After all, the influence of the new coronavirus was strong CES 2021 | GLM

At CES 2021, which was the first all-virtual event, of course, the new coronavirus became an unavoidable topic. After all, regardless of the duration of CES, this topic stays in the minds of people. Almost a year after the spread of the infection, presenters naturally feel obliged to deal with the ever-present “elephants in the room.” Moving from a convention center in Las Vegas to a virtual venue at Microsoft is an easy-to-understand example of such a phenomenon, but at times it seemed more aggressive.

As for the technology itself, there is no doubt that the spread of the new coronavirus infection will have a significant impact on the technology industry over the years, from various health measurement functions to remote work settings. It is sometimes a pure and organic evolution to adapt technology to a constantly changing world. But in other cases, there is no such thing as “home appliances” that feel exploitative, like beer commercials discussing “this uncertain era.”

I have written a lot about how this virus infection will affect robotics and AI in the future. In summary, it will undoubtedly make companies even more enthusiastic about embracing technologies such as robotics and AI after the human workforce has hit its limits with lethal and infectious viruses that are widespread around the world. It means that.

At this CES, there was a glimpse of the reaction of robotics. The industry tends to have longer lead times than consumer products, but the most obvious and quick-acting example is the increase in robots with UV disinfection. LG, UBTECH, and Ava Robotics have sent their views on this category to my inbox. It is clear that disinfection techniques are strongly required during the spread of infection, and robots can provide a way to automate such boring and repetitive processes while preventing potential human viral infections.

Ultraviolet disinfection has emerged in many ways. Mobile phones have been the target of this technology for several years. After all, we were reminded by the new virus that the smartphone watching TikTok is a mobile Petri dish. Products such as Canadian startup Glissner’s “CleanPhone” are about to enter the territory dominated by “PhoneSoap,” which was ahead of the phenomenon.

The Targus keyboard may be the most widely reported UV solution at the show. With a UV lamp on top of the keyboard, this product looks a bit strange.

Masks are also one of the virus-related products that secretly sneaked into the show, but 2021 was really hot. Wearing masks in public is clearly a new phenomenon in some countries, but it has long been a common part of life in areas like East Asia. Portland-based Ao Air has taken a unique initiative in this category and received a lot of attention in 2020.

Razer’s Project Hazel debuted as arguably the most prominent mask at the show (pictured above). This large and flashy N95 standard mask can be said to be outside the main business for companies that mainly handle game peripherals, but it is equipped with an LED that indicates the charging status, so that the wearer’s face can be seen even in a dark environment. ing. It also incorporates technology that allows the wearer’s voice to be heard clearly. But for now, this is hard to see as more than a product to attract attention.

What I really expected was teleworking. At the show, we were able to see products like Dell monitors with Microsoft Teams remote conferencing capabilities. Microsoft was touting the new Surface as a remote work machine, but frankly, it didn’t seem to be specifically targeted at this area compared to other portable Surface products.

Many of the innovations companies are working on will definitely have to wait until CES 2022. I hope I can see them in Las Vegas next year.