Consumer Technology Association, the group that hosts the show says over 175,000 industry insiders, exhibitors, and members of the media will be in attendance this year, all vying to be the one to set the pace of technology for the coming year. This year’s show runs from January 9 through 12, 2018.
CES is the ultimate meeting place for companies that thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years. From digital health trends to the latest in artificial intelligence, and components that other companies may find useful, there will be something for everyone.
Which technology will be a winner this year?
As Gizmodo points out, the surprising winner at CES 2017 turned out to be the online giant, Amazon, which didn’t really have a presence or even a booth at the show. But it was Alexa that stole the spotlight with companies from BMW to Mattel lining up to show off products featuring its digital assistant.
This year’s show is continuing a trend toward smart homes, with Google featuring another round of AI-powered devices after the success of its Google Home Mini, the little cousin of Amazon Echo.
And it’s not just smart speakers and digital assistants that are getting a make-over, but everything from smart Tupperware to robotic sun shades, and more. And to go with your smart home is another round of televisions sure to make the most discerning of us drool in anticipation.
In fact, LG has already given the public a small sampling of their latest – A new 88-inch 8K TV, the largest OLED set LG has ever made. However, Sharp and Samsung will also be companies to watch this year because they have already shown off 8K prototypes.
Cars and other forms of transportation
We know that the impetus to get a self-driving car on the road is the dream of most all automotive companies, however, it may be a slow year for cars at CES. Most auto companies are holding out with any breakthrough announcements until the Detroit Auto Show which starts January 14.
But CES won’t disappoint. There will be a personal drone, improved Lidar, and machine vision tech, and scooters, bikes, and even some strange-looking single-person transports to see.
However, and there always will be something in this category, there is a new company ready to show off the car of the future. Byton is the new boy on the block and will either become a competitor of Tesla or end up like Faraday Future. Byton has its corporate headquarters in Maple Technology Park, in Qixia District, Nanjing, China, an excellent place to be right now when it comes to new vehicle technology.
CES will set the stage for the debut of a new type of vehicle in which life never stops – the Smart Intuitive Vehicle. Byton claims the name defines the relevance of an SIV through its genuine capability to seamlessly connect all its occupants with each other and with the outside world. Finally, the SIV reconnects the car to our times.
Byton describes the experience of being in a Byton SIV this way: ” It will provide you with a constant connection with a bandwidth of up to 1000Mb/s, five times higher than any conventional system. In a BYTON, all occupants will enjoy the same level of seamless internet connectivity and digital services. You will be able to simultaneously stream your favorite TV shows, get work done, video chat, play video games and so much more. This is a decisive leap forward which ensures that life continues in the car.”
Personal technology gaining a niche
From smart watches that track your blood pressure to wearables that track your heart rates or step counts, we are talking about health tags in different pieces of clothing. There are even devices that track how healthy your hair is or quite a number of devices that track how much you sleep.
And we can’t forget to mention LinkSquare, which scans food to see if its safe to eat. Actually, it does much more than just check your food. The Link Square is a hand-held scanner that reads spectral wavelengths from 400 nm to 1000 nm, with the optical resolution of about 10 nm.
The company website says you can check the quality of food, verify the veracity of product information, assess plant growth, and explore the environment around you with this scanner. It can also be used to check a pharmacy prescription to make sure the pills are what they are supposed to be.
