CES 2024 is in full swing in Las Vegas. We’re on the bottom providing you with probably the most talked about information and bulletins from the occasion, however a lot of the enjoyable is to be discovered within the weirder margins of the present flooring. In an period of CES the place firms are all-in on the AI hype machine, there are sure to be devices and claims which can be a bit odd, to say the least.
Listed here are the 14 strangest devices, tech and claims from CES 2024 to date.
AI-powered birding binoculars
For the birder with a limiteless price range, Swarovski unveiled the AX Visio 10×32: a $4,799 pair of AI-powered binoculars. The binoculars use AI that can assist you shortly determine greater than 9,000 birds and different species, in addition to present the flexibility to take photographs and movies of your discoveries to share.
An app that allows you to pay to pee
Picture Credit: Flush
Must go and prepared to pay? Internet-based app Flush permits companies to lease out their bogs to individuals for added income. The oddest factor about this app, exterior of its existence because of the dearth of maintained and public restrooms within the U.S., is its ranking system that companies use to approve or deny a reservation.
A BlackBerry-style keyboard on your iPhone
Picture Credit: Clicks Expertise (opens in a brand new window)
Do you miss the times of getting a tactile keyboard in your iPhone? Revealed at CES 2024, Clicks Expertise’s creator keyboard turns your cellphone right into a BlackBerry-era relic for $139. The keyboard acts as a cellphone case attachment and provides you entry to extra of your iPhone’s display screen with out the digital keyboard. It’s certain to make your cellphone rather a lot longer, however possibly that’s the worth you pay for nostalgia.
Dynamic sound mixing based mostly in your driving
Picture Credit: Tim Stevens
Sound Drive, a startup from singer-songwriter turned entrepreneur Will.i.am, goals to match the music you’re listening to with the cadence and power of your commute. The know-how reacts to your pace and matches music to it, with lyrics coming in and dropping out intelligently whether or not you’re ripping down the freeway or caught in site visitors. Whereas we have been a bit skeptical, we got here away from the tech pretty impressed.
A router that appears like an image body
Picture Credit: GL.iNet
Matching your tech to your own home’s aesthetic has been fashionable in the previous few years. Is your TV too boring? Make it appear to be a gallery portray with the Samsung Body or have it mix seamlessly into your own home with LG’s newly revealed clear tv.
And the newest tech merchandise to get the yaasification therapy is the standard router. The Marble Wi-Fi 6 OpenWrt Router from GL.iNet appears like a small framed piece of artwork you could dangle in your wall or prop in your desk.
An AI assistant that calls 911 for you
At LG’s press occasion, the corporate introduced its Sensible Dwelling AI Agent. The “two-legged” wheeled robotic acts as an assistant in sync along with your LG home equipment. Generative AI permits you to chat with the AI Agent, and the corporate claims it might present you empathy. Within the firm’s surreal, Pixar-esque promotional video, the bot can remind you to take your medication or name 911 in a time of disaster.
A bidet you may discuss to
Picture Credit: Kohler
Hey, Alexa? Activate the bidet spray. Kohler launched the PureWash E930 Bidet Seat with voice command assist for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. With voice help, you may management the seat hands-free, activate the bidet’s spray and dryer capabilities, in addition to its self-cleaning UV function. Simply don’t let anybody watch you speaking to your rest room.
A voice absorbing masks that appears like a muzzle
Goodbye, nosy eavesdroppers. Skyted’s “Mobility Privateness Masks” and “Hybrid Silent Masks” are designed to “soak up voice frequencies” in noisy environments like planes, trains and rideshares, so you may talk with a bit extra privateness, based on founder Stéphane Hersen. The corporate goals to implement their Bane-like masks in places of work, name facilities and even in gaming environments.
An AI-powered stroller that rocks your child for you
Picture credit: GlüxKind
Parenting is difficult. GlüxKind is hoping that’s sufficient to persuade you to place your youngster within the arms — er, wheels — of its AI-powered stroller, Ella. The stroller touts the flexibility to push itself hands-free, cease routinely on inclines, and softly rock your youngster with out you needing to carry a finger. The stroller additionally features a built-in white noise machine function.
An uncanny valley you may brainstorm with
One of the crucial notable “Who requested for this?” merchandise unveiled at CES is the GPT version of WeHead. The AI-powered head brings a face and a physicality to ChatGPT, moderately than a purely digital AI expertise. The mannequin-like setup with a number of screens goals to behave as a confidant to bounce round concepts with, although we’re extra fixated on simply how weird it appears and feels to work together with than something.
A pocket AI assistant that scrolls via your cellphone for you
Wish to order a pizza? As an alternative of pulling out your cellphone, unlocking it, discovering a supply app, opening it, and dealing your manner via the UI to finish your order (so laborious!), why not simply ask rabbit’s r1 to do it for you? Quite than voice-only AI assistants like Siri and Alexa, the Teenage Engineering-designed system works on a “language motion mannequin,” which permits it to hypothetically carry out the requested activity.
Sensible molluscs that may look out for water air pollution
From telephones to TVs and even bathrooms, all the pieces must be “sensible” these days. What about molluscs? Impressed. MolluSCAN CEO and co-founder Ludovic Quinault discovered {that a} easy, non-invasive sensor hooked up to a clam or oyster’s shell can monitor all the pieces from feeding to replica and stress responses, which could be glorious predictors of water high quality and potential air pollution.
A TV that folds right into a statue
Do you like your TV however want it may fold up into a bit of artwork? Boy, we’ve received excellent news for you. C SEED’s N1 folding TV is made up of 5 MicroLED panels, permitting it to go from a whopping 137-inch display screen to a brutalist-looking sculpture in your front room in about 90 seconds. With its so-called Adaptive Hole Calibration, there are not any seen hinges between the screens, revealing a seamless viewing expertise when fully unfurled. Additionally, it begins at $200,000.
A CPR dummy that breathes and pees
How sensible is too sensible? ADAM-X from Medical-X is a affected person simulator designed for a variety of medical coaching workouts: injecting an IV, utilizing a defibrillator, CPR and extra. The corporate boasts sensible replications of a human’s skeleton anatomical construction, and provides you with reactive suggestions based mostly on the affected person’s wants and the way correct you’re. In response to Engadget, the corporate plans to include a GPT-like function sooner or later to assist practice medics extra straight. ADAM-X additionally accommodates simulated fluids like blood and urine for correct coaching apply. Go, science.
A sensible mirror that claims it might sense in case you’re depressed
Magic mirror on the wall, why am I so pressured? Baracoda calls BMind the world’s first AI-powered sensible mirror for psychological wellness. The mirror makes use of AI and pure language processing to determine your temper based mostly in your gestures, expressions and tone. In flip, the mirror can chat with you, generate guided meditation workouts and self-affirmations and implement mild remedy periods via the mirror’s edge.
A CNC mill that appears straight out of the ‘90s
Coast Runner CNC mill, proven at CES 2024
This isn’t that bizarre of a product, actually, however its look is simply too eye-catching to depart out. It’s truly a part of an admirable mission from Coast Runner to make laptop numerical management (CNC) machines extra accessible to professionals and hobbyists. For these much less conversant in the house, a CNC machine is what permits for the standardization and automation of an in any other case guide course of, like slicing via elements on an meeting line or 3D printing.
However simply have a look at that graphic referencing the 1992 disposable cup design “Jazz” (which has since had a lifetime of its personal on-line.) In an occasion that featured so, so, so many harrowing or complicated aesthetics, a bit nostalgia is cool and refreshing.
