A
s I headed to Las Vegas for another week
of “all tech all the time” at the annual
Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I was
excited to see if last year’
s promises had turned
into reality. Each year, CES attendees roll their
eyes at the amazing prototypes that will never
come to market, but this year seemed to be the
year the tech concepts actually became a reality
for consumers. I was not disappointed.
The 8K television revealed at last year’
s CES is
now available to consumers. The robot prototypes
that left me in awe a year ago have come down in
price and can now be introduced into your home
to make it smarter and more like The Jetsons.
Perhaps the most exciting news is that a mobile
future with 5G networks will be revolutionary
— and not only for human-to-human communi-
cation but also for communication between our
connected cars.
CES is the world’
s largest and most influential
tech event with more than 182,000 attendees,
including more than 63,000 from outside the U.S.
The convention featured 4,500 exhibiting com-
panies, which included more than 1,200 startups
and more than 20,000 new products.
Franklin resident Gary Shapiro, CEO of the
Consumer Technology Association, which is
responsible for producing CES, said, “The entire
technology ecosystem gathered at CES 2019 with
the latest in 5G, artificial intelligence, augmented
and virtual reality, smart cities, sports tech, 8K
video technology, robotics and more. With every
major and emerging industry at the show, CES
2019 is truly the global hub for innovation.
”
The roll-up OLED TV from LG and Samsung’
s
219-inch “The Wall” TV were very cool, as were
the FlexPai, a foldable mobile phone from Royole
Corporation, and all the Alexa-controlled devices
(e.g., the Kohler Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet, the
Cybec Legend bicycle, a motorcycle helmet, eye-
glasses, a mattress, etc.). However, what I really
appreciated were the computer-generated custom
3D shoe inserts by Dr. Scholl’
s. A computer took
photos of my bare feet and analyzed everything
from my arch type to the various pressure points.
It then created custom orthotics with my name on
them and shipped them to my home. I’
ve already
noticed that my posture has improved when
wearing the inserts. Anyone can be fitted for these
inserts using the Dr. Scholl’
s mobile app (iOS or
Android).
I also enjoyed the Tennispot, a tennis simula-
tor from GOLFZON, which allowed me to play
tennis against the screen. While I have tried many
golf simulators over the years, this was the first
time I had an opportunity to work on my tennis
game using augmented reality. Tennispot is more
than simply a green screen around a ball machine.
It virtually plots the trajectory of the ball to let you
know if you are in or out of bounds. It can also
read the speed of delivery and adjust its pitch-
back speed and direction to keep the player guess-
ing just like in an actual game of tennis against a
human opponent. At $50,000, it’
s a little pricey to
get for my basement.
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
Last year at CES, I had the opportunity to ride
in an autonomous vehicle on the streets of Las
Vegas. This year, there were more BMW models
powered by Aptiv’
s autonomous vehicle technol-
ogy for attendees to try. However, I opted to do
something different. I rode in the passenger seat
of a Valeo Drive4U Remote autonomous vehicle
controlled by an off-site operator. The technology
is designed to assist drivers, relieve them of cer-
tain driving tasks or even switch to manual driv-
ing mode when the vehicle is unable to handle a
given situation.
Anything can happen on the road, from sudden
severe weather conditions to an unexpected medi-
cal problem, which is when having an off-site con-
troller is necessary. The Drive4U Remote will also
come in handy in the future when we reach the
final level of autonomous vehicles and our cars
will be able to self-park at the curb of a restaurant,
meaning valet parkers won’
t be needed anymore.
ISRAEL TECH
CES is teeming with Israeli tech innovators and
entrepreneurs. At Eureka Park, the area of CES
filled with startups, an entire area of Israeli com-
panies with pioneering technologies showcased
new products. Israeli companies are at the fore-
front of tech innovation. Israeli startup Lishtot
TestDrop Pro created the first personal water
detecting device. At only $50, it will test water
to ensure the tap water, bottled water or natural
water you’
re drinking is safe. These would have
been beneficial during the Flint water crisis.
Another Israeli company that caught my atten-
tion at CES was Nanoscent. This startup makes
human scent readable, which is similar to image
and voice recognition, both now realities of our
everyday digital world. Nanoscent can use its
technology to test a potential couple’
s matching
likelihood based on their skin scent.
2sens is an Israeli company that has made it
possible for anyone with a dual-camera to create
mixed-reality videos (computer animation with
actual real-time display). The 2sens solution
allows users to mix between virtual content
and the real world, including Occlusion and
Interaction, all while the real-world content is
dynamically changing. It is applicable to both AR
glasses and smartphones. Check out the website at
www.2sens.com to see it in action.
Each year after I return from CES, many people
ask me what I saw. It’
s not possible to recount all
the innovative gadgets and futuristic computers,
phones, drones and robots at CES. It is truly a
sensory overload experience. However, it also is
a taste of the future. Technology is evolving more
rapidly than ever, and it’
s exciting to witness. ■
Rabbi Jason Miller is president of Access Technology in West
Bloomfield and a national expert on the intersection of tech-
nology and the Jewish world. Follow him on Twitter at
@RabbiJason.
22 February 7 • 2019
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The Consumers
Electronics Show
Doesn’t Disappoint
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Rabbi
Jason Miller
Dr. Scholl’
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Custom
Insert Kiosk
LG Rollable
OLED TV