
“There are things known and there are things unknown and in between are the doors of perception.” — Aldous Huxley
I’m Huxley Westemeier (26’) and welcome to “The Sift,” a weekly opinions column focused on the impacts and implications of new technologies.
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At the start of each year, tech companies and manufacturers showcase their new technologies and gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It’s a trade show focused on consumer electronics as the name implies, which means that nearly every category of ‘consumer’ devices (from wearables to laptops to smart-home gadgets) is fair game. From stretching computers to robots and gaming consoles, a lot of fascinating products were revealed or presented at this year’s CES 2025. I’ve chosen eight of them from different categories to highlight some interesting new technologies and comment on their usefulness and real-world applications.
Lenovo- the company that makes SPA’s school laptop- recently unveiled a ‘stretchable/rollable’ computer. It will retail for $3499, a high price tag for a laptop of this size, but it can increase your screen size by 50% at the push of a button. The rolling/folding mechanism is rated for 20,000 uses- a surprisingly low number that might hint at durability issues. My take: it’s extremely expensive for what it is, and doesn’t provide a better experience from the taller display. If I wanted a vertical aspect ratio, I’d rather turn my computer sideways or just use my phone. It’s also likely less durable than existing fixed-screen computers.
Samsung- a company known for its smartphones and household appliances amongst other products- showcased a stretchable display (made of high-resolution Micro LEDs, which are similar to the OLED pixels within modern smartphones). It’s unclear what this technology could be used for, but it could be useful in helping visually impaired individuals navigate a screen by having raised surfaces or buttons physically pop up from the screen. My take: it’s a cool tech demonstration, but doesn’t have many practical applications yet.
Smart glasses: often a feature in many sci-fi movies- look at Tony Stark, for example. Company Halliday (named after James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS virtual reality world in sci-fi novel Ready Player One) has revealed the Halliday Glasses– a pair of AI and Augmented Reality (AR) glasses that use a projector to beam information directly to your retinas. My take: I’ve never seen a company use a projector before- usually AR glasses have small screens embedded within them. Maybe the projector will be more accurate for people with vision problems, and potentially higher resolution. We’ll have to see once they release!
Solar panels are both beneficial for the environment and can help reduce the cost of electricity and reliance on the fossil-fuel-powered grid. But they’re cumbersome: big black panels that can be an eyesore and might not match with every architectural scheme. Company Jackery unveiled new roof tiles that reach a 25% solar efficiency- above average for solar panels- that look like normal terracotta tiles. They’re angled, meaning that they can absorb sunlight from more directions, and they’re also thin, meaning they can be laid upon existing structures without adding unnecessary bulk. My take: they look better than a normal flat solar panel, and the efficiency is impressive!
Apple users might be familiar with MagSafe- the ring of magnets on the back of the iPhone 12 and later that allow for charging stands and accessories. Now, a company called OhSnap has designed a portable gaming controller that connects to your phone via MagSafe. It even includes an adhesive sticker that contains magnets, so if your phone doesn’t have the MagSafe ring (as in Android or older iPhones) you can still use the controller. My take: this is a wonderful accessory for any gamer. Having a full-size controller with durable thumbsticks that attaches to the back of your phone and folds up into a small profile is definitely a feat of engineering.
Video-game graphic processor company turned AI powerhouse NVIDIA announced the ‘world’s smallest AI supercomputer’ known as Project Digits. It’s a small, power-efficient box that contains enough processing power to run models up to 200 billion parameters locally according to NVIDIA- around par with ChatGPT3’s 175 billion. My take: it’s perfect for data scientists, or Machine Learning researchers who want the ability to test large-scale generative models without relying on expensive cloud services.
Isn’t it annoying when your phone runs out of battery? That’s the problem that Swippitt is trying to solve, albeit with a strange solution. Swippitt consists of a smartphone case that contains its own battery in order to charge your phone’s actual battery. Whenever the smartphone case’s internal battery is running low, customers can place their phone case in a large toaster-esque box that swaps the case’s battery for a fully charged one. It’s not actually swapping your phone’s battery, but it still allows for almost unlimited battery life. My take: it’s awfully expensive at over $300 for a glorified phone case/swapping toaster. You could buy a few MagSafe or Anker charging packs instead in order to keep your phone juiced up.
Robot vacuums: how much more innovation is truly possible? It seems like we’ve been stuck with the disc (almost hockey-pucked) shaped robots for the last decade with little shift in design. Roborock’s Saros Z70 aims to change that, and does so with a folding robotic arm (equipped with a camera) that can grab small objects such as socks or other debris and move them to a pile or designated location. My take: while it’s interesting from a technological standpoint, and it’s satisfying to watch the arm fold itself back into the vacuum, I find it somewhat disturbing that humans need a robot to pick up their dirty socks- why can’t we just do it ourselves?