Hasta La Gadget!

One of the clear automotive technology trends at CES this year is cars that drive themselves. From Audi to Lexus to Ford, the world’s largest car companies are beginning to follow Google’s lead in an effort to produce cars smart enough to drive themselves. The thought is that autonomous cars will reduce the number of traffic deaths—more than 100 people per day, currently—while simultaneously allowing car owners to do more productive things on their car trips, like work or read. All of this sounds magical, especially to a traffic-jammed Angeleno like myself, but let’s get real: How soon do we actually think state and federal legislators are going to cotton to the idea of robot cars all over the roads? More »

2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for huge televisions. Almost every major brand is rolling out gigantic sets and packing them with four times the resolution of current TVs. One curved display is even redefining what constitutes a “flat screen” TV, period. Here’s what to watch in 2013. More »

It’s our last day in Las Vegas, and we have devolved to the lowest level of human function. For example, Sam forgot to brush his teeth. Luckily the press room trashcans double as sinks. CES is a picture of hygiene. More »

CES is an event filled with plastic, metal, and germs, so one tends to take notice when a booth is festooned with wood and apples. Such was the case when we stumbled upon Russian hardware startup Lapka and its array of cute blocks. The Lapka is a strangely beautiful product, and that peculiar sense of wonderment only grows once you figure out what the thing actually does.

Creative Director Vadik Marmeladov refers to the string of devices as a “personal environment monitor” — what starts off as a 3×4 grid of plastic and wood-trimmed cubes soon splits apart to reveal distinct Geiger counter, EMF detector, temperature/humidity sensor modules, as well as a small tool to determine if the fruits and vegetables you’re eating are really organic.

No, really. According to Marmadelov, the concept is actually deceptively simple — the smallest sensor has a metal probe extended from its bottom, and all one has to do is stick it into their food. From there the Lapka module measures the amount of nitrates (commonly found in commercial fertilizers) and alerts you when the nitrates present exceed a certain level.

Of course, this handsomely designed sensor array only measures the environment they’re placed in — they rely on an iOS device and a corresponding app to impart its wisdom to users. I didn’t get a great look at the interface while on the show floor, but some poking around online reveals that the UI is nearly as spartan as the blocks that drive it.

I’m really rather fond of this thing, but the biggest question here is, well, why? The concept itself is just odd enough that the average consumer may shy away from the Lapka. Still, I think there’s reason enough to be hopeful for the Lapka’s future. The Quantified Self movement has picked up quite a bit of traction thanks to the advent of some cheap, pretty activity trackers after all, so maybe Lapka will able to spearhead a Quantified World movement.

In case you’re as perplexed and intrigued as I was, you can score your very own set of iOS-friendly sensors for $220 right here.

Ignore all the noise at CES and just get a Double, a Telepresence robot with an iPad for a face. Pay someone to turn it on at CES and enjoy all the sights and sounds from the comfort of your home. Sounds like paradise to me.

In fact, just for a lark, that’s what John Biggs did one cool CES morning. Instead of slumming it on the CES showfloor with Jordan and Greg, John joined the live streaming crew without leaving our CES booth.

As Jordan notes in the video, the Double looks and acts like a small Segway with an iPad mounted on top. It’s controlled by an iPad or iPhone on the other side. Essentially, as long as both ends are connected to the Internet, the Double becomes your eyes and ears. And if the connectivity can work deep within CES, it will likely work anywhere.

“People are buying them faster than we can make them,” says Double Robotics’ Jay Liew revealing that there have been 900 orders placed in 45 countries. “We are trying to scale up production. 90% are businesses.”

The Double is currently available for pre-ordering for $2,000.