The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is almost here, and you can get a glimpse now at a robot dog, a digital nurse, and the Avast Omni
If you like to follow what’s new in tech, you know that the Consumer Electronics Show held each January in Las Vegas is where the latest gadgets, smart devices, handhelds, and AR/VR tech make their debut. Here is a sneak peek of the most exciting of this year’s products, as honored at CES Unveiled in New York.
Digital health assistant Pria checks in on you so you don’t forget to check in on yourself. Like a Big Hero 6 without the marshmallowy body, Pria lives in your home and helps you keep track of medication regimens by dispensing medications according to your programmed schedule. Pria asked me about my water intake, my mood, and my exercise goals for the day before promising to dispense me a green Skittle as “medicine.” For people with chronic health conditions, complex medication schedules or limited mobility, Pria offers reminders, relevant information, and a smiling digital face.
While the Pria is offered by well-known consumer brand Black & Decker, it’s always important to think about the information that a device like this can collect and what can be done with that information. We looked at Pria’s privacy policy and noted that they reserve the right to share information with third parties. The guidelines seem broad and are difficult enough to understand that we weren’t sure what kinds of permissions we were giving away. Black & Decker is also not necessarily a health-care brand, so we can’t be sure how well they understand how to handle health data.
The health trend didn’t stop there. Myx Fitness combines a stationary bike, floor exercise equipment, and video trainer with a focus on positive psychology. It’s like Noom and Peleton had a baby.
Sony delivered its second litter of Aibo, a voice-controlled companion that will follow you around, run, sit, fetch, and scan your family member’s faces and learn their preferences using AI. At a price tag of nearly $3,000 US, it might not be for everyone. A real dog might be less expensive (and a better snuggler).
Remember The Club? LoJack? Well LoJack is getting disrupted by Bmmpr – a little device that plugs into your car and lets you keep track of your ride. It can tell you if your car has been tapped, hit, moved, or otherwise messed with.
CES Best of Innovation Honoree Avast Omni
Consumers are not the only ones interested in new gadgets. Cyber criminals are eyeing your smart devices as well – which is why Avast was at CES Unveiled. Chosen as a CES Best of Innovation Honoree, Avast Omni addresses the growing problem of protecting your family from threats on the internet – on any smart device.
For all the problems technology can help solve and the ways in which it entertains and educates us and our families, those devices that we connect to our homes and carry in our pockets are also connected to all the threats of the internet. Avast’s Vice President of Product Delivery Leena Elias was on hand to demonstrate how Omni protects your home IoT devices, mobile devices, and computers. “You can’t do this one device at a time,” she said. “You have to look at a network solution.”