CES 2019: from beer tech to a banned sex toy   

Тhe Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas revealed what the tech world has in store for us this year. From the spectacular to the controversial – as well as some total tosh – the Guardian presents 10 of the most memorable products unveiled at CES 2019 last week.

Rollaway TVs

After years of promises, the world’s first truly rollable telly is LG’s 65in Signature OLED TV R9. Forget the clunky name, LG finally has a TV that rolls up and out of the way when not in use.

Turn it on and the TV extends upwards from the base to offer everything a top-class 4K HDR OLED TV should. There is even a “line view” mode that allows just the top of the television to peek out of the base to show a clock and other bits. The TV supports Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant and Apple’s AirPlay 2.

Expect an eye-watering price tag later this year.

Intelligent toilets

The Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet promises a “fully immersive experience” with fancy “dynamic and interactive multicoloured ambient and surround lighting”, built-in speakers and voice control. A snip at about $7,000 – or $9,000 if you want it in black.

Body-powered watches

Matrix PowerWatch 2 is is water-resistant to 200m device with a colour screen. It shows notifications and will track steps, sleep and health with a heart rate monitor on the back and GPS for runners. It’s compatible with iPhone and Android, selling through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo for $199-$395, to ship in June.

Banned sex toys

CES’s organisers are now facing accusations of gender bias, given sex dolls for men were launched at the event last year and pornography has been featured in its virtual reality booths for years.

Samsung TV with iTunes

Apple, notorious for blocking others from using its technology, has not only started licensing its AirPlay 2 media streaming system to TV manufacturers including Sony, LG and Vizio, but has also announced that an iTunes app will be available on its arch-rival Samsung’s smart TVs.

Walking car

Experts are said to be sceptical that Hyundai’s “limitless” design will actually work. But if it does, the car that “can climb a 5ft wall, step over a 5ft gap, walk over diverse terrain and achieve a 15ft wide track width” will apparently be brilliant for emergency services and rescue vehicles.

Bleeding Vagan Burger 2.0

The Impossible Burger 2.0 “delivers all the taste meat lovers crave – without compromise to nutrition or the planet”, according to the company’s COO, David Lee. It is now on sale in a few fast food restaurants in Las Vegas, with a US rollout scheduled for later in the year.

HomeBrew pods

LG’s HomeBrew produces five litres of beer from a choice of American IPA, American pale ale, stout, pilsner and Belgian witbier. All users have to do is to hit the button to get the drink in Nespresso-esque capsules. 

Silent motoring

Bose, maker of world-class noise cancelling headphones, wants to make car journeys silent, using the vehicle’s speakers. Its QuietComfort Road Noise Control system aims to suppress road noise, using a series of accelerometers and microphones to cancel out unwanted sound waves using the vehicle’s sound system.

Conventional systems simply pack the doors and floor with insulation but the problem is much bigger for electric cars, which lack the ambient sound of a combustion engine to mask the irritating roar of rubber on road.

Automatic make-up

Science fiction has long been filled with gadgets that automatically apply makeup. At CES, Procter & Gamble turned sci-fi into reality with a wand that scans the face and then precisely applies makeup.

The Opté Precision Skincare System detects the colour and pigment of skin using a camera, detects blemishes and then covers them with the exact amount of makeup needed to seamlessly erase them. The system prints makeup on to the skin using tiny inkjet-like nozzles.