Here boy… the state-of-the-art luggage is just one of the amazing gizmos unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vagas
The luggage you can’t lose
It is the smart suitcase that promises to end the hell of lost luggage. The CX-1 follows you around at speeds of up to 7mph. It has a built-in ‘eye’ which maps the owner’s face.
Add in a ‘homing’ wristband which activates a built-in GPS tracker – and the case works like magic.
If you wander too far, it lets out a loud wail. Expected to cost £800, it is just one of the amazing gizmos unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vagas.
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Mirror, mirror – tell me what to wear
Can’t choose what clothes to wear for that special date? Let the Haier smart mirror decide for you.
The mirror analyses and tracks all the clothes in your wardrobe – so long as they carry the necessary chips – and selects the best outfit.
It also gives detailed washing instructions for every item of clothing, and tells you exactly where your gold sequined jacket is hanging in the cupboard.
Haier predicts that all clothes will one day carry the chips, but until then you’ll have to enter all your clothing information by hand, and tag every item in your wardrobe.
If that doesn’t exhaust you, the mirror also plays workout videos. It will be available this year at a price yet to be set.
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Folded clothes come out the bottom of the FoldiMate during CES 2018 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center
That’s neat! The shirt folder that takes the blues out of laundry day
Weary of dealing with all those shirts and trousers fresh from the dryer? FoldiMate, priced at £650, folds up to 40 items of clothing in just four minutes.
But the device, larger than a washing machine, needs a little help: you have to clip each article of clothing into the machine, and button every shirt and blouse.
And the FoldiMate is a bit picky. It likes trousers and shirts, but socks and underwear are out, as are bulky hoodies and baby clothes. It will be available in the UK late next year.
For those with a little more to spend, there’s the £12,000 Laundroid. Masquerading as a 7ft-tall wardrobe, it will fold 30 items of clothing in between four and six hours and will be on sale in the UK later in the year.
If you’re wondering whether a housemaid wouldn’t be cheaper and quicker, maker Seven Dreamers responds that it will leave your staff free for other work.
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Let your fingers do the calling
Make a call with your finger? It must be digit-al technology
It might look a little undignified but now you can ‘hear’ your mobile telephone calls by simply shoving a finger into your ear thanks to the £200 SGNL (pronounced ‘Signal’) wristband.
‘It works by sending vibrations through the skin,’ says inventor Min Jae Kim, who claims that the gadget prevents the risk of your call being overheard by eavesdroppers.
Improvements have been made on earlier trial models in order to better the sound, make it sharper and block out outside noises.
A microphone inside the wristband enables you to talk on the phone. The battery is usable from one charge for a maximum of four days, providing almost four hours of active use. SGNL will be available in the UK this summer.
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The robot can sing, dance, tell jokes, play games and even be programmed to chat to you
Meet granny’s best new iPal
A Cute, white-and-blue iPal is a £1,500 robot chum designed to help pensioners, children and the disabled.
‘It has facial recognition and tracking, recognises emotions, and can tell if grandma has fallen over and will call for help,’ says developer Jeff Schmidt. An interactive screen means it can ‘talk’ to children and the elderly.
The robot can sing, dance, tell jokes, play games and even be programmed to chat to you about your favourite movie.
On sale in the UK this summer.
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Fruit and veg for sale – digitally
Go bananas for a robot greencocer
Meet Robomart, a driverless vehicle the size of an SUV billed as ‘the world’s first self-driving store’.
Customers order the service on their smartphone and it will roll up to your door less than an hour later. Pick the perfect produce and Robomart automatically bills you for the items taken.
It was developed by Ali Ahmed, who moved from London to Silicon Valley two years ago.
‘People don’t like buying fruit and veg online because they like to see it and squeeze if for themselves,’ the 32-year-old says.
It’s coming to the UK by December.
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Keep it brief – the latest hotpants
Here comes smarty pants
Woven with silver thread to protect men from the dangers of radiation damage from that mobile in your pocket, Spartan pants are the latest in ‘wearable’ technology.
The £32.50 briefs go on sale this spring. Also on offer is SKIIN underwear (£260 for eight) packed with sensors that monitor your heart rate and blood pressure.
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The new shower is fully digitised
World’s laziest shower
Too tired to turn on the shower handle? Relax in style with a voice-activated £2,200 shower that will automatically set the water to your preferred temperature and starts the moment step under it thanks to a motion detector.
Manufacturer Kohler has also developed a voice-activated bath that fills and drains on demand, and voice activated bathroom mirror lights.
The company can even offer a £1,000 heated toilet seat which plays your favourite tunes.
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