CES Preview: Mind Over Matter As AI, Software AboundCES Preview: Mind Over Matter As AI, Software Abound

For many years, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) would center around the latest audio gear, computers, and more recently, smartphones and portable electronics. While those products will still be on display, visitors to this year’s CES, taking place in Las Vegas January 7^th through 10^th,  will also hear lots of talk about how AI is enabling future products and systems and how software is redefining automotive systems.

Showgoers this year may not be able to easily discern the innovations in the latest products, as the under-the-hood advances often lie in the software behind these products. In addition, many of these products are designed to interface with networks, sometimes in the cloud but increasingly on the edge, as the name of the game is providing data that allow products to make intelligent decisions and engage in predictive analytics that can warn of potential failures or even adjust operating parameter for greater performance and energy efficiency.

In December, CTA (Consumer Technology Association) President Kinsey Fabrizio, and Vice President and Show Director John T. Kelley previewed what’s in store at CES 2025. You can watch the video here. They noted that this year’s show has gone beyond the usual electronics, health care products, and vehicles to include fashion and beauty products as well as pet tech. And, they confirmed that artificial intelligence will be a pervasive theme at this year’s CES.

Related:At CES: Electronics Innovations Driving Next-Gen Products

Indicative of AI’s importance will be Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivering the kickoff keynote speech Monday, January 6^th. Here is a random sampling of other interesting announcements and technology demonstrations to look out for:

Indy and AI

Demonstrating the increasing use of AI in auto racing, the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) will stage a multi-car, autonomous car race event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 2 to 4 PM on January 9^th.  Teams will run 3-4 autonomous racecars on track at the same time, in a 20-lap format. The exhibition race will test not just individual car performance but the ability of AI systems to manage complex multi-agent interactions at high speed. The IAC will also display its autonomous racecar in the West Hall Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall, Level 1.

The Indy and AI event recap from the CES 2023 can be viewed here.

Smart Binoculars

Unistellar will demo its ENVISION Smart AR binoculars, which uses augmented reality (AR) to dynamically overlays contextual information in its natural optical field of view, and enriches what you're seeing with a wealth of data. The binoculars can serve as an intelligent field guide during the daytime, while giving amateur astronomers valuable information for nighttime stargazing. Unistellar will exhibit at Eureka Park Booth #60401-6, Sands/Venetian Expo. 

Related:7 Super Automotive Announcements from CES 2024

Unistellar's ENVISION Smart AR binoculars (Unistellar).

Sustainable Tech

BiomiTech, a leader in sustainable air purifica6on solu6ons, represen6ng the Région Sud delega6on, will showcase its CO₂ capture technologies at CES 2025 in Eureka Park, Booth #60090 to 60907.  For instance, the company’s BioUrban air purification system leverages the power of microalgae to transform pollutants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides into clean oxygen and valuable biomass. This 4-meter-high, 2-meter-diameter tower can absorb up to 80% of CO₂ from the surrounding air, equivalent to the capacity of 300 to 3,000 trees.

Touch-feely Robot

MIXI, a Tokyobased social networking solution provider, will demonstrate “Romi, the Lacatan model,” a conversational AI robot capable of interacting without turn-taking. Designed as an emotional support companion to promote mental health, the robot uses interjectional phrases to respond while the user is still talking, and engages in complex, full-on conversation by generating comments in real-time, all based on what it “sees” and “hears,” and on conversation history. Romi can be seen at Venetian Expo, Hall A-D, Booth #52673.

Related:Robots Galore at CES 2024

AI Lives at the Edge

AI is a major theme at CES, and there’s a lot of evidence that AI at the edge will be a particularly hot topic. For instance, Synaptics Inc. has just announced it will collaborate with Google on Edge AI for the IoT to define the optimal implementation of multimodal processing for context-aware computing. The collaboration will integrate Google’s MLIR-compliant ML core on the Synaptics Astra  hardware with open-source software and tools. The combination will accelerate the development of AI devices for the IoT that support the processing of vision, image, voice, sound, and other modalities that provide context for seamless interactivity in applications such as wearables, appliances, entertainment, embedded hubs, monitoring, and control across consumer, automotive, enterprise, and industrial systems. Synaptics will exhibit at the Venetian Hotel, Level 2 Exhibitor Suites, Bellini Ballroom #2105.

AI and Babies

In Booth# 56429, UniWhale will show reportedly the world's first AI-driven baby care system designed to help new parents understand the reasons behind their newborns' cries or discomfort throughout their toddler years. UniWhale is designed to offer real-time monitoring of a baby’s well-being, predictive safety alerts, and personalized digital companionship for the child. It is designed to go beyond traditional monitoring solutions by delivering adaptive care that evolves with the child’s development, giving parents peace of mind and simplifying everyday parenting.

Electronics Components in Abundance

A number of semiconductor and electronics component suppliers will also show their latest products, as many of them wind up driving and powering many of the end products on display at CES.

For instance, Allegro MicroSystems will highlight its advanced portfolio of high-resolution magnetic sensors, next-generation power ICs and innovative 48V solutions at its hospitality suite in the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel.

At Booth #9628, PIMIC will show its Clarity NC100, a Deep Neural Network (DNN)-based Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) chip designed to deliver high performance in noise suppression, handling challenging environments like strong windy conditions and noisy industrial settings with a single microphone while consuming just 150μA.

To learn more about CES, go here.