From speakers to cars, to weight-busting fitness belts and flying drones, International CES 2015 was a sea of futuristic products that had techies salivating into their dribble bibs. Here’s a run-down of the biggest gamechangers from the show…
Cars: Hands down the most exciting car to feature at CES this year, the driverless Mercedes Benz F 015 looks like something that’s sped straight off the set of Minority Report. The car’s front seats swivel 180 degrees, transforming its interior into a mini boardroom, while the LED screens on the door panels visualise the car’s movement. If you want to drive it, a floating console means anyone inside can take over cruising duties. Although you might just want to kick back with a coffee and let it drive itself.
Smartwatches: CES was a swarm of wearable (and some, frankly, unwearable) tech this year, but the smartwatch won when it came to fusing design with nifty tech features. The Withings Active Pop boasts all the functionality you'd expect from a fitness tracker, while its slick watch face means it looks pretty on your wrist, too.
Wireless speakers: Wireless speakers are just so hot right now. From portable, pocket-sized options to blinged versions of your standard iThing docking systems, these speakers are especially handy for their space-saving qualities. The Naim Audio Mu-so has tonnes of connectivity options, and it comes with six speakers and 450 watts of amplification so you won’t be compromising on sound. Plus the sci-fi-inspired control dial means it looks very swish, too.
3D printers: There is barely an object that you cannot make with a 3D printer: car parts, NASA space wrenches, and bikinis… yes, bikinis. At this year's CES, XYZprinting debuted a new printer that uses flour and chocolate to print cookies – uncooked, mind. The food printer includes a 5-inch touch screen and prints out food in layers ranging from 0.8 to 6.4mm. The company has said its next step is printable pizza. We’ll delete the Dominos number from our speed dial, then. It isn’t available to buy yet, but for those seeking more conventional uses for their 3D printer, its Da Vinci 1.0 version is available for £695.
Action cams: Ideal for hikers, bikers and general daredevils, these mini cameras pretty much mean you can be the leading man in your own action film. Cream of the crop this year was the Sony 4k Action Cam, which as the name suggests, captures 4K video. It’s also one for all the drone pervs out there: the image stabilisation engine is programmed to mitigate high-frequency motor vibration, which basically means your images won’t look like shakey home videos – ideal, unless that's your thing...
Drones: The halls of CES were buzzing – literally. Mainly thanks to all the drones – including the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0, a quadricopter that’s controlled using a smartphone or tablet. The drone’s video function allows you to take some cool high definition images from the air, and you can show off on a trip to the park by using the flip move to get your gadget to do tricks in the air. Oh yeah – the ladies will lap it up.
