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CES 2020: No to Junk Food; Machines Make Cocktails; Robot Friend

Here are some more highlights from the technology conference

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In a bustling Las Vegas conference hall, a handpicked crop of tech innovators showed off their wares to reporters ahead of 2020’s CES tech conference. The exhibitors at the media-only preview event, CES Unveiled, include many of this year’s CES Innovation Award winners — with products ranging from smart sinks and door locks to entirely new ways to charge electronics and ship packages. More than ever, this year’s innovations rely on artificial intelligence to assist and delight users — and many will benefit from 5G wireless networks as they slowly begin to roll out.

A wristband that will help you say “no" to junk food. A machine that will mix drinks for you.

These were among the gadgets showcased this week at the CES technology conference in Las Vegas.

The four-day show, which opened Tuesday, is a place for companies to unveil their products and services for the coming year, though Apple, Google and other tech giants often hold their own announcement events. Streaming services and surveillance technologies are among the hot topics this year.

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The Huawei Mate X foldable smartphone is shown at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 8, 2020.
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A model demonstrates Sublue’s White Mix Pro, a smart electric underwater scooter, during CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 8, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Attendees visit a full-scale mockup of the Bell Nexus 4EX air taxi concept at CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 8, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bell’s new fully electric air taxi concept is designed to carry four or five passengers for a distance of up to 60 miles at a speed of approximately 150 mph.
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An attendee tests out the Razer E-racing Simulator, Jan. 7, 2020, at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada. The simulator features a motorized racing seat and 128-inch curved projection screen for a professional racing training environment that maps terrain surfaces, G-force and sounds into motion according to the company. Razer hopes the simulator will help bring racing to professional esports.
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Insta360 rep Hannah Wilson models the company’s Go camera, Jan. 7, 2020 at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Insta360 Go is a tiny stabilized camera that weight less than one ounce, which can be worn as a pendant or clip onto eyeglasses.
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The Galaxy Fold 5G seen at the Samsung booth during CES 2020, Jan. 8, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The Segway S-Pod seen on opening day of CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
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Royole FlexPai foldable smartphones are displayed at CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Crave displays vibrators that double as jewelry at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020. Sex tech is making an appearance for the first time at CES in the health and wellness section of the giant electronics and gadget fair.
The Smacircle S1 micro-mobility e-bike seen folded on opening day of CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
Whistle Labs Inc. Fit, a wearable health and fitness tracker for pets, displayed at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
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Yukai Engineering Inc. BOCCO Emo, a communication robot, seen at CES on Jan. 7, 2020.
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A Lamborghini Huracan Evo, featuring Amazon Alexa, on display at the Amazon Booth during CES 2020 at The Venetian Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The Mercedes-Benz AG Vision AVTR concept car displayed on Jan. 6, 2020. Daimler AG CEO Ola Kallenius unveiled a flashy concept vehicle inspired by the movie “Avatar,” as the German carmaker looks forward despite pressure to cut costs.
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Toyota’s LQ Level 4 concept car is displayed at the Toyota booth during CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Amazon Scout, a robot belonging to a system that autonomously delivers packages to customers, seen at Amazon After Hours during CES 2020 at The Venetian Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Digit, an upright robot by Agility Robotics, demonstrates package delivery at the Ford booth during CES 2020 on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Kim Hyun-suk, president and co-chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics Co., presents the Ballie robot at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. The Ballie is a “personal care” robot that follows its user.
Curved OLED screens seen above the LG Electronics booth during CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The Gatebox, a voice-powered home assistant with virtual character, seen during CES Unveiled, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas. The device works like a home assistant or smart speaker, but with a virtual interactive character.
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A model of the Hyundai Motor Co. and Uber Technologies Inc. aerial taxi sits on display at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 6, 2020.
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A woman demonstrates the GEMS (Gait Enhancing and Motivating System) on stage at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 6, 2020.
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The Sarcos Robotics Guardian XO exoskeleton appears in a demostration for the Delta Air Lines keynote at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
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The Procter and Gamble Co. Charmin Rollbot seen at CES 2020’s press event at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. P&G's self-balancing robot was built to bring a roll directly to the toilet for anyone who finds themselves with an empty tube and no replacement in sight.
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The Kohler Numi 2.0 smart toilet, part of Kohler's smart bathroom collection, seen at a press event for CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The "intelligent" toilet has Amazon Alexa built-in and features seat-warming and warm-water cleansing, among other functions.
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Lumi by Pampers, a connect care system, is displayed during a press event for CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The device monitors a baby’s output through a connected app.
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A Bartesian Inc. capsule cocktail machine pours out a cocktail during a press event for CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bartesian does not come with the base spirits for a cocktail, but does pack everything else into capsules for your preferred mixed drink.
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A person wears a Safe-Tec Smart Helmet during CES Unveiled at the CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The smart helmet is a Bluetooth-enabled bone conduction speaker and microphone that also features LED strips and brake light for safety.

