The best of CES 2021: pandemic technology, green technology, air taxis and lots of robots

This story is part of CES, where our editors will present the latest news and the hottest gadgets from CES 2021 entirely virtual.

Three-story booths and auditoriums filled with tech nerds have been replaced by highly produced live broadcasts and virtual presentations by executives calling from their home offices and kitchen tables. But in the end, it was still CES.

We saw for the first time what is likely to become one of the most popular TVs and laptops of 2021. We saw ambitious ideas and concepts for products that may never reach the market, but that can inspire future product designers to keep dreaming. And of course, we were entertained with the usual robots, flights of fancy and head scratching oddities.

One thing that will forever distinguish CES 2021 was how many companies showed us their efforts to dealing with the global pandemic, in big and small ways. Cynics would say that part of that was pure marketing. But there was no doubt that some of the best minds in the technology industry have been putting brain cycles to solve society’s problems and serve humanity.

Of all the products we saw, from the most ambitious to the most useful, these were the ones that stood out the most:

Razer high-tech N95 mask

The gaming company Razer exhibited a concept, called Hazel Project, for a high-tech face mask with active ventilation, a transparent shield so you can see people talking, and a case that recharges the fans and performs the UV cleaning of the mask during charging. It also has LED lights and looks like it came straight from the sci-fi pages.

HP Dragonfly Max, with a 5 MP webcam

Among CES 2021’s powerful laptops, we note the HP Dragonfly Max for its built-in Tile tracker, its attractive blue design and the fact that it is one of the only new laptops to include an updated 5-megapixel webcam with four wide-range microphones. At the zoom age, many people will like these updates.

LG Rollable

In one of CES 2021’s first press conferences, we took a look at the screen of a smartphone that scrolls upwards to expand the viewing area of ​​the screen. Like foldable phones, it looks incredibly futuristic, but it doesn’t have many obvious benefits. However, Roger Cheng of CNET confirmed that this was not just a concept, but a product that LG plans to launch on the market in 2021.

Cadillac eVTOL Air Taxi

GM used CES to announce that it is becoming an EV company. And by far, the most interesting EV announced was the Cadillac eVTOL air taxi. It’s more of a giant drone than a flying car, but that’s the kind of thing that CES audiences love.

Samsung Solar-Powered Remote

CES, Samsung, 800-pound gorilla showed many new TVs, but what really caught our attention was something much simpler – it’s new remote control of solar powered TV. No more replacing and disposing of alkaline batteries. Instead, you can turn the remote control over and let it charge from the rear solar panel (or connect it to a USB-C port).

LG transparent OLED display concept

Speaking of TVs, LG had one of the most striking demos of CES 2021 with its Transparent OLED TVs, as expected. Although it is still a concept, LG showed some impressive scenarios of this technology in action on train windows, restaurant dividers and hiding in the stirrup of a bed.

TCL TVs expand to 85 inches and 8K

Moving on to TVs, people are going to buy soon, TCL announced new 85-inch and 8K TVs. The popular TV maker is likely to be cost competitive and will make 85-inch and 8K screens more accessible to many more people in 2021. The timing is obviously great for people who have 100% home entertainment now.

Nobi fall sensor ceiling lamp

The elderly have been one of the groups most at risk during the pandemic and a product designed to help them is what can be the smartest ceiling lamp we’ve ever seen, called Nobi. It uses sensors and AI for active monitoring and can detect falls and other risks and send alerts. It even has a built-in smoke detector, an air quality sensor and a 4G SIM card in the event of a Wi-Fi failure.

Alarm.com touch-free video bell

Instead of pushing a button, this new bell from Alarm.com uses a doormat and AI to detect when someone arrives at your door and allows you to chat with that person through an app with a built-in camera and microphone. It is a no-touch system for the coronavirus era.

Samsung Robot Butler (Bot Handy)

Surprisingly, Samsung’s CES presentation this year had far more robots than TVs or gadgets. The most intriguing was the Practical robot butler, who can help with housework and bring something to drink. The demonstration video showed him taking dishes out of the sink and putting them in the dishwasher. We haven’t seen this kind of agitation from CES participants since the robot clothes folder teased us a few years ago.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514

With Chromebooks becoming the center of education for many elementary and high school students now, a CES 2021 product that many parents will appreciate is the Acer Chromebook Spin 514. It has the appearance of a jet and the body of a tank. With a Gorilla Glass screen and MIL-STD 810H1 compliance, it has an indestructible vibration.

Kohler Touchless Toilet

Eccentric humor has come to CES in recent years with more and more smart bathroom technology, and 2021 did not disappoint with a Kohler toilet with magic handle. Just wave your hand in front of the handle and it will automatically level off. Like the ringing bell that we mentioned earlier, it aims to reduce the spread of germs from common surfaces.

Samsung JetBot 90 AI

Another Samsung robot was the AI ​​powered vacuum cleaner, loaded with handle and cameras to make it smarter and more automated than traditional robot vacuum cleaners. O JetBot 90 AI it also functions as a mobile security camera to keep an eye on your pets and your home when you’re out – because when the day comes that we can all leave the house safely again.

Infinite game table

One of the most fun things about CES this year was the Infinite game table, which scans some of the most popular board games in the world on a touchscreen table. You can play Digital Monopoly against a family member or roommate and no one needs to be a banker. You can even play against other friends and family online, if they have their own table.