Mobiddiction’s annual roundup of CES 2021

The first week of January only means one thing in the world of tech – Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

And even though this year’s activities were virtual, it still proved to be packed with some innovative ideas. Here is our roundup of all the best tech trends from this year’s event!

What is CES?

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has taken place in Las Vegas every year since 1998 but 2021 proved to be a little different. Instead of a big and glamorous exhibition, CES was forced to move online. This meant a smaller show than usual, with less tech nerds gathering. However, there was still room for some elaborate tech – remember last year’s AI toilet?

CES is always an exciting celebration of current innovation and futuristic concepts that are right around the corner. – Donovan Alexander

The impact from the pandemic was clearly seen at CES 2021, with many exhibitors showing off technology aimed at addressing COVID-19.

Project Hazel

Looking like something straight out of a sci-fi film, a high-tech facemask with active ventilation was showcased by gaming company, Razor.

Called Project Hazel, the mask had a clear shield, so you can see people speaking. It also came with a case that recharges the ventilators and offers UV sanitization of the mask as it’s charges.

“…But now that we are well settled into this new normal, we see the need to have a face mask that is safe, social, and sustainable” – Charlie Bolton, Director of Design, Razer Inc

Nobi Lamp

As we know, it is our senior citizens who are the most at risk group during the pandemic and this lamp aims to help them.

Described as “the smartest ceiling lamp you’ll ever see” by CNET, the Nobi lamp looks like an ordinary ceiling lamp at a glance, but it’s full of sensors and AI for active monitoring and can detect falls and other risks, as well as send alerts. It even has an air quality sensor, a built-in smoke detector and a 4G SIM card in case Wi-Fi goes down!

eVTOL Taxi

CES would not be complete without some show-stopping announcements and that’s exactly what General Motors did. Announcing its transformation into an electric car company, their first reveal was this Cadillac eVTOL air taxi.

“The EV transformation is well underway. The decade that we are in is going to be a transformative one.” – Stephen Carlisle, President of GM North America

Not sure about you, but we may wait a while before getting a ride in one of those.

Bot Butler

Of course, no tech event is complete without a robot and Samsung did not disappoint with its robot butler – Bot Handy.

The tech giants screened a demo video that excited all attendees as it showed the bot helping with tasks around the house and bringing people something to drink. The demo video also showed the robot butler taking dishes out of the sink and loading them into a dishwasher. Now this seems like tech we can get behind!

If there is one thing we have learnt over the past year, it’s that not even a global crisis can stop technological development. All in all, CES 2021 was just as innovative, exciting and bursting with cool tech trends as previous years – but we are excited to have the exhibition floor back next year. Fingers crossed!

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Let us know your favourite tech showcased from CES 2021 in the comments below!