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The beginning of the calendar year is an exciting time for the tech world, with CES (Consumer Electronics Show) giving us a sneak peek of new products and services that may change our daily lives. While not all the tech from CES makes it into production, often we see the first glimpse of what’s in our future.
This year is no exception as tech from CES spans many aspects of our lives and shows us how tech soon could make life easier and even more fun!
Water from Air in a Car
If you’ve ever been thirsty in your car but haven’t had the time or opportunity to stop for a drink of water, you’ll be interested in the Genny. This innovative tech from WaterGen turns air into water pure enough to drink.
This gizmo by @WaterGen_Inc pulls water from the air for drinking consumption– in your car #CES2019 pic.twitter.com/MQMezKPUiE
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) January 13, 2019
The Genny works by taking air from outside your car, filtering impurities, cooling the air to produce water, filtering the water, then dispensing it to quench your thirst.
According to WaterGen, the Genny can generate up to 5 liters of water using only one watt of electricity. The developers hope that their invention can reduce the use of plastic water bottles.
This new product could be truly revolutionary in places where pure drinking water is difficult to find. The Genny won the award for Best of Innovation for Tech at CES 2019.
No pricing or availability for the Genny has been announced. Find more information about the Genny at the WaterGen website.
Bell Nexus Air Taxi
Imagine being able to summon a helicopter as easily as summoning an Uber car. Bell is a company that is working to turn that idea into a reality.
At CES 2019, Bell showed off its concept air taxi called the Nexus. This re-imagined helicopter seats four passengers plus a pilot and is designed to bring urban air travel to the masses.
Bell has partnered with Uber to work on making the Nexus available in the future for on-demand transportation. Test flights are planned for early 2020 and if all goes well, passenger transportation could soon follow.
Samsung GEMS Robotic Exo-skeleton
Many people take walking for granted, but for those with mobility issues, putting one foot in front of the other may be an insurmountable challenge.
Samsung has developed a set of wearable robots called GEMS that assist people with walking. GEMS, which stands for “Gait Enhancing Motivational System,” are available for the hips, knees and ankles.
Strap on a GEMS and let the robot help propel you as you walk. These robots can help folks with strength and balance issues, and improve walking, running, stability and posture.
GEMS also have a setting for added resistance, making mobility more difficult. This setting can be used in physical therapy to strengthen injured muscles or to train athletes.
No date or pricing has been announced for GEMS. Seung Hwan Cho, Deputy Head of Samsung Research stated, “Our plan is to gauge consumers’ demand for robots, consider ways to create solutions for societal challenges, and accelerate our development efforts. People can look forward to the future that Samsung Bots will help create.”
Byton M-Byte Car
The Byton M-Byte car truly seems like a vehicle from the future. With a 48-inch Shared Experience screen that spans the dashboard, the car provides drivers and passengers with information such as the status of the car, navigation, entertainment and more. A second screen on the steering wheel gives the driver even more information.
The @BytonCars M-Byte is a futuristic car that has 48-inch screen across the dash! #CES2019 pic.twitter.com/c8vDNtcSLY
— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) January 13, 2019
The screens may look like they’re touch screens, but they’re not. Instead cameras transmit your gestures to the screen’s computers to interpret your commands, with tech the company calls Air Touch. This way you can keep your eyes on the road better and keep the screen free of fingerprints.
The car has Alexa integration, as well as tech to detect when drivers become distracted (certainly a possibility with all that screen real estate on the dashboard).
The M-Byte can also be a health and fitness partner. Wear a special wristband to have your health and fitness monitored, even when you’re not in the car. The seat can weigh you and make suggestions for fitness improvements.
Because who doesn’t want our car yelling at us: “Hey, you’re feeling a bit heavy today, are you sure we should be at this fast food restaurant? Let’s head to the gym instead!”
So far the M-Byte is a concept car, with no price or launch date announced. Find out more at the Byton website.
LG Smart Styler
For those who intensely dislike doing laundry, LG has introduced the Smart Styler, a closet that can steam clean your clothes. The Smart Styler has five hangers for shirts, jackets and coats, as well as a place for your slacks on the door. It comes with Google Assistant so you can command it using your voice, even when you’re not at home.
Place your items in the Smart Styler and LG’s TrueSteam technology will clean them. According to LG, this tech eliminates “over 99.9 percent of the germs and bacteria found in clothing to keep one’s wardrobe hygienically clean. “
After the items have been steam cleaned, they’ll be shaken on the hangers to smooth out wrinkles as they’re dried. At the end of the process you’ll have clothes that are clean, dry and pressed.
LG has not announced the pricing or timing of the LG Smart Styler. Previous versions of the Styler have been priced at about $1500.
Foldimate Laundry Folding Machine
One of the most mundane household tasks has got to be folding laundry. An innovative tech company is making that task easier and maybe even more fun.
Foldimate is a robot that will fold laundry for you. Just feed each piece of clean laundry into the machine and it will return it to you in a neatly folded pile.
Foldimate won’t fold everything. According to the company, Foldimate “currently won’t fold very small items like baby clothes, socks or undergarments, very large items such as sheets, or very bulky items such as hoodies.” But it will “fold any type of shirt, blouse, or pants from age 6 to adult size XXL. It will also fold standard-size towels and pillowcases.”
Eager to get ahold of one of these handy robots? Get on the waitlist at the Foldimate website. Pricing is estimated to be $980, with delivery predicted to be later in 2019.
Apple Comes to Samsung, Sony, LG, and Vizio TV Sets
Although Apple wasn’t at CES 2019, the company used the opportunity to reveal that it was bringing its services to TV sets made by other companies. Apple is partnering with other companies, including Samsung, Sony and LG to bring AirPlay, HomeKit, Siri and iTunes, to their TV sets.
Soon you’ll be able to use Siri to control these TV sets and other Siri-connected devices. You’ll also be able to watch movies, TV shows and other iTunes videos on these TV sets without connecting an Apple TV.
AirPlay will let you mirror what’s on your iPhone, iPad or Mac computer onto a TV screen. Previously, AirPlay was only available through Apple TV but Apple announced during CES 2019 that TV sets made by other manufacturers will have AirPlay built in. Check Apple’s website for a list of AirPlay compatible TV sets.
Your Thoughts
Are you excited about these tech products and services announced at CES 2019? Do you think any of these will become a reality? Which of these would make the most difference in your life?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Hi carolyn,
What an amazing post. you have shared some mind boggling ideas. I especially liked the Water from Air in a Car idea. It will be so helpful in places where there is scarcity of water while we are driving.
Thanks for sharing, have a good day.