Robotics
CES 2025: Flying bikes define cutting edge
Amphibious drones, chess-playing robots and AI emotion trackers on show were more than mere concepts, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
What happens in Vegas, the outdated saying went, stays in Vegas. But it was never more true than for this year’s edition of the annual fest of high-tech called CES.
Formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, it dropped the full moniker a few years ago to allow for anything from aviation to business to health solutions. In the process, it also ushered in an era of outlandish devices that are demonstrated under the euphemism of “concept” products. Translation: don’t expect to see them in use any time soon by any consumer near you.
However, that does not mean the concepts are meaningless. Anything from Flying motorbikes to emotion trackers are really attempts to test the boundaries of technology. In this way, “crazy concepts” in reality define the cutting edge of high-tech gadgetry.
The best example at CES 2025 in Las Vegas last week was the Skyrider X1, a two-wheeled electric vertical take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) amphibious craft. Yes, it does air, land, and water. On display at the booth of its creator, Rictor, it looks like just another overgrown drone. In a “concept” artist’s impression, however, it is an eye-popping vision of the future of urban transport.
According to Rictor, it redefines low-altitude flying products with exceptional performance and affordable pricing. It claims a maximum flight speed of 100 km/h and a flight duration of up to 40 minutes.
“It features automatic route planning and can adjust flight height, speed, and direction based on real-time weather and environmental changes, significantly reducing flight risks. The addition of automatic take-off and landing functions ensures convenience and safety. For pilots seeking manual control, the Skyrider X1 also supports manual operation and joystick controls, catering to diverse flying preferences.”
Every phrase of that description is like poetry to the gadget lovers who flock to CES, the world’s largest tech expo by floor space. However, until it rhymes with regulatory certification, artists will continue to have more fun with it than consumers.
Other devices are more likely to fall between the usual gaps between hype and reality. Take PieX, “the world’s first AI Emotion Tracking Pendant. The exhibitors gushed over its “unique capabilities” such as emotion tracking, meditation guidance, automatic journal writing, and AI-driven coaching.
If it sounds like your regular smartwatch in action, minus the journaling, Dr Ernest Xie, CTO of PieX, begs to differ: “It’s not just a pendant; it’s a revolutionary emotional wellness tool designed to help people better understand and manage their emotions.”
An AI Emotion Tracking Pendant, Photo supplied
It uses sensors to monitor user’s stress level and on-device large language models (LLMs) to provide AI-style personalised emotional insights and advice.
In a similar way, robot makers were out in force at CES, fresh from retrofitting ChatGPT and other LLMs into their automatons, as if that will justify the extraordinary price tags of technology that is obsolete as it leaves the production line.
Home robotics brand SenseRobot sensed the opportunity, and rolled out a full range of new robots. The most puzzling is the SenseRobot Chess, which the company says “brings chess to life with cutting-edge AI vision technology and intelligent decision-making algorithms”.
S3 Pool Cleaning Robot, Photo supplied
A robotic arm “effortlessly performs tasks like picking up chess pieces, enabling human vs. AI games, human vs. human games, and recording and reviewing gameplay.”
Perhaps someone will tell them we’ve been playing chess against machines on our computers for decades.
There is no doubt many of the new devices on display at CES will carve out a place in the home and office. Or pool.
For example, Wybot announced the S3 Pool Cleaning Robot, equipped with 3D mapping, self-emptying, and automatic solar charging. It sounds like Roomba vacuum cleaner meets Kreepy Krawly pool cleaner, and we know how readily the world embraced both those technologies.
The same is likely to apply to a company called Novosound, which this week demonstrated continuous ultrasound blood pressure monitoring from a wrist device, with accuracy levels comparable to conventional electronic cuff devices. In short, it meets a real-world need.
