The New Innovations of 2020’s Consumer Electronics Show

Christian Muisener '23

From Tuesday, January 7th, to Friday, January 10th, the Consumer Electronics Show, in which tech companies unveiled new and exciting products for their consumers, was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

 

The CES is an annual convention where tech companies take opportunities to show off new inventions and ideas and market new products.  One big topic this year was the advent brand new cars, including electric, self-driving, or smart cars. Jeep introduced new electric vehicles, contributing to the recent uptick in the manufacture of electric vehicles.  These recent models are in fact part of their plans to turn their entire line of vehicles electric by 2022. Nissan also introduced a new car—the Nissan Aryia—intended to replace the Nissan Leaf. BMW has also begun to make new car seats with greater reclining capabilities, intending to maximize comfort.

 

Another major theme at the CES was phones. Cheaper foldable phones are coming. TCl showed off a prototype cheaper than the Motorola Razr, which was $1500. 5G phone prices are also dropping.

 

Aside from products that might be considered more conventional, there were also some novelty inventions being displayed, such as Charmin’s toilet paper robot, which will grab a fresh roll of toilet paper when it runs out. The toilet paper robot also has a companion—device that detects restroom odors. Another unique product on display was Jennings, a robotic lap dog with synthetic fur, designed to be a soothing companion for the elderly with cognitive aliments. Another interesting product was Samsung’s new robot assistant. A mobile rolling ball, Samsung’s model differs from that of Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home.

 

All in all, this year’s CES provided an interesting look at what some tech companies are cooking up for 2020—whether it be electric cars, foldable phones, or even a toilet paper robot.