CES 2018: The 10 Coolest Things We’ve Seen So Far
New year, new newfangled gizmos. This week, techies around the world are once again all thinking the same thing: “What’s going on at CES right now?” To save you the trouble of booking a flight to Las Vegas and having to rub shoulders with all the tech fan-boys and girls, we’ve compiled a list of what stuff’s piqued our interest this year, as well as what we’d do if we got our hands on them.
LinkSquare Spectrometer
What it is:
The spectrometer by LinkSquare is no bigger than the size of your pen, but is undoubtedly much mightier. The LinkSquare is able to detect spectral wavelengths impossible for the human eye to see, as well as identify materials on a molecular level.
What this means for you, is that by using the LinkSquare and an accompanying iOS or Android-based app, you can now verify things like the quality of your food, how well your household plant is growing, what exactly is in your prescription (or perhaps more importantly, recreational) drugs, and it can even tell you if money is counterfeit or real.
How we’d use it:
Apart from the aforementioned uses, I’d like to see if holding it up to someone’s face would work the same as the Neuralyzer from the Men In Black films. Erasing someone’s memory after an embarrassing interaction might come in handy every once in a while. Most probably it would just tell me the molecular makeup of their eyeball.
It can be had for:
$299.00 for the LinkSquare Spectrometer and iOS/Android-based app
or
$749.00 for the above, plus advanced software for collecting spectral data
linksquare.io
Intel Volocopter VC200
What it is:
The Volocopter VC200 is a collaborative effort by Intel and German-based E-volo GmbH, who together have debuted their autonomous passenger drone, which they are likening to a flying car. You can’t get more futuristic than that.
Although it has two seats inside the cockpit, the drone is still able to fly remotely with both of them vacant, and is apparently simple to fly and quiet.
How we’d use it:
Get together with four of your closest friends and draw straws for who gets to be James Bond in your re-enactment of the Little Nellie chase scene from You Only Live Twice. The aerial battle over the scenic Japanese mountain ranges will prove for some light afternoon fun, although the Volocopter VC200 does not include flame throwers, aerial mines, or rocket launchers.
It can be had for:
An indeterminate amount of money, as it is yet to make the leap from prototype to production line. It also awaits legal approval from your local aviation administration.
intel.com
Kohler PerfectFill Bathtub
What is it:
The Kohler PerfectFill Bathtub is exactly what it sounds like — through their Kohler Konnect app, your own voice commands the PerfectFill Bathtub to automatically fill your bath with the exact amount and temperature of water you desire. If you’ve ever had your night planned around a long, relaxing bath after a hard day only to find out that the tap has started to run cold halfway through filling up, you’ll appreciate just how much of an advancement Kohler is bringing to the bath game.
How we’d use it:
Until the day comes when we need to ask our Kohler tubs to fill themselves all the way to the edge with ice water so that we can hide from the spider robots (a la Tom Cruise in Minority Report) I’d intend on using it exactly as advertised — staying in my perfectly warm bath, being anti-social.
It can be had for:
Price unknown at the moment.
kohler.com
Jaguar Land Rover x Qualcomm
What it is:
CES 2018 has also brought us the announcement that automotive giant Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with tech innovator Qualcomm, who will be integrating the car manufacturer’s 4G LTE-A, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity features with their satellite navigation systems.
Qualcomm will help lead Jaguar Land Rover into the future by assisting with things like Sat Nav, surroundings and environmental safety, and eventually autonomous driving.
How we’d use it:
There’s no doubt that Qualcomm’s technology is also going to take Jaguar Land Rover’s in-car entertainment systems to the next level, so for your next family road-trip, chill out and let the California based company drive your car and play Netflix for you.
It can be had for:
The price of a 2018 Jaguar or Land Rover.
landrover.ca
The Sony LSPX-A1 Ultra-Short-Throw Projector
What it is:
The name of this ultra-impressive-throw projector isn’t the only thing big about one of Sony’s coolest CES launches, the projector itself weighs in at a whopping 165 lbs, 6 oz, and it might as well be worth its weight in gold (and costing $30,000, it feels like it actually does). What this sleek and sexy projector can do will change your home entertainment experience forever.
The artificial marble top, aluminum frame, and dark wood-finished shelf will leave your unsuspecting guests surprised when a 120-inch projected picture goes up on your wall in full 4K resolution, and sound coming from organic glass speakers, three angled mid-range speakers, and a powerful subwoofer fills the rest of the room.
How we’d use it:
To watch all the movies referenced in this list.
