PROMO: Change Your Tech, Change Your Life at CES 2016

Here are some of the coolest products to come out of the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, so far.

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Complex Original

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This post was authored by Ignition Factory, the award-winning innovations & emerging platforms team within OMD.  The group focuses on brand innovations via emerging startup partnerships, disruptive media ideas and creative applications of technology.

New year, new you… next level everything. The 2016 Consumer Electronics Show is popping off in Vegas at the moment, covering half the Las Vegas Strip with game changing gizmos and gadgets that will make your own life easier and effortless, thanks to tinier tech, smarter cribs, and revolutionary wheels. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your selfie game, live that James Bond life, or Netflix & Chill on your ride to work, here are our top picks for new tech you need to know about.

More Reality
It’s the year that concept products meet the masses. Innovative updates in Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and drone technology mean that anyone who fancies themselves an enthusiast can actually be one. Fresh out of HumanEyes Inc. is the Vuze camera, a comprehensive VR-rig crossed with a 3-D scanner for the low, low price of $1,000. Parrot’s newly announced DISCO drone is a friendly entry-point to the aerial category; the device can take-off, steer, and land on its own, all while capturing high-def footage with its 1080-megapixel camera. 

Work Wear
One year later, and wearables are still in the spotlight. But instead of clunky wristbands, brands are embedding smart sensors into the clothing we already wear. From a bra (The OMbra), kicks (Digitsole), and a belt (Samsung Welt), these next wave wearables take a holistic approach to wellness—not only monitoring activity, but by providing coaching tips based on collected data. 

The Fridge Knows
Smart devices for the connected home are also on our radar this CES. Samsung’s new refrigerator allows you to check its contents remotely via your phone and can track as your food grows stale. Prizm compiles the perfect playlist by identifying who is in the room, and scanning their various profiles on platforms like Spotify and Soundcloud. Meanwhile, Microbot Push from Naran, Inc. has the overlay technology to turn any pre-IoT appliance into a smart device.

Handsfree
Hand-held tech is quickly becoming gesture tech. Perceptive Devices allows you to “control your computer with a smile,” with a patented gesture technology that allows for hands-free, voice-free, and mouse-free control of devices, offering great use-cases for accessibility and gameplay. LG’s new K-series smartphones let users take a photo simply by raising a hand and clenching a fist in front of the camera. This week, BMW is expected to announce a gesture-based interface that will allow drivers to control certain car features with the wave of a hand. 

Your Ride
Speaking of cars, there’s been big news for the auto industry. Faraday Future’s much-hyped FFZero1 pretty much turned out to be the Bat Mobile, and processing company NVIDIA now has the chops to power autonomous vehicles, with a processor exceeding the power of over 150 MacBook Pros. Hyundai’s owner’s manual has had a sleek update, courtesy of Augmented Reality, to teach drivers basic maintenance through their phones. Finally, Lyft and GM have also announced a partnership with the goal of creating a self-driving car all their own.

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