The Consumer Electronics Show is held in Las Vegas, usually about a week or two after KBIS (The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show). This year, in 2020, there were 4400 companies spread across 2.9 million square feet, and they had about 170,000 attendees!
Now back in the day, the consumer electronics show used to be very focused on home products such as stereos and TVs, but of course, that was before the era of smart home appliances and more. We now have cameras inside our appliances, we have wifi connected appliances, and everything is a WHOLE lot more sophisticated. As the magazine states, Artificial Intelligence is the wave of the future.
How Technological Innovations Are Shaping The Design Industry and Beyond
One way this uplevel in technology affects the interior design industry is the sort of software we use to convey interior design. Nowadays, the renderings that designers produce are incredibly photorealistic. More and more, that is the industry standard and what clients are expecting. And building on that, the next things will become visual walkthroughs using virtual reality. So clients will get to feel like they’re actually walking around the space you’ve designed for them!
I’m all for making the world a better place, and it will be interesting to see how new technology is going to reshape industries, create jobs, fuel the global economy and improve lives around the world.
One of the major themes of the Consumer Electronics Show was Health Care. Advancements in digital therapeutics, wearable, and remote patient monitoring, mental illness and chronic disease issues, health, and wellness category saw a 25% increase.
Other key areas this year were transportation, gender inequalities, and technologies that enable communities to be resilient. And with the spread of COVID-19, I think empowering communities is more important than ever.
As we continue to be mindful of infectious diseases and pandemics, we will begin to see the effect on how we design both personal and commercial spaces.
Pretty soon, many of these motion sensors, voice-activated appliances, faucets, and toilets are going to be the norm. As the technology continues to become more advanced and popular, it’s going to be seen as a basic or the default rather than an upgrade.
Smart homes were all the rage at the 2020 show. A smart home has so many functions – from analyzing the temperature, the light, the humidity, and movement in the home. We’re seeing more and more innovative solutions – from caregiver smart solutions with sensors that track movement and patterns that reassure caregivers and offer patients more independence. Soon we’ll even be seeing walls with sensors that can track your yoga poses – and correct your form! (how cool is that for yogis?!)
I’d love to hear…have you ever been to the Consumer Electronics Show? Which home innovation are you most excited about?
Let me know in the comments below or come and give me a shout in my Facebook Community, Kitchen & Bath Design Tips For Interior Designers.