The Best of CES 2019

This January Diffusion kicked off 2019 at the biggest and best consumer technology show of the year, CES. And as expected, it did not disappoint.

Alongside staffing press briefings, coordinating demos, and attending the Unveiled and Pepcom preshow events, we made time to scope out some of the conference’s coolest products. Below are three of the most captivating trends we uncovered at the show this year.

Who runs the world? AI

It was no surprise that Artificial Intelligence made an overwhelming appearance at CES, not only in its own category, but in almost every other product category on the show floor too. Security cameras, mattresses, pianos and even beauty apps were powered by AI and on display. As I.P. Park, president and CTO of LG Electronics highlighted in his keynote, AI makes devices smart so they’ll know exactly what we want. This year AI is all about product intuition and proactivity.

Diffusion client CyberLink was on site debuting its new facial recognition software, FaceMe, which, powered by AI, can recognize people and detect their age, gender, emotions and more. With many major companies, and even the White House, dipping their toes into facial recognition security measures, the software drew a huge and curious crowd of show-goers.

Autonomous vehicles are soaring to new heights

Drones were once seen as a futuristic and lofty reality, but slowly and surely innovative tech companies are making these unmanned aerial and ground vehicles more accessible and useful for every day tasks.

While we often picture drones flying through the air, we don’t always consider drone use for other forms of transportation, like water. However, for scuba divers and rescue emergency teams the future looks particularly helpful as companies like Navatics showcased underwater drone capabilities with brilliant streams of up to 4K imagery.

And as we know Amazon is testing drone delivery with Prime Air, they’re not the only company prepping to transport objects through the air. Companies like Bell Nexus eVTOL are gearing up for people delivery with their Air Taxi resembling a helicopter that seats four people… and includes cup holders. Perhaps pretty soon our taxi driver might just be in pajamas, drinking Starbucks and piloting us over traffic jams.

Smart homes don’t have to look smart

This year more than ever we saw an abundance of companies competing to connect smart home tools and stand out from industry giants like Google Assistant, which announced updates including Google Maps integration, Interpreter Mode, and control over more devices like Whirlpool appliances, GE’s smart microwave and more.

It’s clear the smart home is only getting smarter, but it is also getting more beautiful. Standing out among the various smart plugs, switches, robot vacuums, and appliances were the companies focused on blending their technology in with your own home décor. This year was all about what smart home products could provide for consumers, and this aesthetically pleasing technology did just that. We especially loved Mui, a sleek, smart home hub control made with natural wood!

As we head into 2019 more inspired than ever, we’re looking forward to seeing how these tech trends make their way into our everyday lives and shape the future of technology for us and our clients.