CES 2023 will feature more than 2,200 exhibitors this year; some of the world’s most recognizable brands are showcasing tech that removes friction from consumer experiences and supporting innovations that fast-track their ability to deliver on brand promises.
Samsung
Samsung has been leveraging technology to appeal to an appetite for multi-platform content since its first connected TV launched in 2008. Last year, they launched an NFT IRL event, Samsung Next, at the recent Art Basel Miami to showcase its creator collaborations and future plans for Web3 innovation.
“Historically, consumers relied on dedicated hubs to connect each of their devices,” said Mark Benson, Head of Product and Engineering at Samsung SmartThings. “By integrating SmartThings Hub technology into select Samsung products, we are eliminating barriers to entry and streamlining the entire process to enable consumers to create the connected home of their dreams.”
Samsung is showcasing creator-friendly consumer electronics from its connected appliances line at this year’s CES, such as the Bespoke AI Oven, which the company says is “great for content creators and avid chefs who want to share their dishes.” The oven features an internal camera that can record the cooking process and upload footage to an online video or social platform. This tracks with recent Samsung social campaigns, such as #BespokeMyHome, which promotes the company’s Bespoke lines and its promotion of global food influencers for several years.
There may be another benefit to connected appliances — help for consumers with cognitive differences, such as ADHD, who may benefit from automation taking over tasks that require monitoring and focus. According to some research, IoT technologies can help adults with ADHD manage household tasks more effectively.
“At CES 2023, we are continuing to build on the success of our Bespoke lineup with the introduction of new Bespoke refrigerators and built-in appliances that give consumers even more ways to express themselves in their kitchens,” said Junhwa Lee, EVP and Head of the Customer Experience Team of the Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics.”
Amazon’s Alexa Fund
Several startups backed by Amazon’s Alexa Fund are presenting IoT products that propose tangible benefits to consumers with disabilities and a range of smart home tools that may make eco-friendly choices easier. One, Cognixion, is focused on making communication easier for those with physical challenges.
Cognixion is showcasing the Cognixion ONE “Assisted Reality” headset which helps individuals with severe speech impediments to use eye-tracking or a noninvasive brain-computer interface to spell out letters on an augmented-reality keyboard. This keyboard then uses AI to predict their completed sentence. Then, an Alexa-powered device will speak the sentence and use commands to interact with other smart home technologies.
According to the founder, the goal is to use Cognixion to open new possibilities in the metaverse for those who have limited speech capabilities.
“Cognixion is solving usability and accessibility issues for AR/XR and enabling new capabilities for people with disabilities today,” says Andreas Forsland, Cognixion founder and CEO, “And in the near future, we see our innovations becoming a fundamental part of the metaverse, as a biological interface plus highly adaptive algorithms that unlock new use cases for XR.”
L’Oréal
L’Oréal is showcasing Hapta and Brow Magic at CES, tools that support beauty inclusivity for the estimated 50 million people with limited fine motor capabilities.
HAPTA is a motorized applicator that allows people with limited hand and arm mobility to apply lipstick precisely. L’Oréal’s Lancôme brand will launch the product. Brow Magic, another product to be released through Lancôme, uses L’Oréal’s Modiface AR technology. Users scan their faces using an app and receive microblading, micro-shading and filler guidance. Once a recommendation is selected, a user can move the device across the brow area and receive a customized brow design.
“Inclusivity is at the heart of our innovation and beauty tech strategy,” said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L’Oréal. “We are dedicated and passionate to bring new technologies powering beauty services that augment and reach every individual’s ultimate desires, expectations, and unmet needs.”
“For years, Lancôme has sought to provide every woman with beauty solutions adapted to their needs. Beauty tech has enabled us to fulfill this mission in an even more powerful way, revolutionizing the way we develop beauty products and services and enabling greater personalization,” said Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme Global Brand President. “With HAPTA, we are going one step further by making beauty more accessible to use because everyone should have equal access to it.”
