Biggest news from CES 2022 – TechCrunch

[ad_1]

Whether it’s virtual, in person or a mix of the two, CES is a beast. How can you keep up with all the news coming out of the show? You can’t, really. The big outlets each put a small army on the CES cover and really only scratch the surface.

With that in mind, and with CES 2022 now over, we thought it was worth putting it all together in one neat little box: a recap of our top stories of the week, trends we’ve spotted, and some of our favorite pieces. It’s by no means exhaustive, but it will give you a feel for the show if you’re too busy to pay attention in real time.

The best stories

We have written many, many, many news from CES. Can’t read them all? Here are some of the things people read and share the most:

Image credits: BMW

BMW shows a car that changes color

It’s like it’s straight out of a science fiction movie – press a button and your car changes color. Based on E Ink technology along the same lines as a Kindle screen, it will only switch between black / white / shades of gray … but still … wow. Don’t look for a pre-order page, though … for now, it’s just a technical demo.

Image credits: Nvidia

Nvidia launches the $ 249 GeForce RTX 3050

Between cryptocurrency miners, retailers, and chip shortages, it’s hard to find good graphics cards right now, especially if you don’t want to pay a huge markup. So it makes sense that a great card meant to be shipped at an affordable price draws a lot of attention … but will retailers devour all of these too?

Image credits: Nvidia

Nvidia expands its GeForce Now game streaming ecosystem

Nvidia has had some good news about its game streaming service, GeForce Now – new games, free subscriptions for some AT&T customers, and plans to integrate it directly into Samsung TVs.

Nvidia has had enough CES; While it didn’t break the list of best stories, its announcement that it is opening its Omniverse technology to more creators also attracted a lot of eyes.

Image credits: Daan Tech

Meet Bob, a nice dishwasher that saves water and eliminates bacteria

Do you want a dishwasher, but you don’t have space and / or you don’t want to take care of disassembling furniture or installing water lines? Bob lives on your counter and you add water with a pitcher. Plus you can use its waterless UV-C mode to disinfect things like phones, keys, or other things that can’t get wet. Plus it’s really cute.

Image credits: Scanbo

How sweet is your blood? Scanbo gives an answer without drilling holes in you

“How sweet is your blood?” Haje writes in a wonderfully title Haje. We are at the beginning, but the artificial intelligence company Scanbo aims to monitor glucose without the painful, exhausting and endless finger pricks

Image credits: Sony

Sony provides the first details on the next generation PS VR2 headset for PS5

We’ve known for some time that Sony was working on a new VR headset for PS5, but now we know a lot more … like that one is called PS VR 2, it has a much improved display, supports foveated rendering and more.

Image credits: GAF Energy

GAF Energy Tackles Tesla’s Solar Roof

“GAF Energy, a division of the roofing giant, says its new solar shingles are simple enough to install that they require no special equipment or knowledge, making home renewable energy much more accessible,” writes Devin Coldewey.

Image credits: Brian Heater

Power1 is an iPhone battery case with space for your AirPods

Ever wished you could just cram your AirPods right into your iPhone instead of carrying around a little extra widget? This case makes it happen. Brian Heater takes care of a prototype.

Image credits: Hyundai

Spot goes into the metaverse

“By connecting robots to the metaverse, we will be able to move freely between the real world and virtual reality,” says Hyundai Motor Group president Chang Song in a phrase that makes my brain explode a little. Is traveling the planet – or, as Hyundai’s promotional video suggests, Mars – in a robot avatar a completely normal thing at some point?

Image credits: Sony

Sony explores the construction of electric cars

Sony has been experimenting with cars for a few years now, showing off new prototypes at each of the last two CES events. They have now announced the formation of a new company, Sony Mobility Inc., only to figure out how to market their EV efforts.

Trends

Image Credits: Schlage / Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt

Because matter is important

Smart home devices can be great … once you’ve got them up and running. But for most people, just figuring out what works together is a chore. Many of the biggest tech companies (Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.) have teamed up to build a protocol called Matter, and Christine Hall took a look at how these efforts are going.

Image credits: Yukai Engineering

The robots launch themselves

Are we close to having Rosie the robot roaming our homes? Or are we forever stuck with disk-shaped robotic vacuums eating our socks? In last week’s Actuator newsletter, Brian Heater gave us a look at where consumer robotics stands today and how it has progressed over the years. Also is there a robot cat that for some reason bites your finger?

