By Chuck Martin
CES International this year could easily be mistaken for a mega show about The Internet of Things.
Over the last two annual events, always held here in Las Vegas at the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center in addition to a large spillover to numerous hotel conference facilities, IoT technology has been somewhat of a big deal.
Two years ago, connected cars and smart lights and other smart home appliances were featured. Last year, there was more of the same, except that there were actual production models starting to hit the marketplace.
A review of what’s going to be shown this week indicates that consumers can expect to be faced with the prospects of buying any number of smart devices.
And based on a new study, conducted to coincide with CES and out today, shows that many consumers plan to take the plunge.
Almost half (45%) of consumers either own smart home technology or plan to invest in it this year, according to the report.
The study comprised a survey of 4,000 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Poll for Coldwell Banker.
Of those who have or plan to get smart home technology, more than a third (36%) don’t consider themselves to be early adopters of technology.
And consistent with the number of smart devices being unwrapped at CES, the majority (70%) of consumers with smart home technology said buying their first home product made them more likely to buy another one.
The obvious question is what is considered to make a home smartand security leads the way,
- 63% — Security (locks and alarm systems)
- 63% — Temperature (thermostats and fans)
- 58% — Lighting (smart light bulbs)
- 56% — Safety (fire/carbon monoxide detectors)
While more consumers warm to smart devices for their homes, there’s no shortage of smart things that will be shown at CES this week. Here’s a glimpse:
- Bowflex — Smart dumbbells with technology designed to guide users through each exercise while tracking reps and weight lifted
- Edyn – A smart irrigation controller for plants
- Keyssa – Smart glasses for cyclists
- Whirlpool — Smart French Door Refrigerator uses space more efficiently so families can fit and find it all
- Livall – A smart bike and helmet
- Beddit – A sleep tracker that makes any bed a smart bed
- Master Lock — Bluetooth Smart Padlocks, turns a smart device into a key
- Moff — The Moff Band, a smart wearable for kids
- Osram Sylvania — Smart connected LIGHTIFY portfolio, including the LIGHTIFY Switch and Outdoor Flex RGBW strips
- ZoZbot — Consumer robot made for Robo-Gaming
- Nortek Security & Control — GoControl water control and monitoring devices including a smart flood detector
- Schlage – The Schlage Control Smart Locks and the Sense Smart deadbolt
- Lumo Bodytech — Lumo Run smart shorts
- NXT-ID – The Wocket Smart Wallet
- Telepathy — AR smart-glasses
- Zuli — A smart plug that enables a home to adapt to personal preferences, such as lighting and temperature
- Oco — Smart camera for monitoring a home with a self-learning motion and noise detection system
- McGraw-Hill Education — A tablet-optimized version of SmartBook, an adaptive reading product
- Osterhout Design Group — Augmented Reality company to smart glasses
- Petnet – The SmartBowl for pets
- Icontrol Networks – Piper smart home security system
- RIF6 — The Cube, a pocket-sized projector that can turn a smartphone, tablet or laptop display into a 120-inch projection
- Roost — The Roost Smart Battery, which transforms existing home smoke and CO alarms into smart alarms
- Slendertone — The Slendertone Connect Abs, a smart device that actively tones your abs
- Tablo — Tablo apps for Apple TV and LG webOS-powered Smart TVs
That’s just a small sampling of the types of smart objects that will be pitched to retailers, distributors and anyone else who decides what to stock for consumers this year.
Based on the CES lineup, there will be no shortage of options facing consumers.
