On November 7th in New York City, a limited number of reporters were invited by the organizers of CES to an exclusive presentation of major trends, and to meet with companies that earned innovative product awards. They included health and fitness products (neofect, umay), hardware and software products for both home and car security (Winston, Avast, bmmpr), new kitchen devices (Sharp), and some business/industrial products (Aitheon, Fasetto).
CES is an annual event that is held each January in Las Vegas, NV. And once again, it will require several convention and meeting spaces to accommodate all of the 4,500 exhibitors plus the nearly 200,000 attendees that are expected.
At this preview event, it was announced that there were 31 Best of Innovation “winners” in addition to nearly 500 more “honorees” presented with innovative awards.
Among the major trends that will be showcased at CES are
- 5G and its ecosystem
- AI (Artificial Intelligence) is being incorporated into more and more products
- Digital Health
- Smart Cities and Resilience (how they will prepare and recover from fires, floods, etc.)
- IoT (where the “I” now stands for Intelligence instead of Internet)
- VR and AR (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality) will play a bigger role in workforce training and travel experiences.
- Gaming and eSports, which will see better surround and 3D sound.
- TVs that will be “smarter” and even larger.
New dedicated spaces will be devoted to
- Travel and Tourism
- Data Analytics, especially as it applies to privacy
Of note, there will be over 1,200 small and startup companies from around the world exhibiting in an area called Eureka Park. Some will be seeking partners and funding, often with just concepts and prototypes. Many will be revealing new products that will first be for sale in 2020.
About a third of exhibitors and attendees are from outside the US. A small but growing percentage are from non-consumer companies that manufacture such products as agricultural equipment, transportation vehicles, warehouse robots and drones.
Many other products cross over from traditional consumer usage to business and industrial settings, e.g. health and safety devices, AR (Augmented Reality) products for training purposes, and data analytics tools.
The Aitheon exhibit showcased two industrial robots that will both utilize more AI than prior products. These can be used across diverse industries to accomplish a myriad of automated tasks. www.aitheon.com.
Elliot by HeartHero is a new AED (automatic external defibrillator) that will be much smaller and therefore more easily carried than traditional ones. At 1.3 pounds, it weighs about one-third as much as average AEDs. Another benefits include that it will run off of standard batteries and have the ability to signal emergency services when used.
The company has begun the regulatory process to meet FDA approval and expects to be available for sale in mid to late 2020 in the USA at a cost of under $500. www.hearthero.com
Fasetto has created product named Forum that allows one to share a presentation in-person directly to anyone’s phone, tablet or laptop and to receive participant input anywhere. So any space can be turned into a meeting room and all participants have the option of viewing their own screen.
There will be 3 levels of Forum, namely SOHO for up to 10 devices (individual, or small business), Plus+ for up to 32 devices, and a third version for much larger organizations, enterprises, governments and the like. www.fasetto.com
Brunswick, known for billiards and bowling is also a significant company in the boating industry. They are planning to do for marine vehicles what the auto industry has done for cars – namely to add more technology and create greater autonomy for the owner/captain. Their product line extends from recreational fishing boats to those used by law enforcement, military and government. www.brunswick.com
Two companies addressed security – one to protect a computer with an antivirus product, and the other to protect the privacy of one’s data.
Winston is a hardware filter between a modem and router that protects a user against tracking, online spying and hacking. It will be for sale in early 2020 for $249 or less. www.winstonprivacy.com
Avast is a software tool that offers security for one’s digital life. A free version is available, while paid versions contain additional features, services and solutions for an individual or business. www.avast.com
Look for an update to this article shortly after the conclusion of CES 2020 in Q1.
