Tech Advances for a Better World Ruled the Floor
There was almost a sense of giddiness surrounding CES 2023. Finally, the most influential tech event in the world was back on track, with attendees reveling in the in-person experience. Petra had boots on the ground (sneakers and loafers, actually) as well as virtual attendees to cover as much territory as possible.
As Gerald Cruz, Petra’s Director of Business Development put it:
“The highlight of CES 2023 was having the ability to connect face-to-face with current partners and prospects. The story and transference of opportunities filled the air this year, smiles were infectious, and the product offerings were nothing short of spectacular.
“The Petra team had the opportunity to connect with key partners such as—but not limited to—XGIMI, Mobile Pixels, Lorex, Garmin, Universal Electronics, and many more to view this year’s amazing lineup in store for our customer base. We also met with dozens of new partners Petra will be assisting with navigating the 2023-and-beyond omnichannel distribution environment.”
Each year, CES also has a competition that honors outstanding design and engineering. Among the 2023 Innovation Awards Honorees were some familiar Petra brand partners—Garmin, Mobile Pixels, and Pivo. Click here to see a complete list of honorees.
CES 2023 by the numbers
- Nearly 2.2 million net sq. ft. of exhibits (70% larger than CES 2022
- 3,200+ exhibitors, including 1,000 new exhibitors
- Over 115,000 attendees (pre-audit figures)
- Over 40,000 international attendees from more than 140 countries (pre-audit figures)
- 4,800 global media from 69 countries (pre-audit figures)
- 60% of Fortune 500 companies represented
Once called the Consumer Electronics Show, CES has grown into so much more. It is…
“The proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. This is where the world’s biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, CES features every aspect of the tech sector.”
Every product on the floor had its merits. So, drum roll please! Let’s check out 35 of the most buzzworthy and amazing products seen at CES 2023.
Pets
- FluentPet Connect. An intriguing way to teach your dog (and maybe cat), this is a smart-talking button system that pets press with their paws. They can even combine them to express more concepts. The Connect Base with a built-in loudspeaker and an integrated app ensures pet lovers never miss a message or a milestone.
- Invoxia smart dog collar. The collar not only monitors a pet’s activity and sleep patterns but also has a GPS tracker and offers advanced heart health monitoring.
AI/Robots
- MintiD Dog-E from WoWee. This adorable robot dog is customizable and trainable. It senses touch, hears voices, delivers persistence of vision messages with its wagging tail, and so much more.
- Aeo from Aeolus Robotics. This is no concept bot. Aeo can already be found in the health care, elder care, delivery, and security patrol sectors in other countries.
- Ella Smart Stroller from GlüxKind. No stroller pushing is required when parents take their baby out for a walk because this stroller is self-propelled. It can also automatically rock the baby and supply built-in white noise that helps soothe cries.
- Ottonomy Yeti. This is the world’s first delivery robot for unattended deliveries. It is a fully autonomous robot that can deliver “food and beverages, groceries, and packages curbside, last mile, and even indoor environments.”
VR/AR
- Ultra Reality virtual monitor by Brelyon. This MIT spin-off company introduces the first-ever, headset-free virtual display for gaming and enterprise applications. Sitting on a desk, it emulates a panoramic 122-in. virtual screen.
- RayNeo X2 AR glasses by TCL. They offer a true AR experience in a wearable eyeglasses design. They harness “binocular full-color Micro-LED optical waveguide displays alongside an array of new interactive features to create unparalleled AR experiences for users.”
- Lenovo’s Project Chronos. This under-development camera system lets you control a virtual avatar without needing a VR/AR headset. “The goal is to create virtual and hybrid experiences by vividly capturing full body motion and even clearly visible facial expressions in near-real time.”
- OVR Technology ION 3. Think of this as a riff on smell-o-vision. A wearable, cartridge-based scent solution, it is “optimized for VR, AR, mobile, and desktop to enhance immersion and create more emotionally engaging, entertaining, and effective digital experiences.”
