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Associated Press

Tech companies showed off their latest products last week at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, in the US.
Investors, media and tech workers streamed into Las Vegas venues to see the latest tech from big companies and start-ups. There were flashy concept cars, screens of every possible variety, robots that can help with a range of tasks, and technology for homes.
Some tech innovations are already available to buy while others may never make it past the prototype stage.
Here are some highlights:
1. Video calls with twist

Tired of the same old videoconference calls? Zero Distance thinks it may have the answer. The company’s Wehead device helps people at a meeting feel like a remote attendee is in the room with them.
The device looks something like a machine you might find at the eye doctor, but with screens on the front. The person taking part from afar looks like they are there in 3D and when they look around or nod, the machine also moves.
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Wehead works with standard computer or smartphone webcams. “If there are a few people around the table and just one screen, not everybody can see the screen, and the person in the laptop, he or she is not able to see everybody,” Wehead creator Ilia Sedoshkin said. “That’s the obvious application.
“But for people who spend like 40 hours a week in their home office, they don’t see other people a lot. So feeling the real person in the room, using some space on your table, can give you less loneliness.”
The Wehead costs US$1,555, with a pro version available for US$4,555.
2. ‘Talking’ pets

Have you ever wondered what your dog would say if it could speak to you? FluentPet promises the next best thing – buttons the company says you can train your pet to push if it is hungry, needs to go outside or wants to play.
The buttons come in a hexagon-shaped plastic mat called a hextile. Hextiles can be connected to each other to form a bigger collection of buttons.
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“We find that, actually, when dogs kind of know that they’re being understood because they have the precision and specificity of the buttons, then they complain less because they’re no longer wondering whether they actually communicated what they wanted to,” said Leo Trottier, FluentPet CEO.
At CES, the company announced FluentPet Connect, a new app that notifies owners when their dog presses a button and collects data on how the buttons are used.
FluentPet’s starter kit comes with hextiles, a speaker and six buttons for US$159.95. The app does not require a subscription.
3. A bubble robot

From milk tea to passion fruit, Adam the robot can make any boba tea, or bubble tea, drink you like.
Adam can also function as a bartender or barista, but it made bubble tea for delighted CES attendees who used digital touch screens to select their drinks.

“Adam is intended to be basically a way to attract guests and a way to make drinks fully automated and very efficient,” Timothy Tanksley of Richtech Robotics said.
The two-armed robot has two grip handles that can be customised to make specific drinks. While taking a break from mixing beverages, Adam can dance to keep people entertained.
Adam, which can be rented for events or hired full-time, is among a range of robots on display at CES this week doing a variety of tasks, from disinfecting surfaces to making deliveries.
4. Nut milk on demand

During the pandemic shutdowns in 2020, California resident Luiz Rapacci had a hard time finding his favourite almond milk at grocery stores. He looked up online recipes to make his own, but they were messy and time-consuming.
Almost three years later, Rapacci is at CES to unveil his nut milk brewing machine, the GrowUp brewer. With GrowUp, customers can make nut milk at home in minutes with water and their chosen variety, from cashews and walnuts to almonds and pistachios, Rapacci said.
The machine costs US$599 and is available now for pre-order.
5. A calming pillow

Need a break? Japan’s Yukai Engineering says its robotic Fufuly pillow can help users relax by mimicking the rhythm of breathing. The soft, fluffy pillow gently expands and contracts, vibrating as you hold it against your stomach.
The idea is that you will breathe more slowly and deeply as your breath starts to sync with the movement of the pillow. It was developed based on research done at the University of Tokyo. Yukai CEO Shunsuke Aoki said the pillow can help remote workers who struggle to switch off from their jobs.
The version on display at CES is a prototype. The company is looking for partners and hopes to start producing it this year.
6. Perfect eyebrows

L’Oreal’s Brow Magic is bringing augmented reality to your eyebrows.
The company’s app scans your face and uses AR to make personalised recommendations for choices of shape, thickness and effect. You apply a primer, then the Brow Magic device uses 2,400 tiny nozzles to brush over and paint your eyebrows.
L’Oreal developed Brow Magic in partnership with Prinker, which makes a device that quickly applies temporary tattoos.
The make-up in Brow Magic, which is expected to launch later this year, can last up to two days and be taken off with regular make-up remover.


