GADGETS: WHAT WILL TECHNOLOGY BRING US IN 2018?Featured

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The CES show in Las Vegas just got over and as usual, there was lots of new tech on offer. Let’s take a look at where technology will take us this year

CES is the world's gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years — the global stage where next- generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers.

Smart’ display screens

2017 saw the arrival in homes of devices that could answer questions like ‘What’s the weather outside?’, play music from the Internet, set reminders for tasks, all done through voice commands. Such devices can even help with home work-for example you can ask Alexa, the ‘digital assistant’ on Amazon’s Echo device - ‘What’s 353 + 1087?’ Or ‘What’s the square root of 2?’ Devices such as the Echo are smart enough to understand your voice and accent and perform the requested tasks pretty much most of the time. This year, the companies that make these ‘smart’ devices are adding screens to them. So, if you ask about traffic on the way to college or office, the device will respond by pulling out a map to display. A request for news could also link you to news videos on the Internet. Some models also support video calls.

The idea behind these devices to make them simple and more like an appliance rather than like a complex PC or smartphone.

The extra-large TV

Ever dreamt of watching TV on a screen that’s as big as your wall? Electronics company Samsung has heard your prayers for at CES, they exhibited a new kind of television that was 10 feet across and 6 feet tall. Not surprisingly, they are calling it ‘The Wall’.

Not only will it have sharper colours than the kind we are used to seeing on TV, it works like a set of building blocks-so, you can remove a block or add one to make it bigger or smaller! For instance, you can set it up so it looks like a smaller TV in the center of the screen, while the surrounding area is set up to blend in with the wall the TV was mounted on. Else you can have a gigantic screen. It’s a flexible technology that allows you to create unusual sized screens depending on what the buyer wants.

Sleep better at night

Electronics companies don't just want to keep you entertained during the day-they also want to make sure you sleep at night! Phillips, the company that makes TVs and other electronics, has come up with a headband that you wear at night to get a good night’s rest. How does it do this? The headband gives out a tone (a sound) that the company says improves slow wave sleep, the stage in our sleep cycle when brain waves and breathing slow to their lowest levels.

The longer amount of slow wave sleep we get at night, the more alert and focused we will be the next day, says the company. There are sensors (tiny instruments that sense certain activities) on the headband that work out when a person has fallen asleep and entered deep sleep. The tone is then activated so that slow wave activity in the brain gets a boost. Not surprisingly, the gadget is called SmartSleep!

The suitcase that won’t lose you

Losing your bag in a busy station/airport or bus terminus is something every traveler worries about. With the ForwardX CX-1, a suitcase developed by a Chinese company, that’s something you won’t have to worry about as this suitcase will follow you wherever you go. Fitted with a front-facing camera that can keep track of your movements, the suitcase will roll along behind you (no hands needed to drag it!) with a maximum speed of 11 kilometres per hour. If it loses sight of you, the device uses an electronic wristband (that the owner has to wear) to catch up. And if someone tries to steal your bag behind your back, the wristband should also be able to alert the owner of the theft. Now, that’s one smart bag!

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