Finn Partners Inc.

01/10/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/10/2025 10:13

CES 2025: The Future is Now… Ready or Not

News and Insights

CES 2025: The Future is Now… Ready or Not

January 10, 2025

CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, is the global gathering of innovators for tech's biggest showcase of the year. It's two million net square feet of exhibit space - featuring 4,000+ exhibits and 130,000+ people gathered in the desert of Las Vegas to see the "new and next" every January.

For marketers and communications pros, CES is one of the best ways to get a pulse on emerging trends in technology that will impact consumers (and thus, how brands engage with consumers through those technologies).

As consumer culture and commerce continue to evolve to one that is digital-first and tech-enabled, this show offers a wealth of important signals for where things could be headed in the coming years.

In my 17 years attending CES as an analyst and student of "what's next," I've seen the CES launch and then adoption of new and far-flung consumer categories that today are mainstream, such as quantified self, the internet of things (IoT), 3D printing, VR and AR technology, and autonomous cars.

But not every product launch is a home run. Each year, aspiring innovators showcase ideas and products that make consumers scratch their heads, chuckle, or even say, "WTF?" Some of my favorites from recent years include self-adjusting belts, grill cleaning robots, suitcase go-karts, and Wi-Fi-enabled fortune-telling potatoes. Yes, that was a thing.

Below are key themes from the 2025 show:

You (Still) Can't Spell CES Without AI

Although a section of the 2025 CES show floor was labeled "AI Exhibitors," the innovations around the AI category were not contained to any one booth this year. Of course, the maturation of AI is still in progress, but whereas last year you couldn't miss the freshly painted AI letters adorning every booth, this year many products turned the corner into AI-enabled devices that are starting to make sense.

AI's integration into everyday life is accelerating through these products - from AI-powered TVs and smart home devices to autonomous tractors and smart canes for the blind.

AI Finds from CES 2025:

  • Samsung's SmartThings-powered AI ecosystemshowcased how AI integrates across categories-home, sustainability, entertainment, and mobile. Their booth wasn't focused on individual products but on the bigger picture of seamless AI-powered living. Notable innovations included AI TVswith real-time translation, adaptive user preferences, AI-upscaling, and instant content summaries.
  • John Deere and Caterpillardemoed autonomous tractors in action.
  • Oshkoshshowcased autonomous garbage collection pods and airport luggage tractors and trolleys.
  • WeWalk Smart Cane 2, an AI-powered cane for the visually impaired, features enhanced obstacle detection, a voice assistant, and phone integration for navigation and public transit updates. A powerful example of emerging tech improving lives.
  • HYVE Smart Home Delivery Pod, an access-code-enabled box for secure deliveries, offers custom code generation and upcoming Amazon integration.
  • Chatbot appsthat help you create custom workouts, generate recipes from ingredients on hand, design parenting plans, and more.

How long will saying your product has AI be a marketable attribute? The real question is: what problem is it solving, or what new benefit is it unlocking? We still have some work to do on that, but here are some examples of AI-powered devices that have a head start.

Still Waiting on Rosie: How Cleaning Bots Are Leading the Home Robot Evolution

We've all seen the videos of Boston Dynamics Atlas robot doing backflips, Tesla's Optimus robots lifting boxes, Figure robots opening doors, UberEats robots delivering food, and even Spot the robot dog joining military and police forces.

But when it comes to home robot innovation and accessibility, the go-to category continues to be… vacuums?

In 2002, iRobot launchedthe very first Roomba. Thirteen years later they went on sale at big box stores. And more than 20 years later, the primary robot helpers in our homes are still iterating on the same cleaning-style platforms - a far cry from Rosie, the robotic maid and housekeeper of the Jetson family who could cook, clean, and even watch the kids.

Despite all of the science fiction hype and potential of innovation in powerful GPUs, LiDar, and AI, the most easily adoptable products in this category continue to be these ground-style robots that vacuum, mop, wash windows, clean pools, mow lawns and now snow-blow.

And although our home Rosie helpers are not yet on sale at Target, that's not to say these home cleaning use cases aren't massively helpful to humans and worth iteration each year.

