From sophisticated sound systems to companion robots to AI-powered devices, CES sets the trend and gives consumers a peek into the tech of the future. We’ve rounded up some of the most exciting innovations at CES 2024 below.
Samsung Music Frame
Samsung’s Music Frame builds on the concept of their TV that doubles up as a photo frame. This customizable speaker seamlessly blends into its environment by camouflaging as a modern picture frame that can display art or photography. It features built-in woofers along with intelligent audio processing for a premium audio experience. Using Q-Symphony technology, it provides surround sound when paired with 2024 Samsung TVs and soundbars or can operate as a standalone wireless speaker.
Samsung has yet to announce a price or availability for the Music Frame, but it’s expected to be available later this year.
Samsung’s Ballie
Samsung’s companion robot, Ballie robot is back — and now, better than ever. At CES 2024, Samsung unveiled an updated version of its BB8 and Wall-E inspired robot with brand new features including built-in projection capabilities. Ballie will be able to project information on any surfaces as it follows you around your home.
Samsung highlighted that the companion robot will also be able to adjust its projections based on the user’s posture, facial angle, distance from walls as well as lighting conditions.
The updated version of Ballie is equipped with AI and will be able to handle any number of requests such as answering phone calls, feeding your pets and more. A release date has yet to be revealed but what was once science fiction is seemingly becoming reality.
Numi 2.0 Dual-Flush Smart Toilet
Kohler’s brand-new tech is packed with features to make the bathroom experience as comfortable as possible. The Numi Smart Toilet comes with ambient-colored lighting, a built-in speaker system and a heated seat. It can integrate with your device’s voice assistant to create and personalize your preferences. The seat and cover are motion-activated, with a built-in bidet that adjusts its temperature and pressure according to your comfort. For more effective flushing, the bowl is automatically misted prior to use.
Rabbit R1
The Rabbit R1 is a RM 1,000 AI-powered device that uses the more intuitive LAM (Large Action Model) instead of LLM (Large Language Models) seen in chatbots and voice assistants. This pocket-sized gadget works as your own Alfred Pennyworth, carrying out tasks and errands for you based on your habits. Sporting a retro look akin to a gameboy, the device is equipped with smartphone features — a camera, mic, scroll wheel and touchscreen display to better understand your needs.
The Rabbit R1 was a surprise hit at CES and will begin rolling out in March. We’ll have to wait and see whether it manages to win wider consumer markets.
Apogee+
German Bionic has unveiled the Apogee+, a powered exoskeleton for the North American healthcare market.
Apogee+ is designed to provide personal lift assistance to caregivers, and it specifically addresses concerns with care worker safety and job satisfaction. The suit provides active assistance during lifting and walking, offering up to 30 kg of back relief with every lift. It comes with integrated grips that aim to enhance the ease of lifting and repositioning patients, to streamline daily caregiving tasks. The exoskeleton is also dust and waterproof up to IP54, giving caregivers greater flexibility when washing or showering patients.
Spacetop
Sightful introduces the Spacetop, a groundbreaking laptop that ditches traditional screens for augmented reality, projecting a 100-inch virtual display via slim glasses. Priced at a lofty $2,000 (MYR10,000) the laptop combines a Snapdragon 865 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage, ensuring connectivity with 5G NR Sub-6, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, along with a high-resolution webcam and fingerprint reader. The headset, unfolding to 146 x 175 x 44mm, delivers 1080p resolution per eye at 72Hz, weighing a mere 106 grams.
However, if you need to connect to an external display, the device is equipped with a 10Gbps USB-C ports with DisplayPort 1.4 capabilities. Bridging conventional and cutting-edge, the Spacetop aims to redefine the laptop experience.
Airthings Renew
For Southeast Asians, the seasonal haze and air pollution has been a constant blight. That’s where the Airthings Renew comes in. Built and rated for large rooms up to 525 square feet, the Renew is equipped with a four-stage HEPA-13 filter and separate carbon filters designed to clear 99.97 percent of all fine particles.
The device syncs with the Airthings app, which can track air quality trends as well as let you control settings while away from home.
Invoxia’s Minitailz
Weighing just 36 grams, the Minitailz is a more refined upgrade from last year’s Smart Dog Collar from Invoxia. It has some much improved functionalities including location tracking and biometrics to track your pet’s heart rate. If anomalies are detected, an alert will be sent to your mobile device. For location tracking, the device uses a built-in SIM and GPS tech to measure movements in almost real time.
The reduced weight makes it ideal for both cat and dogs. The device can be fitted on any existing pet collars through an adjustable ring. Invoxia’s Minitailz smart pet tracker for dogs is already available and a version for cats will be ready from March 2024.
Withings Beamo
The pandemic taught us that thermometers and oximeters are vital health equipment in every household. The BeamO aims to be the future of health scopes packing a thermometer, stethoscope, pulse oximeter, and EKG into a single device.
Retailing at approximately RM1,000, the ‘multiscope’ measures your temperature, takes electrocardiograms, reads blood oxygen levels, and doubles as a stethoscope to monitor heart and lung conditions. Electrodes installed at the sides of the device enable EKG readings for atrial fibrillation detection.
The device then produces a health report based on the collected readings. Users can download them audio format and send these reports to their doctors for remote consultations.
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