LAS VEGAS \u2014 Here\u2019s a morning routine for you. After the alarm on your smartphone goes off, it\u2019s time to roll out of your smart bed and give your hair a good run through with your app-connected brush. Don\u2019t forget to use your smart toothbrush in front of your smart mirror.
After that, your smart pillbox will remind you to take your medication. And remember to put on your smart jeans, so they can give you directions while you leave your phone in the pocket.
Sound like a typical morning? Tech companies at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas would like it to be. They\u2019re unveiling products that do all these things and more. But do we really need them \u2013 or even want them?
\u201cWhen an industry is nascent, you will see experimentation,\u201d said Mark Hung, a vice president at Gartner Research. \u201cCompanies will throw things against the wall to see what sticks.\u201d
You decide whether these are cool innovations or just junk.
Can\u2019t express your feelings adequately through emoticon-filled text messages? For you, there\u2019s the Lovebox. The wooden box \u2013 made by a French startup, of course \u2013 plugs into an outlet and connects to Wi-Fi. A heart on the outside spins when you get a message. Open the lid to see a digital screen with the message. You can reply with a digital heart by rotating the heart on the box.
The Lovebox won\u2019t be out in the U. S. until June, so forget Valentine\u2019s Day. And these virtual smooches come with a price: $120 for one box or $185 for two.
The Hair Coach from L\u2019Oreal\u2019s Kerastase brand uses a microphone, gyroscope and other sensors to monitor how fast and how hard you\u2019re brushing. An accompanying app recommends how to brush for optimal quality and minimal breakage and split ends. It can also factor in heat and humidity and even discern if hair is wet or dry. Kerastase teamed up with tech company Withings on the battery-powered brush, due out in mid-2017. It comes at a hair-raising price: $200.
If sharing your pictures on Instagram isn\u2019t enough, why not wear them? A California startup called Pop-I has a backpack for just that. A built-in digital screen displays photos you just snapped or have in your photo gallery. The backpacks will come out later this year and range from $99 to $399, depending on material and screen size. Pop-I is looking to expand to clothing and other products, too.
Want to look smart while tooling around an unfamiliar neighborhood? How about a pair of vibrating jeans to get you where you\u2019re going? The jeans from Spinali Design, another French startup, will vibrate on your right or left hip to let you know which direction you should head. Sure, a smartwatch can do the same thing, but why not get something that can do more? If that\u2019s too much clothing for you, try bikinis that buzz when you\u2019re out in the sun too long and need to apply more sunscreen. The jeans cost about $100, and the bikinis about $140.
Want body monitoring that rivals that of an intensive care unit? Xenoma\u2019s \u201ce-skin\u201d is essentially a shirt with sensors that measure movement, breathing, pressure, perspiration and body temperature. The shirt connects wirelessly to a smartphone or personal computer for real-time number crunching. Developers at the Tokyo-based Xenoma say the shirt can be used for health monitoring, fitness tracking and even virtual-reality gaming. But they\u2019re still working on it, so it\u2019s not available for sale yet.
Elsewhere at CES, connected pet feeders and dog collars were on display, while chefs for humans could see Wi-Fi-enabled air fryers and sous vide cookers. Run out of an ingredient? A smart trash can automatically adds it to your shopping list.
And if you don\u2019t have time to read to your kids, the Lunii storytelling speaker can come to your rescue. Never mind that this can be done through a phone app rather than a $60 device.
With all that help, you\u2019ll have plenty of time for 18 holes with your 3-D-printed connected golf club. It promises to let you know \u2013 through an app, of course \u2013 just how bad your form actually is.
Just don\u2019t forget to send a note to your loved one \u2013 through the Lovebox.
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