On the flight home from Las Vegas in January 2020, I wrote an article for CNN Business about how the technology of the future represents a very lonely picture for all of us. I had just seen robots that call 911 when you fall, mechanical cats that keep you company and “artificial humans” from the Neon startup capable of doing the same.
Two months later, my New York neighborhood became one of the first in the country to go into blockade; and I haven’t been able to hug some of the people I love the most for a long time. A virtual reality trip to the Amalfi Coast with them would be a welcome change from our routine FaceTime check-ins, not quite the unusual concept I thought it was just a year ago.
If loneliness was the tacit theme of CES 2020, this year’s fully digital event was filled with anxiety and stress, both from the variety of everyday life and the specific type of the current health crisis. At the event, which took place online this week, there was the wearable for the ears that claims that its gentle vibrations regulate stress; the small smart storage box with a fingerprint reader to block your stock of pills or credit cards; the largest security box that prevents balcony pirates from stealing your packages from Amazon; a pad for the car seat that sends an alert if you forget your child in the back seat; and the robot that loads your dishwasher.
The robot, the Samsung Bot Handy, is in development only for the time being, but it is the company’s vision for “a better new normal” as more people work, cook, eat and drown in dishes at home than ever before. during the global pandemic. As can be seen in a video, Bot Handy sets the table, serves wine and reminds you of upcoming meetings.
“The technologies in your home need to work harder to help you adjust to this new normal,” said the company in the description of the session on the CES website.
And then there were the masks. There was one with integrated headphones and microphones to make calls and one to monitor air quality. AirPop Active + Smart Mask monitors and filters the air around you, blocking dust, allergens and microbial particles. It lets you know when you need a new filter and tracks your breath with your sensors.
Perhaps CES’s harrowing lesson this year is that we are not doing well, but perhaps technology can help.
Executives and thought leaders have come together virtually to offer solutions to the challenges that many sectors face today. A session on the future of contactless payments, with a description on the website that led with “The less you touch, the safer you will be”, discussed how retailers can take advantage of the momentum of the expansion trend far beyond the pandemic. Another on the challenges of remote learning discussed what lies ahead for future classrooms and whether certain technology tools could make telemedicine visits more meaningful.
“We live in an age when most of the things that we once took for granted now seem like distant memories,” said Brian Kwon, CEO of LG Electronics, in a video before the company’s presentation. “Life has changed in many unexpected ways. Although our approach to life may be different now, we persevere.”
Not exactly the optimistic speech you would normally expect to hear at a product launch.
Apple, which often makes headlines at CES without actually showing up, used this week to reveal more details about its $ 100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. Launched in June after news and protests surrounding George Floyd’s death, the company announced where more of its funds will go to help address systemic racism and create more opportunities for communities of color.
CES 2021 still had its share of fun innovation: the rollable phone, the transparent TV, the Cadillac autonomous party bus concept, to name just a few. But the technology that resonated most reflected our current dark world, at a time when many of us are just trying to get through the day.
The self-driving party bus will be an excellent way to celebrate the end of the pandemic when that moment finally comes, but for now, all I really want is that creamy ice cream Keurig machine to calm my soul while I wait for things at home .
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