More great gadgets from CES
It was a matter of time before some enthusiastic company invented a face mask that links to a phone app.
It was a matter of time before some enthusiastic company invented a face mask that links to a phone app. Or a face mask that doubles as an audio studio with an integrated speaker and microphone. What about a disinfecting robot? Or a wellness high tech toilet that performs a chemical post mortem on your deposits?
Are these the ideas of geeks who have spent too much time in isolation? Or are they brilliant masterstrokes made possible by uninterrupted, totally focused concentration?
Before dismissing the above, remember that celebrated scientist Sir Isaac Newton performed some of his best work in isolation developing the theory of universal gravitation and inventing integral and differential calculus around 1665 while escaping the bubonic plague. It killed around a quarter of London’s population. But isolation proved beneficial to science and mathematics.
The truth is some of these ideas were hatched before the pandemic, but have heightened relevance now. Whatever the case, here are more offerings from the world’s biggest consumer electronics show CES.
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Smart Mask
AirPop says this washable mask contains a halo sensor that can analyse breathing-related data, and can correlate that information with real-time data about air quality and location. The connecting AirPop app can tell you when to replace the mask’s filter – an item you’ll obviously need to stock up on. You get a visual overview of breathing behaviour, breathing cycles, and even the pollutants that the mask has blocked. “This product embodies the AirPop mission – to help people better understand and take control of their respiratory health through a human-centred approach to design, science and technology,” says AirPop founder Chris Hosmer. He began AirPop after his daughter suffered acute respiratory reactions.
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MaskFone
Going out in the pandemic can be a considerable logistics exercise, if you’re donning a face mask, audio headset, hat to keep the sun at bay, and sunglasses all at once. The steps involved make you feel you’re padding up to face the Indian bowling attack. MaskFone seeks to simplify this by combining a mask with a built-in microphone and N95 filter, built-in wireless earbuds with environmental noise cancellation, and uses a soft but durable machine washable fabric that maker Binatone says conforms to all face shapes. “Combining safety, fashion, technology, and entertainment, the MaskFone revolutionises the listening and talking experience giving users with different lifestyles 12 hours of playtime, hands-free calling and zero limitations with its built-in microphone.” It says the microphone allows for clearer phone calls while wearing a mask.
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Toto wellness lavatory
Toilets have evolved a long way since the era of the outdoor loo, with the open pan, flies and strips of newspaper suspended on a wire. In 2021, with the Toto wellness lavatory, it’s what happens after the event that matters. The loo begins by analysing your product output to determine whether you are well or not. Toto says the wellness toilet uses “multiple cutting-edge sensing technologies” to track and analyse a user’s mental and physical status. “Each time the individual sits on the wellness toilet, it scans their body and its key outputs, then provides recommendations to improve their wellness. There is no additional action needed, so people can easily check their wellness throughout their daily routine, every time they take a bathroom break. They will see their current wellness status and receive wellness improvement recommendations on a dashboard in an app on their smartphones.” It’s understood this can include a recipe for improved nutrition. Alas the wellness lavatory might be vapourware for now as Toto anticipates launching it “in the next several years”.
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Disinfecting robot
Hills Engineering has unveiled an antivirus disinfecting robot called the Coro-Bot which it says has an articulated robot arm that can cover uneven surfaces and an air circulator to sterilise airborne coronavirus and other viruses. Hills says it has a “far-infra-red ceramic filter” that reaches 200 degrees Celsius. “All these components together can effectively disinfect every venue people use. Coro-Bot is embedded with multiple intelligent robot management software including autonomous driving, collision prevention algorithm, energy harvesting technology, smart care system, damage inspection system, and robot management system.” Coro-bot was created by an engineering team from South Korea’s Hanseo University.
