The Consumer Electronics Show is the Mecca for technology enthusiasts. In the past few years, we’ve seen many technologies, gadgets and car concepts that never manifested into commercial reality. But this year’s show was less about glitz and glamour and more about promising products that can redefine our lives. And no, these gadgets are not just ridiculous possibilities but real products waiting to hit the market. Here is our list of the most promising products that stole the show:

Robomart Too lazy to step out shopping and yet not convinced buying stuff online without seeing them in person? What if you’re able to request for the store to come at your doorstep just like you book a cab with an app? California-based start-up Robomart is doing just that with its self-driving store, which brings groceries, baked goods and prepared food at your doorstep. All you need to do is simply tap a button to request the closest Robomart. An autonomously driven Robomart will then arrive as your personal store.

Once the Robomart arrives, you unlock the door, make a selection and then close the door. Robomart has a “grab and go” checkout-free technology that adds up the bill and sends a receipt.

And it is already being tested. The company’s first prototype is seeking an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit from California’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

The vehicle is fitted with an array of LiDAR, radar and cameras, as well as a CAN motion control system along with route planning and obstacle-avoidance software, giving it a Level 5 autonomy, which basically makes it a completely self-driven vehicle. But considering how people drive in India, Robomart will probably need to get a lot smarter before it heads here.

Sniffy Market

This gadget for retail stores, malls and cinema halls is the result of a French perfume maker’s imagination. With his ability to infuse any smells into perfumes, A Juving-Brune’s new Sniffy Market aims to enhance shopping experiences by allowing you to smell food and drinks that you want to buy without opening the packaging or even physically holding them. It could even tell you how your packaged pasta will smell like after it is cooked. Sounds tempting? This is how it works:

The Sniffy Market has a carousel that retailers will load various scents into. The touchscreen display can be used by shoppers to pick a product and then get blasted with the smell in question.

And if you don’t like the smell of a product, a built-in camera will capture your reaction and the data will be sent to the manufacturer or the retailer as feedback to either improve the item or remove it from shelves. But you’ll still have to buy the product before telling how it’ll taste. That’s something the gadget can’t help you with.

The product is still in its concept stage. It will be available next year.

BrainCo

This Chinese start-up, incubated in the Harvard Innovation lab, is defining how you interact with devices by using just your brain. And no, you don’t need to turn into a monk and shift to the Himalayas to do so. BrainCo’s brain-machine interface will allow direct communications between the human brain and external devices.

BrainCo develops brain-machine interface (BMI) hardware and software platform technologies. These convert brain signals into digital signals and let users understand their focus abilities better. It can also provide you with neuro feedback training techniques to increase your brain’s potential. These technologies are currently applied in the education and healthcare fields. BrainCo has already sold tens of thousands of devices with its first order. At CES, the company also showcased how you can move a robotic arm purely by using the focus of your brain. Sadly, the company has no immediate plans to launch in India.

Oledcomm

If you’re one of those who wanted to stay away from electromagnetic pollution from WiFi devices, MyLifi could solve your problems.

The simple-looking table lamp uses Li-Fi technology to beam internet to your laptop without using Wifi. The lamp beams internet through infrared to a simple dongle that’s attached to your laptop.

The lamp then radiates the signal through a tiny hole present at the center. The lamp in turn is connected directly to the internet through an ethernet cable — so not much of a wireless solution but at least it keeps you away from the harmful effects of electromagnetic waves generated by WiFi routers. However, the technology has certain limitations for now. For starters, in order to make the Li-Fi work, your notebook has to stay in the line-of-sight of this aperture.

The company promises that there will be a lot more beyond connecting your laptop to the internet. It can also be used in malls to create a wireless network and in museums to provide you with information of the artwork on display.

Eventually this start-up plans to transform all public lights in streets, train stations and car parks into an innovative intra-city communication network. The lamp currently will set you back by $840 (₹53,664).

The writer was in Las Vegas at the invitation of Nissan

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