Ball-like robot assistant among AI gadgets taking centrestage at CES 2024 tech trade show

LAS VEGAS – Transparent televisions, a machine that whips up ice-cream from scratch in two minutes, and a little droid that wheels around to check on your pets and projects videos on the wall are among the latest inventions showcased at the world’s largest tech trade show. More than 130,000 visitors from the tech sector are expected to descend on the Las Vegas Strip for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 from Jan 9 to Jan 12 across multiple convention halls. The annual trade show is a platform for manufacturers and developers to showcase gadgets that buyers can get their hands on, as well as prototypes of the wackiest concepts that make users feel like the future is here.

The media had an early look at the offerings at CES, including Ballie, Samsung’s artificial intelligence (AI) companion on wheels. First teased to the world at CES 2020, the updated version of the bot, which looks like a droid out of Star Wars, will be a jack of all trades. An early video of the robot showed it is able to remotely activate lights or air conditioning, check whether the plants are watered and send updates to its owners via text, along with video recordings of its activities.

Ballie is part of the South Korean tech giant’s vision to bring AI into all facets of daily life, as Samsung also announced updates to its household appliances, like washing machines that identify the type of clothes and suggest the best settings. It is also extending its smart home features to Kia and Hyundai cars, which will soon allow drivers to control devices at home while on the road. AI tech innovation is set to influence every industry, CES vice-president and acting show director John T.

Kelley told The Straits Times. Spending on AI-centric systems has risen to more than US$150 billion (S$199 billion) in 2023, which is around 27 per cent over the previous year, he said. “At CES 2024, we’ll see technology that integrates AI into the products and services we use every day, and powering the devices and systems we rely on,” he added.

The trade show, set to be the largest yet since the Covid-19 pandemic when it was converted to a hybrid event, is expected to draw some 130,000 attendees including investors, media, and others in the tech field. More than 4,000 exhibitors from the tech, electric vehicle and medical tech sectors and beyond have set up booths here. Besides AI, TV tech will continue to turn heads at CES 2024, as Samsung and LG presented see-through TVs during the media preview at CES on Jan 8.

Hitting shelves sometime in 2024, LG’s 77-inch Signature Oled T allows users to view content traditionally against a black background, which can then retract to unveil a transparent screen, turning videos into what appear to be holograms. Samsung similarly announced a transparent TV – the world’s first see-through MicroLED TV – which is a single glass panel that “disappears” into the background when not in use. Chinese manufacturer TCL launched a whopping 115-inch 4K TV, dwarfing just about any other TV available on the market.

Among thousands of other gadgets on display is a dessert machine that shortens the process of making ice-cream to just two minutes. Users pick a flavour, packed in cans that are slotted into the machine to whip up ice-cream. AI takes centrestage this year as attention shifts away from metaverse tech – a blending of virtual and augmented reality made possible with headsets and other immersive technology.

In spite of Meta’s multi-billion-dollar investments into the space, metaverse tech remains out of the sight of most consumers. Mr Kelley said metaverse tech has continued to advance and represents the next generation of the Internet. Some 175 companies indicated “metaverse” as one of their key product offerings for CES 2023, and this is sure to continue in 2024.

“The metaverse will appear primarily in two tracks: defined enterprise or industrial applications and gaming-led consumer developments,” said Mr Kelley. Metaverse tech will likely take the shape of industrial applications like virtual replications of real-world environments to help with research and development at a fraction of the cost, he noted. Gamers can also expect to see haptic technology that allows players to interact with virtual worlds through gloves, suits and new headsets, he added.

Sony on Jan 8 previewed a new content creation virtual reality (VR) system aimed at developers who work with 3D models, to let them create virtual models while wearing a VR headset. It will roll out to the public later in 2024, but – like most product previews at CES – its pricing is yet to be confirmed. .