Smart remote to self-balancing car: Meet the game changing gadgets at CES 2017

Here’s a look at some of the most innovative gadgets at the trade show

I started this column as part II of a report on CES 2017 with some good stuff, a few of the junky products and closing it with some of the weird. Halfway through, I realised that the list of truly innovative stuff was long and very meritorious. Thus, I’m dedicating this column to all the game-changing technology and products of CES 2017. Some of these will change the world this year.

Toyota Concept-i car is among the truly innovative products showcased at the CES this year

Sevenhugs Smart Remote

Remotes are a mixed blessing. A universal remote was supposedly the solution, but all of them have either been useless or too complex to set up. Enter the Sevenhugs Remote that knows what device you’re pointing it towards and it automatically draws up the right buttons. Aim it at a TV or a Blu-ray player or even your DTH box and it’ll know what you need instantly. Its contextually aware system works with a proprietary indoor positioning system and is uncannily accurate.

Laundroid Cupboard

Imagine a basket full of clothes, all different and all as dirty as they can be. Just throw them into your cupboard and go to work or for a movie. When you come back, the clothes have been washed, dried, ironed, folded, categorised and put in the right place in the cupboard. This is no pipe dream. Integrated with image analysis, AI and robotics as its core technology, this Landroid can do it all.

Xolo Era 2X

Technically, Xolo Era 2X wasn’t launched at CES, just showcased in Las Vegas to a select few. But it’s a game changer in its category of phones priced at 6K. A fingerprint scanner and great optics are usually reserved for phones over 10K, but this brings in all that plus a great looking form factor and marries it with powerful hardware and a 2500mAh battery. Few phones at CES can take on this economy champion.

HTC Vive VR system

The new add-ons for HTC Vive, the best VR system in the world, just took it to a new level. The Deluxe Audio Strap is an audiophile-level headset-mounted headphone system. The TPCast wireless adapter makes your headset truly wireless as it connects to a PC, while the ViveTracker turns almost anything into a VR controller. Yes, that means you can use it to turn your own daily objects, a toy or even a real sword into a controller.