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AI food scanner
Nuvi Labs has collected a CES innovation award for its AI food scanner, which it says detects the kind of dish and the amount of food within half a second. It delivers diet analysis information such as the personal nutritional balance, eating speed, preferred food and such. “Based on this information, it provides (a) customised health care solution focusing on each person’s eating habit,” it says. The scanner is connected to the cloud where AI and big data analytics perform the analysis. The system is tuned to checking the amount of food served up and the amount left over and offers solutions for reducing leftovers. This can be used to optimise a catering system. Maybe this scanner can help reduce the overly big portions we often are served when eating out.
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Hex security system
Now for non-virus, health related inventions. Home security systems proliferate but most of the modern ones involve cameras. That’s not the case with Hex by Origin Wireless AI. It’s a small plug-in device that uses Wi-Fi to detect a series of waves that bounce off objects as they move around. It was developed in collaboration with the University of Maryland. “By calculating how Wi-Fi waves bounce, break, and bend around people, Origin developed a software that could sense a person moving, breathing, and even falling. Over the next several years, the Origin team developed its Wi-Fi sensing software, which was given the name “Wireless AI”. Hex claims to pick the difference between the movement of people, pets, robot vacuum cleaners, and curtains fluttering in the breeze. Origin says it can protect an entire home with just a few devices, and that Hex is ready now for commercialisation.
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Rollable phones and displays
In 2020 we got to see a series of foldable phones by the likes of Royole, Huawei, Samsung and Motorola. This year we’re seeing rollable handsets by LG, TCL and Oppo. LG already has produced a rollable TV, the OLED R, that unfolds like a projector screen. The LG Rollable phone is in the same vein. It seems part of the screen is rolled up inside the handset and unscrolls to give you more a tablet experience on demand. It too does seem like vapourware, however LG says it plans to have it in the market this year. Oppo’s X 2021 similarly rolls out to offer more screen size for tablet use. The size variation isn’t that much – from a 6.7-inch phone to a 7.4-inch phablet. TCL’s prototype stretches to a slightly bigger 7.8 inches. LG is the only one of the three that seems to seriously have this in market anytime soon. There will be questions about these devices, including the durability of the mechanism that unfurls the screen and the folding screen as well. TCL also showed off a prototype scrolling display that’s an OLED screen. You hold the two ends as you would an ancient Roman scroll. It would be wonderful if this is sold soon but it is early days.
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AI-powered dog collar
I am in two minds about this device as I believe you can easily work out the state of man’s best friend if you are observant. Nevertheless, Petpuls Lab has showcased an AI powered dog collar that it says “gives your dog a voice”. The lab says the collar detects, tracks, and analyses five emotional states of a dog – happy, anxious, angry, sad, or relaxed, and functions as an activity and sleep tracker to help dog owners better understand and manage their dog’s emotional and physical wellbeing. You get a silicon collar that contains a pouch for the electronic tracker. “Petpuls provides a comprehensive view of a dog’s health enabling dog owners to provide proactive, personalised pet care,” it says.
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Sony Airpeak drones
Until recently Chinese drone maker DJI ruled the skies in offering affordable high quality shooting and filming from above. That mantle is in some doubt with the Trump Administration last month adding DJI to its entity list, which restricts both how it obtains components from US sources and how it partners with US companies. In the meantime, Sony has showcased a drone that works with its Alpha series of cameras to offer high quality aerial photography. It is anticipated Airpeak will come to market later this year. Airpeak drones are the start of a new product line for the Japanese device and entertainment giant.
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Smart conference assistant
We’re starting to see AI face and voice recognition systems capable of recording meetings and producing minutes automatically. Cisco has such an integrated system. Now IBM Japan is showcasing an integrated spatial assistant console which it says is a smart conference assistant. It creates meeting minutes with attendee identification using image recognition, voice recognition, cloud services and algorithms. “It’s capable of identifying attendees and labelling spoken sentences with its speaker‘s name,” says IBM. “Transcripts are created in chronological order and can be generated in up to 125 different languages.” Needless to say, if it’s IBM AI, Watson will have a role in it somewhere. IBM says the solution can be customised to identify industry specific terminology within a conversation.