Reuters/Steve Marcus
Samsung’s Pixar-like robot. Ballie — a small, round robot that rolls around your house to do a myriad of tasks — was first announced back in 2020. But now the robot is almost ready for primetime, as Samsung plans to sell it this year, according to The Washington Post.
Mercedes steps up entertainment. Automobiles are a big piece of CES, from autonomous vehicles to futuristic models that wouldn’t be out of place in the next Tron movie. But the German automaker touted a big upgrade to its entertainment system, including being able to remix songs based on how you drive thanks to a partnership with rapper and producer will.i.am.
John Deere goes digital. The agricultural giant had a massive exhibit touting high-end tractors and data-intensive analytics, which are becoming much more common in the space. But what surprised me the most was John Deere’s iconic green hat being the swag item of the conference, drawing a long line to snag one.
Toilet tech. I’m a sucker for good branding, so I was drawn to Bemis’ display of bidets and toilet seats under the signage “Best seat in the house.” The products didn’t disappoint — no, I didn’t personally test them — including one that helps the elderly use the restroom without needing the help of a caregiver. Beyond helping older people maintain a sense of privacy, there’s also an element of long-term cost savings as elder care can be extremely pricey.
The US government! When you think of tech innovation, the US government probably isn’t top of mind. But Uncle Sam had a large exhibit touting the ways it can work with startups. One example was Homeland Security’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program, which will offer as much as $2 million in non-dilutive funding. These days, they’re looking for startups that can generate synthetic data.
AI handwritten notes. “Handwritten” notes done by a robot are exactly the type of thing you expect to see at CES. Handwrytten’s machine was legit, producing notes that genuinely looked to be done by a human hand. And while I realize having a robot write what’s meant to be a personalized note might seem contradictory, there’s a real use case for big organizations like nonprofits that want to thank donors in a more meaningful way than an email.
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