Here are a few more items that stood out from the gaggle of gadgets on display. Whether they make their retail debut in their current form or are subsumed in other devices, they are poised to change the way we relate to electronics.
Slamtec Zeus
At first glance, this looks like the kind information display to be found in shopping malls and airports the world over, but it’s actually a mobile robot from local Shanghai firm Slamtec. The robot can navigate itself around a room (and people) autonomously, and in this configuration—with the display screens—it’s intended to act as a customer assistance robot for large stores. All of the navigation intelligence and motive power is the base which allows users to replace upper portion for different tasks, including telepresence and (you guessed it) robot butler.
Nod On Soft Remote
ID-RF, a French division of Altyor Group with it’s manufacturing based in Shanghai, has developed a smart-home line of products called Nod On. There some examples of the soft remote from that line, which is a moveable switch that controls things like smart plugs wirelessly—without any batteries. It harvests all the energy it needs from the mechanical motion that occurs when a human presses one of its four buttons. The range is 30 meters indoors, 80 meters outdoors. A Nod On starter kit, which comes with a soft remote and two smart plugs, costs $129.
Photos: Stephen Cass
