The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in pictures

Curved high-definition televisions. Flying ride-share vehicles. Talking robots of all shapes and sizes. The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas once again featured the most innovative and eye-catching new technology products that may be coming soon (or not so soon) to a retailer near you (or on the internet). Following are some of the best photos from one of the biggest and brightest technology showcases of the year. 

A conference attendee photographs a display made up of curved OLED television screens at the LG Electronics booth. LG’s impressive collection of TV technology also included one the highlights of the show: a television with a 65-inch OLED screen that can roll and unroll on demand. That device, which LG plans to begin selling this year, must be seen in action to be believed. Search “LG rollable TV” on Google or another search engine to find several videos of the TV taken at the show.

Visitors to CES could peek inside the Mobility Pod, an autonomous shuttle from the Milla Group. The French company touts the electric vehicle as having a top speed of 30 kilometres per hour. Driving decisions for the shuttle are distributed between two computers, adding redundancy to the vehicle’s perception and positioning functionality. Safety features range from the monitoring and emergency intervention capabilities to simple seat belts.

A Navatics Mito underwater drone, capable of diving to a depth of 40 metres while live-streaming video to a smartphone, is shown in a tank at CES. Navatics says the drone has professional-grade stabilisation technology that allows it to get steady video and still shots. The device features 4K video recording and 1080-pixel wireless streaming. In addition, a waterproof buoy with a wireless transmission system can allow the video stream to reach smartphones as far as 500 metres from the device.

I.P. Park, president and chief technical officer for LG Electronics, speaks with an LG CLOi GuideBot during his keynote address at CES on 7 January 2019. The GuideBot helped Park deliver his speech on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to improve people’s daily lives. “Over the past 100 years, household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners have reduced time spent on housework by around 75%, but the amount of cognitive labour involved has significantly increased,” Park said. “The answer lies in AI — but only if we can achieve true intelligence.”

Marc McAllister, vice-president of Harley-Davidson, talks about the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle with Tom Gebhardt, chairman and CEO for Panasonic Corporation of North America, during a Panasonic news conference at CES. Harley-Davidson announced at the show that it would begin taking pre-orders for the LiveWire, which has a list price of $29,799 and is scheduled to be delivered in August. Panasonic announced that it would be providing technology that makes the LiveWire cellular connected.

Kuan-Ling Liu of Ganzin Technology models the Ganzin Aurora eye-tracker module, which can be used to control a variety of functions using eye movement, at the “CES Unveiled” event. The company says that its product can be integrated into augmented reality and virtual reality devices so users can interface via eye movements in an extended reality world.

CES attendees could take a close look at the 49-inch Byton Share Experience Display dashboard video screen in the Chinese company’s Byton M-Byte electric automobile. Dubbed a Smart Intuitive Vehicle by its maker, the Byton M-Byte identifies users via facial recognition camera and offers control of the car’s numerous digital technology features through voice commands, hand gestures, and a touchscreen tablet in the centre of the steering wheel. The company says on its website that its systems have been “intensively tested against driver distraction” and that augmented reality mirrors have been added to the driver’s field of vision.

Honda displays two of its Autonomous Work Vehicles at CES. Honda has beta-tested the ATV-style vehicles with a wilderness firefighting operation, a large solar operations company, and an agricultural and environmental sciences college.

The Bell Nexus vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft drew a crowd at CES. Described by some as an air taxi, the Nexus is designed to provide quick air travel that avoids ground traffic congestion. Bell, which has been building helicopters since the mid-20th century and also worked with Boeing to develop the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, is among the companies working with Uber’s ongoing project to develop an UberAir ride-sharing service. 

CES attendees check out a display of Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printers. Polaroid unveiled the PlaySmart at CES 2019 for the UK and European markets. The company markets the PlaySmart as a lightweight (5 kg) desktop 3D printer that can be used in the home, classroom, or office. The printer’s software allows users to import and download models and print them simply with two clicks of a button. Polaroid plans to release the PlaySmart 3D printer on 1 March 2019 in Europe at a retail price of €449 ($516).