Written by Claire Kimber, Managing Partner, Strategy & Innovation

It always strikes me as strange that CES is held in the most unimaginative place on Earth—Las Vegas.

But there we were – all 141,000 of us: eyes wide open and imaginations poised and ready to be bamboozled by techno-brilliance in the heart of Sin City.

And there’s a lot of techno-brilliance to cram in. In fact, I did some maths. Which – as anyone who knows me will attest – is a frightening prospect. But it was necessary, because CES is a numbers game; one person simply cannot see all 4,000+ exhibitors. So, you have to quickly figure out what’s humanly possible. For example, even if I spent ?just 1 minute with every exhibitor it would take me almost three full 24hr days to cram it all in. Spoiler alert: I didn’t do that. But I had a good run at it.

Covered in Compeeds and averaging 30,000 steps per day, I tore up the carpets at the Las Vegas Convention Centre and The Venetian like a poorly animated prototype version of Sonic.

And in a sea of screen and microprocessor iterations, I managed to pause for a few seconds to marvel at the overtly groundbreaking. I say overtly because of course AI was in EVERYTHING. The hype was real. But the promise of AI is really hard to visualise in a spectacular way. Even a driverless car feels like old news... and so showcasing technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy (IBM) doesn’t make for an awful lot to see. Charlie Fink said it best in his round-up for Forbes:

“Everywhere you looked, booths and panels touted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. Yet for all the talk, there wasn’t much to see. Unlike XR, which dazzles with visual demonstrations, AI is invisible. This paradox—AI being both everywhere and nowhere—defined CES 2025. Sure, there were smart gadgets, predictive algorithms, and personalized assistants sprinkled throughout the show, but few felt groundbreaking. It’s clear we’re in the early days of consumer AI, where marketing outpaces practical deployment.”

With all that in mind, here are my top ‘overtly groundbreaking’ technologies:

Toyota Woven City

This vision for a city of the future was launched at CES 2018... a working living lab, built from scratch (rather than smart technologies being retrospectively integrated into existing infrastructure) has completed the construction of phase 1. The enormous project marks Toyota’s transformation from an auto manufacturer to a mobility and technology brand – and sets the tone for environmentally conscious and human-centric city planning and tech integration.

Aptera Solar Vehicle

This felt like the biggest noise being made at a very-quiet-for-autos-brands show. Despite all the attention, the vehicle was outside in the parking lot, with no stand, no lights, no Hollywood production values – just the vehicle itself and a handful of impressive claims. Such as a 40 mile daily solar range (just soak up the sun and go), 400 mile range per full charge, $40k price tag, aerodynamic design to ensure energy efficiency, and 19k+ investors... The prototype was driving up and down the strip endlessly and seemed to be what everyone was talking about. All hail the solar future!

Eureka Park

Pretty much everything in Eureka Park was amazing. 1,300 start-up and university delegates clustered into country pavilions showcasing national commitments to invention and innovation. The Ukraine was even present, with an exhibition of ground-breaking tech and solutions in strategically important sectors such as unmanned technologies, alternative energy, robotics, and IoT solutions.?

This is also where I bumped into Stevie Wonder. Yep, that Stevie Wonder. He was getting hands-on with the pioneering navigation technology built and developed by MakeSense. This breakthrough device uses kinaesthesia to communicate direction. It recognises your position to the centimetre, giving you freedom to navigate all routes with confidence. It was also the only UK contingent I could find...

Origen Air Purifier

Offering a revolutionary solution for removing man-made toxins from indoor air, ensuring not just cleaner air but a healthier, more productive environment for all. It also looks beautiful too... and I had a chat with the CEO Susan Blanchet, who had won Canadian Dragon’s Den with the concept. She – and it – were an absolute delight.

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Sony x Honda AFEELA

It’s not a new idea, for an auto brand to realise it has to become a tech brand to survive... and it’s not a new concept for auto brands and tech brands to partner to achieve such. But this one feels particularly exciting... an EV filled to rafters with Sony entertainment tech? Where do I sign. And this isn’t just a fanciful concept car – pre-orders opened at CES, so if you have a spare $89,900 you can join that party (when it’s manufactured in 2026).

Features include voice operation, 40 sensors to enable semi-autonomous driving, augmented reality integration, PS5 integration...

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So yes, while there were batteries made out of paper, a quad chopper, robots galore, XR evolutions, self-curving screens, smart glasses by the bin load and AI is the answer to everything... but that everything felt a little ‘coming soon’ rather than ‘it’s here!’

Still, I loved every second and can’t wait for what it looks like when it finally arrives.