With innovations in home mapping and sensors, smart home ecosystem integration, and robotic arms to pick up debris, these robots may not help you carry your groceries inside or offer daycare, but they're ready to remove cleaning up from our household's mental load.

Household Robot Finds from CES 2025:

  • Roborock Saros Z70is a robotic vacuum that doesn't just clean-it picks up objects first using a mechanical arm. It also features spill detection for pet accidents. (disclosure: Roborock is a FINN client).
  • Mova V50 Ultraoffers a unique obstacle clearance feature, allowing it to go down stairs as long as they're less than three inches tall.
  • Hobot S6 Proand Winbot W2were two of many household robots designed specifically for window cleaning that are improving each year. They attach to windows like a robot vacuum and offer built-in drop protection.
  • TCL's Ai Meconcept robot doesn't vacuum or clean, but the owl-looking AI device is the cutest home surveillance and content capture device perhaps ever shown at CES.
  • Segway Navimow X3 Series, an autonomous lawnmower, stood out with its animal protection mode and a price of only $1,000.
  • Yarbo's modular ground robot systemfeatures interchangeable heads for lawn mowing, leaf blowing, spraying, and snow removal. Think of it as a combine for your yard. Price: $4,000 for main unit and charger, plus $1,000 per head. Never having to mow or snowblow again? Priceless.

Or note, it may take another 5 years, but it seems reasonable we'll be seeing more robots than teenagers in our neighborhoods cutting the lawn and clearing the snow in the coming decade.

Beyond Buttons: How CES is Unlocking Human Potential with Accessible Tech

At CES, accessibility isn't just about adding features-it's about reimagining how we connect with the world and increasing our accessibility with it.

Did you know there are untapped muscles and nerves in your body you can use to control devices? Back in 2015, I got to test a device that used electromyography signals from my peri-auricular muscles(translation: ear wiggling) to control a game.

Fast forward to 2024, and we saw a major leap forward with the Mudra Neuralink band, which let me manipulate devices with mouse-like precision using only median, ulnar and radial nervesin the wrist. It turns out our bodies have lots of neural signals and potential to control devices other than tapping, swiping, and pressing.

Personal Health Finds from CES 2025:

  • Mudra Neuralink Bandnow comes in an Apple Watch format, enabling hands-free control of your computer via wrist gestures-essentially adding a hands-free mouse.
  • Kirin Salt Spoonuses low-voltage electricity to enhance the salty taste of food without increasing sodium levels. Perfect for those on low-sodium diets (like me!), and yes, it really works.
  • Omnia 1, a 360° AI-powered health mirror, scans key health metrics such as heart rate, weight, and metabolic health.
  • Skeeper P1, a patch-style stethoscope, provides continuous patient monitoring.
  • Millimeter Wave Sensordetects heartbeats from a distance, making it ideal for remote patient monitoring in care facilities, baby nurseries, or even home security to detect intruders.

Tech like this isn't just cool-it's transformative. It opens up entirely new possibilities for people with limited mobility or to help unlock entirely new ways of living, staying healthy, and ultimately, being more human.

The Great Outdoors Goes Digital: CES Gadgets That Connect Us to Nature

Nature and tech are colliding in fascinating ways, making the outdoors more connected and shareable. It may seem counterintuitive, but emerging technology products can enhance our outdoor experience, or even bring the outdoors into our homes.

From solar-powered garden cameras to portable electric stoves, let's just say the outdoors is getting a serious digital upgrade this year.

Outdoor Tech Finds from CES 2025:

  • Petal by Wonder(makers of Bird Buddy) is a solar-powered, HD camera-equipped garden gadget that captures photos and videos of birds and insects visiting your yard-perfect for sharing on social media. Finally, your bees can be friends with my bees!
  • Birdfy Bath Prointroduced a smart bird bath with a built-in camera and optional AI analysis to identify and track repeat feathered visitors.
  • Lectric Boilis a super-portable electric Coleman-style stove with induction heating and a rechargeable battery-perfect for camping or road trips. Will your coffee taste the same or better? You decide.
  • HyperPack Prois a waterproof backpack with a smart charging system and built-in Apple Find My and Google Find My tracking, so you can easily locate it if you leave it on the train-or forget it in the woods.

In short, nature might not have Wi-Fi (yet), but with innovations like these, we're getting closer to making the outdoors as connected as it is beautiful.

