CES 2020 is in full swing right now, and this year’s show promises to be the biggest event yet. More than 100,000 people have flocked to Las Vegas to see the latest and greatest consumer tech products that will roll out over the course of the coming year and beyond. It’s the perfect place for trendspotting, with hundreds upon hundreds of companies from around the world coming together to show off new products. Some new products that debut at CES will be released in the months that follow, while other technologies shown off at CES are merely a taste of things to come down the road. There is one thing you can always count on though, and it’s that you’re going see some of the most exciting new products of the year debut at the Consumer Electronics Show each January.
The show isn’t officially over until Friday, but thousands of announcements have already been made and the most exciting debuts are already behind us. The biggest brands at the show like Samsung, Sony, and LG all hosted press conferences on Monday, and dozens of other top brands have shown off the gadgets and gizmos they’ve been working on. Devices like Samsung’s bezel-less 8K TV and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold with a foldable OLED screen have generated tons of buzz, and everyone is talking about the impact 5G will have on just about every different product category you can think of. But while you keep reading about the same big product announcements from the same big brands in dozens of articles around the web, there are some revolutionary smaller announcements that you probably missed. We scoured CES and rounded up 10 new product announcements that are very exciting but haven’t gotten the kind of coverage that the big brands always get every year at the show.
Whirlpool Yummly Smart Thermometer
Whirlpool’s Yummly platform houses all of its connected kitchen gadgets, and the new Yummly Smart Thermometer is among the latest additions to Whirlpool’s stable. It uses dual sensors to monitor both internal meat temperature as well as oven temperature, and alerts can be sent to a smartphone via the Yummly app. But that’s not the really cool part… the Yummly Smart Meat Thermometer doesn’t just communicate with the Yummly app, it can also connect to Whirlpool’s smart ovens to automatically raise the temperature, lower the temperature, or even change the cooking mode between roast and broil as needed by whichever recipe you’re following.
Abeye Lexilens Eyewear
In consumer tech, the word “smart” is typically used to describe a device with internet connectivity or automatic functionality. But Abeye’s Lexilens reading aid eyewear for dyslexics is a different kind of smart. The Abeye Lexilens uses specially designed electronic lenses to help filter out the mirrored images dyslexics see while attempting to read. The result is instantaneous, and it works regardless of language without any required training.
CookingPal Julia
Instant Pots are so popular because you get a single device that can cook food in so many different ways. But what if your multi-cooker didn’t just cook food, it also performed a bunch of different tasks involved with preparing your food before it’s cooked? That’s the idea behind CookingPal’s new Julia smart cooking system. The Julia can weigh, chop, whisk, knead, blend, grind, grate, and mix, and it works alongside an app that can guide you every step of the way through recipes. Once you’re done with the prep, the Julia can also cook your food for you — and when you’re done cooking, just add soap and water so the Julia can clean itself. Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, but expect to pay a pretty penny with the Julia cooking system is released later this year; CookingPal says it’ll cost “under $1,000.”
Wayzn Smart Sliding Glass Door Opener
Okay, seriously, the Wayzn Smart Sliding Glass Door Opener is just plain brilliant. It’s one of those things you see and immediately say to yourself, “why the heck did it take someone so long to think of this?!”
As the name of the device suggests, this device is a smart door opener and closer that works with sliding doors like the ones found in so many homes. It’s universal and installs in just a few minutes with minimal effort and no drilling into walls or molding. Opening and closing can be triggered by motion, a smart tag on your pet’s collar, a smartphone app, or even using a wireless camera that can be connected via the app. And when you want to control your sliding door manually, the device folds up into the corner just like a standard sliding door safety lock. It costs $399 and can be reserved now on the Wayzn website.
Atmosic M3 Battery-Free Bluetooth 5 SoC
Atmosic’s new M3 Bluetooth 5.0 chip has the potential to revolutionize a number of different product categories, from wearables and smart home devices to all sorts of connected gadgets. The chipset consumes such a small amount of power that Atmosic says it can even be used in devices that never need to be recharged. Special tech called “Managed Energy Harvesting” allows the M3 to draw power from radio waves, light, heat, or even movement, potentially making this Bluetooth 5.0 SoC a game-changer.
Sunflower Home Awareness System
If this is the future of home security, sign us up! The Sunflower Home Awareness System by Sunflower Labs is a totally new take on home surveillance that has three main components. First, “sunflower” garden lights strategically placed around your property pack an array always-on activity sensors that monitor motion. Second, a “hive” is a weatherproof charging station that automatically opens and closes as needed. What is it charging and protecting, you ask? The third main component, which is a drone called the “bee.”
When a sunflower detects movement on your property that it doesn’t recognize, the system sends an alert to your phone to notify you. Want to take a closer look? Using the app, you can quickly deploy the bee drone, which flies autonomously to whatever or whoever is moving on your property and streams a live video feed as it automatically follows the movement. It’s awesome, but it’ll cost a pretty penny when it launches later this year. The Sunflower system is available for preorder now starting at $9,950.
VIZIO Elevate Sound Bar
Everyone knows that VIZIO makes some of the best sound bars out there, but you’ve never seen anything quite like the new VIZIO Elevate Sound Bar from VIZIO or from any other company. This novel home audio solution includes front-firing speakers that automatically rotate inside the enclosure to face upwards when playing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content. It features 18 drivers in total and pairs with an 8-inch wireless subwoofer to fill out the bass.
Inupathy
Don’t you wish your dog could talk? Sadly, that’s never going to happen, but a new company called Inupathy has come up with a device that can enhance the way man’s best friend communicates. The device, which goes by the same name as the company that created it, straps onto your pup and monitors heart rate patterns to determine whether your dog is excited, stressed, interested, happy, or relaxed. It then communicates the dog’s emotional state using an LED display on top that changes colors according to mood. Sadly, there’s no release timing to share at this point.
JARVISH X-AR Smart Helmet
People who drive cars with a head-up display know how useful this feature can be. Needless to say, however, it would be infinitely more useful on a motorcycle. The JARVISH X-AR Smart Helmet looks to provide exactly that, but with an enhanced HUD that displays far more information than what you would find in a car. On top of information like speed, time, weather forecast, navigation directions, and alerts, the HUD can also bring up a live video feed from a rear-facing camera on the helmet so the rider can see what’s behind him or her. It’s all controlled using voice commands and it even integrates with Alexa. The bad news is this smart helmet has been available for preorder for more than a year now, but the company is apparently getting close to actually shipping it.
Continental Transparent Hood
Cameras and other sensors already play a huge role in the automotive industry, but companies continue to find smart new ways to improve safety and convenience using these sensors. The new Continental Transparent Hood that was shown off at CES 2020 is a perfect example. Strategically placed front-facing and side-facing cameras relay live video to an internal display, giving the driver “the ability to see obstacles and terrain that would otherwise be obstructed from the driver’s view.”
