AI-powered refrigerators are coming to a kitchen showroom near you!

Samsung US

It’s one of the largest trade shows in the world, attracting 148,000 attendees and 4100 exhibitors from around the world. It’s the premier expo for new consumer technology introductions, innovations and trend spotting. And it’s hellish for anyone trying to get anywhere around the Las Vegas convention center and satellite venues while it’s taking over the city and industry, as it did during the first week of January. I’m referring, of course, to CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronic Show. I’ve only attended once in 2017, but I’m always asking tech watchers who brave the crowds what impressed them across the show floor. Here are six trends (and some new releases) worth noting, according to the pros.

1. Safety Innovations

Ryan Herd, a New Jersey-based technology consultant and former CEO and founder of Caregiver Smart Solutions, cites safety innovations as a trend he spotted. “On the fire side, there were some strong solutions. Cooktop safety continues to be one of the most overlooked risks in the home. Products like iGuard and CTS Smart Kitchen Sensor (Cooktop Safety Corp.) are doing important work—sensing unsafe conditions and preventing accidents before they become disasters.”

One of the greatest safety risks to the older adults Herd has spent much of his career supporting is falling. According to the CDC, there are about 3 million ER visits due to older individuals falling. These are also the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries and 83% of hip fracture deaths. “For falls and presence detection, I saw some elegant solutions using radar instead of cameras. Silver Shield [by Pontosense], for example, stood out. It’s non-intrusive, relatively small, and respects privacy while still delivering meaningful insights. That matters.”

2. Robot Revolution

They were everywhere on the show floor, Herd declares, but not necessarily in our homes yet. “They’re not quite there yet, but they’re coming. The real question isn’t if they’ll help — it’s how. Are they folding laundry? Walking the dog? Supporting daily living? That part is still unfolding.” Those of us of a certain age, while recall the sci fi cartoon of our childhood with this reference: “We’re clearly entering a Jetsons-like era. Whether it actually works for real families remains to be seen.”

Herd helpfully points out one issue that perhaps isn’t being discussed enough when it comes to this technology: privacy. “We say we don’t want cameras in our homes, yet robots will almost certainly need cameras to function. LiDAR is expensive, radar has limits — so cameras are the likely path. That means roaming cameras inside private spaces. We’ll see how comfortable people really are with that.”

3. Cognitive AI

Chip Wade, Georgia-based builder and lead designer, defines it this way: “This is on board decision and execution management without the need to upload data to cloud processing.” Where and how is it showing up? “You can see this integrated in many of the products shown on the floor from robotic lawn mowers, kitchen appliances, hobby and crafting tools, furnishings and wellness experiences,” he responds.

4. Smarter Appliances

“I am excited to incorporate many of the smarter home appliances this year,” Wade comments. He cites a new line of Samsung refrigerators that inventories foods stored inside. (This has been one of the holy grails of refrigeration for years.) “It will also provide customized recipe options for items that you have in your refrigerator automatically.”

He also points to vacuum and mopping systems, based on robotics technology, that are showing improvements, now offering “options to climb stairs and arms to pick up larger objects left out and in the way.”

5. Mega Televisions

“TVs are bigger. They’re gorgeous. Every TV is beautiful now. Bigger is better—especially if you’re a guy — but it’s not exactly revolutionary,” says Herd. What the manufacturers have done, he says, is develop what he calls “modular micro-LED panels” that make them easier to transport and install. They weigh less, which makes them cost less to ship too.

6. Wellness Innovating

Among this year’s CES Smart Home Innovation Awards were numerous honorees that support wellness. One was a shower-based skincare system from Ceragem called AI Rejuvenation Shower System. Here’s how the award site describes it: “A smart mirror equipped with near-infrared and spectral sensors scans the user’s face to assess hydration, oil levels, elasticity, and pigmentation, completely contactless and privacy-safe. In real time, the embedded AI adjusts pH through electrolysis, softens water via ion exchange, and dispenses blends of vitamins and active skincare ingredients using NFC-tagged cartridges.”

Another Innovation honoree was Netvue Technologies’ Birdfy Hum Bloom. This is a smart feeder to enhance your encounters with the nature outside your door. Those encounters create a sense of calm and help de-stress, making them a wellness feature too.

Scent is an under-appreciated sense, and one with deep connections to our mood and memory. DeepScent was honored by CES for what it calls “the world’s first smart home platform that creates personalized, emotionally adaptive scent experiences using artificial intelligence.” It integrates with smart lighting, audio systems and environmental sensors, according to the description. “Whether energizing mornings, enhancing social gatherings, or creating a calming atmosphere, it adapts dynamically to user preferences and contextual changes.”

Another under-appreciated factor in home wellness is humidity. Too much and mold and mildew can develop. Too little and dryness can impact wood and skin. Coway’s CES Innovation Award honoree Humid Curator promises to help in this regard.

With homeowners, especially for higher end properties, expecting healthy smart home features, the industry is clearly looking for innovative ways to provide them.

Last Words

“As a technologist, it’s the Super Bowl,” Herd says about CES. The question that arises in his mind though, and mine, is simple: “How does this actually help me?”