In the 1989 movie Back to the Future, the main characters Marty McFly and Dr. Brown, travel forward in time to 2015, a time of flying cars and a woman in the Oval Office. Neither of these predictions have come to pass, but last week at CES in Las Vegas (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show), an actual date was projected for the introduction of a flying car. The Bell Nexus, is a VTOL air taxi (VTOL stands for vertical take off and landing) which the company (Bell was formerly known as Bell Helicopters) plans to have soaring over our cities by the mid-2020s.
CES is noted as the showcase for innovative technology. Many of the products featured at the show are prototypes of things to come, like the Bell Nexus, while others are products that will enter the marketplace this year. While most of the automotive related products fall into the first category, the all electric 2020 Harley-Davison LiveWire is set to debut in the fall, and can be pre-ordered now. Priced at just under $30,000, the LiveWire is a futuristically deigned motorcycle that can go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 110 mph.
A variety of products were introduced for the home, many of them designed to interact through voice commands through Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. Over the past year Instant Pot introduced a line of programmable pressure cookers that have been all the rage – promising nutritious, healthy foods cooked from two to ten times faster than on the stove and using 70% less energy. The newest model of the Instant Pot Smart WiFi pressure cooker, priced at under $300, incorporates Google Assistant voice command functionality. Say “Hey Google, set the program on my cooker to rice,” and the Instant Pot will begin cooking your rice, although you do need to add the rice and water to the pot before giving the command!
Whirlpool introduced a countertop version of its Smart Oven, featuring built-in cameras that can detect the food you place in the oven and automatically set the temperature and cooking time. The oven can tell the difference between frozen and thawed items, and can be programmed to bake, broil, convection bake, convection roast, toast, reheat, proof, dehydrate, air fry, slow cook and keep warm. It features a built-in food thermometer, can be programmed with an app and send the app notifications to update you on cooking status. The newest model is compatible with both Google Assistant and Alexa devices, and can be programmed via voice commands. If you want to watch food while it cooks, you can access the internal cameras and see an image of the cooking process in real-time on the 27-inch transparent LCD display built into the front door. The display can also show recipes, and when you select one, it guides you through the step-by-step directions. Pricing and release date have yet to be announced.
Another smart device introduced for the kitchen is the Sensate Faucet with Kohler Konnect. Sensate Faucets have been around for a while, but the newest incarnation is designed for voice activation with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit. The original Sensate was introduced in 2013 and was designed to bring hands-free control to the kitchen sink with a series of integrated sensors that can turn the water on and off with the wave of a hand. The newest version is voice activated, and in addition to turning on and off, it can dispense measured amounts of water and change from stream to spray with a voice command. A sensor on the faucet monitors water usage and sends the information to an app. The new Sensate Faucet is not yet available and pricing has not been announced, but the pricing of the original Sensate Faucets started at over $500.
Past CES shows have featured a wide variety of devices for home security and this year was no exception. Most of the security devices and cameras on display did not include revolutionary features, but Alarm.com did introduce an new variation in home security cameras. The company introduced Wellcam, a wifi-connected video camera that is meant to be located in the home of a loved-one who is in need of monitoring. With a 180-field of vision camera, it captures live video for caregivers and concerned relatives. Caregivers can check in with an Alarm.com mobile app to see live video or captured video clips. The Wellcam sends out alerts when something does not seem right, can make two-way audio-calls, and can send out a help alert without a smartphone. Wellcam is available now and is priced under $350.
Over 4,400 companies exhibited at CES, and the number of products on display is mind boggling. I hope this small peek into the world of high-tech has been interesting, and maybe you or a member of your family, will be bringing one of these products into your home in the near future.
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