The show displayed the next wave of innovation that would shape 2022 and the economy of tomorrow, such as the evolution of the metaverse and intelligent automation. According to Forbes, CES has often been the seismometer of the most seismic shifts in the recent history of technology.
WI-FI, powered remote controls
This year, the attention came from an unexpected, smaller television accessory – the TV remote control. It seems as if Samsung is adamant to kill the AAA battery market. Last year, it showcased a remote with a solar panel on the back, allowing it to be charged while lying on the table or the arm of a chair.
Now the remote can be charged independently of light. According to Samsung, the device will soon be included with new TVs and other home appliances.
It certainly appears as if the regular and annoying changing of remote batteries is something of the past.
A color-changing car
Apparently, we will soon be able to change the color of our car like we change the color of our clothing, depending on our mood or the occasion. German carmaker BMW demonstrated the world’s first “color-changing” car.
This was achieved by carefully wrapping a material like electronic paper around the body of the car.
When charged with a small electric current, controlled by a smartphone app, the material brought different pigments to the surface and, within seconds, the exterior of the car changed color or created a pattern to form a different shade, design or racing stripes.
The BMW iX Flow electric SUV uses technology very similar to the electronic ink technology used in the well known e-book readers and covers the car in millions of tiny micro capsules.
The project is in its early stages, and the subtle color changes can alternate between only black, gray, and white. However, BMW stated that the technology would be expanded to cover a whole spectrum of a color palette. Changing to a light color in hot weather to reflect sunlight, or a dark color in cooler weather to absorb heat, could reduce the interior cooling and heating requirements and the eventual operating costs of the car. The technology is very energy efficient and no energy is needed to maintain the selected color.
But the technology has some way to go, since it is sensitive to extreme high or low temperatures.
However, except from having difficulty in finding your own car at the shopping center if you forgot your last color of choice, color-changing cars would certainly pose a huge security risk in South Africa and many other countries.
It could create the opportunity for criminals to escape the police in a chase and fool image recognizing CCTV cameras by just changing the color of the car.
The color of the car could also be changed after a hit-and-run accident, hijacking, theft or abduction. Together with false number plates, the color-changing car could be a criminal’s dream come true.
Robotics
Many of the robots on display this year had an interesting and welcome change from the (often ridiculous) humanoid or human-looking robots of previous years.
Although some humanoids were displayed, more practical robots were introduced – robots with shelves rather than human-like faces.
The aptly named Labrador Systems had a Retriever robot that was the flavor of the show and fetched a variety of things for its owner.
The wheeled assistive robot is basically a sleek version of the autonomous mobile robots found in logistics centers and in manufacturing.
It guides itself through a room or house by using several sensors and a proprietary navigation system that fuses algorithms from Augmented Reality with robotics to create 3D maps of its environment.
The robot can be controlled via a screen, smartphone app, or via voice control. It is able to carry up to 11 kg and has two shelves that can move up or down to reach different heights depending on the position of the owner.
Like a personal assistant, the robot can respond to pre-programmed reminders, such as delivering certain objects at a specific time.
I have the feeling the retriever robots will soon become extremely popular with some people who are glued to their comfortable TV chairs and need regular replenishment of their refreshments.
However, on a more serious note, the robots could be of great service to people with health issues or other problems that limit their mobility.
Apart from fetching certain objects, it could also retrieve and ensure that important medicine is taken on time.
According to Labrador Systems, the robot is being tested in collaboration with health providers, senior living communities and home health providers. Their aim is to begin production in 2023.
Similarly, Bear Robotics, the maker of front-of-house food robots, introduced its Serve hospitality robot that is intended to take the place of restaurant runners and even waiters.
At CES, the robot moved swiftly and served burgers, sushi and other snacks on trays to guests.
It can handle several tasks such as food running, bussing and serving. The units are customizable for each restaurant and have a patrol mode that uses Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) and cameras to avoid running into any objects.
The waiter-type robots have become popular during Covid-19 and have replaced human waiters in several restaurants all over the world.
They also help restaurateurs that, due to a variety of reasons, experience chronic staff shortages.
Restaurants using robot waiters indicated that their operating costs, reliability and consistency were much better than that of humans.
Like in all other industries, automation in restaurants would certainly increase in the years to come.
But it would certainly have an effect on South Africa’s high unemployment rate, especially amongst the unskilled and often unemployable population.
Professor Louis CH Fourier, Extraordinary Professor, University of the Western Cape
*The views expressed here are not necessarily those of ILL, or of title sites.
Samsung introduced a new TV remote control, which has a tiny antenna, with the ability to harvest radio frequency signals emitted by a home WI-FI, router. It is able to garner the energy from the WI-FI, waves from a distance of up to 40 m.
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