Inventions In Store
CES 2020 showcases technology for a better future.
About 4,500 exhibitors showcased their latest products and services at CES 2020 -- the largest annual consumer technology trade show, and the first tech of the new decade. Along with the new product announcements, CES 2020 introduced technological capabilities that challenge our imagination, from an electric bike that glides across water, to a laptop that feels and folds like a classic Moleskine, to a therapeutic robot that is essentially a cushion with a tail.
Some no-frills inventions are rather modest-looking, but impact our lives with long-term implications. Boston-based BrainCo used its expertise in brain-machine interfaces (BMI) to create a prosthetic hand controlled entirely by the user’s thoughts, cutting the usually complicated interventions and controls. At CES this year, BrainCo showcased the technology on an amputee, who was able to shake hands and draw with the new limb.
For two years in a row, Impossible Foods has stunned CES attendees with lab-grown products like Impossible Burger 2.0 and Impossible Pork. Besides being convincingly tasty and virtually indistinguishable from the real thing, these plant-based animal proteins have the potential to reduce the damage caused by meat production, one of the biggest polluters on the planet. “Next-generation protein isn’t about creating more—it’s about making meat better,” commented Bill Gates on how we might invent the future. With so many innovations in the works, new, better ways of doing things don’t feel so far away.
Sources: Digital Trends (January 9, 2020) | MIT Technology Review (February 27, 2019) | Image: Menta5