On the flight home from Las Vegas in January 2020, I wrote an article for CNN Business about how the technology of the future paints a very lonely picture for all of us. I had just seen robots calling 911 when you fell, mechanical companion cats keeping you company and “artificial humans” since the launch of Neon capable of doing the same.
Two months later, my New York neighborhood became one of the first in the country to close; and it’s been so long since I’ve been able to hug some of the people I love the most. A virtual reality trip to the Amalfi Coast with them would be a welcome change in our routine FaceTime check-ins, not the unusual concept I thought it was just a year ago.
If loneliness was the unspoken topic of CES 2020, this year’s total digital event was full of anxiety and stress, both of the daily variety and the specific type of the current health crisis. At the event, which took place online this week, there was the portable device for the ears that claims its gentle vibrations regulate stress; the small smart storage box with a fingerprint scanner to block the supply of pills or credit cards; the largest lock box that prevents porch pirates from stealing your Amazon packages; a car seat pad that sends an alert if you forget your child in the back seat; and the robot loading the dishwasher.
The robot, Samsung’s Bot Handy, is only in development for now, but it’s the company’s vision for “a better new normalcy,” as more people work, cook, eat and drown the dishes at home than ever during the global pandemic. As seen in a video, Bot Handy sets the table, pours wine and remembers the upcoming meetings.
“Your home technologies need to work harder to help you adapt to this new normal,” the company said in the description of the session on the CES website.
And then there were the masks. There was one with built-in headphones and microphones for making calls and another for controlling air quality. AirPop Active + Smart Mask monitors and filters the surrounding air and blocks dust, allergens and microbial particles. It lets you know when you need a new filter and track your breath with its sensors.
Maybe this year’s CES hard stop is that we’re not okay, but maybe technology can help us.
Executives and thought leaders came together virtually to offer solutions to the challenges many industries currently face. A session on the future of contactless payments, with a description on the website with “The fewer touches, the safer you will be,” discussed how retailers can pick up momentum from the booming trend beyond the pandemic. Another question about the challenges of remote learning discussed the future of future classrooms and whether certain technological tools could make telemedicine visits make more sense.
“We live in a time when most of the things we used to take for granted seem like distant memories,” said Brian Kwon, CEO of LG Electronics, in a video before the company’s presentation. “Life has changed in many unexpected ways. While our approach to life may be different now, we will persevere.”
It’s not exactly the upbeat speech you normally expect to hear at product launch.
Apple, which often reaches CES headlines without actually attending, used this week to reveal more details about its $ 100 million initiative on equity and racial justice. Launched in June following news and protests over George Floyd’s death, the company announced where more of its funds will go to help fight systemic racism and create more opportunities for communities of color.
The CES 2021 still had its fun innovation: the roll-up phone, the transparent TV, the Cadillac stand-alone party bus concept, to name just a few. But the technology that resonated most reflected our current desolate world, at a time when many of us are trying to get through the day.
The stand-alone party bus will be a great way to celebrate the end of the pandemic whenever that time comes, but for now, all I want is for the Keurig-type machine for a soft ice cream to calm down. my soul waiting for things at home.
.Source
Related
