When it comes to CES, there are a few things that will always be true: the TVs will get bigger and thinner, the robots will be weirder, and companies will find even more creative ways cram Google Assistant and Alexa into every object you own.
Mashable will once again be on the ground uncovering the best (and the weirdest) the show has to offer. But besides jaw-dropping TVs and an endless buffet of WTF smart home gadgets, we’re hoping to see a few new trends emerge this year.
Flexible screens that don’t suck
Last year at CES, we saw just one foldable phone: Royole’s FlexPai. But while the Chinese company had the distinction of being the first to show off a consumer-ready smartphone with a flexible display, it had some major issues. In the year since, we’ve seen foldable phones from Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola. And, given all the excitement these devices have created, it seems all but inevitable we’ll see even more companies experimenting with flexible display technology.
But given how many of these early devices have been plagued with bugs and delays, we’re hoping we’ll see advancements in flexible display technology that make us excited for a future with bendy devices.
Real conversations about privacy
One of the biggest fails of last year’s CES was that there were basically zero meaningful conversations about consumer privacy. In fact, at the biggest tech trade show of the year, the major privacy-related headline came from Apple’s shade-throwing billboard.
But with new privacy laws, and continued threats of impending government regulation, we expect this year will be different. Companies can no longer afford to ignore privacy issues in the hopes of distracting us with their latest shiny new feature. Even Apple, which typically ignores CES, is making an appearance at the show this year. And while we can’t be sure how other major companies will handle privacy issues, we’re hopeful the last year has given them enough incentive to treat the issue as seriously as the rest of their announcements.
Self-driving cars that don’t disappoint
Image: bob al-greene / mashable
Self-driving cars have been a mainstay at CES for a while now, but as we noted last year: the novelty of these cars is getting old and, increasingly, companies are instead trying to outdo each other with tech inside the car rather than competing on self-driving features alone.
I asked Mashable’s transportation reporter, Sasha Lekach, what would make this year’s crop of self-driving tech stand out and her answer was simple: “actual driverless cars without anyone in the driver seat.”
She also hopes more companies will focus on using AI technology for safety upgrades, such as systems that can detect drowsiness and distracted driving, rather than unnecessarily cramming “AI” into infotainment systems or climate control.
Embrace sex tech
CES has long been criticized for rampant sexism. Last year, CES organizer CTA (Consumer Technology Association) came under fire for revoking a coveted award from a female-led sex toy company and effectively banning sex tech companies from the show floor saying they violated the organizations rules against “profanity.”
Mashable’s Jess Joho, who has been following the saga for the last year, says she hope this year CTA will not just accept these companies but embrace them.
“I’d love to see the CTA embrace sex tech and wellness as not only a normal part of everyday life, but also an absolutely vital part of the more human-centric vision of technology we need in the future,” she tells me. “For a long time male sexuality was covertly embraced at CES with booth babes, VR porn, and robotic strippers. It’s time we elevated other perspectives on the future of sex, forgoing seedy voyeurism for a framework that instead treats sexual pleasure as a human right for everyone.”
Wearables move beyond the wrist
While there’s no shortage of companies with new (and sometimes strange) forms of wearable tech, it’s much more difficult to find ones that can improve our everyday lives. Mashable tech reporter Rachel Kraus says she’s hoping to see a greater variety of wearable tech that doesn’t just look like a watch.
“I want to see wearables not for your wrist that aren’t totally heinous or useless,” she says. That can be anything from smart clothing with sensors to brain-scanning technology. The bottom line: she wants “anything that can actually tell you valuable information.”
More sustainability
It’s hard not to walk around CES, which plays hosts to hundreds of thousands of attendees and more gadgets and useless swag than you could ever keep track of, and not think about the sheer amount of waste produced by these companies. And while CES’ organizers say they are trying to reduce waste, we’d love to see more of a focus on sustainability throughout the show.
Whether it’s upstarts like alternative meat company Impossible Foods (which is making another CES appearance this year) or old-fashioned consumer tech companies taking more responsibility for the products they create, we’re hoping to see more innovation that makes us actually feel good about the future.
