Innovations at CES: From autonomous tractors to luminous paint

Despite the cancellations of many companies, some innovations will be presented at the CES technology fair in Las Vegas. Some are practical, some are gimmicks, some are trend-setting.

Not just an eye-catcher, but a real innovation comes from BMW. The Bavarians have developed an electric paint whose color can be changed at the push of a button. “For example, you can use different colors to indicate whether the battery is fully charged,” said project manager Stella Clarke in the online video presentation. “With car sharing, a color could indicate whether the car is cleaned or available. And if you can no longer find your vehicle in the parking garage, you can make its surface flash.”

By means of electrical impulses, millions of microcapsules on the car surface are changed within seconds. Strictly speaking, only black, white and gray color combinations have been possible so far. Anyone who wants to order this special paint from the nearest BMW dealer will not be successful yet. The new technology is still in the testing phase.

Separate and fold

A completely different eye-catcher comes from the Asian computer manufacturer Asus. His new Zenbook 17 Fold OLED Notebook looks like a notebook at first. The screen can, however, be separated from the keyboard. And not only that: You can fold the display, said an Asus manager. The computer is expected to come onto the market at the end of the year. A price has not yet been set.

A “smart” lightbulb from China is a source of annoyance and amazement alike. It is turned into the bedside lamp and then uses radar technology to monitor body functions such as heart rate and body temperature. However, the manufacturer Sengled attaches great importance to the fact that neither a microphone nor a camera is built into the pear.

Smart collar for dogs

If you are looking for something really practical, you will find it at Invoxia. The company will launch a smart dog collar for just under 100 euros this summer. This can not only track down the runaway dog ​​via cell phone location, but also monitor the animal’s health. But be careful: If you want to use the collar for tracking, you have to pay a monthly subscription fee of around twelve euros.

The autonomous tractor

The US tractor manufacturer John Deere has long offered tractors with GPS-controlled automatic steering. The latest model, which is due to come onto the market this summer, can cultivate a field all by itself. The autonomous tractor is equipped with six stereo cameras and many sensors. The device can be monitored via smartphone app. And if you want to drive yourself, you can do that: There is a seat.

Anyone who would like to open the beer bottle with the remote control in front of the television will be disappointed by CES again this year. Such a smart, because practical, solution has unfortunately still not been invented. In return, Samsung saves customers having to replace batteries. The new noble remote control gets the electricity from the air and sucks up the energy that our WiFi networks send out in the 2.4 gigahertz range. A price for the remote control has not yet been determined.