CES: World’s largest ‘gadget show’ kicks off in Las Vegas

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 opened its doors on Wednesday to the largest exhibit floor in the show’s 49-year history, with 2.4 million net square feet of exhibit space and featuring more than 3,600 companies, including a record 500 startups. Billed as the “Super Bowl of the gadget world,” Association, CES 2016 runs through Saturday, Jan. 9 in Las Vegas.

Over the history of the CES trade show, some of the most innovative tech inventions have been unveiled at the annual event in Las Vegas. Companies big and small use CES to introduce the latest innovation to the global market.

Here are a few highlights from the first day.

Smart cars
Toyota is showcasing a host of automated, connected and zero-emission technologies at CES 2016, giving conference-goers a window into a world where vehicles can not only take care of themselves but their owners too.

“At Toyota, we see the vehicle of the future as more than just a mode of transportation,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. Inc. “Instead, it will be something more useful, accessible and exciting than ever before. These next generation connected and automated vehicles will optimize their own operational capabilities and deliver comfort, convenience and joy to passengers – and they’ll be arriving sooner than you think.”

On Tuesday, the Toyota Research Institute announced the hiring of its technical leadership team, bringing together an all-star group of scientists and engineers to help drive research into artificial intelligence and robots. Toyota has already committed $50 million over the next five years to support collaborative research into artificial intelligence and robotics research at Stanford and MIT. The program has identified and funded almost thirty initial research projects and project teams.

Smart homes
Home improvement retailer Lowe’s is unveiling its Holoroom concept at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Holoroom is an in-store and at-home virtual reality design tool that allows customers to visualize and design their dream homes.

The Holoroom was development by Lowe’s Innovation Labs and Marxent, the leader in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for retailers and manufacturers. The latest platform of Lowe’s Holoroom is now in select stores in the greater Columbus, Ohio and Denver, Colo. markets and will be installed in 12 additional stores across the U.S. in 2016. To explore the Lowe’s Holoroom experience on YouTube, watch below.

Smart shoes
Altra IQ powered by iFit is a smart running shoe that acts as a personal stride coach, giving runners real-time feedback during their training run. A razor-thin, multi-sensor system embedded the full length of the midsole in each shoe tracks a range of running intelligence, such as foot strike zone. Altra IQ shoes transmit data to an iFit app or iFit tracker watch with BLE, which provides individual analysis and real-time coaching on the run.

At 8.6 ounces, the lightweight running shoe will be available this spring at specialty running shoe retailers and altrarunning.com.

Smart TV
Netflix launched its service globally, simultaneously bringing its Internet TV network to more than 130 new countries around the world. The company made the announcement — and the service went live — during a keynote by Co-founder and Chief Executive Reed Hastings at CES 2016.

Since Netflix launched its streaming service in 2007, the service has expanded globally, first to Canada, then to Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan to include 60 countries. The streaming service now available on virtually any device that has an Internet connection, including personal computers, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs and game consoles.

Smart Printer
Beijing Tiertime Technology Co. of China announced the global launch of its new consumer 3D printer UP mini 2 at CES. UP mini 2 is the company’s first consumer ready desktop 3D printer that uses touch screen control and WIFI connection. The 3D printer will be available for purchase worldwide beginning at the second quarter of 2016, through Tiertime’s global distribution partners and major e-commerce platforms.