POV: CES 2022

Background:

CES 2022 has been a hybrid event this year, with a mostly virtual attendance as the pandemic continues to disrupt in-person events. This year’s key trends include hybrid working, connected fitness, electric vehicles, robotics, the metaverse and NFTs.

Details and Implications:

Hybrid spaces: It wasn’t just the event itself being hybrid this year that made this a topic of conversation, developments in smart home products occupied a large portion of the show floor and created a buzz around the future of hybrid working – which is top of many people’s minds. Sessions around experiential retail and how the experiential aspect of commerce continues to develop in the hybrid world also featured heavily.

Healthtech: Connected fitness has been a featured trend for many years at CES and this year was no different. New tech includes the Sengled smart health monitoring lightbulb that uses radar to monitor your sleep, heart rate and body temperature; a smart cooling mattress topper; and the Ible Airvida E1 – the world’s first air purifier with built-in headphones. There was also a conference session on whether health tech can advance health equity, showcasing real-life instances in which health tech might help to achieve this.

Robotics: Many health tech solutions are coming in the form of robots, with disinfecting robots one of the many robotic devices on show this year inspired by the pandemic. Other robotics included exoskeletons, elder tech and prosthesis. There were also many discussions on how automation is changing the way we live.

Electric vehicles: The all-electric future continues to be the focus for auto brands with features that offer enhanced capability, autonomous driving options and of course addressing climate change concerns and emissions. As consumers are demanding more environmental solutions, car manufacturers are increasingly responding. The Chevy Silverado EV – the company’s all-electric pick-up shows some impressive numbers with many companies pushing faster at-home EV charging and connectivity.

NFTs: As we enter 2022, NFTs (Non-fungible tokens), a unique digital asset that lives on the blockchain, are becoming an increasingly common aspect of popular culture. For example, Samsung announced plans to bring NFT marketplaces to its smart TVs this year at CES.

Metaverse: Last but certainly not least, the Metaverse is one of the biggest buzzwords of CES 2022 as companies showcase their latest AV and VR. Aside from the obvious players, Hyuandi, Shiftall and Owo have unveiled tech at CES 2022 that will unlock the Metaverse.  

Summary:

This year’s CES was not quite the same as pre-pandemic versions of the show, despite the in-person show still happening, but we did see plenty of new tech responding to real-world issues from the past year. We’ve seen a focus on digital assets (NFTs), the expansion of the metaverse and a shift in the advancement in health tech.

Further reading:

Mindshare | TechCrunch | Cnet | The Week | TechRadar |