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Technology

CES 2023: dogs ‘talking’ through buttons, bubble tea robots, perfect eyebrow machines and more

A dog pushes buttons on FluentPet’s starter kit - designed to let dogs “talk” to their owners - at CES 2023. Photo: AP

Zero Distance’s Wehead device helps people at a meeting feel like a remote attendee is in the room with them. Photo: AP

FluentPet says you can train your pet to push its hextile buttons if it is hungry, needs to go outside or wants to play. Photo: AP

Adam the robot can make any boba tea, or bubble tea, drink you like. Photo: AP

The two-armed robot has two grip handles that can be customised to make specific drinks. Photo: AP

With GrowUp, customers can make nut milk at home in minutes. Photo: AP

The Fufuly pillow can help users relax by mimicking the rhythm of breathing. Photo: Reuters

L’Oreal’s smart brow applicator uses augmented reality to help print eyebrows on the face. Photo: EPA

CES 2023: IoT security concerns? No matter. Chinese smart home firms among big adopters of new standard

A display of smart devices that support the first version of Matter, a universal standard for the Internet of Things, at CES 2023. Photo: Matt Haldane / SCMP

Tobin Richardson, CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, speaks at Tuya Day, an event the Chinese smart home device maker held at CES 2023. Photo: Matt Haldane / SCMP

Alex Yang Yi, co-founder and chief operation officer of Tuya, speaks at the Tuya Day event at CES on January 6, 2023. Photo: Matt Haldane / SCMP

The word Matter displayed in big block letters at the booth for TP-Link at CES on January 6, 2023. Photo: Matt Haldane / SCMP

TP-Link said the Tapo smart plug will be its first product with Matter pre-installed to go on sale starting from March. Photo: Matt Haldane / SCMP

CES 2023: video gamers feel bees and bullets with simulation tech at Las Vegas consumer gadget show

An attendee uses tactile gloves and vest during a VR demonstration at the bHaptics booth during CES 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 6. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Razer Chroma lights are displayed above a computer station with accessories for video gaming and lifestyle content creation at the Razer Inc booth during the CES 2023 show in Las Vegas on January 6. Photo: AFP

Attendees check out the M.Vision TO electric autonomous vehicle on display at the Hyundai Mobis at CES 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

An attendee plays a racing video game featured on a Samsung Electronics 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 ultra-wide screen display during CES 2023. Photo: AFP

CES 2023: Chinese television makers seek to move upmarket in safe category, taking on the likes of Samsung and LG

Hisense has become one of the world’s largest TV manufacturers and is now looking to move upmarket with more advanced products. Photo: Matt Haldane 

David Gold, president of Hisense USA, discusses the company’s new TV line-up at CES 2023. Photo: Matt Haldane

Scott Ramirez, the North American vice-president of product marketing and development, unveils TCL’s QM8, the company’s flagship mini-LED TV. Photo: Matt Haldane

Stefan Streit, chief marketing officer for TCL Mobile, shows off the RayNeo X2 smart glasses at CES 2023. Photo: Matt Haldane / SCMP

AI to rule at CES 2023 gadget show in Las Vegas: Web3, flying cars and VR headsets to feature heavily, but no crypto

AI will be a recurring theme at the CES 2023 gadget show, the first full staging of the event in Las Vegas in three years because of the pandemic. The latest tech featured will also include Web 3 applications, virtual reality and people-carrying flying drones. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP

The last full CES show (above) was held in 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP

Personalised flying machines are expected to return to CES. Photo: Shutterstock

The latest leaps in artificial intelligence will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show. Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP

Lifestyle

Gadgets

This year’s CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, saw big companies and start-ups once again show off their latest tech innovations
Among them were buttons that pets can press to ‘talk’ to their owners, a robot that can make any bubble tea drink you like, and a pillow that mimics breathing


We look at the best of CES 2023, from a company offering buttons that cats and dogs can press to ‘talk’ to their owners, to a robot that can make any kind of bubble tea drink that you like.
