It’s the first week of the new year, and looking at how 2020 and 2021 are going, I’m a little nervous that 2022 could get worse.

The first major consumer event in 2022 is CES, and I will still shortly after the holidays argue for a show that just a few days after measuring the hole in our wallet, makes you want to spend more money by buying Christmas presents. But this is U.S. The largest consumer electronics show in the United States, and it has historically been a wonderful place to see what awaits the new year.

This year, the meeting place can be particularly contagious, as many participants may have just been with family members and not been wearing masks or distancing – and many may have hugged and shaken hands with infected people. If they became infected, participants would have symptoms of when CES would start and would not quarantine, making it too risky for me to participate.

So let’s talk about what I expect to showcase at CES, and we’ll end with this week’s first product for 2022: Dell’s Concept Luna, the first truly sustainable portable design.

Vehicle Technology

CES has evolved into a technology showcase for cars. This is the place to look to see what car companies are planning for the future. The event has offered electric cars over the years, along with advanced materials made from 3D printing technology, not to mention a significant number of vehicles flying instead of driving.

With more testing commencing with both autonomous and flying vehicles, I expect more at the event this year – but with a greater focus on execution and less pie-in-the-sky considerations in the short term.

The companies that manufacture these things are switching to revenue-focused products, which means that what we want to see should be more practical in the short term this year than in previous years. We may also see the first level 4 autonomous car concepts that are likely to be made this year.

Nvidia will undoubtedly highlight its simulation advances and computer brains for cars at its keynote and will put more emphasis on using its simulation tools to build robots for home and business.

We should see more adoption of Amazon Alexa-connected digital assistants in cars this year. For me, that’s great because I currently find automotive voice interfaces useless.

Connected Appliances

CES is where you go to see the most advanced equipment. It was there that I first saw the Samsung Connected Flex washer and dryer washing system that I purchased for my home. Everything I currently have of equipment is connected and some, such as a Samsung refrigerator with built-in internal camera, come in handy.

Expect more of these to be tied to home automation platforms with Amazon’s Alexa again at the forefront of connectivity – but other companies are trying to challenge this lead and surpass Amazon’s capabilities as they seek to differentiate. But the battle will not be won over features that are so high on standards, and here Amazon can have an insurmountable advantage in terms of interoperability.

Televisions

TVs will start to feature 8K capabilities along with more Smart TV features. They have evolved over time into a PC-like product, and advanced offerings such as LG’s OLED TVs today run their own OS (LG now uses the older Palm OS, known as webOS).

Better wireless connectivity for your personal electronics, more energy-efficient designs, and more features that allow wider use of TVs (such as for video conferencing or still images) with over a year of next-generation scrollable displays can emerge. by general availability.

Projection TVs continue to deliver consistently superior performance for those who can use them. However in recent years home theaters have become much less attractive home improvement than home offices.

Mixed Reality

Mixed reality continues to hold the promise of traveling electronically instead of traveling physically, and I would not be surprised to see many companies use robots to deliver telepresence experiences at CES.

The show is widely expected to experience peripherals such as connected chairs with enhanced AR and VR headsets as well as vibration, wind and even scent.

Oculus from Meta (Facebook) remains the best technology on the market for consumers, while Microsoft’s HoloLens remains the strongest technology for business. I’m looking forward to an update to Oculus, but I expect Microsoft to wait for one of its own events to highlight the progress.

New possibilities are expected for controllers to provide better immersion and touch along with 2D treadmills that create more realism when running in a virtual environment. Higher resolution optics and a lighter headset are also expected to be featured at CES 2022, which should create an even more immersive experience.

Robotics

As far as robots go, I expect there will be more on this show than ever, as the technology has gotten a lot better over the years. The lack of staff and domestic help is what really drives the development of this technology.

We want better robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic security products and drones, and we want to start seeing the next generation of robotic pets. Amazon is talking about an Echo product that’s mobile, and CES is a great place for them to preview what should be a full offer that they expect to ship in the first half of 2022.

Robots that clean windows, help around the house and provide support to our aging population are also expected to be a part of the event. I’m sure most of this would sound pretty scary to most of us. The terrifying canyon problem, where robots look both very real and not real, has proven extremely difficult to overcome.

We should have a larger number of drones at the show with longer battery life, as well as better AI-powered features and easier ways to comply with drone-based regulations. We may also see some anti-drone technologies on display at CES, though these are often put on hold for security-focused events later in the year.

Dell Concept Luna

Dell Concept Luna was announced just before Christmas and is one of the most innovative laptops ever made. It does not have innovative features like a foldable screen or inductive charging, but what it does highlight is the most durable PC design ever devised.

It is modular and is designed to be an important part of PC as a Service (PCaaS) as well as the anti-Apple laptop, as it is designed to be easily serviced by everyone. It makes extensive use of recycled materials and is designed to be upgraded over time, either to meet the needs of an existing user or to allow it to be passed on to subsequent users who may be new. Can not buy laptop.

It makes extensive use of recycled metals and carbon fiber, recycled plastic and even water-soluble glue to make the motherboard easier to recycle when it’s out.

Although not yet for sale, it has become a demonstration of how much you can do to reduce waste. Even the manufacturing method reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50 percent. It is stronger to last longer in operation and more energy efficient.

Designed with the help of Intel, Dell’s Concept Luna represents the latest in designing a sustainable laptop – and that makes it my product of the week.