CES 2021: Consumer Electronics Makers Pivot to Everything Covid
It's been ten months since the coronavirus pandemic changed everything-plenty of time to design, prototype, and manufacture products designed for consumers looking to navigate the new reality more safely, comfortably, and efficiently. And more than enough time to rebrand some existing products as exactly what a consumer needs to weather these challenging times.
So I wandered the virtual show floor of CES 2021 and the peripheral press-targeted events to find these Covid gadgets. Here are my top picks, in no particular order.
Tech-packed face masks
I'm sure there were many more variants of the high-tech face mask than I managed to find in the virtual halls. Those I spotted included:
Photo: Binatone Binatone's $50 MaskFone, an N95 mask with built in wireless earbuds, uses a microphone under the mask to eliminate mask-muffle from phone conversations.
Razer's Project Hazel mask comes with a charging box that uses UV light to disinfect while the mask charges. The N95 mask includes clear panels and a light, to allow whoever you're talking to see your mouth move day or night (helpful for understanding speech for all, not just for those with hearing loss). There's also an internal microphone and external amplifier for voice projection across social distances and built-in air conditioning. This is still a concept product with no pricing available.
AirPop's $150 Active+ mask monitors air quality and breathing, tracking breaths during different activities and flagging the user when the filter needs replacing. A Bluetooth radio connects the mask to smartphones for data analysis.
Personal air purifiers
Photo: Luftqi I'm not convinced that the average consumer will be as likely to toss a personal air purifier in their tote or backpack as they are to carry a canister of disinfecting wipes, even though these two products are about the same size. But plenty of gadget makers think there is a market for the personal air purifier. They don't agree, however, on their choice of air purification technology. LuftQi, for example, uses UVA LEDs in its $150 Luft Duo; NS Nanotech picked far-UVC light for its $200 air purifier. And Dadam Micro's $130 Puripot M1 uses titanium dioxide and visible wavelength light.
Photo: Lexon Lexon's Oblio desktop phone sanitizer
Lexon combined a wireless charger and a UV-C sanitizer into an $80 desktop appliance that looks like a pencil holder; there's no reason why this gadget couldn't disinfect pencils as well
Panasonic's car entertainment systems
The moment that Covid tech jumped the shark might have been when Panasonic Automotive President Scott Kirchner, in introducing the company's automotive entertainment systems, pitched the technologies as relevant because our vehicles have become second homes" from which we celebrate birthdays and attend performances and political rallies. Panasonic's latest in-car technology, he said, can drive 11 displays, and distribute audio seat by seat or throughout the cabin.
NanoScent's Covid diagnostics technology
Talk about a pivot! Startup NanoScent, a company that has built an odor sensor that, coupled with machine learning, it has been developing for use in detecting gas leaks, cow pregnancies, and nutritional status, aims to use its technology to detect the coronavirus. The company says that the proliferation of virus cells among the microrganisms that inhabit the noses of Covid patients produces what it believes to be a distinct smell. It has run two clinical trials, one in Israel and one in the United Arab Emirates, with 3420 total patients.
Yale's smart delivery box
Yale, the lock company, addressed the problem of no-contact doorstep delivery security with its Smart Delivery Box. Users place the chest wherever deliveries generally take place, weighting or tethering it to prevent theft. It sits there unlocked until it is opened, then, after a delivery person places items inside and closes it, it locks until the owner unlocks it with a smartphone. The $230 to $330 lockbox (depending on style and features) can also be managed via WiFi.