Here are some highlights from the show:

NUTRITIONAL DNA

A London startup believes it can help you make healthier diet choices at the grocery store — using your own DNA.

DnaNudge collects your DNA through a cheek swab and sends data related to nutrition to a wristband.

Have a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure? Maybe the wristband will tell you to stay away from salty snacks. You scan the barcode on a product, and the wristband turns red or green to indicate whether it may be good for you.

A few services have popped up to map DNA in the hopes of helping people make better diet choices, though some scientists say genetic makeup is just one of many factors in living a healthy lifestyle.

DnaNudge

Currently, DnaNudge does cheek swabs only in person in London, but it's working on a mail-order service. The company says it destroys all DNA records after giving you the wristband.

BOOZY BOTS

No need to shake or stir. These machines will mix cocktails for you.

They’re like Keurig coffee machines, but for booze. Drop in a pod filled with ingredients, slide in a glass, and less than a minute later, you’ll have a martini or a Moscow mule.

In fact, one of the gizmos is made by Keurig. Drinkworks by Keurig sells for $299 and can make cosmopolitans and fizzy drinks, such as vodka sodas. Each pod makes one cocktail and costs about $4.

Another robotic bartender, the $350 Bartesian, sells pods for $2.50 each, but they don't have alcohol. Instead, you fill canisters with your own whiskey, vodka, gin and tequila. The pods mix in juices, herbs and other flavorings. A touch screen on the Bartesian lets you choose how stiff you want your drink. There’s even an option for alcohol-free “mocktails."

Drinkworks

Both machines sit on a counter or table at home. The companies hope to target those who like to host parties but don’t want to stock a bar, don’t know how to make drinks or would rather push a button then spend time putting together a mojito.

“We do all that for you,” Drinkworks CEO Nathaniel Davis said. “And then allow you to spend time with your guests.”

HERE TODAY, HACK TOMORROW

Some people go to CES to glimpse the future of consumer technology. Others are looking for the future of what’s going to get hacked.

Cybersecurity firm McAfee says it uncovered security flaws in two gadgets on display.

One is an internet-connected device for opening garage doors. McAfee’s threat research team says the MyQ Hub made by Illinois-based Chamberlain Group could be hacked by jamming the radio frequency signals while the garage is being remotely closed. That could lead it to open instead. Chamberlain says it's fixing its app to prevent this, but chances of a real-world hack occurring are “extremely low” and based on an unlikely chain of events.

McAfee says it also discovered a flaw in British startup McClear’s “smart ring,” which uses near-field communication wireless technology for unlocking doors. McAfee researchers demonstrated how hackers could easily clone the ring and gain access to a user’s home. McClear didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Tuesday.

PRIVACY BY VOICE

Google is adding a privacy “undo" feature to its Assistant voice technology.

Just tell Assistant to disregard something if you happen to notice the device was listening when it wasn’t supposed to. By saying “Hey Google, that wasn’t for you,” Assistant will delete whatever you just said. Although Assistant is supposed to send voice commands out for processing only when it hears “Hey" or “OK, Google," it can mishear other conversations as the trigger word.

Another new feature will let you use your voice to ask Google about your own privacy settings.

The new features supplement privacy controls Google rolled out last year to let people delete their voice recording histories with voice commands. That came after pushback that Google and other companies were using human transcribers rather than just machines to listen to some audio recordings.

Assistant will also debut new tools such as household notes, which lets people leave virtual notes with voice commands for other members in their families. The notes will show up on Google's smart Nest Hub displays as reminders.

A ROBOTIC FRIEND

Samsung’s idea for your new robot friend is a simple ball that rolls along beside you. Its name: Ballie.

The technology within Ballie is anything but simple. The artificial intelligence companion has a camera that can record and send video. Ballie can communicate with other smart devices around the house.

In its keynote at CES, Samsung showed the bright yellow ball — about the size of a baseball — rolling behind H.S. Kim, CEO of the company’s consumer electronics division. It kept its distance from Kim when asked to, and a video showed Ballie as a companion to pets at home alone.

Hyun-Suk Kim, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Division at Samsung, demonstrates Ballie, an AI rolling robot during a Samsung keynote before the CES tech show, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

“It’s a vision of technology as an all-around personal life companion,” Kim said.

Ballie's unveiling was part of Samsung's efforts to show how AI can offer conveniences, peace of mind — and in this case, companionship.

Samsung didn’t say when Ballie would go on sale or how much it would cost. Samsung's chief research scientist, Sebastian Seung, said Ballie would come with strict privacy standards, but didn’t offer details.


AP Technology Writer Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

Copyright The Associated Press
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