The second day of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 in Las Vegas saw massive crowds exploring a futuristic landscape filled with thousands of robots, AI companions, and cutting-edge health technology. The event transformed into a global stage where tech giants unveiled partnerships and prototypes aimed at reshaping industries and daily life.
Industrial AI and Strategic Partnerships Lead the Charge
The day began with a powerful keynote from Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch. He detailed how Siemens customers are leveraging artificial intelligence to transform their businesses. In a significant announcement, he was joined on stage by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to reveal an expanded partnership. Together, they declared the launch of a new AI-driven industrial revolution set to reinvent manufacturing, production, and supply chain management.
Later, Lenovo hosted a star-studded event to showcase its AI platforms. CEO Yang Yuanqing was joined by tech luminaries including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, AMD CEO Lisa Su, and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. They highlighted how Lenovo's AI solutions can assist individuals through wearables, empower businesses via enterprise platforms, and impact the wider world.
Gadgets and Prototypes: From Gaming to General Assistance
Several companies paraded innovative products destined for the market this year. Gaming hardware leader Razer stepped beyond its core domain to showcase two intriguing AI-powered prototypes.
The first is an over-ear gaming headset, codenamed Project Motoko, which also functions as a general-purpose AI assistant. The second is an AI desk companion, an evolution of last year's Project Ava. This holographic companion has moved from the screen into a small glass tube equipped with speakers and a camera. It can offer gaming advice and help organize a user's life. Both devices are AI-agnostic, meaning they can work with various AI models. For the demo, the headset used OpenAI's ChatGPT, while the desk companion operated on xAI's Grok. Razer plans a commercial release later in 2024.
Robots for Real-World Problems and Health Tech for Longevity
Oshkosh Corporation presented a vision for the future of air travel with a fleet of autonomous airport robots. Designed to execute the complex "perfect turn" process after a plane lands—including guiding the aircraft, unloading luggage, fueling, and cleaning—these robots aim to reduce delays and enhance safety. CEO John Pfeifer stated the technology can operate in severe weather conditions challenging for human crews. Testing with major airlines is ongoing, with a debut planned at large hub airports like Atlanta or Dallas over the next few years.
In the health tech arena, Withings unveiled the Body Scan 2, a smart scale that measures far more than weight. In just 90 seconds, it assesses 60 biomarkers, including heart age, vascular age, and metabolism, through the pads of the feet and hands. Priced at $600 and launching in spring, it also provides a nerve health score. Paired with a subscription app ($10/month or $100/year), it offers personalized health advice to promote longevity.
Chinese company Roborock demonstrated the Saros Rover, a robotic vacuum that uses chicken-like legs to climb and clean stairs, including spiral staircases. Though still in development with no release date, it represents a novel approach to home cleaning.
AI Accelerates the Future of Clean Energy
In a major announcement for sustainable energy, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), NVIDIA, and Siemens revealed a collaboration to use AI in advancing nuclear fusion. CFS is building a prototype fusion power plant called SPARC in Massachusetts, which is about 70% complete. The partnership will create a "digital twin" simulation of the physical machine.
CFS CEO Bob Mumgaard explained that querying this simulation will speed up progress and compress years of manual experimentation into weeks of analysis. SPARC is a prototype for the company's first planned power plant, ARC, targeted to connect to the grid in the early 2030s. The device uses powerful magnets to create fusion conditions, and CFS has already installed its first high-temperature superconducting magnet into SPARC.
CES 2024 continues to solidify its role as the premier launchpad for technologies that will define the coming year and beyond, with artificial intelligence serving as the common thread weaving through every major innovation.
