At the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, companies show off their oddest prototypes for the world to see. Of the four thousand-plus companies that presented products this year, there have been some standouts; such as a fridge that makes recipes based in what’s in it, and a 42-inch TV that you can get for free.
Motorized Legs
WiRobotics is looking to motorize walking with the WIM™. Their wearable belt pack is Specifically designed to allow people with reduced fitness, due to old age or disabilities to continue to exercise, by reducing the effort required to walk by 20%. The device utilizes fold-out robot arms to push and pull on your legs as you walk, which reduces the energy required. If that isn’t enough, the WiRobotics WIM™ can also provide resistance force to aid you in personalizing your workouts.
Free TV
Do you want a free 55-inch 4k TV? Well, Telly is here to give you one. By adding a second screen that serves you ads; as well as collecting your watch history, Telly can give you a TV for free. According to users, the TV is high quality, and the integrated soundbar sounds much nicer than the average built-in TV Speakers. The TV also features a camera, which allows you to make Zoom calls from the comfort of your couch. It even has a voice assistant built off of ChatGPT that will get to know you over time and give you personalized recommendations.
Skyted Mask
Skyted is looking to solve noisy conversations that bother others with their dystopian mask. The mask is made of a noise-muffling material and has a microphone inside it so that whoever you are talking to can hear you, but no one else can. The wired version costs $400, and if you want to go wireless you’ll pay an additional $200. Given this price and the dystopian appearance when wearing it, I can’t see this mask going mainstream, but I am sure there are people out there who are looking for something just like this.
Ai Fridge
Companies have been implementing artificial intelligence into every product category imaginable. While Samsung has been making “Smart” fridges since 2016, they have recently brought some truly intelligent features to their 2024 lineup. Their new fridges feature an AI camera that recognizes the food you put into your fridge and then generates recipes based on your food. There are even options to tailor the recipes to match your dietary needs.
Rabbit R1
A new startup company called Rabbit has created a smartphone with no apps. This small, $200 device features most of what you would expect on a normal smartphone. It has cameras, a touchscreen, speakers, and a cellular connection, but it lacks one thing: apps. The selling point of this device is that you interact with it using just your voice, but this isn’t your average voice assistant. The device uses the same technology that powers ChatGPT to understand what you want it to do, and then do it for you. You can use this device to search the web, play music, order food, translate conversations, search with images, schedule ridesharing, and more all with your voice.
E-ink Toilet
Last year at CES, BMW showed off its concept car with E-Ink displays as the paneling, which allowed the car to change its appearance at the press of a button. Kholer must have thought if you can put an e-ink on a car, why not a toilet? Kholer’s new toilet features all the typical amenities found in a toilet that costs more than your car, such as a heated seat, a highly customizable bidet, and an app that allows for further customization of your bathroom experience. Apart from all of this, the inclusion of E-Ink displays on the surface of the toilet allows you to change its appearance from white to gray to black.
