone that uses sensors and artificial intelligence to analyse air quality in your home. It also monitors for toxic gases and micro dust particulates.
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Lander Boulder by BGZ Brands
Campers can take heart at BGZ Brands new Lander Boulder, a waterproof travel lantern that runs for 300 hours.
BGZ says it can also charge one device wirelessly and up to three more wired devices. It sounds perfect for outdoor use or anywhere you need light in a hurry. Campers might also get excited about the GoSun Flow, a solar powered water purifier and sanitation system that can fit in a backpack. GoSun says it can function as a portable handwashing station, hot shower, and be a source of clean drinking water from creeks, streams, rivers, lakes and ponds.
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Lip factory by Colour Tailor
Would you like a lipstick shade made especially for you?
AmorePacific’s “Lip factory by Colour Tailor” is a smart factory designed for stores that want to produce bespoke lipstick in an instant.
The lipstick machine uses a smartphone app and a deep learning algorithm to suggest the best colour by analysing skin tone and features.
It sounds marketing hype however you do get lipstick that is customised for you on-the-spot.
It’s currently in use at the Amore Seongsu flagship store in Seoul but hopefully one day we may see these units down under.
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Shower Power by Ampere
Having a speaker in your shower isn’t new, but a speaker that generates its power from the water flow is.
Maker Ampere says it installs on any existing showerhead and is made from 100 per cent recycled ocean plastic.
It has a 2500 milliampere hour internal battery which stores more than 20 hours of power so you shouldn’t have a problem with the music stopping – unless you stop showering altogether!
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Aira Nomad Base Station Pro
Most of us have come across Qi-enabled wireless chargers – they are usually small round surfaces where you place your phone or small electronic device to charge.
It was only a matter of time before a company developed a continuous surface area where you can charge several devices at once.
Aira’s Free Power is one such device offering wireless charging corner-to-corner.
Its first charger, the Nomad Base Station Pro, looks to have the surface size of a laptop and can charge two phones and a set of earbuds simultaneously.
Belkin offers something similar albeit smaller with its Boost Charge TrueFreedom Pro Wireless Charger. It can charge two Qi-enabled devices and deliver up to 10 watts of power to each.
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Chargeasap’s Omega 200W GaN USB-C charger
Chargeasap has exhibited a pocket sized GaN (gallium nitride) USB-C charger that can deliver 200 watts of power to multiple devices.
It says it can charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro, a tablet, smartphone, earbuds and watch simultaneously, and at full speed.
Gallium nitride chargers are indeed a breakthrough in offering powerful charging in a small form factor, and hopefully will see the demise of those large, heavy brick chargers that we carry around with laptops.
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Indoor directions via GoodMaps
Developing maps for indoor shopping centres, convention centres and buildings in general has been onerous.
The conventional way is to offer a set of beacons that can be detected by users’ smartphones.
GoodMaps instead uses LiDAR and image recognition to develop indoor maps that it says offers accuracy within a few feet rather than typically 30 feet plus.
The process starts with an installer scanning the building by walking around it, a little like Google’s process of mapping streets with cars.
The data is processed to produce indoor maps that are hosted on GoodMaps studio with 2D floor plans and 3D models.
Clients can edit their venue, control access and permissions to the mapped data.
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Bosch Nyon eBike
The popularity of pedal-assist electric bikes means it’s likely we’ll see innovation in eBikes at CES.
The inclusion of a battery offers interesting opportunities, such as a powerful on-board computer.
Bosch is showcasing an eBike with an on-board computer called Nyon. It offers navigation, fitness tracking, digital locking, topography-based range estimates, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
The system comes with an app that connects to your smartphone to share route planning track ride activities.
The app can act as an exchange for data about routes and activities. It says the all weather display can be customised to the rider’s needs and data can be synchronised with your laptop back at home.
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Continental Automotive Systems’ transparent trailer
Driving with a larger trailer in tow can impair your vision. With cameras, there is a solution.
Continental Automotive Systems has developed a rear-installed two-camera system that restores the view behind you as if there is no trailer present at all.
The “see through” technology includes a control unit that delivers a live feed of the road and shows potential obstacles behind the trailer while driving or in reverse.
The Michigan-based company won three awards at CES.
