For the past weeks we have been delighted of the awesome and wonderful tech innovations that we saw at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2021). There are cool and great finds this year with products and technologies that focus more on the pandemic.
For today’s treasure, we’ll hook you up on the ten crazy and weird tech finds that we’ll probably be seeing for commercial use soon.
10. Rollable Phones
We’ve seen foldable phones’ sales goes up in the market – thanks to K-dramas CLOY and the likes. This innovation on the simplicity of a smartphone took them a new height. But for 2021, there’s more than we could have ever imagined.
LG Electronics unveiled the rollable phone that they teased at the end of LG’s CES 2021 press conference in a short video. The phone pretty looks like a normal rectangle device until a screen raises up from the side to become a small tablet. The company didn’t reveal any other details but says it will be coming this year. TCL, another phone maker, also teased a rollable phone with a screen that extends from 6.7 inches to 7.8 with just a tap on the screen.
9. A toilet that examines if you’re healthy or not
Given that the world is in pandemic, it’s natural that tech innovators would come up with products that will help us check for our own wellness. In the future, your toilet might be able to help to see if you’re experiencing digestive stress. The Toto Wellness Toilet examines your stool to determine whether you're healthy. Its companion app then offers recommended dietary changes to improve your digestion. It's just a concept at this point, but it could hit the consumer market in the next few years.
We might see this coming out in depot centers near you.
8. Smart Perfume
NINU PERFUME could be the first smart perfume with a perfect balance between beauty and a hi-tech world. Hidden within in the high-end Italian design is the future and ultimate in perfumery today. NINU has the latest patent-pending tech powering high-end perfumes.
These days, practically everything is smart—and now your perfume or cologne is getting a high-tech upgrade, too. NINU works with an artificial intelligence-powered app to let you create a personalized fragrance blend with a few clicks. The app controls the perfume and your scent with your smartphone. If you get tired of the scent, or want to change it up for a special occasion, you can easily do so in the app. As seen at CES, the NINU is currently in the prototype phase. The company expects to start taking pre-orders in March and kick off mass production in the second half of the year.
7. XPG Mana Gaming Chewing Gum
Known for its SSDs and PC cases, XPG is branching out to a new market: chewing gum. Although not a tech product, the gum is meant to be chewed during long gaming sessions. The XPG Mana gaming gum packs with lutein, a vitamin that's good for your eyes, and, of course, caffeine to keep you awake.
6. A giant self-driving drone
We’ve seen a lot of amped vehicles at CES, but GM's futuristic electric flying taxi concept is the craziest and weirdest car to be introduced at the tech event. The GM Cadillac Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) is a giant self-driving drone with four helicopter-like propellers that can transport a single passenger at a speed up to 55 miles per hour. Thinking about ride-hailing services? This is a giant leap to that level! GM is also working on a version with two seats. The company hopes to one day use the vehicle as part of a zero-emission air taxi service.
5. Otterbox gaming accessories
Otterbox is not just about protecting your phones but they are now making the leap to gaming accessories this year. The Otterbox Mobile Gaming Clip, Gaming Carry Case, Easy Grip Controller Shell, Easy Grip Gaming Case and Gaming Glass Privacy Guard all go on preorder Jan. 25.
4. The most-advanced smart glasses
Smart glasses have been in the public eye since Google introduced its Google Glass eight years ago, and it hasn’t been even closer to being a reality for more consumers. And now there’s Vuzix MicroLED smart glasses which we saw at CES 2021. This pair of smart glasses has a projector the size of a pencil eraser built right into the eyeglasses' frame. It’s not much that’s impressive but we’re going there.
3. MyQ's Smart Pet Portal
For fur-parents, we know the difficult task of having pets wandering outside our homes but with MyQ's new Pet Portal, we can have a peace of mind letting them go out and have a free day out in the sun (or rain). MyQ’s Pet Portal uses a special custom collar system so your pet can trigger the door. The Pet Portal has live video streaming and two-way audio. Sounds cool? It should be especially if you have a $3,000 to spare.
2. Hi-tech hairdryer
Good grooming whether you leave or just staying home is always important to everyone. Many of us would always like to look good while we work-from-home. And for those who have regular Zoom meetings, there should never be a bad hair day to ruin the moment.
Panasonic promises its new hairdryer -- the Nanoe EH-NA67-W -- will give you healthier hair this year. Panasonic says the Nanoe won't dry out your hair and can reduce hair damage from everyday brushing.
1. Pocketalk language translation updates
Since we’re talking about video conferencing and meetings, even if it’s rarely that we can travel in another country, we still meet people on the internet and during virtual meetings of another nationality. Sometimes they speak with their own language and it’s frustrating if you can’t speak theirs.
Pocketalk S, a digital voice translator device, got a pandemic-focused upgrade for CES 2021. Now Pocketalk S features automatic language detection, slow playback mode and the ability to practice pronunciation. The company also showed off the Pocketalk Plus.
Bonus!
A robot that farts!
Robosen's K1 Interstellar Scout robot can do everything that any bot droids can do like handstands, dance (quite gracefully with its 17 servo motors in the joints), and flip. The bot is meant to teach kids programming. And that is cool. But you know what’s the crazy and weird part? The Robosen’s K1 Interstellar Scout robot can also do the unthinkable. It farts! We don’t know why this droid must, but we guess it’s for kids’ entertainment.