Highlights of 2020 Consumer Electronics Show: robo-cats, AI, sex-tech [SciTech]

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas last week kicked off what promises to be an exciting decade in the world of technology.

From 5G smartphones, Artificial Intelligence, Lamborghini’s with integrated Alexa and 8K resolution TVs, a first ever sex tech section, the 2020 CES gave visitors a chance to test and showcase the newest and shiniest gadgetry.

Robo-cats

The robotic cat MarsCat, from Chinese company Elephant Robotics aims to become the bionic future of pets. Its clumsy movements as it slept, purred and hissed endeared it to visitors at the show.

“Some people cannot pet a real cat, they are allergic to real cats or their departments are not allowed to pet a real cat. So they can have this, and they can pet it when they come home,’‘ explained Junyi “Joey” Song, CEO of Elephant Robotics.

Artificial humans

Avatars touted as “artificial humans” created a buzz at CES as Star Labs, a startup funded by Samsung showcased AI-powered, two-dimensional digital beings that can appear on displays or video games and could be designed to be “TV anchors, spokespeople, or movie actors” or even “companions and friends.”

“So Core R3 can do what deep fakes and manipulation can do, for sure, like long before. If you want to manipulate something, we can manipulate,’‘ said Pranav Mistry, CEO of Star Labs.

‘‘But Core R 3 has a ten times more powerful algorithm that can not only manipulate but it can create something. That is what the focus of Neon is all about.”

Sex-tech

For the first time, CES opened a section dedicated to sexual wellness, where several start-ups unveiled devices to use alone, as a couple, or even over long distances.

Satisfyer is on a mission to combat the negative perceptions around the use of sex toys for pleasure, relaxation, education, healing after childbirth and long-distance relationships.

The company has plans to launch a smart phone app for controlling sex toys, in particular by using voice commands.

“If partner A is in one city, and partner B is in another city, there can be a man and a woman, two men, two women, they can sync with each other’s toy so that partner A can activate partner B’s toy, and partner B can activate partner A’s toy, so they can maintain that physical relationship over the distance,’‘ explained Gerard Escaler, Levense Chief Marketing Officer.

@danmumbere