CES17 took place in Las Vegas last week. As always, it was well attended by a multitude of tech companies, showing off their latest designs.


I’ve picked out 5 of the top IoT products that were showcased during the 4 day event.

5. Fridge Cam

This camera is mounted in your fridge (unsurprisingly!) and detects what’s in there, when it expires and gives relevant meal suggestions. The idea behind this is that it will help to cut down on food waste, preventing people from forgetting what they have tucked away in the back of their fridge and providing ideas on how to use those random ingredients that we all seem to find in our fridges! Food waste is a huge problem, especially in Western countries and this would be very useful for those who struggle to stay on top on sell by dates. However it does run the risk of contributing to the food waste problem, ie telling you to bin something because it says so on the expiry label, even if the food has a few more days life in it.

Read more about it here



4. Moen’s U shower system



This phone controlled device allows you to pre heat or cool your shower, avoiding you having to wait for it whilst freezing or burning yourself as you test to see if it’s the right temperature. A nifty idea, it could prove very useful on cold mornings, but installation is quite pricey at the moment, so unlikely to take off.

Read more here

3. Samsung FlexWash
Samsung showed off its mega laundry system, the FlexWash, which washes, dries and keeps clothes folded. What’s more, is that it can wash two loads at once and then dry and fold them, making it easier to get all the laundry quickly.
It can be controlled from an app on your phone, though until they develop a way of actually getting your clothes into the machine and out again to make way for the next load, the remote features may be limited!


More details can be found here


 
2. Mayfield Robotics’ Kuri Home robot

Easily the most visually attractive device shown at CES is this home robot. It was designed by a Pixar animator (probably why it bears resemblance to one of the robots in a certain Pixar movie).

This cute robot will have various uses: monitors your home and entertaining by playing music and reading bedtime stories to the kids. It has the capabilities for facial recognition and learns its environment over time. It uses sounds, lights and its eyes to communicate responses, with its creators aiming to move people away from screens.

 

The home monitoring (which can be done through an app on your phone), is especially useful, acting as a security system whilst you’re away. The cute design definitely makes this a more attractive prospect to have in your home. Children are bound to love it – though its uses feel a little limited at the moment so feels like it could be a bit of a novelty item than the well-loved family member it’s makers want it to be.

 

More info here




1. Neofect’s Rapael Smart Gloves




Used for patients in need of rehabilitation, the gloves have sensors connected to an app which uses games to focus patients on exercising specific muscles.  An algorithm adapts the games to the user and their progress, allowing the complexity of movement to be increased or decreased as required. There will be a home and a clinician version, allowing medics to tailor rehab to each individual patient. This could be a game changer for patient rehabilitation, making it a more enjoyable experience.

Find out more about it