A solar-powered car, an air-purifying cat tower and a phone charger designed to provide a day’s worth of power in two seconds were among the eye-catching gadgets that drew crowds at the CES technology show in Las Vegas.
The annual event took place this week, with more than 100,000 tech industry attendees on hand to examine the thousands of new devices on display.
Those on display are a mix of products about to launch and more conceptual products aiming to roll out in the coming years and covering all aspects of the gadget type, from smart home accessories to electric vehicles.
Among the most eye-catching new products is one from Aptera Motors, which came to CES with what it says is a production-ready solar electric vehicle.
The car features solar panels built into the hood and rear of the car, which Aptera says have a range of up to 400 miles on a single charge.
Additionally, the company claims that drivers can earn up to 40 extra miles of free driving per day simply from captured sunlight, with the company estimating that in sunny climates users could drive more than 10,000 miles per day. year by driving on solar energy. reduce the use of domestic or public charging.
But the Aptera isn’t the only electric vehicle attracting attention at CES, with electronics giant Sony announcing that its electric car, Afeela 1, made in partnership with Honda, is now available to order for the first time.
The car, expected to begin delivery in 2026, will cost just under $90,000 (£72,000), which includes a three-year subscription to a range of in-car features including semi-autonomous driving assistance and a artificial intelligence. motorized personal assistant.
Robotics is traditionally a key trend at CES, and this year was no different, with a wide range of robots on display at the show, intended to support humans in a variety of ways.
Two that have caught the eye are both robot vacuums, but offering contrasting additional features aimed at making them more useful.
The X50 Ultra, from Chinese company Dreame, includes a set of retractable feet to help the robot “jump” onto small stairs or ledges around the house so it can reach areas other robotic vacuums can’t.
Just across the aisle in one of the CES convention halls was Roborock, another robot vacuum maker, which brought the Saros Z70 to the show.
What makes Roborock’s device unique is that it includes a foldable mechanical arm, which it can use to pick up and move, or put away, small obstacles it encounters while cleaning.
Another type of smart home robot, Samsung’s Ballie, is also returning to CES this year.