Snapshotting 20 products that are “Beyond the everyday”
The annual CES tradeshow always brings together an incredible, global array of tech. The CES 2022 show that ran from Wednesday January 5 through Friday January 7 was no different, with products that fell into the following categories:
The latest COVID uptick caused several cancellations among exhibitors and attendees. It also greatly reduced the number of smaller companies who typically set up offsite displays and meetings. But CES 2022 did go on, with over 2,200 in-person exhibitors and up to 75,000 visitors—about half of the 2020, pre-pandemic numbers. The virtual aspect, which debuted last year, was in play as well.
This year’s show used the slogan “Beyond the everyday” and the products on display certainly delivered. So, let’s dive in and take a brief look at 20 of the most talk-worthy innovations from the show.
Smart Home
- Home Connectivity Alliance and Matter are working to keep connected gadgets talking to each other—no matter what smart platform they use. Home Connectivity Alliance has Samsung, GE, Haier, and Electrolux as major signees. Matter is an open-source standard that has Google, Apple, Amazon, and Samsung on board.
- Schlage Encode Plus Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt. This smart lock works with Apple’s digital keys. This means it can be opened using an Apple Watch, HomeKit, Apple Wallet inside iPhones, the Schlage app, or a pin code.
Wellness Technologies & Wearables
- Sengled A19 smart light bulb. This is more than a typical smart light bulb. It has built-in health monitoring radar technology! It can track sleep, heart rate, body temperature, and other vital signs. Using multiple bulbs in a Bluetooth mesh network adds other features, such as determining if a person has fallen.
- Garmin Venu 2 Plus. This is a classy health and fitness watch that’s also a smartwatch. It tracks all the fitness metrics, stores music, makes and takes calls from a paired smartphone, and so much more.
Bathroom & Kitchen Fixtures
- Kohler PerfectFill Smart Bathing technology. This lets users preset bath preferences for temperature and fill levels then initiate the sequence using a voice command. It’s an entire system including valve, system controller, and drain.
- Moen Smart Faucet with Motion Control. This features a sensor for hands-free operation. Selecting the water temperature is done with the swipe of a hand. It can also be activated by voice via Alexa or Google. The Moen Smart Water app allows homeowners to set default temperatures and the preferred gesture scheme.
Autonomous Vehicles
- John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor. It has 6 stereo cameras and an abundance of sensors. Farmers can monitor its progress in real time while working on other tasks. Built-in AI looks out for problems and can send a notification when it needs help.
- Ottonomy Ottobot. It isn’t a vehicle for people. It’s a delivery robot for restaurant and retail industries. It works both indoors and outdoors. They are already in use at the Cincinnati airport.
Automotive
- BMW iX Flow. This is a concept car with amazing bodywork tech. Instead of paint on the outside, it uses E Ink technology. With the push of a button, microcapsules with negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black ones activate to change the car’s exterior color. It can also run constantly moving animated patterns. A color version is under development as well.
Home Theater
- Samsung Freestyle. This is more than just a tiny 1080p portable projector. Per Samsung, “The Freestyle is a projector, smart speaker and ambient lighting device all rolled into one lightweight, portable device.” Image size can range from 30 inches to 100 inches. There’s 360° of sound, auto focus, and auto leveling while power comes from a USB-C connection. It does require Wi-Fi, it integrates with Samsung’s SmartThings, and it has a micro-HDMI port.
- Samsung Eco Remote. This remote found on 2021 and up Samsung TVs doesn’t use batteries. Instead, it recharges from both solar energy and waves emitted from the home’s Wi-Fi router.
- Sony Bravia Cam. It is a combo web cam and sensor designed to work with select Sony TVs. Not only can you do video chats, but it also recognizes where people are sitting and optimizes the picture and sound settings on the linked TV for optimal performance. It can also be controlled by gestures and can even dim or turn off the TV if no one is in the room.
Pet Technology
- Petnow app. From Samsung’s C-Lab Outside comes this AI-based pet biometric recognition solution. All dogs have unique nose prints. AI analyzes the unique wrinkles to help reconnect pets with owners.
- Bird Buddy. This is a camera-enabled bird feeder that connects to a home’s Wi-Fi. It not only takes photos and videos of birds, but its app also uses AI to identify the birds and keep an album.
Unique & Unusual Products
Every year, CES becomes the showcase for some truly unexpected products. CES 2022 was no exception. Products include:
- Engineered Arts humanoid robot, Ameca. Described by CNET as both haunting and mesmerizing, Ameca is not quite robot and not quite human. Its facial expressiveness is quite amazing. You’ll have to watch the videos to see what the buzz is all about.
- Amagami Ham Ham. It’s a toy that chews on your finger.
- Motion Pillow from 10minds. Small airbags inflate to reposition a snorer’s head to stop snoring.
- Snowbot. It’s the world’s first autonomous snow blower and can work in up to a foot of snow.
- Essence MyShield. Not only does it have a camera and 2-way audio system, but it also emits smoke (harmless) that can fill up a room in 30 seconds.
- Toto Wellness Toilet. The concept is to analyze waste contents and send the data to an app which can suggest diet changes, etc.
Pivoting toward the future
Leading brands often make changes leading up to CES. One of our vendor partners announced just before CES 2022 that it was changing its brand name from AfterShokz to Shokz. This aligns the brand name with their existing ShokzSquad community of users and ShokzStars ambassadors.
Some of their top sellers are being rebranded too. Aeropex will be updated to OpenRun and Xtrainerz will become OpenSwim. At the show itself, they debuted both their new brand and their newest bone conduction headphones—OpenRun Pro. Pro uses two added bass enhancers for lower end enhancement.
Here at Petra, we’re not changing our name. But we too pivot with the times. In our business, it’s imperative to stay on top of the latest in consumer technology and navigate the changing landscape of reseller and governmental requirements. And we continually strategize and seek out the best possible ways to represent our brand partners as well as work with our customers.
If you’re not already doing business with Petra, check us out. And if you are, know that we value you and are very thankful for your business.
Let’s hope the promises inherent in the products shown at CES 2022 bear fruit and move us all “Beyond the everyday.”