Europe’s biggest tech fair, Berlin’s IFA, is showcasing a flood of product launches until Wednesday. Here are five trends and gadgets making waves.
Fitness trainer for pets
No time to walk or play with your pet puppy or kitten? California start-up Varram showcased a Pet Fitness robot, which plays with cats and dogs at home via smartphone instructions, even dropping treats as a reward, while the owner is at work. Sensors in the robot help it detect and stay away from furniture to not get stuck, avoiding bored pets.
AI at home
As executive director Jens Heithecker told AFP, “three main trends at IFA this year are 5G, voice control and AI (artificial intelligence)” with the latter two combined in innovations for the home.Siemens claimed two world firsts with an oven that opens on voice command and separate washing machine and clothes drier that communicate via Wi-Fi to predict how long garments will need to dry.
Christmas gifts
Heithecker tips that of the thousands of items showcased at IFA, headsets and wireless stereos will make popular Christmas gifts, as they are “affordable, moveable, high quality and part of the digitally connected world.”
‘All-in-one’ 5G chip
Huawei created a buzz Friday by launching a new super-fast Kirin 990 processor, which has a version specially designed for the 5G era—the fifth generation of cellular network technology.
High-tech relief
High-tech relief for the incontinent is offered by D-Free, a sensor which fits on the abdomen and detects changes in bladder size, calculating how full it is and giving a prediction via a smartphone about when the user will need to urinate.