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The best of CEATEC 2016: virtual tea, printed makeup, too many robots
Panasonic showed off a TV that hides in plain sight, there were gesture controlled origami birds, and a TARDIS-shaped machine that could 3D scan your entire body in four seconds flat. That's the kind of show CEATEC is. There were even more robots, and while some of them might have a future, many may never be seen again. And that's okay. Here's everything we saw, and you can find all the best bits in the video above.
Honda's 3D-printed customizable EV has motorcycle bones
Honda isn't the first company to reveal vehicles with 3D-printed panels, details and more. However, it's certainly one of the biggest, so its efforts warrant a closer look. Fresh off the heels of the Paris Auto Show, Honda showed off its Variable Design platform for micro EVs: petite cars where space -- and weight -- is at a premium. The automaker wants to offer a vehicle with a customizable layout where drivers can choose what they need. That could be lowered entry points at the doors for senior drivers, a hatchback trunk for delivery vehicles or space for a family of three. (Somehow!) Let's take a closer look:
How about a nice hot cup of virtual tea?
Electronics company ALPS tests (and manufactures) all kinds of things. But its virtual cup, made possibly by haptic technology and heat transmission, is the electronics manufacturer at its weird best. The cup, which is the size of a typical tumbler, is able to transmits a material's tensile strength and even the temperature of your beverage of choosing. That is, as long as it's cold water in a plastic cup or hot tea in a mug. As you tilt it, you feel the weight of the cup shift, and hear the water slosh around. As Engadget's Deputy Tea Editor, I can confirm that the effect is... freaky.
Full-body 3D scanning is about to get faster and cheaper
3D scanners come in all shapes and sizes these days, and obviously the bigger you go, the more you have to pay. In the case of full-body scanning, many existing solutions require you to stand still for 12 to 14 seconds which isn't ideal for both the customer and the vendor, plus they tend to take up a large amount of space. Luckily, that won't be the case with a new machine from Japanese startup VRC. Unveiled at CEATEC, the Shun'X -- "shun" meaning "instantaneous" and "x" implying limitless possibilities -- can scan a person in merely four seconds, and its footprint takes up just six square meters of space as opposed to the typical nine to eleven square meters.
Panasonic's smart mirror finds your flaws, prints makeup to fix them
Panasonic has discovered a profitable new business in the last few years: beauty tech products. Facial moisturizing tech, hair dryers and very relaxing eye masks that I may have tested out (multiple times) at my local Japanese tech store. This time, the tech giant pitched its latest beauty concept as an "interactive mirror." Same old story, right? Not quite. It says it could be a makeup-applying "revolution" that scans your face, decides what needs a little cosmetic help and prints a combination pad of foundation and concealer to fix it up, with little to no makeup wasted. It sounds like a nonsensically vague future concept, but Panasonic thinks otherwise, and has the demo to prove it.
Panasonic's new prototype TV can hide in plain sight
Panasonic has shown off a transparent TV before, but the company has since improved the image quality to the extent that the idea of a television built into your furniture's glass panes is not only possible -- it's right here. The OLED screen is made from a fine mesh, embedded into the glass sliding door. While the TV image is visible even with the backlighting on, once it's dimmed the image is clear and bright enough to be almost indistinguishable from existing televisions. (The last model was a bit too dim, and required under-shelf lighting to boost the image.) Turn the TV panel off, however, and it's hard to tell it was ever there to begin with. Want one? Panasonic's spokesperson says the television is likely to stay in development for a while longer: at least three more years.