It can be had for:
A cool $30,000.
sony.com
Moodo Scent Machine
What it is:
This scent machine by Moodo is the electronic solution to scented candles. What they’re calling a “smart home fragrance machine,” this customizable mood setter can be controlled via the Moodo app on your iOS or Android device, as well as through Amazon’s voice-activated Alexa.
The user is able to individually adjust the pungency levels of each of the four interchangeable pods, which combined make up “families,” such as “Ashram Spa,” “Beach Party,” and “Gardens of Kanazawa”.
How we’d use it:
Crank the heat up in your apartment as high as it goes, break out the folded-up beach chair you have in the back of your closet, toss a few handfuls of sand into your bathing suit, and make up a good enough excuse as to why you don’t want to join everyone else for a ‘quick dip’ in the bacteria-and-syringe-latent Lake Ontario water while you take in a deep whiff of the “Beach Party” scent combination.
It can be had for:
Between $189.00-$209.00 USD
moodo.co
Merge 6DoF Blaster
What it is:
If you’ve been interested in VR gaming up until now but were a bit hesitant with where to start, this Nerf gun-like blaster might be the perfect fit for you and your smartphone. Merge has come out with the 6DoF Blaster that houses your phone while you play the VR shooter.
What’s different about this tech, though, is that the first person perspective moves while you do, ducks with you, jumps with you, all while you interact with the game that is playing on your screen by taking advantage of your phone’s gyroscope and accelerometer.
This somewhat negates the need for a headset that completely blocks out your vision of the real world, and saves you from looking vulnerable and silly while you play around in your home.
How we’d use it:
To blast away that pesky girlfriend who keeps telling you she’ll leave you if you keep up those (totally not) childish gaming habits. The vibrant purple and green colourway from Merge shows you take your gaming seriously.
It can be had for:
We will find out this summer, the perfect time of the year to stay inside — away from pesky sunlight that will only glare the screen and ruin your high score.
mergevr.com
Samsung’s The Wall 146-inch TV
What it is:
Just in case you may be extremely tasteful — and have been smart enough to invest in fine art that is appreciating in value as you appreciate it in your home, leaving insufficient wall space for the Ultra-Short-Throw Projector listed above — we’ve got your back. Cover up those priceless art pieces with Samsung’s new 146-inch MicroLED TV, aptly named “The Wall”.
The specs on this thing are ridiculous, as it’s the world’s first consumer modular MicroLED TV this big, which projects its extremely crisp image through the self-emitting micrometer scale LEDs (much smaller than current LEDs).
How we’d use it:
Delivering endless, unsolicited puns about “The Wall” during screenings of Game of Thrones your friends just can’t resist attending because you have the biggest, baddest TV on the block.
It can be had for:
Whatever Samsung thinks the price of having your own theatre should be when it ships later this year.
news.samsung.com
Toto Floating Tub
What it is:
If we can have two wall-sized screens on this list, we should be allowed to have two bathtubs on here too.
This futuristic, marble-covered tub is designed to make you feel like you’re experiencing zero-gravity. The integrated water jets that run along the floor of the tub are able to push your lower body up to replicate the sense of flotation. The LED lights that run around the base of the tub also serve to set ambient lighting, adding to your spa-like experience.
Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.
How we’d use it:
Channel your inner Joe Rogan and use this deprivation-tank-mimicking tub to help you find your inner alpha brain while you listen to the newest episode of his iTunes top 10 stalwart of a podcast, The JRE.
It can be had for:
$19,000, available for purchase in the third quarter of 2018, or whenever you have a spare 19 racks to spend on a tub.
totousa.com
ForwardX CX-1 Suitcase
What it is:
According to CES 2018, the future is here, and it’s never requires less physical exertion than ever before. With the introduction of ForwardX’s CX-1 Suitcase, we’ve eliminated the need to hold or even look at the suitcase you’ve filled with all of your valuables and belongings while you travel.
The autonomous, self-driving piece of baggage follows its owner wherever they walk with the use of built-in wide angle lens and facial recognition systems. With four wheel drive and a max speed of up to seven miles per hour, these things would be great for racing. If you do stray too far away from your bag, an accompanying connective wristband will enable the bag to try to find you. Or, if someone tries to steal it while you aren’t looking, the same wrist band should alert you about what’s going on.
How we’d use it:
Challenge ForwardX’s AI to various philosophical moral dilemmas like “Just because your owner jumped off a cliff, does that mean you would too?” and “Would you roll yourself in front of a moving bus to save a child’s luggage?”
It can be had for:
The price ForwardX decides on after their planned launch sometime this year. Alternatively, it can be had for free if you notice the owner isn’t wearing their connective watch.
forwardx.com
