Best of CES 2023: A color-changing BMW and a boba tea robot

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Technology companies showed off their latest products this week at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show.

Crowds of investors, media and tech workers have flocked to Las Vegas’ cavernous venues to see the latest technology from major companies and startups. There are concept cars, displays of every imaginable variety, robots that can help with a variety of tasks, and technology for homes. Some technological innovations are already available for purchase, while others may never make it past the prototype stage.

The show runs until Sunday. Here are some highlights:

VIDEO CALLS WITH A RETURN

Tired of the same old video conference calls? Zero Distance thinks it may have the answer.

The company’s Wehead device helps people in a meeting feel as if a remote participant is in the room with them.

The device looks something like a machine you might find at an eye doctor, but with screens on the front. The person participating from a distance seems to be there in 3D, and when they look around or nod, the car moves too.

Wehead works with standard computer or smartphone cameras.

“If there are few people around the table and only one screen, not everyone can see the screen, and the person on the laptop, he or she is not able to see everyone,” said Wehead creator Ilia Sedoshkin. “This is the obvious application.”

“But for people who spend about 40 hours a week in their home office, they don’t see many other people. So the feeling of the real person in the room, using a little space on your desk, can give you less loneliness,” said Sedoshkin.

Wehead costs $1,555, with a pro version available for $4,555.

COLOR CHANGING CAR

BMW is betting on a car that can change colors.

The German automaker’s latest concept car can display up to 32 colors and allows drivers to digitally customize their cars.

That’s not the only thing – the mid-size sedan has a voice assistant as well as physical and digital elements that allow the headlights to create facial expressions and express moods such as joy, surprise and approval.

The car is called BMW i Vision Dee – Dee for “emotional digital experience”.

The Splash Ride is the next iteration of BMW’s color-changing technology, unveiled at last year’s CES, when the company showed off a car that had the ability to change from black to white.

The body of the latest version is divided into 240 segments, which the company said can all be individually controlled and allow the generation of an infinite number of models.

The car will be available in 2025.

A BOBA ROBOT

From milk tea to passion fruit, the ADAM robot can make any boba tea drink you like.

ADAM can also function as a bartender or barista, but it prepared boba tea for delighted CES attendees, who used digital touchscreens to select their drinks.

“ADAM is intended to be essentially a way to attract guests and a way to make drinks fully automated and highly efficient,” said Timothy Tanksley of Richtech Robotics.

The two-armed robot has two gripper handles that can be customized to make specific drinks. While taking a break from mixing drinks, ADAM can dance to entertain people.

ADAM, which can be rented for events or hired full-time, is among a number of robots on display at CES this week that perform a variety of tasks from surface disinfection to deliveries.

NUT MILK ON DEMAND

During pandemic lockdowns in 2020, California resident Luiz Rapacci had a hard time finding his favorite almond milk in grocery stores. He looked online for recipes to make his own, but they were messy and time-consuming.

Almost three years later, Rapacci is at CES to unveil his nut milk production machine, the GrowUp Brewer.

With GrowUp, customers can make nut milk at home in minutes with water and their variety of choice, from cashews and walnuts to almonds and pistachios, Rapacci said.

The car costs $599 and is available now for pre-order.

PERFECT BROWS

L’Oreal’s Brow Magic is bringing augmented reality to your brows.

The company’s app scans your face and uses AR to make personalized recommendations for shape, thickness and effect choices. You apply a primer and then the Brow Magic device uses 2,400 tiny nozzles to tint and color your brows.

L’Oreal developed Brow Magic in partnership with Prinker, which makes a device that quickly applies temporary tattoos.

The makeup in Brow Magic, which is expected to launch later this year, can last up to two days and can be removed with a regular makeup remover.

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Associated Press writer Halleluya Hadero contributed to this report.

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For more on CES, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/technology