It is that time of the year when Las Vegas is buzzing and packed with people and a plethora of great gadgets that promise to make our lives better. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 debuted on Tuesday and will go on until January 12. As it is one of the biggest tech conferences, a lot of tech players use the show floor to display their innovations.
On the first day of the show, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced the CES 2024 Innovation Awards honorees, including 36 products recognised as the year’s ‘Best of Innovation.’ The CES Innovation Awards is an annual competition honouring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across over 20 product categories. The CES 2024 Innovation Awards Program not only recognises the hard work and creativity of its participants but also sets the stage for future advancements in technology and design.
Already, big tech players such as LG and Samsung have boarded the AI hype train with their smart solutions. At the same time, European startups are also bringing their innovative products. Here is a list of innovative companies from the region that received the CES Innovation Awards.
An energy-saving smart cooker
We have microwaves, toaster ovens, steam ovens, sous vide, air fryers, and regular stoves. Do we need another way to cook? Sevvy, a Dutch startup says we need another kitchen gadget that uses pulsed electric fields (PEF) to cook food.
Until now, PEF has been used in the commercial food industry, mostly for pasteurising liquid and semi-solid foods. Sevvy revolutionises the same with its new Smart Cooker touted to be the first consumer appliance to use PEF. As per the company, it uses 90% less energy than regular ovens and retains more nutrients in the food. At the CES 2024, the company is set to demonstrate baking blueberry muffins in three minutes.
The first compact micromotor designed for electronics
SilMach, a French deeptech startup won the Best of CES 2024 Innovation Awards for its silicon core, a micromotor. The company has achieved a breakthrough with its silicon-core micromotor, touted to be the smallest and autonomous in the world. With unrivaled competitive advantages, including compactness, frugality, and non-magnetism, it finds infinite potential in industries such as aeronautics, construction, transport, medicine, and more particularly watchmaking sectors.
Glove to reduce hand tremors in Parkinson’s patients
UK-headquartered GyroGear has developed the world’s most advanced hand tremor stabiliser, touted to be the first mechanical gyroscope medical device. Dubbed GyroGlove, it features a high-performance gyroscope, which instantaneously stabilises hand tremors, restoring the quality of life.
The glove adopts the latest aerospace technology and satellite-grade mechanical gyroscopes to effectively curb hand tremors and restore normal hand function. Despite its lightweight design, the GyroGlove can bring relief to its users and support them in going about their daily activities.
AI-powered app for the speech-impaired
Yet another Dutch startup that sizzled at the CES 2024 show floor is Whispp. It is an AI-powered assistive speech and phone-calling app. Its speech technology empowers millions of people suffering from a voice disability or stuttering with the ability to speak in their natural voice, intended intonation, and emotion in real-time.
Whispp also enables phone and video calls with more privacy for those without voice disorders, so conversations are kept private without disturbing others. In addition to the CES Innovation Award, Whispp raised €750K seed fund from LUMO Labs alongside other investors for its growth and expansion.
Nanosensor for glucose monitoring in saliva
Swiss startup Nutrix is developing a nanosensor to detect glucose levels in saliva. The sensor uses AI processing and pattern recognition algorithms to analyse the saliva samples for multiple molecules simultaneously.
Although glucose is more diluted in saliva than in blood, the sensor uses its high sensitivity to collect measurements. The sensor enables medical device manufacturers to create non-invasive glucose monitoring devices.
Its gSense, an AI-first SaaS platform, uses high-tech devices, AI, and remote monitoring to provide assistance and monitoring for patients with chronic diseases. gSense GPT is designed to answer questions related to diabetes, glucose levels, diet, and a healthy lifestyle, offering patients accurate and reliable responses to their concerns.
Tiny, eco-friendly rechargeable micro-battery
The French solid-state battery manufacturer I-TEN is recognised for its new tiny eco-friendly rechargeable 250µA.h micro-battery. These new micro-batteries have a footprint of #4,5 x 3,2 mm. Their notable features are that they can be recharged up to almost 80% in 8 minutes and simply at constant voltage like a capacitor. Also, these batteries can deliver high power and high peak currents of over 30mA over 100ms.
A gadget designed for farms
Ukrainian startup FARMHUB is a software package and a special device aimed at increasing milk yields by timely detecting the health status of animals such as the period of fertilisation in dairy cows. It also monitors the health condition of other animals.
The FARMHUB software helps analyse health conditions through animals chewing movements. It is touted that the company can increase the efficiency of farms by over 30%.
A geocode system for logistics firms
Another London-headquartered company that rocked the CES 2024 showfloor is What3Words, a mapping technology startup. It has created a proprietary geocode system for logistics firms.
It has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares, each with a unique address made from 3 words. Now people can refer to any precise location, a delivery entrance, a picnic spot, or a drone landing point, using three simple words.
What3words help improve businesses around the world and pave the way for social and economic progress in developing nations. It can be used via the free mobile app or online map. What3words can also be built into any other app, platform, or website, with just a few lines of code.
Zeiss’ transparent camera tech
German optics powerhouse Zeiss is set to unveil its Multifunctional Smart Glass technology at the CES 2024. The cutting-edge technology boasts the ability to project holographic and AR content on a transparent surface, opening doors to a myriad of applications, from automotive head-up displays to smart home innovations.
The thin polymer film at the core of the technology can turn any glass surface, be it the windows of buildings, transparent screens, or vehicle side windows into an interactive and dynamic display, offering over 92% transparency.
