It’s a post-pandemic world, and the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for CES is back in full swing. CES is still a launch site for cutting-edge consumer technology – some of it may end up in our homes – and some may remain concepts only for the show floor. After this global health crisis, it’s not surprising that digital health and accessibility will play significant roles. So too technology that addresses sustainability issues arising from rising climate changes worldwide. Covid hastened our global adoption of virtual tools, and CES 2023 will focus on categories designed to take advantage of Web3, the Metaverse, and tech that continues to allow people to work from home.

Sustainability/Climate Change

We all want a climate-controlled home, and smart home tech is making that easier. But the reality of how environmental changes affect our daily life is inescapable. A smart thermostat can maintain a comfortable 69 degrees, but without access to clean running water, we lose our ability to run simple tasks we take for granted. At CES 2022, P&G teamed up with NASA to send Tide Infinity into low orbit to test how the detergent handled not just zero gravity, but low-water environments, easing water and energy stresses. At CES 2023, innovations will continue to focus on sustainability:

  • Technology will play a role in how to re-think what it means to plant a crop, or our farming footprint, as climate changes increase. And John Deere will address sustainability and farming amid a need to feed the world’s growing population. 
  • Samsung will showcase SmartThings Energy, designed to help consumers track energy spent on their air conditioning, TV, or anything plugged into an outlet — and then suggest how to reduce their consumption.
  • With the dead pool threat to the Colorado River a growing concern, every tip towards water conservation is an important one. That’s likely why a water robot from ACWA Robotics took home a CES Best of Innovation award for its ability to live inside water pipes and systems, and report back on problems that could contribute to water loss and leaks.

Metaverse/Web3

Augmented reality has already upended how we shop, allowing us to test out a couch — or even a Christmas tree — without leaving home. But the Metaverse has the potential to supercharge that experience, as P&G showcased at past CES shows through its LifeLab and BeautySphere. New highlights:

  • Microsoft, along with automaker Stellantis, will show how technologies can help customers select and order cars from their living room by entering the Metaverse and picking their next convertible from the cloud. They’ll also showcase how virtual tools let manufacturers build digital representations of the assembly line — changing the nature of work.
  • Sony is going to have a significant presence at CES 2023 as a featured exhibitor. And hot off its $1 billion investment in Epic Games in 2022, the company is also pushing hard into Web3. On the metaverse front, Sony is still not revealing what we may see at CES 2023, but it could show off its new product, Mocopi, tracking sensors worn on the body that can control movement in VR. Plus there’s the ongoing rumor — and fan expectations —  for the Sony Playstation 5 Pro, which Sony could tip details about at CES.
  • As close as VR is getting to imitating a real experience, there are notable clues to the brain that let it know something is off. One of these is the lack of scent while in the metaverse — those flowers may look pretty, but they’re hardly perfuming the air. At CES 2023, OVR Technology will show off its olfactory device, OVR, which clicks onto a VR headset, and pumps fragrances timed to what a wearer is seeing.

Accessibility

Technology is rapidly bringing equity and accessibility to the workplace and at home, improving user experiences. Autonomous features bring more independence to consumers. And smart home technology makes it simpler for people to operate everyday devices, such as unlocking their front door, or changing the TV channel, with their voice. At CES 2023, technology that extends experiences to more users will include:

  • CES 2023 Honoree, Adhirase, uses haptic feedback for those with low vision. Devices that clip to shoes deliver vibrations coupled to map and satellite programs that help the visually impaired navigate on foot.
  • Dot, which won the Best of Innovation in Accessibility at CES 2023, will showcase its tech, Dot Cell, and Dot Pad. The two turn letters and graphics into a tactile field, felt by low vision and blind consumers. Apple iOS 15.2 integrates into Dot Pod so users can touch images and words on their iPhone and iPad through the tablet.
  • Nuheara is bringing its HP Hearing Pro hearing devices to CES 2023, which wearers with hearing concerns can buy without a prescription and fit to their ears in about 15 minutes, says the company. The aids, which can reduce background noise to better follow conversations, can also pick up phone calls via Bluetooth, won a CES 2023 Innovations Award Honoree nod too.

Digital Health

At CES 2022 P&G debuted Oral B iO10, which taps AI to alert people if they’re brushing too hard, too soft, or just right. Consumers grew more comfortable with virtual doctor appointments and digital health options during the pandemic, tapping into monitors and wearables that share vital health metrics in minutes. We’re expecting a series of new health devices at CES 2023’s Digital Health Studio, among other new launches:

  • MedWand, which weighs less than 6 ounces, can run heart, lung, and abdominal scans, including an electrocardiogram, through its FDA-approved device. Those on the ground at CES 2023 will be able to try the device during interactive sessions.
  • Anyone who experienced Covid, or even more recently RSV, knows the alarm bells that ring when someone coughs. A mobile app from Waymed reads a patient’s breathing, coughing, and voice and can give feedback on potential health concerns.
  • Lack of sleep can contribute to physical and mental concerns. A new sleep mask, debuting at CES 2023, aims to measure the length of time wearers are in REM sleep, an intensively active dream period that can play a role in memory formation. The device, SomaSleep, works by tracking eye movements, and was first developed by researchers at the University of Washington.