Each year companies head to Las Vegas to show off the hottest tech. Here are the most interesting innovations at CES 2023 in Five For Friday.

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

Color-changing BMW, flying cars top list of 5 best CES 2023 innovations

Jan 13, 2023

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Emma Stoltzfus (Editor), Brent Jabbour (Producer)

Each year tech companies big and small descend on Las Vegas for CES. The cutting-edge products they unveil on the show floor can mold the future of tech or go nowhere at all. Here are some of the most interesting innovations out of CES 2023 in this week’s Five for Friday.

#5: AtmosGear Electric Skates

Over the last five years, the streets of every major city have been inundated with electric skateboarders and scooter riders. Electric skates are about to be added to the mix thanks to French startup AtmosGear. Their skates boast a top speed of 20 mph and a range of 20 miles for $500. One downside is that to keep a small form factor, AtmosGear opted for an external battery pack that straps to the user’s back.

#4: Glüxkind Ella

Canada’s Glüxkind showed off its Ella artificial-intelligence-powered smart stroller at CES this year. The Ella can assist with uphill walks, can brake when going downhill and has a hands-free mode for when the child isn’t in the mood to be in the stroller and you need a little help pushing while holding onto the little one. If the child is having trouble resting, it offers a built-in white noise machine and rock-my-baby mode. It monitors the stroller’s surroundings too while you are focused on your bundle of joy. All of the features come at a premium with the Ella’s price tag hitting $3,300. Baby tech has been making waves at CES recently with the introduction of the smart diaper.

#3: Withings U-Scan

It seems like every new product has the term “smart” attached to it these days. Withings U-Scan is a smart toilet sensor that attaches inside the bowl. Withings says the U-Scan can check PH levels, track ovulation cycles and detect early signs of health issues. As with any other smart device, it has an accompanying app to track the data. It can even tell the difference between users based on distance and speed of flow.

#2: Aska A5

Flying vehicles have become a huge trend at CES in recent years. In 2023 Aska showed off its functional A5 eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle. The flying car is electric as the name suggests but also has a small gas reserve just in case. Beating the traffic in the big city is one thing, but the A5 can be parked in a normal sized space. That said, it needs an area the size of a helipad for take off and landing. The A5 is still awaiting regulatory approval and when it does, it’s going to cost early adopters $789,000. But for those not willing to spend that kind of money, the company hopes to start a ride hailing service by 2026.

#1: BMW i Vision Dee

CES is not the No. 1 place for revealing concept cars, but with tech like the BMW i Vision Dee, it’s the perfect place. BMW calls it the ultimate companion that can “speak, listen and understand your wishes.” Using electronic ink technology, it can change color on a whim and its front grill creates a digital display that can mimic eyes showing real personality. BMW pulled out all the stops with this concept, bringing in Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Hasselhoff and KITT from Knight Righters for their “Dee Movie” announcement video.

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Artificial Intelligence, Canada, France, Las Vegas, Technology

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:

EACH YEAR TECH COMPANIES MAKE THE PILGRIMAGE TO THE VEGAS DESERT FOR THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW. THE CUTTING EDGE PRODUCTS SHOWCASED HERE CAN MOLD THE FUTURE OF TECH *OR BE A FLASH IN THE PAN. WE’VE GOT SOME OF THIS YEAR’S MOST INTERESTING INNOVATIONS IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

DODGING ELECTRIC SKATEBOARDERS AND SCOOTER RIDERS IS THE BANE OF THOSE LIVING IN BIG CITIES. GET READY TO ADD ELECTRIC ROLLER SKATERS TO THE LIST OF SILENT ASSASSINS SNEAKING UP AS YOU SAUNTER ON. ATMOSGEAR’S ELECTRIC SKATES BOAST A TOP SPEED OF 20 MILES PER HOUR AND A RANGE OF 20 MILES FOR JUST $500 BUCKS. THE DOWNSIDE IS THE EXTERNAL BATTERY THAT STRAPS TO YOUR BACK. CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO FALL ON THAT THING.

CANADA’S GLUXKIND {GLUX-KIN} DEMOED ITS ELLA A-I POWERED SMART STROLLER THIS YEAR. IT’S GOT THE FEATURE SET OF AN AUTONOMOUS CAR, BUT FOR A LAZY PARENT. JUST KIDDING! IT ASSISTS WITH UPHILL WALKS, CAN BRAKE GOING DOWNHILL AND HAS A HANDS FREE MODE. IF THE LITTLE ONE IS RESTLESS IT OFFERS A BUILT IN WHITE NOISE MACHINE AND ROCK-MY-BABY MODE. IT’S A LOT BETTER THAN THE SMART DIAPER C-E-S FEATURED A FEW YEARS AGO.

EVERYTHING’S “SMART” THESE DAYS SO WHY NOT A TOILET SENSOR. WITHINGS U-SCAN IS A SMALL SCANNER THAT ATTACHES TO YOUR TOILET BOWL AND CAN CHECK PH LEVELS, TRACK OVULATION CYCLES AND DETECT EARLY SIGNS OF HEALTH ISSUES. ALL THE DATA CAN BE SEEN ON AN APP. APPARENTLY IT CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN USERS BASED ON DISTANCE AND SPEED OF FLOW. IT ALL FEELS LIKE A LITTLE TOO MUCH INFO DOWN THERE.

FLYING VEHICLES HAVE BEEN A CES MAINSTAY FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. THIS YEAR ASKA {AAH-SKUH} SHOWED OFF ITS FUNCTIONAL A5. IT’S ELECTRIC BUT DOES HAVE A SMALL GAS RESERVE. IT FITS IN A NORMAL PARKING SPOT BUT NEEDS A BIT MORE ROOM TO TAKE OFF AND LAND. IT’S STILL WAITING ON FAA APPROVAL, BUT THE COMPANY IS TAKING 5-THOUSAND DOLLAR REFUNDABLE DEPOSITS FOR THE NEARLY $800 GRAND VEHICLE. IF THE PRICE TAG IS TOO STEEP TO BUY, THEY DO HOPE TO START A RIDE HAILING SERVICE IN 2026.

BMW’S “I VISION DEE” CONCEPT CAR IS ABOUT EMOTION, I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY GOT ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER TO GET ALL NOSTALGIC FOR ITS UNVEILING. BMW CALLS IT THE ULTIMATE COMPANION THAT CAN “SPEAK, LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND YOUR WISHES.” IT CAN CHANGE COLOR ON A WHIM AND ITS FRONT GRILL CREATES A DISPLAY THAT APPARENTLY SHOWS REAL PERSONALITY. DON’T WORRY, THEY MADE SURE TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO KITT FROM KNIGHT RIDER.. (POP FROM THE HOFF)

WE STAYED OUT OF THE METAVERSE FOR THIS ONE, EVEN IF A COMPANY SHOWED OFF A VR HEADSET THAT ALLOWED YOU TO SMELL THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT. WE’VE GOT ENOUGH SMELLS HERE IN NEW YORK, THAT’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY. I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO. IT’S JUST BUSINESS.