CES 2021 was unlike any trade show we’ve ever experienced. Due to Covid-19, it was “all digital,” which really meant “mostly websites.”
To find the hot stuff this year, we didn’t wander the millions of square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding facilities, but instead watched streamed presentations, combed through hundreds of exhibitors’ “digital activations” and, of course, heard plenty of pitches from entrepreneurs and marketing folks eager to keep us in the loop—global pandemic or not.
That means we weren’t able to touch and feel the innovations like in years past—although we did get some stuff sent to our homes. Still, it hasn’t stopped us from bringing you the craziest, coolest and kookiest gadgets we could find.
Samsung Bot Handy and JetBot 90 AI+
Never again will you be scolded for putting the forks in the dishwasher the wrong way. Instead, point the finger at Samsung’s Bot Handy. The rolling robot looks straight out of the Jetsons’ house, cruising around to pick up and put away objects. Advanced AI allows it to distinguish materials and decide how much force to use to grasp objects, says Samsung. Bot Handy is very much in the development stage. What is due this year: the JetBot 90 AI+, Samsung’s newest autonomous vacuum, which has a camera to avoid obstacles and keep an eye on your house when you’re out. Pricing TBD; samsung.com
LG Rollable Phone
LG is known to have some pretty crazy phones (case in point: the swivel-screen Wing), but its rollable phone looks to be the craziest yet. Teased at the end of LG’s CES press conference in a short video, the phone looks like a normal rectangle until a screen raises up like a garage door from the side to become a small tablet. The company didn’t reveal any other details but says it will be coming this year. TCL , another phone maker, also teased a rollable phone with a screen that extends from 6.7 inches to 7.8 with just a tap on the screen. lg.com
