CES Las Vegas 2024: TikTok hits the fridge, Kia goes electric, monitors now have soundbars
For some, a fridge panel might be the last place you’d think to watch a TikTok. But now it might be one of the first. This is but one of the whacky inventions coming to CES this month.
Artificial intelligence is set to dominate the world’s biggest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas next week as the much hyped technology makes its way into anything from cars and TVs to glasses for the blind.
Google, Hisense, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung and Sony will be among the 4000 companies that are set to descend upon the famed casino strip, showcasing their latest wares as they reveal their plans to gain a greater share of people’s wallets this year.
More than 115,000 people attended last year’s event and 2024 is set to be even larger, eclipsing 130,000. Robert Downey Jr will headline a list of celebrities – including former NBA stars, DJs and entrepreneurs – who will add more chutzpah to the event.
And if it sounds like a party, it’s because we need one.
The showcase comes after a torrid 18 months of interest rate hikes that have sent consumer borrowing costs rocketing. Sydney households are entering 2024 nearly $30,000 poorer on average after enduring steep increases in the cost of just about everything.
Australians still managed to spend $9bn last month in the lead up to the Boxing Day sales – but that splurge is expected to be the last hurrah as realities of a tough economy sets in.
To this end, the big electronics companies and car manufacturers are finding more ways to make their products less discretionary and more must-have. This is where AI comes in.
Artificial intelligence is being hailed as a technological advancement bigger than the launch of the internet, mobile and social media. Why? Because it can do more of our jobs for us, removing drudgery.
That’s the common sales pitch we can expect at CES. So what do the big companies have in store and, if nothing else, how can consumers have fun window shopping?
AI agents in the home
Korean consumer electronics giant LG will unveil a new home robot that can “patrol” a house looking for open windows and devices that have been left on. The new robot is powered by artificial intelligence and will double as a moving smart home monitor which will greet its owner when they arrive home and use an in-built camera and microphone to analyse their mood based on their facial expressions and tone.
The company claims the new robot, which it is marketing as a “smart home agent”, can even play content and music to suit a person’s mood. “The use of multi-modal AI technology, which combines voice and image recognition along with natural language processing, enables the smart home AI agent to understand context and intentions as well as communicate with users,” LG said.
The move follows US tech giant Amazon, which has Astro – a robot for homes – and Chinese tech company Dreame, which sells a robotic dog. Neither device is available in Australia. LG said the new robot forms part of its “zero labour home” vision in which technology is used to automate processes and take away the need to turn devices on or off. The device in its earliest stage can navigate around a home, monitor the temperature including humidity, can detect and interact with people and pets via an in-built camera and microphone, can monitor pets and be used as a security camera.
Jeeves goes digital
Swedish-headquartered car maker Polestar for years was known as being the HSV of Volvo, but now has a greener agenda, with an all-electric fleet.
Given EVs are essentially big smartphones on wheels, it’s no surprise that they are jam packed with tech. Polestar has partnered with Jerusalem-based Mobileye to launch the first production car featuring the Israeli company’s Chauffeur autonomous driving technology.
It has been built into the Polestar 4 model, which will be showcased at CES. Polestar 4 – which goes on sale globally this year – will feature Mobileye’s SuperVision driver assist technology, which the company says lays the foundation for the integration of Chauffeur “later in time”.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said: “We know that driving yourself is not always fun and exciting – this technology means our customers could enable autonomous driving when they want, making all future journeys enjoyable”.
KIA goes electric, Hyundai automates the minibus
Korean automaker Kia is set to return to CES for the first time in five years to unveil a new line-up of vehicles – and its latest automation.
That includes four electric vehicles, which includes the models EV3, EV4, EV9 and EV6 GT, as well as what it calls a “platform beyond vehicle” which is understood to be an autonomous vehicle used for transport and logistics.
Korean automaker Hyundai will also release into the wild its first autonomous vehicle, the 42Dot.
The minibus-like vehicle is the automaker’s first play into the use of autonomous vehicles for transport, and models are already operational in the Korean capital of Seoul.
AI-powered TVs
Smart TVs have been around for years, transforming from simple broadcast machines to complex computers. The rise of AI has now taken this to the next level.
Hisense will unveil its 110-inch, 10,000 nit TV at CES, saying it will provide “higher levels of brightness and realistic on-screen picture quality that have never been achieved before”. It’s a big claim.
How will it do it? Its 110UX TV is powered by Hisense’s newly developed X-Chipset, which features AI-powered picture quality. The chip can recognise scenes and content, making – according to Hisense – real-time adjustments for a “clearer, more immersive, captivating display effect”.
BlueAnt’s first computer soundbar
Australian speaker company BlueAnt will introduce its newest product which is designed to enhance the sound of computer monitors. Monitor accessories are on the rise with smart lighting, dedicated lamps and simpler products featuring swivelling arms. BlueAnt calls its newest device the “Soundblade”, and has put out a claim that “desktop audio will never be the same again”.
TikTok hits the fridge which talks to the cooktop
Consumer tech giant Samsung has made notable strides integrating AI in home appliances, this year, and at CES it will debut new advancements in its smart fridge range.
The company said the 2024 model of its Bespoke 4-Door Flex can now identify 33 fresh foods with a built-in camera and, using AI, estimate their expiry dates and notify homeowners. Those dates can be manually overridden via app or the panel on its fridge. It’s also now able to play TikTok and YouTube videos on its 32-inch vertical LCD screen, turning its fridge doors into vertical smart devices of their own much like phones but a lot larger.
The company has also promised more connectivity between its smart home appliances, namely the Bespoke 4-Door Flex and Anyplace Induction Cooktop which are understood to now work in sync. Both devices can take prompts from the Samsung Health app.
The company has also promised more connectivity between its smart home appliances, namely the Bespoke 4-Door Flex and Anyplace Induction Cooktop which are understood to now work in sync. Both devices can take prompts from the Samsung Health app.
Glasses for the blind
With 4000 exhibitors, CES spans a colossal range of products from start-ups to the tech giants. Dot Lumen, styled. lumen, is in the former category. The Romanian start-up has created what it calls “glasses for the blind”, which are designed to imitate guide dogs.
While guide dogs pull a person’s hand, .lumen’s device pulls someone’s head, using self-driving technology to avoid obstacles.
“Operating at the limit of what self-driving, AI, and robotics technology can do, the. lumen Glasses have been tested by over 250 blind individuals, are currently in Clinical Investigation, and will soon reach the market,” the company says.
Crucially it believes there is plenty of demand for its devices given there are about 28,000 guide dogs globally for 40 million blind people.
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