- holoride VR headset from Audi. Being a passenger in a vehicle will never be boring with this system. It will “bring the car’s movements to your VR experience—you dive into a new world of entertainment.” For example, “As the car stops at a pedestrian crossing in the real world, the vehicle stops in the virtual reality as well, so the little chickens can pass.” Points are then earned by the wearer for each chicken they point a handheld controller at.
Outdoor
- heat it. It is a smartphone add-on device you can keep on your keychain. When critters bite, use the app, plug the device into your smartphone, and it heats it up. Then you can apply it to the bite.
- EcoFlow Glacier Portable Fridge. It has a built-in ice maker that products ice cubes in about 10 minutes and can run up to 20 hours on a single charge. It supports direct solar recharging, making it ideal for camping as well as emergencies.
- Unistellar eQuinox 2 Smart Telescope. It’s hard to see the stars from the city. So, this telescope features Smart Light Pollution Reduction, making it ideal for use in urban settings. It is 100% controllable by a mobile or tablet app. Users can “browse a catalog of over 5,000 celestial objects or get suggestions of interest from the device itself.”
Watercraft/Marine
- C-8 by Candela. An electric leisure boat that rides on hydrofoils, it can double the effective range of a conventional electric boat when traveling at speeds above 20 knots. The retractable hydrofoils reduce water friction by 80% for a better, completely different ride.
- HD Hyundai Avikus AI. This commercial shipbuilding giant has created an autonomous driving system as well as a docking assistant system for cargo-bearing ships. The recreational boat version is called NeuBoat.
Automotive
- Sony/Honda AFEELA. Here’s an EV with a digital display media bar on its front bumper to interact with people. It also has Lidar for autonomous driving. The inside is human-centric and minimalist. And its next-gen entertainment will seamlessly integrate real and virtual worlds using the Unreal Engine by Epic Games, creators of Fortnite. The car is set to be released in the spring of 2026.
- i Vision Dee from BMW. This EV sports concept car can change its exterior color in a matter of seconds thanks to its 240 E-Ink exterior panels. It also wants to be your friend and companion. Dee “is a beautiful, soulful representation of the bond between vehicle and driver, created with a lot of personality and emotion…Replacing a conventional dashboard display, an interface is projected on the entire windshield, with the driver able to pick from five levels of immersion, from a simple, shallow band of driving and vehicle info, up to the entire screen showing a virtual world,”
- Stellantis Ram 1500 Revolution. It may still be a concept vehicle, but the full-sized electric truck has set a bold new standard. The Ram Rev with its larger cabin space and enhanced passenger comfort doesn’t sacrifice payload, range, and towing. The finalized version is set to go into production in 2024.
Automotive Accessories
- Panasonic nanoe X portable air purifier. Fitting in a standard cupholder, it reduces odors and helps inhibit viruses, bacteria, mold, and allergens.
- Nvidia GeForce NOW. This is a Cloud gaming service designed for use in vehicles. “Gamers can connect their Internet-connected car to the biggest digital gaming stores and stream their favorite PC titles wherever they go.”
- Garmin Dash Cam Live. Garmin is no stranger to dash cameras. But this 1440p dashboard camera is always connected for a live view, location tracking, and theft alerts with its LTE subscription plan.
- Goodyear 70% Sustainable-Material Tire. The demo tire was made from materials like soybean oil, silica from rice husk ash, and tire cords from polyester that’s recycled from plastic bottles. It should be available for sale sometime in 2023. The ultimate goal is to have a completely sustainable tire by 2030.
Flying Cars
- Next Future Mobility’s Aska A5. This real, 4-seater electric flying car provides the freedom to both drive and fly. It has a flight range of 250 miles and a highway speed of 70 MPH. It “combines convenience of an automobile with the safety, ease, and efficiency of VTOL and STOL flight.” A range extender engine uses premium gasoline. It is targeted for commercialization as a ride reservation service in 2026, subject to FAA and HTSA certifications.
