LAS VEGAS (AP) — Technology companies showed off their latest products at CES this weekformerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show.
Crowds of investors, media and tech workers flocked to the cavernous Las Vegas venue to see the latest technology. from large companies and startups. There are bright concept cars, all kinds of displays, robots that can help you complete a number of tasks and technology for homes. Some technological innovations are already available for purchase, while others may never make it past the prototype stage.
The show runs until Sunday. Here are some highlights:
VIDEO CALLS
Tired of the same old video conference calls? Zero Distance thinks it may have the answer.
The company’s Wehead device helps people in a meeting feel like a remote participant is in the room with them.
The device looks like a machine you’d find at an eye doctor, but with screens on the front. The remote participant appears to be there in 3D, and when they look around or move their head, the car also moves.
Wehead works with standard computer or smartphone webcams.
“If there are several people around the table and there’s only one screen, not everyone can see the screen, and the person on the laptop can’t see everyone,” said Wehead founder Ilia Sedoshkin. “It’s an obvious application.”
“But people who spend about 40 hours a week in their home office don’t see other people very much. So, feeling a real person in the room, using some space on your desk can make you feel less lonely,” Sedoshkin said.
Wehead is priced at $1,555 and the pro version is $4,555.
COLOR CHANGING CAR
BMW is betting on a car that can change colors.
The German automaker’s latest concept car can display up to 32 colors and allow drivers to digitally personalize their cars.
That’s not all — the midsize sedan has a voice assistant, as well as physical and digital elements that allow the headlights to create facial expressions and express moods like joy, surprise, and approval.
The car is called BMW i Vision Dee — Dee, for “digital emotional experience.”
The Leap Ride is the next iteration of BMW’s color-changing technology that it showed off at last year’s CES, when the company showed off a car with the ability to change from black to white.
The body of the latest version is divided into 240 segments, which the company says are all individually controllable, allowing for an infinite number of patterns.
The car will go on sale in 2025.
BOBA THE ROBOT
The ADAM robot can make any boba tea drink you want, from milk tea to passion fruit.
ADAM can also double as a bartender or barista, but he made boba tea for delighted CES attendees who used digital touchscreens to select their drinks.
“ADAM is primarily designed to be a way to engage guests and make drinks fully automated and very efficient,” said Timothy Tanksley of Richtech Robotics.
The two-armed robot has two handle grips that can be customized to make special drinks. A MAN can dance to entertain people while taking a break from mixing drinks.
ADAM, which can be rented for events or hired full-time, is among a number of robots on display at CES this week, performing tasks ranging from disinfecting surfaces to delivering supplies.
NUT MILK ON DEMAND
During pandemic shutdowns in 2020, California resident Luiz Rapacci struggled to find her favorite almond milk in grocery stores. She looked up recipes online to make her own, but they were confusing and time-consuming.
Nearly three years later, Rapacci is introducing GrowUp beer, a nut milk brewing machine, at CES.
Rapacci said that with GrowUp, customers can make nut milk at home in minutes with water and the variety of their choice, from cashews and walnuts to almonds and pistachios.
The car is priced at $599 and is available for pre-order now.
PERFECT BROWS
L’Oreal’s Brow Magic brings augmented reality to your brows.
The company’s app scans your face and uses AR to make personalized recommendations for shape, thickness and effect selection. You apply a primer, then the Brow Magic device uses 2,400 tiny nozzles to brush and color your brows.
L’Oreal developed Brow Magic in collaboration with Prinker, a device that quickly applies temporary tattoos.
Expected to launch later this year, Brow Magic’s makeup can last up to two days and can be removed with regular makeup remover.
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Associated Press writer Hallelujah Hadero contributed to this report.
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For more information on CES, visit https://apnews.com/hub/technology