After a virtual 2021 edition, the Consumer Electronic Show made its comeback in person in Las Vegas this week. Or rather tried, with the Omicron wave that pushed Meta (Facebook), Google, Twitter and Microsoft and many others – including 20 Minutes – to stay at home. In sparse aisles, impossible to escape virtual reality and the metaverse.
Everyone bets on the metaverse because everyone bets on the metaverse
Each edition of CES has its “buzzword”, which is sure to sweep the world. After 3D TVs or the connected home, here is the metaverse. Or rather the “betavers” at this stage. Because in the wake of Mark Zuckerberg, who dreams of spending hours in the matrix, everyone is positioned, without really managing to explain why. Mainly so as not to miss the rocket if it takes off.
Samsung unveiled My House, a platform to decorate its virtual home with gadgets from the South Korean brand. Populated by cartoon and colorful avatars, the experience aims to enable “millennials and zoomers to express an identity different from reality ”. The automaker Hyundai, which is betting big on robotics with the Boston Dynamics buyout for a billion dollars, has presented its vision for “metamobility.” That of a movement without transition from the real to the virtual, for example to follow the future movements of the robot-dog Spot in caves on Mars, via a partnership with NASA.
Who says immersion, says sensations. Many accessories aim to let us feel and touch the virtual. PebbleFeel, by Shiftall, a harness that is worn on the back, allows you to feel hot and cold. OVR technology adds smell to virtual reality, with nine scent cartridges recreating dozens of scents, like burning wood or roasted marshmallow. The French of Actronika will launch in March, via Kickstarter, their Skinetic haptic jacket which, with its 20 small engines, promises to simulate the impact of bullets or raindrops. Owo’s Spaniards even reproduce the varying intensity of a hug. It is still up to Meta (Facebook), Apple, Google and Microsoft and all the others to offer safe experiences: harassment and sexual assault did not wait to conquer this new frontier.
Electric and autonomous vehicles galore
The hunt for Tesla is on. Toyota has announced that its Lexus brand will be all-electric by 2035 worldwide, and by 2030 in North America. Who says better ? Chrysler, which plans to say goodbye to the combustion engine in 2028 – an ambitious schedule with its first electric vehicle only expected in 2025. The sector is whetting appetites at all manufacturers and elsewhere: Sony plans to launch its subsidiary Sony Mobility in the spring in order to market, at an unspecified date, a seven-seater SUV based on its Vision-S02 prototype. Which obviously has a Playstation. While waiting to see what Apple has been working on for years.
100% autonomous cars are still long overdue. But with Ultra Cruise, launched next year with the Cadillac Celestiq, Chevrolet promises driver assistance that can do without a human 95% of the time, including in the city. A race that does business for chipmaker Nvidia, which has signed partnerships with Mercedes, Volvo, Audio and Hyundai. Finally, John Deere will market at the end of 2022 a 100% autonomous tractor, capable of plowing and harvesting alone, like a large one. For a new agricultural revolution, 12,000 years after that of the Neolithic.
Connected health for humans and animals
Peloton’s success during the pandemic gives the competition some ideas. Hydrow’s rowing machine and 22-inch screen offer live or recorded lessons, and transport you to Lake Lucerne or the turquoise water of Miami.
With its connected Body Scan scale and accessories, the French of Withings promise a real “connected health station”. Sold at the end of the year for 299 euros, it offers a much more precise electrocardiogram than watches, and its electrodes also make it possible to accurately calculate the amount of body fat. With a secure link, it will be possible to share your data with your doctor.
Humans do not have a monopoly on health. The Catlog collar works as a cat activity tracker. And will probably only confirm that kitty is a big slacker who sleeps 18 hours a day. More interestingly, the canine version of Invoxia measures the heart and respiratory rate of your companion to, promises the French start-up, detect a problem before it is too late. To check what vets say about it, anyway.
