In early January, CES 2024, the largest international consumer electronics exhibition, took place. More than 4,000 technology companies took part in the event. Both leading global corporations and start-ups presented their developments.The exhibition featured innovative devices from various fields: artificial intelligence, medicine, robotics, automotive engineering and many others.
We’ve compiled a list of the 12 most unusual inventions that were shown at CES 2024.
- iPhone Keyboard Case
- Smart mirror Anura MagicMirror
- Sleep headset Frenz Brainband
- Home Patrol Robot
- WIM exoskeleton for easier walking
- Voice suppression mask
- Fitness collar for pets
- A cube that makes water out of air
- Phantom Glove by Afference
- Flex car Hyundai Mobion
- Folding TV C SEED’s N1
- Pocket AI assistant Rabbit R1
iPhone Keyboard Case
Smartphone cases serve different purposes: some emphasize the gadget owner’s sense of style, while others enhance the device’s protective characteristics. The Clicks Technology startup took a different approach and created an accessory with a miniature physical keyboard for the iPhone.
With its help, you can not only type text, but also control other functions of the smartphone. Of the possible inconveniences, it can be noted that such a case slightly increases the dimensions of the device.
Smart mirror Anura MagicMirror
NuraLogix has introduced a unique medical device — the Anura MagicMirror smart mirror. The invention is equipped with a screen, cameras and sensors that analyze a person’s health after scanning their face.
Anura MagicMirror can provide information about blood pressure, body mass index, pulse rate, facial skin age and other parameters. In addition, it can assess the risk of serious diseases: diabetes, stroke, hypertension and many others.
However, it is noted that the device is intended for professional use. For example, for waiting rooms in hospitals or gyms. The release date of the product is not disclosed.
Sleep headset Frenz Brainband
The Frenz Brainband headset is designed to improve the quality of viewed braindances… or rather, the user’s sleep. The gadget tracks heart rate, oxygen levels, respiratory rate, and other parameters. Frenz Brainband will also be able to influence sleep phases using microcurrents.
The device adapts to a person’s brain waves and plays special melodies to make sleep deeper. Bone conduction headphones are used to play music, making the sound delivery less intrusive.
Home Patrol Robot
LG has unveiled a multitasking robot assistant Smart Home AI Agent with artificial intelligence. It can conduct a dialogue, express emotions through movements, recognize a voice, and also greet its owners upon their arrival home, analyze emotions, and select music to suit their mood.
In addition, Smart Home AI Agent can be connected to a smart home system and used as a security guard. In the absence of the owners, the robot will patrol the house, and if it detects suspicious activity, it will send a message to the owner’s smartphone.
Smart Home AI Agent can also monitor the weather, air quality, its owner’s schedule and remind them to take medications. The release date and cost of the robot are still unknown.
WIM exoskeleton for easier walking
South Korean company WIRobotics Technology has announced a compact exoskeleton called WIM to make walking easier — with it, people will spend 20% less energy. WIM will be extremely useful for elderly people or those with muscle weakness.
Moreover, the exoskeleton weighs only 1.4 kg and folds up to the size of a handbag. In addition to this, it has AI that analyzes the gait and predicts the owner’s movements. At the same time, WIM can, on the contrary, create resistance to certain muscles in the “training” mode.
Voice suppression mask
The startup Skyted has demonstrated a mask that can absorb the sound of a person’s voice. Firstly, the development ensures the privacy of personal conversations. For example, if a user urgently needs to call someone in a crowded place, the device will help maintain maximum confidentiality of the conversation.
Secondly, the mask is designed to reduce noise levels in offices, call centers, airports and other public spaces. The company launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to mass-produce the product and has already released 300 copies.
Fitness collar for pets
Traditionally, CES brings a lot of developments for pets. One of the most interesting this year was the Minitailz Smart Pet Tracker fitness collar from the French company Invoxia.
The gadget collects a lot of data about the health of the four-legged friend: breathing rate, heart rate, etc. If Minitailz detects any deviations from the norm, it will warn the owner of the animal.
In addition, the device can be used as a GPS tracker – which will help the owner of the cat / dog in case of loss of the pet. Minitailz will also warn the owner of the animal if it leaves the boundaries of a certain zone.
A cube that makes water out of air
Yes, yes, at CES 2024 they really showed a huge cube that collects water from the air. The device can generate up to almost 400 liters of water per day, although for this the humidity must be above 40%.
WaterCube is useful for people who find it difficult to drill a well for water at home, for residents of arid regions or in remote places without a constant supply, for example, on ships. Moreover, the cube is powered by solar panels, so it does not need to be charged by electricity.
Phantom Glove by Afference
Afference is developing the Phantom glove, which will allow you to feel not only the shape of a virtual object, but also the texture with feedback. For example, if a user tries to turn a door handle or catch a ball in VR space, they will feel resistance in their hand.
To do this, the glove’s modules send special impulses through the skin, which deceive the nerve endings and the brain. Because of this, the person feels like he is actually touching the object.
Afference probably won’t bring Phantom to market as a standalone product. Instead, the company may sell its technology to a corporation, since its core business is creating prosthetics that work on nerve endings.
Flex car Hyundai Mobion
This month, videos of a car that can move sideways and turn on the spot went viral. As it turns out, it was the Mobion SUV concept (an improved version of the Ioniq 5) from Hyundai, which was shown at CES 2024.
Each of the car’s four wheels can turn more than 90 degrees. The manufacturer calls this technology In-Wheel – it includes an electric motor, braking, steering and suspension on each wheel.
To warn other motorists, the direction of the SUV’s movement is highlighted on the asphalt using projection arrows. Since the Hyundai Mobion is only a concept, the timing of mass production (if any) is not disclosed.
Folding TV C SEED’s N1
Many publications have already written about the transparent TV from LG, but few people paid attention to the foldable C SEED’s N1. The device consists of five MicroLED panels that can transform into a vertical aluminum structure – it takes 90 seconds to do this.
Pocket AI assistant Rabbit R1
Rabbit R1 is an autonomous AI assistant based on the LAM (Large Action Model) neural network. The gadget is equipped with a 2.88-inch touch screen, a rotating camera for photos and videos, as well as a button and a scroll wheel to activate the personal assistant.
However, the most interesting thing is that to perform any operations, a person just needs to tell Rabbit R1 about it. The device can turn on music, order a taxi, grocery delivery, send messages, buy tickets, book hotels and much more.
The gadget owner does not even need to log into accounts of various services – LAM interacts with all applications independently. The device can also be taught certain actions. In general, Rabbit R1 offers a large number of functions that neural network lovers and other enthusiasts will definitely appreciate.