Holy moly connected everything explosion at International CES 2015! As the connected home products and autonomous auto announcements took majority of the spotlight (as they should), you always have those quirky gadgets that too make some noise. Here are 7 "real or unreal" examples of how companies are connecting the unconnected.
Do you frequently purge at buffets? If so, this belt might be for you. Belty by French start-up Emiota is a smart belt that automatically loosens to give that expanding waistline comfortable room - and then as you walk it off, the belt will gently tighten as your waistline trims down. Emiota also has included some activity tracking sensors into the belt which will notify you through a buzz if you've been sitting too long (just in case your aching back doesn't alarm you).
From the creators of one of last year's most popular CES gadgets, HAPIfork (now called the 10S Fork), by Smart Control - another company out of France, brings to you the smart baby bottle. Baby GiGL monitors how much and how fast your baby is drinking and then sends the data to your smartphone (I guess the baby crying isn't a sign that you need to feed him/her more). Rest assured, it will also inform you of the optimal angle you should be holding the bottle to ensure your baby doesn't intake too much air.
In case your kid's tablet runs out of batteries, the popular shoe company SKETCHERS just announced Game Kicks. The interactive shoes light up and makes sounds in a Simon-like 'match the pattern' memory game. I can't wait to see a classroom full of kids with their leg up on their lap playing the light-up game. The sneakers are ready for your purchase at $65 a pair.
Having a tough day? myBrain (yet another French company - Alban and Jérôme should be impressed with all the gadgets coming from their homeland) have created melomind. Strap on this connected headset during a coffee break and the company is claiming it will "improve your health and well-being with a 15-minute peaceful musical interaction experience." The headset connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone or tablet. When you put your earphones on, and start an audio journey (from a catalog of audio environments they provide) through which the music will be modulated by your own brain activity, it will guide you through the relaxation process. Sounds great, why wouldn't I wear this headset all day? melomind is available for a $299 pre-order via their website and set to ship later this year.
Edwin the Duck claims to be the "World's First Interactive Rubber Ducky" and boy has it revolutionized. The duck features an LED light, Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless connectivity, waterproof speaker and thermometer. When in the bath, it will play music streaming from your smartphone and will detect if the water is too hot - then as you're ready for story time, Edwin engages by its lights reacting to a fully interactive animated adventure stories from the Edwin the Duck app. Available for pre-order at $99 - now the question is, would you pay that price tag for the next-generation of the little rubber ducky?
Yes, the company behind the drones, Parrot (and yet annnooottthheerr company out of France), brings to you the Flower Power H2O. I'm guilty of being a consistent plant killer and this new product hooked me at their press release headline, "the smart sensor that waters for your plant while you are away." Really? But, how does it store water? Well...you need to screw in a water bottle - and this is when I lost a bit of interest. I'm a bit OCD about things, and not sure I'd be ok with ruining my plant's beautifulness with a plastic water bottle - but perhaps others won't mind. If you're able to look past that (since you'll be out of town anyways), it will do its job of keeping your plant alive by using a sensor to dictate how and when it needs water.
It seems like connecting your toddler was another popular theme this year - let it be known that parents aren't afraid to throw money at anything related to safety and their child. Pacif-i by Blue Maestro is the "World’s First Smart Pacifier" that with a temperature sensor built into the pacifier’s silicon teat, it transmits temperature data via BLE to your smartphone or tablet. But, the greatest feature in my opinion is the built-in proximity sensor - this would've been helpful the other day when my toddler threw out her pacifier at Costco and I spent wasteful minutes trying to track it down.
Although these brilliant 'forward-thinking' innovations display the technology that is accessible today and are very good proving grounds of what can be done, I'm wondering though, how many of these products do you actually "need to have" and spend your hard-earned dollars on? Then also, what physical products do you interact with on a daily basis that you would like to be connected?
If I had a baby, I might have bought the pacifier.
It means parents can be warned early if a fever comes up.
I also like the proximity sensor: a good way to keep peace and protect your investment
"Do you need these"? - No
"Do you want these"? - Yes