The energy and excitement have not worn off from our attendance at CES 2023 in Las Vegas at the start of the year. With no shortage of innovative technologies on display from the world’s leading companies and up-and-coming startups, the conference gave our team invaluable insights into what’s next for the industry. Below we highlight some of the trends and offerings that stood out to us:
Artificial Intelligence
Cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology and AI-enabled products were on full display at CES 2023. From wearable instant translation devices to robotic personal assistants and text-to-video content generation, there were AI applications across every sector, showcasing the broad potential for the technology to improve daily life in myriad ways.
Smart Homes
Smart home devices such as alarms, appliances, security systems, and thermostats are now even smarter with AI integration and will soon feature more interconnection across brands with the rise of the new “Matter” smart home standard. Unobtrusive, stylish appliances and furnishings with features like fall detection will make independent living possible later into life. Safety services like My Gun’s Been Moved, which alerts users when a handgun is removed from a smart pad, will make for safer gun ownership. The sheer amount of new technology in the smart home space and evident consumer interest show that the days of manually flipping a light switch, overheating the home, misplacing possessions, or running out of milk are numbered.
Health and Well-Being
Innovations in health care caught our eye as Labrador Systems demonstrated the Labrador Retriever, a personal assistive robot that aids at-home caregivers and users by fetching and delivering important daily items through voice commands or remote control and automation. Further, a number of startups demonstrated exciting applications of virtual and augmented reality technology. Among these were Xander, which manufactures augmented reality glasses that allow people with hearing challenges to see what people are saying in live conversations, and TasteBoosters, which makes utensils that use electric currents to enhance or alter the taste of food perceived by the human tongue, improving the palatability of limited diets.
Transportation
Transportation continues to drive technological innovation. In the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, there were rumblings that CES has now replaced Detroit’s North American International Auto Show as the biggest automotive show in the United States. Automotive manufacturers and suppliers revealed new models and collaborations from futuristic booths, and electric vehicles dominated the area outside of the convention center as Fisker and BMW, among others, offered attendees the chance to experience firsthand the Fisker Ocean SUV and BMW i7 sedan. Charging infrastructure also made a strong showing, as a number of companies showcased their unique offerings. French startup Circle Mobility Solutions demonstrated their electric car sharing solution, using small electric cars designed for automatic disinfection between rides along with mobile charging and swappable batteries.
Autonomous vehicle technology continues to progress as we stopped by exhibits for autonomous trucking company Gatik, autonomous vehicle software company Helm, and LIDAR sensor company Ouster. For those not riding in autonomous vehicles, innovations in advanced driver assistance systems, driven in part by tighter regulations in the European Union, continue to make roads and highways safer for all.
If roads and highways feel too restrictive, also on exhibit was a hydrogen-powered flying racing vehicle by French startup Maca Flight, which has secured partnerships with Red Bull Advanced Technologies and SEGULA Technologies, and PLANA from Korea presented plans to develop an electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft by 2025. Candela from Sweden, meanwhile, made a splash with its electric hydrofoil boat and offered test flights in the San Francisco Bay.
Global Ecosystem
Technological innovation is a global endeavor, and nowhere was that more apparent than at CES 2023. Startup companies and universities from around the world, with notably large contingents from France and Korea, opened our eyes to continuing innovation in pressing areas of need in the global economy such as food security, pollution reduction, supply chain improvements, and basic health care and transportation. Even as technology companies in the United States retrench at the beginning of 2023, global technology startups remain on a clear growth trajectory as governments at all levels, from national to municipal, increasingly dedicate resources to cultivating local startup and investor communities.
We continue to be inspired and energized by our experiences at CES 2023. As technology enthusiasts with day jobs as startup/venture capital and intellectual property lawyers, we could imagine few better ways to begin the year than by engaging with dynamic startup founders and technology company executives to learn about exciting new technologies and getting a glimpse of how they might shape our world. The technology industry continues to shine and the future is bright.