Curb Your Enthusiasm: Why New Tech Isn't Always the Answer

How this Year's “Consumer Excess Show” was a triumph of tech over relevance - and why we should aim higher.

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CES 2018: First, the power went out. Million-dollar booths ended up in the dark, a Google booth flooded, the shuttle system was congested and monorails overwhelmed. The worst part? Few new or exciting tech inventions and a focus on…showerheads? A recap of CES 2018 and why this year’s show may be the #PepsiFail of tech events for its lack of true innovation, inspiration and importantly, relevance.

“Consumer Excess Show”

The reviews of the latest Consumer Electronics Show were, at best, mixed: while some attendees enthused about the new possibilities in tech; many more complained about the paucity of new and exciting products. One TechCrunch reviewer, Ankur Jain suspects that like a Kendall Jenner themed Pepsi Revolution, Silicon Valley has become tone-deaf with a “disconnect to the needs of everyday people.” 

Pole Dancing Robots

Sponsored by Sapphire, Las Vegas, attendees watched the “Robo Twins shake their hardware and leave everyone wondering if those double D’s are real or made in ‘Silicone’ Valley.” In a video clip of the event patrons watched disinterestedly, and the robot’s female attendants tried hard to suppress their laughter. It seems even tech enthusiasts draw a line when it comes to robot love.

Laser Love

A laser light experience based on data from real human sexual encounters is set to 1980’s Eastern European electronica, with matching visuals was also debuted:

Mental Stimulation

No partner? Then perhaps you might consider one of the many at-home neuro-stimulation options. Several companies premiered gadgets to help consumers get some sleep, loose weight or increase their athletic or intellectual prowess. One company, PlatoScience, helps people work smarter by getting in the right mood. 

"We don't help you be better at creativity or focus; we help you get into that mind-set," said Morten Lindhardt Madsen, Platoscience's UX designer.

Modius introduced a headset that stimulates the vestibular nerve leading to the hypothalamus, triggering a sense of movement in the brain that in turn, increases metabolism. In initial trials of 650 people, the company claims, 80% of people lost weight; an average of six pounds over six weeks.

Feeling grumpy? Winter blues? The Korean company Ybrain, developed a mood enhancer that treats depression. In initial studies, 56 percent of patients with a major depressive disorder responded to their device – but don’t use it if you have epilepsy or bipolar disorder.

VR Brain Hacking

The phone-based VR headset by Looxoid is the first to include brain and eye sensors, enabling creators to track the users main points of interest. The app streams information gleaned from the users movements for it’s own development purposes. Naturally, one presumes this valuable marketing insights will be on offer for resale to other developers and marketers. Named the most innovative VR product this year, we expect this to be a popular industry tool for interactive sponsored events, content and games.

Those were some of the more notable items at the show. For the most part, Samsung, Apple, and others touted smart home devices. The main focus there was on Alexa and Google Assistant; two platforms that aren't applicable to many Apple users.  

 “Color Me Unimpressed”

Toronto-based Nanoleaf scored highly in 2017 with its color- changing walls but more of the same this year – in the form of squares and tiles - led commenters to say “color me unimpressed.” The lighting sector needs to stay current as any other category yet the need for colored lights over other potential advances that might have a greater impact on humanity will not likely be solved with square tiles. Not that everyone is expecting that, but the resources channeled into specific areas of development over R&D in other spheres does raise some good questions.

The devices that got the most press attention were voice-activated bathrooms. Because we didn’t know what life was until we knew we could activate the shower by asking it to turn on to 80 degrees. 

“Smart faucets. We've hit a new low.”

In the MacRumors comments section reviewing this year's show, the “BlargKing” and other CES commenters were unimpressed with the innovations unveiled at CES. Why would anyone want to talk to their bathrooms? Indeed. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a morning person so the idea of talking to my bathroom at any time of the day – especially in the morning – does not appeal. And who knows the ideal shower temperature? Having Kohler interactive mirrors with dual microphones that ask Alexa for morning news might sound good, but is far from solving urgent challenges. As a marketer, the other purpose – having access to consumers whenever wherever - seems more obvious.

In wrapping up CES2018 the takeaway seems to be that there were lots of gadgets and features, but no real break-through innovations that advance the way we function in this world or improve lives in a material way. One commenter on the Mac Rumours site, summed the sentiment well:

If we are the tech elite [and] consumers, and we laugh at this, who exactly is their market supposed to be?

We love technology as a triumph of the human intellect and for the promise it brings, even when the applications are not immediately obvious in a commercial sense. That said, smart faucets leave us cold. 

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About the Author: Catherine D. Henry is Chief Experience Officer and Brand Innovator at Palpable Media, an Emerging Tech Marketing agency, where she advises brands on interactive and immersive advertising, content, social media and live events.

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