Though the Omicron variant cast a shadow over this year’s edition, CES still offered up a bevy of exciting unveilings that forecast how our relationship with technology may evolve in the future.
Each year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) serves as a bellwether for what’s next in technology. The annual trade show, which takes place in Las Vegas, offers a first look at next-generation TVs, headphones, robots, and just about everything in between. Though the Omicron variant put this year’s edition in jeopardy, organizers controversially decided the show must go on. Some predicted it would be empty as regular participants pulled out, but the event still offered up a bevy of exciting unveilings that forecast how our relationship with technology may evolve in the future.
We rounded up some highlights:
Marriott x Ori
The hospitality giant’s Design Lab is partnering with robotics and architecture startup Ori on a concept that may completely reimagine how we use space in hotel rooms. Appearing in select Marriott rooms will be Ori’s range of tech-minded spatial solutions, which include beds that seamlessly lift into the ceiling to reveal a table or desk below, effectively creating two rooms out of one.
Kohler
Among the new innovations offered by the bathroom mainstay is the PerfectFill Bath Filler and Drain, a drain system that draws a bath to a preferred preset temperature or desired depth with a voice command or through the Kohler Konnect app. Recognized as a CES 2022 Innovation Awards Honoree, the system reduces time spent monitoring the bath as it fills and comes with ten pre-set experiences.
BMW
The German automaker showcased a color-changing paint technology that easily switches a vehicle’s shade thanks to E Ink, an electronic paper technology containing millions of razor-thin microcapsules with negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. Stimulation with an electrical field causes either the white or black pigments to collect at the surface, giving the car body the desired shade. While a novel idea, BMW insists it’s only an “advanced research and design project” for now.
Samsung
Entering the NFT space has become easier thanks to Samsung, which introduced an integrated platform available on select smart TVs that allow users to buy and sell non-fungible tokens. The tech giant plans to roll out the platform, described as a “TV screen-based NFT explorer and marketplace aggregator,” on its Micro LED, Neo QLED, and The Frame TVs this year.
Mayht x Exeger
The Dutch startup Mayht claims to have reinvented the core of speaker drivers to allow for more compact audio devices without sacrificing sound quality. Needing less energy than similar devices, the Dutch startup teamed up with Exeger to incorporate its Powerfoyle material that converts natural and ambient light into power. As long as the speaker isn’t in total darkness, the music—and party—will never stop.
