CES 2018 - E-Palette and Voice Controlled Appliances

January 10, 2018

Taking place in Las Vegas, the Consumer Technology Association 2018 saw an incredible amount of voice-controlled appliances, assistants and much more. It seems like more and more companies are focusing on virtual assistants and AI.

Presented by Toyota, the e-Palette concept is a vision of a future when transportation is seamlessly shared between people and businesses. The shape is a bit dull, it kinda looks like a box with rounded corners. But it's shape is actually one of its advantages. The e-Palette was launched in collaboration with Amazon, Mazda, Pizza Hut, Uber and DiDi. The collaborations signal a future for Toyota to be a provider of mobility solution. e-Palettte can range from 4 to 7 meters and has enough space inside to serve different purposes, such as delivery for Amazon and ride-sharing for Uber. It's so flexible that it can even be a hotel room on wheels, portable office, food truck or even a pop-up store.

Google, Amazon and Apple have been in a constant battle with their voice-activated digital assistants. Their "smart speakers" started to be present in more and more homes and they are looking to increase their numbers. In today's technological world, there are more and more internet connected appliances like fridges, TVs, A/C and much more. Connected to these digital assistants, you can basically control everything around the house just by using your voice.

ForwardX Robotics Smart Luggage, uses facial recognition to follow you around

This year saw many new uses for smart appliances by incorporating AI into them. The HiMirror Mini is a smart mirror that uses AI and Amazon's Alexa to judge your skin. A smart luggage by ForwardX Robotics' follows you around airports so you don't have to push it around. There are even voice controlled fridges, showers, toilets and even refrigerators. Most of the televisions introduced this year featured voice control. What do you think about the incorporation of voice control into every kind of appliance? While it might be a helpful feature, it brings many privacy issues such as the safety of your voice data.