Best of CES 2023: A color-changing BMW and a boba tea robot
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Technology companies showed off their latest products this week at CESformerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show.
Crowds of investors, media and tech workers have poured into cavernous Las Vegas arenas to see the latest technology from large companies and startups. There are flashy concept cars, screens of all possible varieties, robots that can help with a number of tasks and technology for the home. Some technological innovations are already available for purchase, while others may never get past the prototype stage.
The show runs until Sunday. Here are some highlights:
VIDEO CALLS WITH A TWIST
Tired of the same old video conference calls? Zero Distance believes it may have the answer.
The company̵[ads1]7;s Wehead device helps people in a meeting feel like a remote participant is in the room with them.
The device looks much like a machine you might find at the eye doctor, but with screens on the front. The person participating from afar looks like they are there in 3D, and when they look around or nod, the machine moves too.
Wehead works with standard computer or smartphone webcams.
“If there are a few people around the table and only one screen, not everyone can see the screen, and the person in the laptop, he or she can’t see everyone,” Wehead creator Ilia Sedoshkin said. “That’s the obvious application.”
“But for people who spend 40 hours a week in their home office, they don’t see other people a lot. So feeling the real person in the room, spending some space on your desk, can make you less lonely,” Sedoshkin said.
Wehead costs $1,555, with a pro version available for $4,555.
COLOR CHANGE CAR
BMW is betting on a car that can change colors.
The German automaker’s latest concept car can display up to 32 colors and allows drivers to digitally customize their cars.
That’s not the only thing — the mid-size sedan has a voice assistant as well as physical and digital elements that allow the headlights to create facial expressions and express moods such as joy, wonder and approval.
The car is called BMW i Vision Dee – Dee for “digital emotional experience.”
The splashy ride is the next iteration of BMW’s color-changing technology that was unveiled at last year’s CES, when the company showed off a car that had the ability to change from black to white.
The body of the latest version is divided into 240 segments, all of which, according to the company, can be individually controlled and allow an infinite number of patterns to be generated.
The car will be available in 2025.
A STUPID ROBOT
From milk tea to passion fruit, the ADAM robot can make any boba tea drink you like.
ADAM can also double as a bartender or barista, but it made boba tea for delighted CES attendees who used digital touchscreens to select their drinks.
“ADAM is intended to be a way to attract guests and a way to make drinks fully automated and very efficient,” said Timothy Tanksley of Richtech Robotics.
The two-armed robot has two grip handles that can be customized to make specific drinks. While you’re taking a break from mixing drinks, ADAM can dance to keep people entertained.
ADAM, which can be rented for events or hired full-time, is among a number of robots on display at CES this week, performing a variety of tasks from surface disinfection to delivery.
NUT MILK ON THIS
During the 2020 pandemic shutdowns, California resident Luiz Rapacci had a hard time finding his favorite almond milk in grocery stores. He looked up recipes online to make his own, but they were messy and time-consuming.
Almost three years later, Rapacci is at CES to unveil his nut milk brewing machine, the GrowUp brewer.
With GrowUp, customers can make nut milk at home in minutes with water and their choice of varieties, from cashews and walnuts to almonds and pistachios, Rapacci said.
The machine costs $599 and is available now for pre-order.
PERFECT EYEBROWS
L’Oreal’s Brow Magic brings augmented reality to your eyebrows.
The company’s app scans your face and uses AR to make personalized recommendations for choosing shape, thickness and effect. You apply a primer, then the Brow Magic device uses 2,400 tiny nozzles to brush over and paint your brows.
L’Oreal developed Brow Magic in collaboration with Prinker, which makes a device that quickly applies temporary tattoos.
The make-up in Brow Magic, which is expected to launch later this year, can last up to two days and can be removed with regular make-up remover.
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Associated Press writer Haleluya Hadero contributed to this report.
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For more on CES, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/technology
