CES

What to Expect From the First-Ever All-Virtual CES

For more than half a century, CES (originally dubbed the Consumer Electronics Show) has been one of the biggest and most influential tech events worldwide. 

The 2021 edition, which runs January 11-14, will look different. But with 1,000+ participating companies, 100+ conference sessions, and a “digital venue” developed by Microsoft—which cost seven figures—it will still lead the conversation on emerging tech innovation. 

Jean Foster, an SVP at the Consumer Technology Association, the organization behind CES, gave us the inside scoop on what to watch for. 

Spotlight on 2021

Pop quiz...which two themes will “run across the entire spectrum” of the first-ever all-digital CES? (Hint: They’re both two characters long.) 

• That’s right, you probably guessed it: “AI is going to be embedded in everything, and 5G is going to enable most of these applications to happen,” says Foster. 

5G: This year, we should expect to see significant advances in 5G speed, reliability, and efficiency. Foster says the focus will be on what 5G will actually enable for consumers (like entertainment), and, more concretely, for enterprise.

• To cement 5G as a priority of the show, Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg will give the kickoff keynote. 

AI: Everything from AI chips to computer vision applications will be part of the showcase, but there will be a similar-sized spotlight on managing the challenges that go hand-in-hand with the use of AI, says Foster. Think: bias, training data, potential regulation, and more. 

• We’ll be watching Caterpillar and John Deere, as AI and robotics in agriculture continue to gain traction. Another standout Foster mentioned: Samsung Neon’s “artificial humans.” 

Other areas we're watching closely...

Digital health: New applications of robotics, personalized software platforms, and AI should all headline the healthcare category at CES this year. The space is quickly expanding beyond fitness trackers, and—much like the experts we spoke with in December—Foster expects AI in diagnostics to be “a key part of the conversation” this year. 

Vehicle tech: Automotive will also “continuously grow” as a category, says Foster, with big advances in electric and autonomous vehicles. We’ll see updates from the Indy Autonomous Challenge (billed as the “first head-to-head autonomous race in history”) and other established players like Mercedes, Audi, and GM. 

• CES newcomers include Sono Motors, a self-charging electric car company, and Volvo. 

Expanding access 

One silver lining of an all-virtual CES is a lower barrier to entry for startups ($1,200 to $1,500 for participation, and that’s it—no hotel, flight, etc.). That could mean more emerging companies than ever showcasing emerging tech. 

Bottom line: “The thing about CES is we never know what’s gonna be the breakout of the show, and that’s always the fun part,” says Foster. 

SPONSORED BY PANASONIC

To Innovation and BEYOND!!!

This time last year, if we told you we knew about an ONLINE conference that was going to forever change how you thought about innovation, you would’ve laughed in our faces.

How times have changed.

But Panasonic has taken these strange circumstances and turned them into an extraordinary event on January 11th at CES Online.

Panasonic is all about pushing us forward, and by “us,” we mean “humanity.” (These are the people whose science fair volcanoes actually erupted.) And they’ll keep on innovating to move us forward, no matter what’s going on.

In a few days, readers, you have a chance to witness Panasonic’s forward-thinking innovation face-to-screen. Panasonic CES 2021 will be a free-for-all of future-shaping thinkers and creative innovators. Your technological cup will overfloweth with content and speakers, all showing you how Panasonic is moving the world forward.

Yeah, we wouldn’t wanna miss it either. RSVP to Panasonic CES 2021 here.

CES

Inside the Winners Circle

Every year, CES announces its Innovation Awards for a whole host of tech categories. Out of the 2021 honorees, here are three that caught our eye. 

Epsy Health: Epsy, a digital health app, connects patients and physicians for epilepsy management. Users can create a data “diary” to track seizures, triggers, and medication compliance—then, the platform uses data science to pick out trends and patterns for each patient’s unique situation. Foster told us this startup especially stood out to her. 

The AI Captain: IBM teamed up with ProMare, a marine research nonprofit, to build “the AI Captain,” the tech behind the Mayflower Autonomous Ship that’s slated to cross the Atlantic in 2021—sans captain and crew. Its mission: Gather critical data on global warming, micro-plastic pollution, and marine mammal conservation (and serve as a test for future transportation and supply chain models).

Universal Disinfection Robot: “Coro-Bot,” created by an engineering team out of South Korea’s Hanseo University, comes with both an “articulated robot arm” to disinfect uneven surfaces and an air circulator (including a far-infrared ceramic filter) that sterilizes the air of viruses like Covid-19. The autonomous bot runs on a collision prevention algorithm and can “effectively disinfect every venue people use.”

CES

A Brief History of (CES) Time

Let us take you back in time...to 53 years ago. 

It’s 1967. You’re in New York City for the first-ever CES, or Consumer Electronics Show. It’s a day in late June, cloudy but warm, and you—along with more than 17,000 other attendees—are gearing up for a day of perusing over 200 exhibitions across two hotels.

One thing you’re excited to see? Brand-new pocket radios. It’s an exciting debut—you’d love to be able to listen to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” on the go. 

Fast-forward to CES 2020, an event that brought in over 170,000 attendees and 4,400 exhibitors—and expanded from two NYC hotels to 11 Las Vegas venues. 

Over the past half-century, a grab bag of major technologies have debuted at the innovation showcase. Here’s a condensed timeline: 

• 1970s and ‘80s: VCR, Camcorder, and Compact Disc Player 
• 1990s and ‘00s: DVD, HDTV, Satellite Radio, Microsoft Xbox, and OLED TV 
• 2010s: Android Devices, Driverless Car Technology, 3D Printers, 4K UHD

THE GHOST OF CES PAST

• CES 2020 Was a Tech Playground for Automakers (Morning Brew) 
• The Weirdest Gadgets of CES 2020 (CNET) 
• Delta Unveils “Parallel Reality” Tech at CES 2020 (Morning Brew) 
• Five of the Best Startups from CES 2019 (Entrepreneur) 
• Robot Delivery Dogs Deployed by Self-Driving Cars Are Coming (TechCrunch)
• Best of CES 2019 Awards (Engadget) 

SPONSORED BY UBS

A year of renewal and recovery. That’s how UBS’s Chief Investment Officer sees 2021 (and as optimists ourselves, we love the sentiment). To help investors navigate the hopeful year ahead, UBS is hosting a roundtable discussion this Thursday, January 7th that will give insight into how to think about your portfolio. Add the event to your calendar here.

GOING PHISHING

Four of the following news stories are true, and one...we made up. Can you spot the odd one out?

• At last year’s CES, Charmin debuted a toilet paper “Rollbot” for when you’re stranded on the commode. 
• Google debuted a theme park ride in the parking lot at CES 2019. 
• A power outage at CES 2018 caused the convention center to go dark for over an hour. 
• Microsoft’s party included Darth Vader descending from the ceiling at CES 2016.
• In a surprise appearance, Elon Musk made waves at TechRadar’s CES 2014 party. 

ICYMI

Catch up on recent Emerging Tech Brew features: 

• The 2021 crystal ball for emerging tech 
• Q&A: Amazon Alexa’s AI team
• Inside an algorithmic audit 

GOING PHISHING ANSWER

Elon Musk didn’t do anything crazy at CES 2014...as far as we know.