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The Future is Now: Here's what caught our eye at this year's Consumer Electronics Show

The Future is Now: Here's what caught our eye at this year's Consumer Electronics Show

This month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) brought more than 170,000 attendees to visit over 3,600 exhibitors. Navigating a sea of similar tech products may seem overwhelming, but there are a few products to note within the realms of smart home technology, 3D printing, and electronics to improve one’s health.

House of the Future Nearly a Reality

Still no self-cleaning floors, but a Jetson-like future is not far off with systems like Vivint, which syncs most of the controls in your home to your smartphone. Not only do these systems offer doorbell and ping security cameras that include two-way talk, you can also control the garage door, lighting, temperature, and DVR remotely. The newest addition to the Vivant family is the integration of Kwikset Smart Locks, the Nest Learning Thermostat, and the Amazon Echo.

To keep things clean top to bottom, WINBOT is a new robot that cleans framed and frameless windows as well as horizontal glass surfaces and mirrors. All you have to do is spritz the cleaning pad, switch it on, and place it on the window. The bot does the rest by automatically scanning and calculating the size of the window or surface.

Samsung debuted the Family Hub Refrigerator that brings a bunch of sci-fi tech to real life. With a 21.5-inch HD LCD display on the exterior, you can post family photos and calendars as well as stream music and watch live TV; so you never have to miss a moment of the big game or award show while refilling on snacks. One of the most impressive features is the set of three interior cameras that take photos every time the door is closed. Next time you are at the grocery store and can’t remember if you are out of milk, just peer inside the fridge from your smartphone screen.

Skydrop, the new smart sprinkler controller, monitors local weather data and automatically sets the perfect time and amount of water its yard receives. The system can reduce water usage by 50 percent, which saves money while aiding the environment.

Let’s Get Physical 

Knowing how many steps walked or calories burned in a day is so yesterday. With iHealth’s collection of medical-tech accessories, users can monitor every aspect of their health including blood pressure, glucose levels; weight and BMI; sleep, and blood oxygen levels. With the MyVitals app all data can be viewed in one place and easily shared.

Swarovski has released activity tracking jewelry, called Shine, that transforms from watch to necklace to bracelet all while wirelessly syncing with the wearer’s smart phone.

Humanscale has created two products that work in tandem to increase productivity and psychical activity in the workplace. The QuickStand Lite transforms any fixed-height desk into a standing desk, and can be moved easily allowing for users to sit or stand as often as necessary. The OfficeIQ was created in collaboration with Tome Software and uses sensor technology to gather data on sit-stand use. It measures caloric expenditure and sends real time notifications to users, reminding them when they have been seated too long.

Print it Out

3DSystems recently released CubePro, a large-format printer that makes printing professional quality models at home a snap. Especially with new printing materials that include nylon, rinse-away support, and wood composite materials. The Nylon material is a flexible and long-lasting medium for functional prototyping. Rinse-Away allows designers to achieve intricate patterns that are easy to remove and leave no“support stubble”” residue. Lastly, its wood composite material can be sanded, nailed, drilled, stained, and painted to make artistic creations.

Big news for those of us who are not in the position to buy large-scale printing devices, or have too much work for a home printer to handle. UPS is now offering over 60 printing locations in the U.S. that can quickly and efficiently turn 3D files into models.

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