Annually, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a group of judges selects winners for the CES Innovations Awards. There’s another competition at the show called Last Gadget Standing where the winners are chosen by popular vote of about 500 people in the live audience and approximately 500,000 in the online audience.
Here’s a summary of the 2015 Last Gadget Standing winners and selected finalists that all exhibited innovation, engineering talent and a rabid focus on the ultimate in ease-of-use.
MeccaNoid
MeccaNoid is a new robotics building system from Meccano. At $399, MeccaNoid is an expandable, reconfigurable robotics platform with built-in voice recognition, conversations and the ability to learn. You can build your own custom robots and then teach it movements by physically moving the robot in learn mode. These movements and audio are stored in memory and can be recalled at any time with simple voice commands.
With the MeccaNoid app, you can create robot movements by manipulating a 3-D ragdoll model. The app also includes a versatile drag-and-drop programming environment which educators and students can use to build movements for their robotic creations.
This considerable capability and versatility produced a win for MeccaNoid from the live audience.
SCiO
SCiO is the world’s first molecular sensor that fits in the palm of your hand for $249. SCiO can determine what physical objects are made of. For example, how much fat is in cheese or salad dressing, how much sugar is in a piece of fruit or identifying what medicine is contained in a pill. Each time you scan an item you expand the world’s first database of physical matter. For the live audience, SCIO correctly identified both Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola.
The sheer scientific complexity of the application together with the ease-of-use produced a win for SCIO from the online audience.
EKOCYCLE Cube 3D Printer
The EKOCYCLE Cube is a plug and play consumer 3D printer that produces 2-color objects with high resolution. The $1,200 EKOCYCLE Cube uses a groundbreaking new filament made in part from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
The 3D printer was loudly applauded by the live audience because it helps us be more environmentally responsible by offering us a practical way to increase recycling.
PetziConnect
PetziConnect is an ingenious device that connects to your home’s Wi-Fi allowing you to remotely interact with your pet from an iOS or Android app. You can see live video of your pet, speak to your pet, hear a bark or a meow, take pictures and provide a treat from a dispenser.
The PetziConnect is thoughtfully designed and professionally constructed at $170. I thought it was a ridiculous product for innovative entrepreneurs to invest energy in.
Singtrix
Singtrix is the next-generation karaoke machine that makes bad singers sound good and good singers sound amazing. At $350, Singtrix can make you sound like your favorite pop stars with hundreds of professional vocal effects, live backup harmonies created from your own voice & natural pitch-correction. It works with any music and any audio device.
Ring Video Doorbell
The Ring Video Doorbell blends security, monitoring and convenience into one sleek, simple and powerful wireless doorbell. Ring streams live audio and video of a home’s front doorstep directly to a smartphone app, enabling homeowners to stay connected to their homes whether in the kitchen or across town. Built-in motion sensors detect activity and trigger instant mobile alerts so you know what’s going on even when you aren’t there.
The $200 Ring was a winner because it looked so simple while being powerful and useful.
To see related videos, photos, and additional finalists, click here.