by SC Associate Publisher Chuck Larsen
The Consumer Electronics Show, a worldwide exhibition for new consumer technology usually held each year in Las Vegas, went virtual this year due to the ongoing health pandemic. While I was not able to roam aisles filled with a vast array of gadgets capturing my attention, I tuned in to the virtual show and bring you my second installment showcasing a few of the fun new items.
Last week, I introduced devices promising to make our air cleaner, plus a self-infecting door handle. They were born out of the pandemic and you will see a few more below as designers really focused on virus-related devices. But pets are always a popular subject for new technology advances and this year was no exception.
Pet Cube
I introduce a pet camera that keeps track of your pet when you are away. It has night vision, 1080 full HD, and two-way audio. The device will alert you to any sound or motion and has a “vet chat” feature built in. First vet chat is free and can be used again for a fee. This device is available from PetCube.com for $34.99. They also offer remote food dispensers and play cubes for cats.
AI Powered Dog Collar
This device has been given attention for its ability to interpret your dog’s mood. Petpuls laboratories has designed a collar that detects, tracks and analyzes the five emotional states of your dog. It will interpret happy, anxious, angry, sad or relaxed sounds. They sampled 10,000 barks from more than 50 breeds of dogs to develop the system. The collar transmits via wi-fi to an app on your smartphone. It’s promoted as giving your dog a voice with their proprietary algorithm. It comes in large and small sizes and five colors. It is $99 from Myshopify.com.
Robot Pet
Vanguard Industries has created Moflin, an AI pet robot with emotions. It has warm fur, cute sounds and adorable movement. Moflin learns through interactions to determine patterns and evaluate surroundings. Its emotional capabilities are said to be like living animals. Funded through Kickstarter, it is planned to be available this summer for around $400.
Microphone Mask
From the Binatone company comes a face mask with built-in microphone and N95 filter. It has a wireless Bluetooth headset and is promoted as the first of its kind on the market. A demonstration concluded that while the sound quality was similar to holding your smartphone to your ear, it does allow you to talk and listen hands free and stay COVID-19 safe. It comes with extra washable masks and filters and charging cable. Price is $49.95 at maskfone.com and from Amazon next month.
Wellness Toilet
The Toto company unveiled its development of a wellness toilet that will check your health status and send recommendations to improve it every time you take a bathroom break. The toilet will scan your skin and analyze your waste. The company says it will gather a wealth of health data from this method. They then send recommendations to your smartphone including dietary items to improve your condition. The company is in development of this and says it will be several years before it comes to market.
Portable Bluetooth Wireless Speaker
From Limitless Innovations comes Tiki Tunes, a wireless five-watt speaker with a LED flickering flame. For use indoors or outdoors, it lasts six hours on a charge. The flame is realistic, looking like a real tiki torch without the actual fire. Bluetooth transmits a distance of 30 feet and sound is good at close range for a seven-inch device. The base has a threaded camera socket for using with posts, tripods, etc. Two Tiki Tunes speakers can be connected for stereo sound. It lists for $39.99 from limitlessinnovations.com.
Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones
The AfterSchokz is a Bluetooth headset that offers open ear comfort. It transmits sound vibrations through your cheekbones to deliver sound directly to your inner ear. This allows for both audio and ambient sounds. It’s a good solution for those wearing hearing aids when traditional ear buds are not an option. Setup is very easy and the device is comfortable to wear. It comes in four colors – grey, blue, green and red. It has a titanium frame and a six-hour battery life. AfterSchokz is available from afterschokz.com for $159.
I will continue bringing you more interesting consumer electronic discoveries next week.
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