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Whill's all-terrain wheelchair is built for rough surfaces
Danielle Kent rode her wheelchair toward a black ramp at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where CES is taking place. She gently pressed on a small controller on the right armrest before the powered wheelchair went over a 3-inch bump to climb the incline. Seconds later, Kent made a smooth turn onto a stone-covered path. The personal vehicle, designed by a wheelchair-making company called Whill, navigated the bumpy end of the ramp with ease.
Amber's sensors aim to save farmers' grain from spoilage
CES is most known as a show for computers, cars and seriously strange stuff, but there's no shortage of people here trying to solve big problems the rest of us have never heard of. Take Amber Agriculture for instance: Run by students at the University of Illinois, the startup as developed a finger-size sensor meant to be stuck inside silos to help farmers monitor the quality of their stored grain. What's more, Amber's approach falls in line with other big trends at the show. You've heard of the smart home. Now the Amber team is trying to help build the smart farm.
Whirlpool's Zera Food Recycler turns food scraps into fertilizer
Though several municipalities like San Francisco, New York and Portland have citywide composting services, not everyone can enjoy this luxury. Most people still have to compost their unwanted food the old-fashioned way: by putting it in a stinky composter and going through the labor-intensive process of adding manure, keeping it moist and turning it every so often so that it doesn't rot. Otherwise, all those orange peels and rotten carrots will just end up in the trash. Whirlpool's new Zera Food Recycler, however, could be the solution to that. It's a new kitchen appliance that will turn your food scraps into rich fertilizer with hardly any work on your part at all.
The ZenFone AR feels better than it should
ASUS had a subdued kind of CES this year, announcing just two new products on-stage during its press conference: the ZenFone AR and ZenFone 3 Zoom. Each phone offers its own brand of innovation. For instance, the ZenFone 3 Zoom has two cameras, a powerful 5,000mAh battery and a range of professional-grade photography options. However, the ZenFone AR is the real star of ASUS' show. It's the first phone to support both Google's Tango 3D-mapping tech and Daydream VR platform, paving the way for a new level of augmented reality.
Honda's amazing self-balancing motorcycle defies gravity
Keeping a motorcycle upright at high speeds is simple -- mostly you just have to hang on. Yet when a bike is slowly cruising through a parking lot, in traffic, or at a stop, balance is handled by the rider. That can be difficult on larger, heavier cycles like cruisers. Honda's trying to make bike stability easier with its new Riding Assist technology.
Razer's projector turns your gaming room into a hippie freakout
Razer has packed its full-spectrum lighting system into everything from its headphones to keyboards to mice over the past few years. Now, that 16.8-million-color platform is expanding into third-party products as well, the company announced at CES today.
Willow's smart breast pumps slide into moms' bras
Smart breast pumps aren't novel, but a new product relieves moms from the hassle of having to hold up a device or be chained to a power outlet while pumping. Willow's smart breast pumps are two individual motorized cups that mothers can slip into their nursing bras and go about other tasks instead of sitting down and waiting till they're done. Here at CES, I got a chance to check out the new device, which was easy to use. The pump's motor felt gentle when I placed it on my chest over my clothes. For hygiene reasons, I did not try it on the way it's intended to be used -- inside a bra.
Fisher-Price takes your kid to spin class
Fisher-Price is preparing the next generation for a life of apps and exercise bikes with its latest innovation in the way children play. The Smart Cycle is a miniature exercise bike with a tablet stand mounted on the front -- kids pedal to play the attached game. We got a hands-on look at the Smart Cycle at CES 2017, but, unfortunately, we weren't able to go feet-on.
LG's new OLED TVs are so thin they have to be wall mounted
LG has made a habit of wowing us with new 4K OLED TV sets at CES for the past few years, and this year isn't any different. With its insanely thin W-series, the company has managed to outdo its still-impressive G6 "Picture on Glass" TVs. LG's tagline for the W-series 4K sets -- "Picture on Wall" -- sums up their appeal. At just 2.6mm thin across their entire frame, they can be mounted completely flat against your wall. They look more like a work of modern art than any television I've seen.
Lego Boost teaches kids how to bring blocks to life with code
If you've ever wished your childhood Lego creations could come to life, your dreams are now closer to reality. Lego has just unveiled a subbrand called Boost that promises to do just that. The base set contains a combination of sensors, motors and a unique companion app that teaches kids how to code so that they can program their new robot friends. Lego's Mindstorms could let you do this too, but that's a decidedly more advanced system aimed at young adults. Boost, on the other hand, is designed for kids ages 7 and up. The Lego Boost base starter set is priced at $160 and will be available later this year.
UVify's Draco drone is a racing quad for everyone
You might be pretty handy with your DJI Phantom, but flying a racing drone is something else. Most consumer drones are programmed to make flying a cinch, but the trade-off is a lack of agility and speed. Racing drones right now are akin to making your own gaming PC: You need to get your hands dirty, know how everything works together and labor over it to get everything optimized. UVify wants to democratize the burgeoning sport with Draco, a ready-to-go speedy drone that can hang with the pros.
Dish's AirTV combines 4K streaming with an over-the-air antenna
Finding quality 4K content is still rather difficult, but that isn't keeping hardware manufacturers from building devices to support the format. To that end, Dish is announcing a new set-top box called AirTV that has a few tricks up its sleeve. Just as last month's leak showed, it's based on Android TV and combines the Sling TV over-the-top video service with apps from Google Play. But it also works with an over-the-air antenna to pull in free live TV, as well.
Dell's convertible XPS 13 laptop starts at $1,000
We haven't been shy about our love for Dell's XPS 13 ultraportable -- since it debuted, it's been one of the best Windows laptops on the market. But if you also wanted an ultraportable that converts into tablet orientations, like Lenovo's Yoga series, you've had to look beyond the XPS lineup. That all changes today with the launch of the XPS 13 2-in-1, which was leaked yesterday by Dell's very own product site. But now we've got official details about the laptop.
