Exoskeletons and AI cocktails: A walk through this year’s CES
LAS VEGAS — More than 4,000 companies descended on Sin City this week to give a peek at some of the futuristic products they hope will find traction in everyday life.
Exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) revealed products ranging from AI-powered assistants to wearable robots and more. While many of the devices are not yet available to the general public, consumers can expect some of them to hit the market throughout the year.
CES, one of the largest tech conferences in the world, is an annual platform for companies hoping to create some excitement around their latest gadgets. Types of tech at the show run the gamut, but generative AI, which was popularized after OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, had a big role in powering many exhibits this year.
Several products unveiled on the CES floor catered to solving issues in health care and sustainability. Nuvilab’s AI nutrition scanner is a device that aims to do both. The scanner, which looks like a small tablet screen and a camera, uses AI image processing to assess the amount of food being consumed and wasted in restaurants and commercial kitchens. It can also show the nutritional content of a plate, like calorie intake.
While the product is intended for any commercial kitchen to curb food waste, the nutritional content scan is meant to be helpful for places with a focus on serving healthy meals like long-term care facilities, schools and hospitals.
Technology for physical therapy and fitness also debuted at CES. WIRobotics and Innophys showed off their wearable robotic suits. WIRobotics demonstrated a robot that straps around a user’s waist and legs to assist in walking, running or exercising for those who find it increasingly difficult. Innophys’ “wearable exoskeleton” muscle suit attaches to a user’s back to alleviate stress from labor-intensive activity.
PalmPlug is another piece of technology looking to change the future of physical therapy, but especially curated for stroke victims. Its sensor technology is built into a small glove that wraps around the wrist and fingers. A screen detects the hand and prompts movements through games and piano lessons, making physical therapy more entertaining.
“You can apply this technology in gaming and in health, sports, AR and VR, just so much, but we’re starting with health care,” Olaoluwa Adesanya, founder and CEO of PalmPlug, said. “So really starting with what’s broken.”
Augmental’s MouthPad^ took home the award for “Best Pitch” at CES 2024. MouthPad^ is a retainer-like device that allows users with physical disabilities to control their touchscreens using their tongues.
It wouldn’t be a tech convention without a few flashy inventions that look more like sci-fi props than real-world inventions. The Holobox by Holoconnects is a device tall and wide enough to project a full-body 3D holographic image of an individual from anywhere in the world. While everyday consumers might not have a use for it, companies can use it for keynotes and conferences. The United Nations has even used the box to bring colleagues to the U.N. floor for meetings, Holoconnects staff members said.
The CES floor was filled with gadgets made for fun and convenience as well. The South Korean robotics giant Doosan, in partnership with Microsoft, served up some AI-crafted cocktails for CES attendees this year. The company’s robot bartender uses AI to analyze each person’s facial expression and create a bespoke cocktail based on the customer’s mood.
Another exhibit whipped up fresh ice cream using a can and its ColdSnap machine. It acts as a “Keurig for ice cream” and can create soft serve in two minutes from any home kitchen.
Handwrytten is bringing back old-fashioned letters and cards in a new way. Its robotic hand can replicate human handwriting using AI, giving users the ability to type up a message for their handwritten notes.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
