From flying cars or with legs to lasers to kill mosquitoes and robots that serve wine or take toilet paper to the bathroom.
They are some of the most curious inventions presented in the latest editions of CES, the largest consumer technology fair in the world.
While last year the event was held exclusively virtual, in 2022 more than 2,300 companies have shown between January 5 and 7 in Las Vegas hotels and convention centers some of the most innovative and extravagant devices on the planet. .
A teddy that nibbles fingers
A couple of years ago, the Japanese company Yuaki Engineering surprised CES attendees with a furry cushion with a tail. As if it were a cat or a dog, when slowly stroking the cushion, the tail went from one side to the other. In theory, the buyers of this robot, called Qoobot, are mainly people who cannot have animals because they are allergic and elderly people who feel lonely.
The new invention of this company is, even if possible, more surreal: a cuddly stuffed animal in the shape of a dog whose sole objective is to nibble the user's finger "as if it were a puppy or a kitten."
"When a puppy bites you, you have to tell him not to do it because otherwise he will learn to bite people and it can be dangerous, but it is very pleasant so we created this robot called Amagami Ham Ham", explains Shunsuke Aoki, by Yuaki Engineering.
The creators of this plush, which is still a prototype, believe that it could be successful among men and women between 20 and 30 years of age and older people.
A car that changes color
A car that changes color at the push of a button.
BMW iX Flow is the ambitious technology on which BMW works.
The German manufacturer intends to use electronic ink so that the user can personalize the color of his vehicle.
This choice can also influence how the car reflects sunlight and absorbs heat energy.
"A white surface reflects much more sunlight than a black one," explains the company.
Consequently, "the heating of the vehicle by intense sunlight and high outside temperatures" could be reduced by changing the exterior to a light color.
In colder temperatures, "a dark outer skin will help the vehicle absorb noticeably more heat from the sun."
Glasses, microphones and sensors to enter the metaverse
A man with somewhat futuristic virtual reality glasses, a device around his mouth and sensors all over his body has captured the attention of multiple CES attendees. All these devices promise to be the gateway to the metaverse, a virtual space to entertain, shop or work for which multiple companies such as Facebook or MAD Gaze are betting.
At first glance, the most striking thing is the microphone, called Mutalk.
It is a kind of box that covers the entire mouth and fits the face with a tape that goes around the neck.
"If you talk with this device on, the people around you will not hear anything, but your friends connected in virtual reality will," says Yukino Aoshima, from Shiftall.
Such a device also suppresses outside noise.
In addition to various motion sensors, this man wears a portable body heating and cooling system (Pebble Feel) designed so that the user can feel, for example, "the cold in some snowy mountains."
A board to learn to play chess
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the growth of online chess.
In this sense, it can be useful Chessup, a smart board that costs 389 dollars - about 340 euros - and is used to learn to play or improve tactics.
When playing any piece, all possible movements are illuminated in different colors according to their strength.
Chessup's Jeff Wigh explains that the board uses artificial intelligence to assist and train the player, regardless of their level: "If it lights up green, it's a good move, but if it turns red, it's bad."
The user can play against another person or against an artificial intelligence system that illuminates the opponent's plays.
A mask to show emotions with LED lights
Among the most extravagant devices on display this year at CES is what, according to its creators, is the "world's first emotional LED mask."
This device, called Qudi, covers the entire face and is designed to express different emotions and moods with lights: from love to confusion, anger or happiness.
The user can choose what he wants to express by pressing a button on the device or from an application downloaded on the mobile.
The mask also features a "robot mode" that reacts to head movements to nod or deny.
"The LED technologies that we use in our products will become an unprecedented trend in the world in the near future and will firmly enter our daily lives," their creators explain.
A virtual glasses fitting room
When a person with vision problems goes to buy new glasses, they sometimes run into a problem: when they take off their glasses and try on others that are not prescription, they do not see well how they fit.
“More than 600 million people cannot see themselves when they remove their glasses because they see blurry,” stresses Stephanie Loufti Le Grand, an employee of Fittingbox.
This is what your company intends to solve with a virtual fitting room that uses augmented reality.
By using the mobile camera, the system magically removes the glasses that a person is wearing and allows them to see how other models fit.
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