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The world’s largest consumer tech trade show is rumbling into life in Las Vegas, as CES held its annual preview event Unveiled on Tuesday evening.
The product demo event is designed to be a taster of what to expect when the four-day show opens on Thursday, with lots of companies at the show using it as a chance to make an early impression.
Naturally we queued up and had a look around and this is what we saw.
Another way to mix up VR, make it feel as though you have wings #CESUnveiled pic.twitter.com/3Ldhh5F5Ba
— Martyn Landi (@MartynLandi) January 4, 2017
Virtual reality is no longer a pipe dream or a concept – 2016 saw the technology become very real and very accessible. So now developers and manufacturers are looking for ways to diversify and upgrade the experience going forward.
CES 2017 has a few ideas for that. One, as you can see above, involved a small wind machine and a set of ‘wings’ to create the sensation you’re flying. It’s called the Hypersuit.
How do you update virtual reality? Create tactile VR shoes so you can 'feel' surfaces… #CESUnveiled pic.twitter.com/HrOzjIiyT8
— Martyn Landi (@MartynLandi) January 4, 2017
Another, from Japanese firm Cerevo, creates virtual reality for your feet. The special shoes and VR headset with haptic feedback mean you can feel the virtual world you’re walking through.
It wouldn’t be Las Vegas without the huge hotels, labyrinth casinos and, of course, the incredible carpets.
LG have done a levitating speaker, now here's another one by crazybaby. The future of sound perhaps? #CESUnveiled pic.twitter.com/iT6VIed4fX
— Martyn Landi (@MartynLandi) January 4, 2017
LG has already revealed a levitating speaker, but US firm and Indiegogo campaign success crazybaby is taking on the sci-fi sound mantle too with its aptly named Mars Hi-Fi system which includes a speaker that looks just like a flying saucer.
It was already thought that sleep tech and the health and wellbeing benefits around getting more rest would be a likely common theme running through CES 2017.
A few minutes inside the Unveiled convention centre confirmed this, with most in attendance unable to move more than five stands without seeing something from beneath the sleep tech umbrella.
Smart mattresses, alarms, even sensors that emit different scents to help you relax and rest were all on display, further emphasising that some of the most important tech advances this year could happen while we’re all asleep.
Artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics are all tipped to be big subject matters this year and naturally, then, at CES.
So the presence of the odd android or too at Unveiled is hardly surprising.
What was more unexpected, though, was this: Equisense, the world’s first wearable for horses – designed for equestrian sports.
It tracks a horse’s performance during exercise, monitoring progress and offering feedback, geared towards a healthier horse as a result.
Normally dominated by neon lights, Las Vegas now has the CES logo everywhere, including as an ice sculpture used to pour drinks.
The fact that such a set-up drew a respectable crowd in a room full of drones and robots is impressive.
