At CES, Connected Technology Seen Expanding Its Reach to Everyday Products
Sensor technology and connectivity have blown open the possibilities of everyday consumer products, and CES 2017 will be staging ground for some of them, we found in preshow teasers.
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A crowd-funded product, Rium (booth #51858), will be at CES’ Eureka Park section for startups with a radiation sensor and app product said to be able to predict earthquakes. When connected to a mobile app, Rium shares data to an open-access database that will be analyzed to predict earthquakes, said French company Icohup. The project had 20 backers Thursday, each of whom pledged $3,561 toward a flexible goal of $40,000, with production targeted for the spring. The pocket-sized device ($319) will measure all types of radioactivity, said Icohup founder Gael Patton, in a YouTube video, saying Rium also is targeted to scientific and educational applications.
At least two companies will be showing trash cans integrating smart technology at CES. One, in Eureka Park, promising the world’s first smart trash can, is under embargo until the week of the show, while simplehuman (#42130) will unveil a voice-activated trash can. That will join simplehuman's $150 motion-sensor can, already on the market, which opens with the wave of a hand. It’s a category that’s gaining traction. Amazon announced GeniCan last month as a member of its Dash Replenishment program that allows consumers’ connected devices to automatically reorder physical goods from Amazon. GeniCan’s device ($125, due in early 2017) installs in a customer’s recycle bin or garbage can and adds items to the household or office shopping list via barcode scanning and voice recognition. After scanning, items are reordered and delivered automatically.
In the connected health category, Sleep Number (#43013) will be doing live demos of its new “intuitive bed” during a short, automated “ride," said the company. The bed is said to sense the way people sleep and automatically make adjustments, it said.
Global research institute Leti (#50648-50650) will demonstrate at CES what it calls the world’s first alpha-wave measuring system for consumers. Its “Relax” headgear uses electroencephalography to record the brain’s alpha-wave activity, with no attachments to the scalp, to provide relaxation. The device is said to let users manage their own level of attention and “enhance mindfulness.”
In sports technology, China-based Coolong (#45235) will showcase its sports sensors, including sports bras and training suits, badminton and tennis rackets and an archery solution. The sensors, small enough to sit on the end of a racket or bat, collect motion data designed to help sports enthusiasts improve their game. Data becomes available after each play and guide users to make improvements through data analysis, graphs and charts, said the company.
Natufia Labs (#51012) from Estonia, will unveil at CES a Wi-Fi-based kitchen garden ($13,875) that’s said to grow produce from seeds without using soil. Each step of the growth process is monitored by sensors whose data is analyzed by hardware that adjusts environmental conditions appropriately, said the company. Speakers inside the machine play music for the plants to promote growth, and users can choose from classical, ambient and nature-sound playlists.