CES 2021: 8 things you’ll wish you could buy now
January 15, 2021
By Kim Komando
CES 2021 just wrapped up in Las Vegas, and it was a good one. Not only was this consumer tech show virtual for the first time in history, but it was also the largest digital tech industry event.
This year’s CES event featured nearly 2,000 exhibitors, from tech giants to scrappy startups. Most of these exhibitors made big announcements about all of the cool new tech gadgets that will be hitting the market this year. These 5 show-stopping smart devices were just a few to debut during CES 2021.
Out of all the new gadgets unveiled at CES 2021, there were a handful of standouts worth noting. These new gadgets include a smart lamp, an augmented reality HUD for your car and even a touchless, voice-controlled smart faucet. Here’s what you should know about these new tech toys.
1. Kew Lab UTS-1
One of the more interesting product announcements from CES 2021 was the Kew Lab UTS-1, the world’s first Qi charger with long-distance communication. This mobile charger isn’t just any charger — which is why it won a CES 2021 Innovation Award.
Unlike regular chargers, it doesn’t use a cord to power your device. It can send power through surfaces — which means you can install it underneath furniture for a clutter-free charging station.
The Kew Lab UTS-1 can be installed under home office desks, nightstands or non-metallic surfaces up to one-inch thick. All you have to do is set your device on the surface where it’s installed to juice up your device’s battery. Pretty awesome.
2. Arcade1 Infinity Game Table
Boardgame fanatics, take note. The recently unveiled Arcade1 Infinity Game Table is going to take family game night to the next level. This game table gives you digital versions of classic and iconic board games, including Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land and Yahtzee.
It also comes with a ton of other entertainment options, including puzzles, card games, coloring books, comic books, and will have other licensed and indie games that are set to be announced soon. You can use this table to play games without lost pieces or messy tables. The touchscreen makes it simple to play and navigate.
It comes in two different sizes and is Wi-Fi connected so that you can play online games, too. The Arcade1 Infinity Game Table doesn’t have a release date yet, but if you want to sign up to get updates on the action, tap or click here.
3. Nobi smart lamp
Another new product worth noting is the Nobi smart lamp. This lamp not only detects motion and adjusts the lighting as necessary, but it also detects falls.
Here’s how it works. After installing the smart lamp, the top light will illuminate when it senses that you’re sitting up. It will illuminate the ground when you stand up to walk, making it easy to navigate the room. It will also detect any irregular motions and falls. If it detects what appears to be a slip or fall, the built-in speaker will ask you if you fell.
A simple answer of “no” will stop any further action from being taken. If the answer is yes (or anything other than no), it will automatically contact a caregiver or relative. It can even take a photo to send to the caregiver if you set it up to do so.
This lamp could be a helpful tool for elderly or disabled people who want to live independently. It’s not on the market yet but is expected to hit shelves before the close of 2021.
Related: The best mobile tech we’ve seen so far from CES 2021
4. Sony Airpeak drone
The Sony Airpeak drone was another interesting product announced during the show. This drone is geared toward creative professionals who need to take top-notch photos or videos from the air.
This drone is built with an Alpha mirrorless camera to capture high quality, full-frame aerial photography and video. It’s the smallest class of drone that can use the Alpha system, which means it’s compact and stable when in the air. You can use it to create tons of different content: film, commercial content, images or anything else you can dream up.
There isn’t a roll-out date for this drone as of yet, but you can get updates on the Sony Airpeak site.
5. Panasonic Augmented Reality HUD
The new Panasonic Augmented Reality HUD was also unveiled at CES 2021. This augmented reality display projects useful information onto your car’s windshield while you’re driving to help you safely navigate the roads.
What’s interesting about this display is that it can precisely link up symbols and text with the real-world roadways and other objects in front of your car. If a cyclist is in the bike lane ahead of you, the display will show a yellow cyclist symbol on the windshield to warn you of their whereabouts. The same goes for other road hazards, like pedestrians or other cars.
This system is a great way to help you stay aware and ensure that you’re driving defensively at all times. Want to check it out? Panasonic isn’t rolling it out to the general public, but it is working with several automakers to add the optional system to new vehicles.
Related: During CES 2020, we saw tons of awesome and strange new products
6. U by Moen Smart Faucet
The new U by Moen Smart Faucet is another CES 2021 Innovation Award winner, and it was announced at a great time. This smart faucet offers completely touchless functionality, which is ideal for use during a pandemic.
Some of this faucet’s more interesting features include intuitive voice-control that connects to your smart speaker or smart home ecosystem. You can use the voice capabilities to make kitchen tasks easier and start, stop or pause water flow. You can also use the touchless sensor control, handle control or Moen app to operate it.
This line of smart faucets has already started to hit shelves. You can check them out by tapping or clicking here.
7. Airthings Wave Plus
Another CES 2021 Innovation Award Winner was the Airthings Wave Plus. This smart indoor air quality monitor can assess the levels of CO2, humidity, temperature, and airborne pollutants in your home or office and can calculate the risk level of virus transmission in a building.
The Virus Risk Indicator feature is handy right now, considering the risk of contracting COVID-19 is still high. This feature evaluates four factors that correlate with airborne virus spread: virus survival rate, body’s natural defense, room occupancy and the ventilation rate to give you information on the risk of spreading viruses in an enclosed space.
The Airthings Wave Plus is available for purchase right now. You can get more details by visiting the Airthings website.
8. eufy RoboVac L80
The eufy brand is known for its affordable line of robovacs, and it announced a new addition at CES 2021. The eufy RoboVac L80 is a laser navigation robotic vacuum cleaner with strong suction power and a ton of features.
The laser path navigation allows this robovac to map the room in real-time so it can navigate your home easily. It has superior suction, so it not only navigates well but also does a solid job cleaning your floors. It also offers spot cleaning, zone cleaning, auto mode and single-room navigation so you can tailor the cleaning mode to your preference.
The eufy RoboVac L80 is slated to be released in June, but the price details aren’t available yet.
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