This year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) has come and gone. The CES displays the latest technology and innovation to reach consumers.This year’s CES didn’t feature that many radical innovations, however rather, it focused on the application for innovative technology from 2015.

 

Here are the highlights of what was on display and what is to come.

 

Drones are everywhere

Drones are bigger and better, with improved stabilisation and camera equipment. The day will soon be here when cameramen are replaced by drones on the field and when online orders are delivered by drones. A variety of drones were on show from the relatively affordable Typhoon H to the Parrot Disco and DJI’s Phantom 3 with 4K video recording.

One of the most interesting drones is the single seating drone which can transport a single rider!

 

Laptops and tablets merge

Laptops and tablets are converging into a single device. Like the iPad Pro tablets are getting bigger with additional accessories to make at as functional as a laptop. Microsoft debuted their contribution last year with the Surface Pro and the trend indicates more laptop and tablet manufacturers will do the same.

 

 

VR equipment

Virtual reality gear is finally available to consumers. The Oculus Rift is now available for pre-order at $600 which is $200 more than they indicated last year. However, virtual reality will pave a new way for gaming, design and many other fields. HTC Hive also showed off their VR headset with an amazing sculpting programme. Combining virtual reality art with 3D printing could bring exciting new creations in the years to come.

 

Wearable technology

Wearable tech is increasing in desirability. From the CES event, it looks like the trend for wearable tech is moving towards fitness with impressive features to track sleep, exercise, heart rate monitor and much more!

 

 

Home Appliances

Home appliances are getting smarter and smarter.The home appliance products that we have seen in the past never seemed practical; however, this year there are some interesting developments with products you can actually use.

Samsung featured their new Smart Fridge which has three cameras inside to allow you to see what is in your fridge and even to order new groceries utilising the fridge. LG has a refrigerator with a glass that becomes transparent when you knock on it, allowing you to see into the fridge without letting the cold air out.

 

 

Television sets

TVs seem to reach their peak with marginal improvements. The introduction of 4K videos has slowly become standard and manufacturers are pushing the boundaries by making it more standard on their devices. Other notable innovations are  from Samsung. They have almost completely removed the bezel whereas LG has even thinner TVs (a couple of mm).

 

 

Smartphones 404: Innovation not found!

Smartphones innovation seems to have reached its limit with few new features brought to the table. Marshall showed off their smartphone which is the loudest smartphone available however the other smartphones were lack-lustre.

 

 

Cars – Self-driving technology

CES has become a big event for car manufacturers to display their latest cars with better tech and gadgets. Self-driving cars are still not ready to be released to the market as manufacturers say that there are still many issues to resolve.