The Future in Focus: Smart Glasses Take Another Step Forward

Imagine ditching your phone for good because your glasses do it all-translate on the fly, snap photos, display directions, even integrate with AR experiences.

Early smart glasses technology has been a CES staple for years. But as AI chips get smaller and battery life gets longer, it's starting to feel less like a sci-fi gimmick and more like something you might actually want to wear.

The trifecta of style, price accessibility, and practical use cases is finally aligning in a way that even though mainstream adoption is still many years away, you can sense the shift from "cool, but why?" to "okay, this could actually be useful."

Smart Glasses Finds at CES 2025

  • Meta Ray-Ban Stories, developed in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, leads the pack with over a million units sold. At $300 a pair, these smart glasses offer AI-driven features like real-time translation, hands-free video capture, and voice assistance-all in a lightweight, everyday wearable form factor that looks like real glasses (no clunky headset vibes). They sync with your phone as effortlessly as wireless earbuds.
  • Even Realities Smart Glassesfeature a built-in teleprompter, real-time translation, smartphone notifications, and turn-by-turn directions displayed directly in your field of vision via your phone's Maps app.
  • Halliday Glassesinclude a 3.5-inch internal monochrome display and an AI agent that can listen to conversations, answer questions during meetings, and perform live translation-similar to Amazon's Echo Glasses.
  • TCL RayNeo Glassesfeature an augmented reality screen, a camera with an indicator light for recording, and quad speakers positioned near your ears. They're incredibly lightweight and impressively bright.
  • Spacetop AR Laptophas pivoted from a "screenless" laptop to customized AR glasses and a software subscription that replaces your PC monitor with a 100-inch virtual display-all viewed through your glasses.

Big players like Meta, Baidu, Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Alphabet are all hustling to help define this burgeoning consumer category. Meta's upcoming Orion product is the next one to watch - moving smart glasses toward full AR integration, combining holographic displays with intuitive controls like voice, gestures, and neural interfaces.

We'll all be carrying smartphones for at least the next five years. But 10? It seems there's a case to be made that we'll eventually carry our personal computers on our faces. These initial products are a good stepping stone to a future that can change in a blink.

The WTF Tech: The Ones That Make Us Wonder "Why??"

For every groundbreaking innovation at CES, there's always a quirky lineup of products that make you pause, raise an eyebrow, and ask, "Wait… who actually needs this?" But let's be honest-that's part of the fun. These offbeat creations provide comic relief amidst the serious tech breakthroughs, and sometimes, just sometimes, they evolve into something surprisingly useful. Until then, they live in the category of 'because we can'-not because we should.

Head-Scratching Finds at CES 2025:

  • Rideable Carry-On Suitcase- It's a carry-on… but also a scooter. And it's fast! Perfect for anyone who's dreamed of zipping through LaGuardia at 10mph. They claim it fits in an overhead compartment, but I give it about a week before the TSA cracks down after too many travelers go full Mario Kart in the terminal.
  • Jumping Car That Hates Potholes- Forget shock absorbers. This concept car jumpsover potholes, because why drive through them when you can just leap like a frog? No word yet if it can handle speed bumps or launch itself over traffic.
  • Pet-Activated Air Purifier and Massager- This gadget only turns on when your pet is nearby, offering a combo of clean air and a little massage (assuming your pet is intrigued enough to rub up against it). But how does one train a pet to rub on an air purifier? Unclear.
  • Mixed Reality Makeup- Why settle for mirrors when you can use high-speed projection mapping to "apply" makeup virtually? This system offers a try-on experience where nothing actually touches your face. Maybe in the future brands could offer branded virtual facepaint, too!
  • Motivational Call Room Pods- These AI-powered booths provide privacy for calls and… wait for it… pep talks on demand. Just press a button, and it'll dispense a quick word of encouragement. Because sometimes all you need is a tiny AI cheerleader to get through your day.

The beauty of CES is that not everything needs to be practical. These absurdities give us a healthy way to scratch our heads and marvel at, "What will they think of next?" while reminding us just how far tech has come-and how far it could still go. After all, today's head-scratchers might just inspire tomorrow's breakthroughs.

POSTED BY: Greg Swan