Blue View – Best and Worst of the CES

In our four days at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) we looked at hundreds of gadgets, gizmos and new products. Even so, we barely touched on all there was to see. There were more than 3200 exhibitors and about 1000 new start-ups, and it would have taken us weeks to visit them all. Based on the products we did discover, I’ve compiled a list of my favorites... as well as a few products that I can’t see ever being a success.

Favorites

Language translator – Timekettle M2

This is a Bluetooth earbud with phone app that pairs with your smartphone and provides instant translations in over 40 different languages and 93 different accents. Lets say you are hiking in Portugal, and want to have a conversation with a new friend. Select the languages you want to communicate in, then talk. The phone speaker will provide the audio translation of your voice in Portuguese, and the earbud will provide you with an instant translation in English of the Portuguese. Alternatively, maybe you want to converse with a business associate who doesn’t speak English. If both of you use an earbud, everything you say will be translated directly into your associate’s earbud and vice versa. We watched a Chinese man conversing with a German fellow in the Timekettle booth. Both had earbuds and even though they were both speaking in their native languages, they seemed to be having a normal conversation. If it actually works as well as they claim, this is one cool, very “Star Trek-ish” product.

Digital Scent

This company, Aromajoin, has figured out a way to create scents that can be triggered digitally. They demonstrated their current product, the Aroma Shooter 2, by attaching it to a computer. The video that was playing would trigger different scents to accompany the video. When a forest scene came into view, for instance, the Aroma Shooter would fire off a pine scent. Likewise, when a chocolate cake was in view, the device would generate the aroma of heated chocolate. We enjoyed the pine, caramel, several perfumes and the heated chocolate, but the company currently has dozens of other scents as well. Each is in a dry solid form, so the scent quickly dissipates rather than lingering and mixing with other scents.

Robotic EV Charger

When we were looking at the new electric RAM truck, which was very sleek and stylistic BTW, we also saw their robotic charger. When the pickup is parked in the garage, the charger, which looks like a short robotic vacuum, rolls away from its storage spot on the wall and finds the right spot under the truck. It then hooks itself up and initiates the charging cycle. It can be programmed to optimize charging times to take advantage of off-hour electrical discounts.

Electric Ultralight

RYSE Aerotech displayed its eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) ultralight aircraft. This vehicle is a single person, battery operated ultralight that looks like an oversized drone. It has six motors, each with its own battery, can reach speeds of up to 63 MPH and an altitude of 400 feet. Amazingly, the FAA has special exemptions for ultralight aircraft: “… operators of ultralight vehicles are not required to meet any aeronautical knowledge, age, or experience requirements to operate those vehicles”, nor is there any requirement to register or license the aircraft. You can buy one and fly it immediately. Even most drones require that the operator pass a safety test and that the drone be registered. I think I’d at least read the owner’s manual first. They are scheduled to be available fourth quarter of this year at a mere $150,000.

Pedestrian Navigation Aids

Did you ever try walking around a city while using the navigation app on your phone to find your way? I’ve been known to walk into streetlamps and trip over curbs while distracted by my phone. We discovered several companies that offer solutions for klutzes like me… wearable devices that pair with your smartphone navigation app to give you directions while walking. The most clever, in my opinion, was a gizmo manufactured by Moontech that you wrap around your ankle. The device gives you a subtle tap on the side of the ankle to let you know when to turn right or left, as well as occasional taps on the front of the ankle to reassure you that you’re still going in the right direction. It’s not yet available, and they aren’t sure of pricing, but might be just the thing for someone who has everything. Would I buy one? Probably not, but it is a clever idea.

3D Printers

3D printers are coming down in price while increasing in capabilities. One we saw and liked was manufactured by Kokoni. If you take photos from all sides of the object to be created, the company’s AI app will create a 3D image of the object. You can edit the image as desired, then transfer the file to the printer, and it creates a copy of the object. All this for $400-$800, depending on the printer size.

Autonomous Trucks and Tractors

Autonomous vehicles are getting closer to becoming a reality, and nowhere is this more evident than with the machines made by John Deere and Caterpillar, both of which had mega-exhibits at the CES. John Deere, of course, specializes in farm equipment, and they had a huge, autonomous tractor on display, while Caterpillar brought a huge self-driving dump truck. The times, they are a-changin’.

Autonomous Boating

Brunswick showcased its complete line of marine instrumentation, boats and boating-related products. Of particular interest was their plan for autonomous boating. Marine autopilots have been around for a long time, and are invaluable for short-handed, long-distance voyages. We felt an autopilot was so important, we had two totally redundant systems on Nine of Cups. Brunswick is taking this to the next level: autonomous docking, obstacle avoidance and a “hold-in-place” capability. At this point, the company has only prototypes and an elaborate simulator to demonstrate the auto-docking system.

If you’ve ever tried to dock a boat, you know this can be quite stressful even in the best conditions, and even more so when the wind is up and/or there’s an adverse current. Brunswick’s full auto-docking system will go a long way toward eliminating the stress. As you approach a marina, a chart of the marina layout will be shown on the touchscreen display. You can select the slip you want to tie up to, and whether you want the boat to be bow-in, stern-in or side-to, and let the technology take it from there.

Brunswick hasn’t announced when the product will be available, but I would guess within the next year or two and that it will be pricey.

Robotic Artist

This cute little humanoid robot, named the Sketcher X, converses with a person while drawing a pen and ink portrait of that person. Xorbis claims the robot incorporates the mood of the conversation in its portraits. I’m not sure why anyone would want one, but it was quite innovative and clever.

Head Scratchers

Then there were a lot of new inventions that I can’t ever see becoming viable, successful products. Here are a couple:

Folding Bike

There are a number of folding, portable bikes on the market, both in regular and e-bike versions. One that caught our attention was a cute e-bike made by Koma. It folds down into a small cube that can fit under a table or stow on a bus, train or RV. We thought it was worth a look until we saw the price - $4500, which is well over our threshold of pain. The real deal breaker, however, was the weight, ~110 pounds! I can’t imagine trying to lift this into a bus or the back of an RV.

Bowel Sound Recording

According to the manufacturer, “The GutNote is the world’s first smartphone application that enables users to check their gut health through the sound of their own peristaltic motion. By recording the bowel sound, an AI will analyze the current condition of the bowel and customize dietary suggestions according to individual conditions.” Perhaps listening to bowel sounds is a common medical diagnostic tool, and maybe a phone app that automates the process is a greatly needed product, but I remain a bit skeptical.

Un-Favorite

USPS

The postal service unveiled a prototype of their new electric mail truck. It’s great that the mail trucks will be all-electric in the near future, but was it necessary for them to spend many tens of thousands of dollars at CES, of all places, hyping it when they are undergoing budget cuts, reducing hours and services?

We thought the booth across the aisle was particularly interesting

What we missed

We knew that it would be possible to see and talk with only a small sampling of the 3000+ exhibitors at this year’s CES, so we tried to narrow our visit to those of most interest to us. This seemed like a good plan, but once we started wandering around, we were easily and frequently distracted by some new product that wasn’t on the list. In the end, I doubt we gave more than a fleeting glance at, let alone actually stopped and chatted with, even 500 booths in our four days there. Had we been able to spend two or three weeks walking the aisles, I’m sure my list of favorites and not-so-favorites would be totally different. In short, we missed most of what there was to see.

Fortunately, I don’t think that the future success of any of the exhibitors at the CES depends on whether they made our list of favorites. See you next week...