Osé, the sex toy that received a CES Innovation Award, lost it, and then won it back again, is finally ready to pre-order. The device sparked a debate about gender bias in the tech industry and what can, and cannot, be exhibited at the world's...
DJI is a maker of all sorts of slick drones that are meant for the series amateur or pro photographer wanting images from the sky. At CES 2019 DJI has announced a new Smart Remote controller with an integrated display. It allows users to pilot the drone without needing a smartphone or tablet.
It has a 5.5-inch screen and works with the Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro drones. The display is designed for use in sunlight, and has a 1000 cd/m2 brightness rating. The screen allows pilots to view a crisp image of the drone’s camera feed. It can also livestream the drone footage to Facebook, Instagram, and WeChat. It runs a custom version of Android that provides support for third-party editing programs.
The controller has a battery good for 2.5 hours of runtime per charge and can transfer power from the controller to your mobile device to keep you texting and talking on the go. The DJI Smart Controller is available now and sells for $649. Combo packs with the Smart Controller and Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Zoom are also available.
While we are waiting for robots that can cook us dinner and clean the toilets, we have to get by with robots that perform more mundane tasks. A robot is on the floor at CES 2019 from called the Temi. The minimal, armless robot has Amazon Alexa onboard allowing it to respond to voice commands. It can also follow you around, so it’s always by your side.
Temi was initially envisioned as a telepresence robot to help the elderly. The big screen now gives users an Echo Show-like experience. That voice-activated screen and Alexa combine to give control from the robot of smart home devices and more. Temi is the first Alexa-packing robot able to navigate around a space autonomously, thanks to path planning and obstacle avoidance on board.
The robot isn’t exactly cheap at $1,499, but you can buy one starting in March. The real question is what will you use the it for? You can ask it questions and tell it to do things, but without arms or grippers of any sort, you’ll need to get up and help the robot with any physical labor beyond pushing around a soccer ball.
Innovation and CES used to go hand in hand, but in recent years, most of the tech on display is evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. Kudos to Hyundai and its CRADLE division for showing up at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show with a truly innovative and unusual concept that’s well outside of the boundaries of conventional thinking. Sure, the Elevate appears only in renderings at this point, but the IDEA of a vehicle that can walk is truly off the beaten path.
So why would you want a car that could walk? Well if you’re in the business of rescuing people in rugged terrain, or in the rubble of a collapsed structure, even the most rugged of Jeeps can have problems negotiating extremely jagged and uneven surfaces. In the case of Hyundai’s concept vehicle, its legs allow it to maneuver over just about any surface you can throw at it.
At the end of each of its legs is a wheel, so it’s able to use its variable height legs to position itself and then the wheels to propel it in any direction. The video clip below offers a brief glimpse at how the mechanism would work:
In addition to dealing with rugged off-road terrain, Hyundai showed off an urban scenario for the Elevate as well – using its height-adjustable legs to pick up and deliver people at the top of a staircase – which could improve mobility and access to locations without ramps for people with disabilities.
Technically, the Elevate is designed to run on a purely-electric drivetrain, and its legs are able to not only extend in height, but in width – up to a whopping 15-foot track width. This can improve vehicle stability, and gives it the potential to just ride over a tall obstacle under the center of the vehicle.
While Hyundai isn’t planning on producing the Elevate at this point, I’m hopeful that some of its concepts do find their way into search and rescue vehicles in the not-too-distant future.
Ubtech is once again trotting out its Walker bipedal robot. Pun intended. But this time out, the previously limbless robot has a pair of arms so that it can grab and pass objects to you, like a proper robot servant. The robot stands at 4.75 feet tall, so you can hug it if you want too.
This updated Walker also has improved self-balancing which is a good thing because it got a weight bump from 82 pounds up to 170 pounds. You don’t want this guy falling on you and breaking your frail human body. It uses 36 actuators to handle complex terrain and external impacts and has sensors to help stabilize itself as it walks smoothly. Walker uses Ubtech’s Simultaneous Localization and Mapping technology to plan paths as it avoids obstacles. The robot also has facial recognition tech on board. It sounds like this is a big step up from the previous version.
There’s info yet on how much this robot will cost or a date when we can expect it, but we also hear that the company’s Cruzr service robot also got an upgrade, with better performance, connectivity, and maneuverability. The new and updated Cruzr will be available worldwide for the first time this year. You can check out both robots at CES if you are attending.
Is the act of shopping getting a bit too lonely for you? Do you have no friends that you can take with you to the mall as you spend money? Never fear, a new friend is here. ShopPal is a robot that is designed to be your new shopping companion.
This boxy, 29″ tall robot automatically follows users around, and has colorful LED eyes, gold ears and arms to make it cute and accessible. Just push a button and you can engage ShopPal’s auto-follow mode, but when that isn’t handy you can use the robot’s handle to carry it. It’s ears flip open to reveal a large compartment inside to store items you’ve purchased. Simply scan the QR code on top of the robot and begin using features like voice control, compartment locking and unlocking and, and mobile charging as well. The robot is designed for use within the boundaries of a specific shop or mall, and has geofencing capabilities to keep it from working outside of its boundaries.
Shoppal’s makers want to make their robot available for users to rent at select shopping malls, with a proposed price of 30 cents for every 15 minutes of use, while select “VIP” shoppers will get free use of the little locker on wheels.
If you attend this year’s Consumer Electronics Show you can see ShopPal for yourself. I can’t imagine it being very useful in the real world, but it’s a fun idea.
Osé, the sex toy that received a CES Innovation Award, lost it, and then won it back again, is finally ready to pre-order. The device sparked a debate about gender bias in the tech industry and what can, and cannot, be exhibited at the world's...