Health & Wellness
- Citizen CZ Smart watch. In addition to tracking workout data, it also figures out the optimal time of day for you to work out, even emphasizing mental alertness in its calculations.
- Withings U-Scan. This is a hands-free, connected home urine lab that sits in your toilet bowl. “It provides an immediate snapshot of the body’s balance by monitoring and detecting a large variety of biomarkers found in urine while also offering actionable advice for health improvements.”
- Nuralogix Anura app. It “is the world’s first and most comprehensive video-based health and wellness measurement app. The application uses the camera on your mobile device to assess your general wellness, providing medical-grade measurements using data gathered from a 30-second video selfie.”
- Neo P1 plant by neoplants. This is NOT your average indoor houseplant. “Neo P1 is a new variety of Pothos. A world first innovation from world-class brains, it’s been meticulously bioengineered by our team of 20 scientists to capture and recycle some of the most dangerous indoor pollutants (VOCs). Good for the world, gorgeous for your home. This is a superplant with superpowers.”
Audio
- NOVA H1 audio earrings. They are the “first wireless earphones embedded in earrings…Directional Sound technology sends audio straight into the ears without others hearing it.”
- Idol Eyes Fashion Audio Glasses by Paula Abdul with 1of1 Custom. They are Bluetooth-enabled, stylish, unisex glasses with up to 5 hours of battery life. The arm frames hold the speaker drivers.
Personal Mobility and Navigation
- Rollkers. They strap onto your own shoes to double your walking speed as if you were on your own personal moving sidewalk or walking escalator. It first debuted at CES 2015, so perhaps they are close to coming to market.
- Atmos Gear Electric Skates. These are roller-boot-based electric inline skates with a cruising speed up to 20 MPH and a range up to 20 miles. The battery pack is worn around the waist. Preorders are available now.
- Loovic Wearable Neckband for navigation. Designed for people who have spatial cognition challenges, the collarbone-conduction device uses audio and tactile vibrations to guide the wearer. No need to keep looking down at a smartphone app! This is not yet available to the public.
Manual Note Taking
- Nuwa Pen. The pen has an integrated camera system that records your handwriting, doodles, and sketches. As you use it on any piece of paper, the device and app turn it into an exact digital copy as a PDF or SVG file. It also works with productivity apps like Google Drive, Todoist, etc. It is available for preorder now.
- Smart Paper tablet from Lenovo. It has a 10.3-in. E-ink display and pen and can also serve as an eBook.com reader. It can store up to 50,000 pages and instantly convert handwriting to text. Limited quantities are supposed to be available this year.
That’s a Wrap!
Like every CES show, CES 2023 covered a wide range of tech. But was there an overarching theme to the show this year? CNET concluded:
“Sustainability is the buzzword on everyone’s lips…One of the CTA’s key priorities this year was highlighting the social and environmental impact on tech, and companies got the message.”
Additionally, Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA stated:
“The innovation unveiled this week will drive economic growth and change in meaningful ways to improve our lives and create a better future for the next generation.”
On our end, Petra is excited to bring the latest from CES into the hands of our reseller customers just as soon as we can.
For example, we are already slated to carry XGIMI’s new MoGo2 Pro portable projector.
We will also offer MPs’s new Geminos X stacked screens. Plus, we already have the company’s Duex Max 14.1 portable monitor—a CES 2023 Innovation Award Honoree—in stock and ready to ship.
We’ll also stock the soon-to-be-released Pivo Max—also an Innovation Award Honoree. It is a smooth, 360° auto-tracking mount powerful enough to work with smartphones, tablets, and cameras.
And that’s just for starters!
So, get in on the post-CES action. If you’re not yet a Petra customer and want to retail our products, click here to sign up.
And if you’re interested in expanding the reach of your brand by becoming a Petra brand partner, find out more here.
It’s a new year brimming with possibilities. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. Let’s stock the shelves with amazing technology designed to enrich people’s lives while making our world a better place.