Every year, CES brings together the biggest names in new technology in Las Vegas. This fair covers all areas of the high-tech world and is the absolute benchmark for announcements and innovations. But this year the health crisis requires it, the event is completely online. However, it has taken more to discourage companies presenting themselves on the internet and their (sometimes) revolutionary products. As every year, the fair’s jury decided to reward around twenty products which, in their opinion, are the unavoidable innovations of this edition.
Well-known names like Samsung among them. The South Korean giant has won four awards (for its 110-inch micro-LED screen Smart TV, [comp_link id=5205] as well as [comp_link id=5330]). LG was also twice awarded this year’s “Best of Innovation” list. The brand received the first of these two awards for its 4K OLED TV and the second for its intelligent refrigerator with speech recognition.
Another big tech name, Sony, was also eligible for its price. While all of the attention has been focused on the PS5, the new game console hasn’t taken the lead. No, it’s a small screen, the Spatial Reality Display, a prototype straight from the brand’s factories.. This is the very first “spatial reality” screen. With this product, Sony would like to offer an unprecedented range of 3D visualization solutions that offer unprecedented user comfort. The Volkswagen Group recently acquired many models (for USD 4,999 each) of these Sony screens, which were recognized at the last InfoComm show this summer.
The French who were honored
If the fair gives high priority to innovations from around the world, it is not uncommon to find products from France in the list of the best innovations of the year. And while it’s special, this year is no exception to the rule. The autonomous telescopes from the French start-up Vaonis, known to star lovers, have gradually multiplied among amateur astronomers.
After the success of its debut with the Stellina model, the Hérault brand has just launched a second range of aircraft, the Vespera. These new telescopes, lighter and more compact, are not a revolution in themselves. The great innovation, however, lies precisely in its simplicity. Vaonis has succeeded in making the room and its observation easily accessible with a small telescope that is controlled from an application on his phone. Nothing complex, but the result is breathtaking. The French start-up, which primarily wanted to make the space more accessible, seems to have won its bet.
© Vaonis
Other award-winning companies
2020 is a year that has been particularly hard hit by the health crisis. Public health issues are at the forefront of the news, and these new concerns are with the winners of CES 2021. In fact, four of the 20 Best of Innovation are dedicated to health. Among these innovations, all, like the Vespera telescope, have not yet been commercialized, but some like Epsy already exist and are accessible today.
Epsy is indeed a free application for iOS and Android that can be used to monitor the health of people with epilepsy on a daily basis. This often overlooked brain disease affects nearly 60 million people around the world. If there are very different forms, the application will group a large part of them.
It enables precise monitoring of the precursor signs of seizures, the short- and medium-term effects of a treatment or the various important variables during a seizure (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, etc.). These can, A posterioriprovide invaluable help to physicians who very rarely have this important information in their possession. Epsy app can be downloaded on iOS or on Android.
The innovations of tomorrow
When CES showcases products that have been manufactured or will be released in the near future. The show is also an opportunity for certain brands to showcase their most ambitious projects for years to come. This is particularly the case with IBM, which was awarded the “Best of Innovation” for its autonomous boat, the Mayflower. The latter, which is now a prototype, was supposed to cross the Atlantic this year 2021, without a captain and without assistance.
This feat, if achieved by IBM, could mean a huge blow to the future of autonomous vehicles, be it at sea or on land.
The full list of innovations awarded by CES can be found on their website. only here.