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Author: Akito Yamada, Business Development Manager at MODE

Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the annual event in Las Vegas is back in full swing after Covid. It’s a four day event where top technology companies display their latest innovations, providing a major platform for showcasing new technology.

Here are the three key trends that I saw at the event in 2023.

Shifting the focus from IoT as a technology buzzword to a user-centric experience

So the title may have been a bit misleading… the phrase “internet of things” or “IoT” has disappeared from this year's event. In its place, the words “connected” and “experience” were used prominently. Many booths focused on demos that showcased what can be done when “things” and people are connected to the internet, and how consumers’ lives will change.

As someone who is working in the connected technology space, I welcome the change to be more about how the product or the service can improve people’s daily lives. But I do wonder how in this fragmented space, where interoperability is somewhat limited, how products and services from different companies can play nice with each other.

Take our smart home for example. I use a smart refrigerator from Samsung. I want to get a new smart vacuum cleaner but I like the one from Panasonic, not the one from Samsung. Does that mean I need two separate apps on my phone with two different accounts? What about the construction industry? A contractor may have excavators made by Hitachi loading soil onto trucks made by Komatsu. Can a contractor identify which plant is sitting idle? Or preemptively identify which equipment needs fuel or needs maintenance? 

This is where we come in. At MODE, we help enterprises by remotely collecting data from the real world, whether it be warehouses, construction sites, etc, and presenting the insights using a vendor-agnostic platform. To learn more about what we do and our solution, visit our BizStack product website.

Sustainability as a key theme

The theme of sustainability was bigger than ever this year. Household brands like Samsung, LG, and Panasonic of course, but also John Deere, an agricultural and construction equipment company were all promoting their sustainability initiatives and especially their CO2 reduction efforts.

We’ve all seen how brands that incorporate environmental sustainability initiatives into their core company culture differentiate themselves from their competitors and succeed. Personally, I’m drawn to brands like Patagonia and Allbirds. I’m curious to see if, in the near future, individuals can have actionable insights for things like CO2 emissions to change their behavior and reduce environmental impact. Just like checking their monthly household expenses to save money.

The new buzzword “Metaverse of Things” and the latest development in VR/AR

To paraphrase Steve Koening, VP of Research, Consumer Technology Association who spoke at CES: 

The hypothesis before was the Metaverse was going to be hyper-immersive shared experiences like in the movie Ready Player One. We are going to have an elevated sense of immersion, blending online and real-world experiences. An example is using an Oculus VR headset with an olfactory stimulating product. 

I prefer to meet people face to face. But on occasions when that is not possible, MoT may become a viable option. I look forward to seeing how the Metaverse will change our lives (or not).

Closing thoughts

CES is an event that never fails to inspire and excite me, and I am always eager to see what new technologies and ideas will be revealed. [...] As my trip to CES comes to a close, I will head to our office in the San Francisco Bay Area to soak up the sun on the West Coast before traveling back home to Tokyo.

Special mentions

Here are a few additional demos and trends that caught my attention.

Lotte showcased a system that formulates tailored supplements (and classifies users into cute animal types!) based on users’ health and lifestyle. Other food and beverage brands like Suntory also focused on healthcare. 

Zoox and Toyota Boshoku reimagined what people can do with their time while in transit. Toyota Boshoku, in particular, is envisioning various services such as having a mobile clinic and meeting rooms by changing the interior to suit the application. I wonder if the world will come to a point where you can get a massage on the way to work, or Nike will come to your apartment with their mobile pop-up store when you need new shoes.

A smart telescope from Nikon. I want one!