From Robots and Gaming to Fertility and Green Energy: The Coolest Tech at CES 2010

Innovation, at its best, is something that changes lives for the better. This is why I don’t find 3D television sexy, although it is what everyone is all a flutter about at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. 3D television won’t improve life as we know it (even a movie junkie like me realizes that). It is simply an immersive distraction. If CES is about true innovation and not just cool devices then more attention should be given to those companies whose products embody that. So here are my picks for truly innovative technology you might have missed while wearing those silly glasses:

The BSL (Basic Service Level) Robot:

What it is: At first glance you might mistake it for furniture, but what Gamma Two, Inc has created is quite the amazing little robot. Currently available in custom production the robot, known as “Basil”, is designed for service around the house. Once turned on it can respond to a wide array of voice commands. Basil’s most simple function is to transport items from room to room. A function perfect for folks whose physical condition impedes them from carrying such things as laundry baskets. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what Basil can do.

Using a combination of infrared sensors and sonar it can detect the difference between a person and normal household objects. It is self mobile, can “wander” and thus map out the layout of a room. It can be “taught” to remember areas of the house in order to go to or return to them. What’s more Basil is highly interactive. It can provide verbal question and answer responses to its owners.  For example, it could potentially remind someone to take their medication or remind them of an event.

What makes the potential of Gamma Two’s creation extremely interesting is the extensive capabilities of the Cybernetic Brain developed for Basil. Basil has the capability to “learn” (I use the word in a very non-scientific sense) tasks from simple “Basil carry the laundry” to complex “Basil alert if there is an intruder”. The potential of Basil’s brain is really quite astonishing.

Editor’s Note: Look for a more in-depth interview piece with the makers of Basil and its counterpart “Wilma” later this week.

The way I see it: In its service functions Basil has a lot of potential. Basil currently has the ability to have internal drawers put in to store items in the robots care. The Gamma Two team are also developing “arms” and “eyes” for the robot. But what is truly the most exciting is the wide variety of potential of the Cybernetic Brain Gamma Two has developed which would allow for a vast array of ability. And yes, Asimov’s Laws were taken into account in Basil’s development.

The Peregrine:

What it is: Representing one step closer to the screen interactive movements of Minority Report and one leap up from the debacle of the Nintendo Power Glove, the Peregrine was designed to help PC gamers’ ditch the keyboard…almost.

Developed by Iron Will Innovations the Peregrine is a gaming glove that can trigger hotkey commands. Sleek and comfortable it contains 18 touch points and three activator pads that in combination offer 30 different programmable commands. 5 different command configurations can be saved as profiles thus you can have one profile for World of Warcraft and another for Civilization. The Peregrine interfaces with the computer via a magnetic break-away “pod” that attaches to the glove at the back of the hand. Although designed for gamers, the glove can be used to implement any hotkey command. You can even type with it (although that kind of defeats the purpose). It is available now for pre-order for $129.

The way I see it: In many ways the keyboard is obsolete. The technology is there to make it so but the demand isn’t. We’ve all grown up with and are accustomed to them. The folks at Iron Will Innovations have definitely taken a step in the right direction. Being able to initiate 30 hotkey commands is great. What would be better is if the glove was wireless and if it could handle mouse functions specifically by moving the cursor and clicking. If the Peregrine could do those things and function in tandem with a headset microphone you would never need your keyboard OR your mouse again.

DuoFertility:

What it is: From one wearable gadget we move to another, although one designed for an entirely different purpose. Developed by Cambridge Temperature Concepts Limited, DuoFertility is a non-invasive, female fertility monitor which offers a precise way of maximizing a couple’s chances of getting pregnant. While that, in and of itself, is a noble cause CEO Shamus Husheer feels the monitor can provide a deeper set of health diagnostic benefits as well.

The DuoFertility monitor works by measuring and recording skin temperature up to 20,000 times during a normal sleep cycle. This continuous monitoring determines when a woman is ovulating using a much more sophisticated version of the basal body temperature (BBT) method.

The monitor has two components: a small sensor the size of a button that is placed via adhesive strip under the armpit; and a reader that takes in the sensor’s data, works with a desktop software database, and provides a date indicator which shows the best date to increase the chances of pregnancy. What’s more the data the DuoFertility monitor collects can be used with a woman’s doctor to identify potential fertility issues and other related health issues as quickly as possible. That means there is quite a lot of potential of early diagnosis of common health problems.

Not yet available in the US the monitor is expensive at £495 but offers a lot of potential health benefits.

The way I see it: The human body indicates a complex variety of things through body temperature. Fluxes in temperature could indicate bacterial or viral infections, or the body’s reactions to other systemic problems. The trick is creating an accurate and consistent baseline for individuals. If Cambridge Temperature Concepts Limited’s technology can accurately be predictive to problems with a woman’s reproductive system through temperature date, it could also be potentially used to provide early warnings to other medical issues.  After all early detection is key to surviving many life threatening health issues.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies “Off the Grid” Portable Units:

What it is: Green technology is finally building momentum. Not simply in the ways corporations are trying to be more green because it is in vogue. But with real innovations that revolve around developing, storing, and transporting green energy. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies featured a set of portable units at CES designed to work in tandem for users who wanted to be or needed to be off the grid. They are:

• HydroStik: Shaped like a battery the HydroStik stores hydrogen gas in a safe solid form. The Stik contains metal hydride alloys that absorb hydrogen into crystalline structures and release it at low pressure. What this allows for is the highest volume of energy capacity of hydrogen storage. It takes 10 liters of hydrogen to charge one Stik and each Stik has a 12Wh capacity. It is designed for use with the MiniPak to power devices and with the Hydrofill to be recharged.
• MiniPak: A pocket sized universal charger and power extender for any USB device. It is powered by the HydroStik and can power anything from cell phones, to cameras, to small LCD screens. It has an output of 5v@o.4A
• Hydrofill: Is what truly makes the MiniPak and HydroStik system off the grid. It is a water based extraction system that through an electrolysis membrane produces 10 liters of hydrogen per hour at a minimal cost of 60W DC in power. It is an AC, solar, and wind compatible system. The water has to be deionized or distilled.
• HydroPak: The heavy-duty cousin in the Horizon Fuel Cell portable family this pack is designed to be self charging and can output 5x the amount of energy than a lead based battery of equal size (3.5kg). It has a 60W DC output and can invert to AC. It has two USB outlets and a 12V cigar lighter style outlet. Since it doesn’t have emissions it can be used indoors

All are slated to be released this year for consumer sale.

The way I see it: Beyond its substantial off the grid/emergency applications, what’s most interesting about the direction Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies is going in is that it is providing the end user with the ability to develop infrastructure without having to wait until utility companies adopt the technology. There are lots of innovative green companies whose goal is just that. Horizon was easily the most interesting one at CES this year.