Last week, around 200,000 attendees—a blend of manufacturers, retailers, technology buyers, media (and yours truly!)—flew to Las Vegas to interact with robots, try a few virtual reality demos and assess the latest innovations in technology. With 11 official venues, CES spans more than 2.9 million net square feet of exhibit space and these two very tired feet navigated through the chaos to bring you highlights and tech trends for 2020, according to CES.
The first trend that stood out to me was technology becoming more subtle. Every day we’re inundated with flashy technology and digital signage that’s meant to draw your eye. However, at CES this year, I noticed a lot of technology tailored to blend into the environment in more natural ways. For example, mui Lab designed its smart display out of natural wood, with an inset LED display. It looks like a normal piece of wood most of the time, but when you tap it, it lights up with buttons and messages directly on the wood surface. The idea behind the product is for it to blend seamlessly into your living space, which is a unique, aesthetic approach to practical, everyday things such as timers, music and more.
Another big trend at CES 2020 was wearable healthcare devices. More and more health sensors are coming to consumer products such as watches, glasses and earbuds, along with apps and software to help the consumer read them. We know that healthcare is expensive, so it was great to see more than a handful of companies dedicating resources to help make healthcare affordable to all by tackling issues like sleep apnea, hypertension, dyslexia and more. In the next few years, consumers will have a better understanding of their body and overall health thanks to the data procured by some of these smart devices.
UPRAISE Clients Find Success
UPRAISE took two clients to CES this year, Trifo and Ainstein, both of which had very successful shows!
Related Content: Trifo Vacuums Up Media Coverage at CES 2019
Trifo is an artificial intelligence (AI) home robot company that announced their smartest home robot at CES this year, Lucy. Lucy is the smart home superhero that can intelligently understand and recognize objects and rooms, protect and clean her home–day or night. Her innovative dual front view cameras enable her to build a 3D map of her home, expertly navigate the narrowest cleaning paths and avoid the smallest objects, even doggie doo-doo! Her superintelligence allows her to name rooms, be directed via Alexa voice commands or through the Trifo Home App and direct Lucy anywhere in the house. At any hour of the day, Lucy can patrol her home, more accurately detect intruders and anomalies, working day and night to keep your family safe.
Here’s what a few reporters had to say:
“Over the past few years, the market has been clamoring for a breakout solution that changes the traditional robot vacuum paradigm. I believe Trifo’s new Lucy robot vacuum has the potential to do just that.” –Forbes
“It looks like one particular robot is going to fulfill some of our futuristic fantasies.” –Digital Trends
Despite the name, not all companies exhibiting at CES offer consumer products. Ainstein, a leader in designing and building intelligent radar systems, used CES as an opportunity to demo its new line of radar modules specifically designed for use in static, fixed mounted applications like traffic management, surveillance and security, space utilization and building automation.
Ainstein’s WAYV IoT family features short-, mid- and long-range sensors. These sensors enable users to track and analyze the flow of pedestrians and vehicles in a variety of situations. In a retail environment, WAYV sensors track the flow of customers through a store. This data enables managers to optimize store layouts to increase sales. In hotel/motel, industrial or office environments, WAYV sensors provide valuable insights around space utilization and can even enable emergency personnel to know exactly where people are located, facilitating rescue.
Just before CES, Ainstein announced a joint venture with ADAC Automotive that will design, develop and manufacture innovative mmWave radar-based sensing solutions for use in the global automotive marketplace. At the show, RADAC Automotive held demos of its first patent pending solution, a mmWave radar module, designed to enhance the customer experience by providing hands-free vehicle access.
Both demonstrations received praise from investors and media alike and the joint venture with ADAC Automotive was dubbed “A genius partnership” by Plastics News.
CES is a massive playground filled with every gizmo and gadget imaginable – Google’s booth literally had a set of four slides that land riders in a ball pit at the bottom. If you are a company heading to CES next year (or any other industry trade shows this year) and would like to discuss how to get noticed and maximize your presence, please get in touch! Let us help you get on stage, earn impactful media coverage and rise above the noise.