The show is returning to normal after being fully virtual in 2021 and seeing a significant drop in attendance in 2022 due to the pandemic.
Big names like LG and Samsung as well as smaller startups presented their latest products to the media in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The show officially opens on Thursday.
Here are some highlights:
No messy wires
LG Electronics introduced a 97-inch OLED TV with a so-called Zero Connect Box that streams content wirelessly. The box that still needs to be connected just needs to be within nine meters (30 feet) of the display.
But why would anyone want a wireless 4K TV? According to David M. Park, senior marketing manager at the South Korean tech company, that means owners can place a TV in the center of the room without all those messy cords, or maybe mount it over a fireplace, or maybe on a hard-to-reach concrete wall. According to LG, the 97-inch LG Signature OLED M (model M3) will be available in the second half of 2023. Prices have not yet been announced.
robot deliveries
Imagine weaving through crowds at the airport on a busy bank holiday weekend, ignoring the growl in your stomach as you speed past restaurants to get to your gate on time.
Brooklyn-based Ottonomy.io is trying to ease this all-too-familiar travel anxiety with its fully autonomous delivery robots.
For example, if you’re traveling through airports in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, or Rome, you might encounter one of these robots as they deliver food directly to travelers at their gates.
Ottonomy unveiled its newest robot, the Yeti, at CES on Wednesday. It showed off its new self-serve feature, which eliminates the need for a human to be there to pick up deliveries.
The company also offers outdoor delivery services up to 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) away.
Ritukar Vijay, co-founder and CEO of Ottonomy, said the price of its services fluctuates depending on the number of robots a company wants to deploy and how many restaurants or retailers are included in the delivery area.
Audio glasses by Paula Abdul
Singer/dancer Paula Abdul came to CES to introduce Idol Eyes, a line of audio sunglasses.
“I’ve wanted to get into the tech world for a long time,” Abdul told The Associated Press, “but I wanted to do it in a way that was authentic to who I am.”
Starting at $199, the sunglasses offer five hours of battery life and play audio from the temples of the frames via Bluetooth connectivity. You can listen to music or answer calls.
The Grammy and Emmy Award-winning artist’s first collection of eyewear is available in seven colors with polarized and blue light-blocking lenses.
“I just combine fashion, movement and technology,” said Abdul. “There is my heart.”.
VR for your car
Based in Munich, Germany, Holoride aims to make car journeys more fun and less dizzying. With the company’s VR headset, passengers can play video games, watch Netflix or scroll through Instagram while driving.
If the car moves, you move in the virtual world and prevent travel sickness, says co-founder Daniel Profendiner. Instead of seeing the road, you might fly and fight robots or swim under the sea.
“The auto industry is very driver-centric, but with more autonomous driving on the horizon, there’s also a greater focus on the passenger,” he said.
Previously, holoride was only available for Audis with an in-system upgrade to allow the headset to detect when the car was moving. On Wednesday at CES, the company announced a new product that can be used in any car.
The upgrade package, which includes the VR headset, the Holoride upgrade, a seat belt, and an annual Holoride subscription, costs $799.
Roku is getting its own TVs
Roku is expanding its range of video streaming devices for the first time with internet-connected televisions that carry its branding.
It’s Roku’s latest attempt to solidify its position as a video streaming hub during the ongoing shift from television over Internet connections to cable and satellite systems.
When the sets launch later this spring, it will mark Roku’s first time making its own televisions. The San Jose, California-based company will continue to partner with a variety of other manufacturers to integrate its vaping software with internet-connected TVs — an approach Roku began in 2014.
The decision to make its own TVs and continue to make its software available to competing manufacturers is similar to what Google has been doing with its Pixel phones since 2016. Google has continued to make its Android operating system available to Samsung and other smartphone makers while using this Pixel lineup to demonstrate how the software works best and to help build awareness of their brand in the mobile market.
Roku’s 11 TV models, with screens ranging from 24 inches to 75 inches, are expected to sell for around $120 to $1,000 once they hit stores.
Roku gave itself an early advantage in the now-booming industry nearly 15 years ago when it released its first streaming box after working as a secret project within Netflix on the device that was in the early stages of building what is now the biggest video -Streamings of the world located service.
As tech giants like Amazon and Apple launched their own streaming devices, Roku began expanding into other companies’ internet-connected TVs, soundbars, and even entered the original lineup last year with a film about satirical songmaker Weird Al Yankovic .
