The Consumer Electronics Show never fails to bring out the coolest devices and gadgets, and CES 2015 was no exception. While nothing truly earth shattering was unveiled this year there was certainly some cool tech. Last year the 4K TV was introduced, bringing even sharper picture than the HD TV in your living room today. These TVs were big news last year and they continued to impress this year by getting larger, lighter, and thinner. None of the new TVs really stood out to me. I did notice in my research that the crowd seemed to have gotten bigger this year. Speaking of TVs, most of us are still tied to cable or satellite services, but there are more ways to enjoy the content you love on these giant 4K monsters. I am talking about streaming media services, and even some of the traditional providers are getting in on the act. Dish announced a streaming media service called Sling TV that will launch with a bundle of around 20 channels streamed on demand and live over the internet. Sony is still rolling out its streaming service with its lineup of Viacom channels that Suddenlink dropped this past year. TV continues to move into the cloud, and the content producers that continue to tie themselves to traditional carriers and delivery methods are going to be left behind.
Wearable technology continues to grow and has even found a home in high fashion in the form of 3D printed IoT enabled interactive apparel. More down to earth wearables include a new round of more fashionable looking smart watches and fitness bands. Some of the fitness sensor wielding devices even disguise themselves as beautiful jewelry. More wearable treatment devices have even popped up like one unit that delivers electrical stimulus to manage pain. While the smart watch revolution continues to move forward, I am still looking forward to the Apple iWatch which should be on sale before the end of March. If having a watch, shirt, dress, or belt that is smart isn’t your thing how about another smart device for your home. Google’s Nest is looking to become the hive mind that controls all of the smart devices in your home. New electrical outlets that let you control appliances really isn’t news, but how about one that knows if something wrong is put into it — for example, a finger? One line of smart outlets is able to sense what is plugged into it and if it isn’t a proper item like a light bulb or plug it doesn’t pass electricity, rendering it safe to the touch. More new smart cameras and smart home security devices like smart locks were present this year, signaling a shift from appliance automation to security automation. Security automation uses apps and devices like cellphones to allow doors to be unlocked and garages to open as you approach as well as monitoring your home for problems like carbon monoxide or fire and alerting you via your mobile device.
3D printing has continued to evolve, bringing us lower cost printers that cost under $1000. New printing materials are being introduced, such as carbon fiber and resin, allowing for the printing of very strong finished pieces. These 3D printers are being used to print parts and pieces for everything, even designer clothing. My favorite thing that they are being used to print though are DRONES! Drones of the quad-copter variety were all over the place at CES. Many media outlets reported on the fascinating drones that danced together or were able to run a gauntlet of obstacles in order to navigate between two points. I was most impressed with the camera drones that follow you. Some use GPS on a phone and others use custom hardware as an electronic leash, causing the drone to follow you like a pet. If these folks could get together with Apple and Microsoft and merge their research on programmability, object avoidance, stabilization and then inject a little Siri or Cortana the ultimate robotic digital assistant might be born.
I love CES. It always gets my hopes up for the future of technology and my imagination going. Science fiction gets closer to science fact every year. Do any of you have any plans on buying a 3D printer for your workshops? How about using one of these drones to film your next outdoor adventure? The technology of the future is here today — how do you plan to use it in your daily life?