Image Credits: Flashing Charging

Electric vehicle chargers recharge

Electric vehicles tend to catch most of the headlines … but what about the boxes you plug them into to give yourself juice? There is growing competition in space and Rebecca Bellan has an overview of what each team is doing differently.

Image credits: cake

E-Bike and Scooter take charge

What remains to be built in the world of e-bikes and scooters? How can a fantastic electric scooter differentiate itself from another? Our mobility team took us for a spin through all the micro-vehicle news from the show.

Image credits: wacomka (opens in new window) / Getty Images

Virtual reality is simmering

Rather than any headset or “killer app” that makes virtual reality a ubiquitous thing overnight, its story so far has been an incremental progression and this year CES has taken it a few steps further. the street.

Image credits: Samsung

Metaverses metaversed the metaverse

Metaverse? Metaverse! “Metaverse” was by far the hottest word at CES this year, although some companies’ use of the word was … questionable.

Image credits: TP-Link

Gadgets galore

The organization behind the CES may not want anyone to call it the “Consumer Electronics Show” anymore (as it aims to broaden its reach to all technology, not just electronic bits), but there are still many, many, and many gizmos. and gadgets to find. Heater took a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Image credits: Yukai Engineering / Robot emo BOCCO

Elder technology can help everyone

As much as we’d like to pretend otherwise, we all age. Before we know it, we will have a generation of seniors who have grown up from day one with the internet always at hand. How can technology evolve to help older people live more comfortably? From robot companions to light bulbs that could help detect falls, Catherine Shu has rounded up the latest advances in seniors’ technology.

Our favorite pieces

We’ve spent the last week with our heads buried in CES news, and for much of the CES team, it’s our seventh, eight, or billionth time doing it. What struck us? Here are some of the things we’re still thinking about.

John Deere’s self-driving tractor

The average age of the American farmer is 57.5 years. Field work is exhausting, intense and increasingly difficult for the staff. Agriculture is one of those roles that makes a lot of sense to automate, something John Deere has been working to perfect for several years. Available later this year in select U.S. markets, the 8R finally brings full autonomy to the company’s famous line of tractors, with a number of features currently in the works.

– Brian Heater

The vision of Mercedes-Benz

This is not just a concept car that will never see the light. Mercedes has leveraged the experience of its R&D department, Formula 1 and Formula E teams to develop advanced components for this concept which will appear in future models, starting in 2024.

Of note, they have improved the battery’s energy density by making “significant advances” in anode chemistry, which has a higher silicon content and advanced composition that allows it to hold much more energy than commonly used anodes. Translation: More range packed in a smaller package. Another item to appear in 2024 includes ultra-thin roof panels that power the battery system for some extra range.

– Kirsten Korosec

The BMW concept car that changes color

Will you be able to buy BMW’s color change car soon? Probably not. Is it super practical? No! Who knows how much it will cost to replace a door panel when someone bumps into this thing with a full shopping cart. But one thing I miss a lot about CES in person is the absurdity, “we did it mostly just to flex” the whole thing, and that fits that category perfectly.

– Greg Kumparak

The robot Labrador

There is a lot of talk about the promise of robotics, but the robots most useful to people will not look like us.

It will be things like Labrador, which is essentially a moving table. It is intended for older people and those who may have problems with daily activities, such as carrying a dish and a drink from the kitchen to the dining room or taking the laundry basket to the washing machine. With built-in voice controls you should be able to tell him “wait in the bedroom” or “come to me”. It’s the kind of thing that could make a lot of people’s lives easier, and I hope we’ll see more in robotics.

– Devin Coldewey

Mui Lab’s “quiet” smart home device

One of the coolest smart home devices at CES was the Mui Labs Matter-ready “muiPlatform” which turns smart home devices into “calmer”.

The more devices we add to our home, the more we clutter our furniture. Mui Labs allows you to embrace a minimalist lifestyle by also allowing your Amazon Alexa to function more like a piece of art on your wall with a visual interface.

– Christine Hall

Bob

For me, some of the most interesting technologies at CES are about how we can make better use of our limited resources. With California in everlasting drought, Bob caught my eye.

Bob is a tiny dishwasher intended for families of 1-2 and uses far less water than washing dishes by hand. It also has a UV mode to clean items without using water.

– Haje Jan Kamps

[ad_2]