The CES 2023 exhibition is over. After two years of cancellations and downsizing thanks to the pandemic, CES was almost normal this year, except for a few absent companies and reduced exhibits. Luckily, Gadgets 360 was on hand in Las Vegas and we got to see lots of new technology as well as concept and idea demos that give us a glimpse of the future. Sure, there were plenty of TVs, laptops, and wearables, but in this article, we bring you some of the more experimental technologies and the exhibits with stories behind them. Leave us a comment and tell us which ones you would like to own this year.

LG Styler ShoeCase and ShoeCare

LG held one of the first CES 2023 press conferences and it was jam-packed with products, not all of which were mass-market or even considered practical. The LG Styler ShoeCase is a whimsical niche offering for sneakerheads who want to store, clean, and show off their collection. Each ShoeCase features a motorized turntable, customizable RGB LED lighting, and UV-absorbing coating. You can control its functions through the LG ThinQ app. You can stack multiple ShoeCases and they are also designed to snap onto the LG Styler ShoeCare steam cleaner which has multiple routines for different materials.

You can stack a bunch of LG Styler ShoeCases and sync their turntables and lighting effects

HP Audition Pro

Hearing aids are usually bulky and ugly, and some people may feel stigma wearing them. They are also expensive and you need a doctor’s prescription to get one. HP is one of many companies now allowed to sell over-the-counter hearing aids in the United States and has licensed its technology from Nuheara. These headphones look like real consumer wireless headphones, so they’re easy to wear and don’t look bulky. You can calibrate them through an app, and yes, they also work as Bluetooth headphones.

These hearing aids are supposed to be affordable and don’t attract much attention when worn.

Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED 3D

If you thought 3D was just a gimmick, Asus might be able to change your mind. The ProArt Studiobook 16 3D Oled is primarily aimed at 3D content creators, industrial platforms and the education market. The glasses-free 3D experience uses eye tracking and a lenticular array to generate vivid 3D images that are visible even if you move your head. There are software programs that allow you to view and manipulate 3D models, video content and of course games. You can even use 3D input methods such as a stylus with the right sensing hardware, to manipulate models in 3D space.

3D display effect combined with 3D input opens up possibilities in education, engineering and more

Concept car Sony-Honda Afeela

CES is almost as much a car show as it is a gadget show, and among the many vehicles was a prototype from Afeela, the new name for Sony and Honda’s joint venture. The front “media bar” display can show you information before you get in, while the ultra-modern interior features a giant widescreen display covering the entire front console. With Sony’s cameras and sensor technology as well as Honda’s experience in car manufacturing, Afeela aims to implement Level 2+ autonomous driving.

Afeela is the new brand name for Sony-Honda Mobility’s aspirations in the electric vehicle market

Abbott Mixed Reality Experience

CES attracts all kinds of companies that leverage technology, and one name you might not expect to see here was Abbott. The diagnostics and medical research company has developed a mixed reality experience to get young people interested in blood donation and keep them busy during the blood drive. The experience uses Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 hardware and guides the wearer through planting a hands-free virtual garden using only eye tracking and audio cues. It can also potentially help distract and calm anyone with a fear of needles.

Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 headset is the foundation of Abbott’s experience

LG Clear T OLED TV

One of the most compelling displays at LG’s CES 2023 booth was its transparent OLED T TV prototype. It looks like a normal TV when in use, but the panel itself is built with a sort of internal curtain that can be raised or lowered, so you can see through it while content continues to play. It’s not ready to go on sale yet, and we have no idea what it might cost, but it does show the future of OLED technology. In the future, your TV could be the front of a painting on your wall or built into some sort of cabinet.

You can see through the TV when it is set to transparent mode, but it may still display images

MSI Stealth 14 Studio

We’ve seen ultra-compact laptops before, but the latest Intel and Nvidia hardware released at CES allows manufacturers to squeeze a lot more power into tiny bodies than ever before. Among the many new laptops MSI showed off at CES 2023 was the new Stealth 14 Studio, which packs a 13^e Gen Intel Core i7 processor and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU in a slim 19mm chassis weighing just 1.7kg. You get a 14-inch 16:10 panel with QHD+ resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, along with upgradable DDR5 RAM, NVMe storage, and plenty of ports. It’s designed for gaming, but will also be popular with creative professionals on the go. If you need something even more portable, the 0.99kg Prestige 13 Evo is 16.99mm thick and has a more subtle aesthetic, but also uses the latest processors and promises battery life of a daytime.

The new Stealth series is designed and optimized for gaming as well as content creation

Acer eKinect Bike Desk

If you need motivation to exercise, this stationary bike desk from Acer will have you pedaling to generate electricity. You’ll have to keep moving around to make sure your devices stay powered through the USB Type-A and Type-C ports, and the little screen on the front will tell you how much power you’ve generated. You can adjust the resistance of the bike and move the desk surface up or down for more comfort. There’s even an app that helps you track your exercise. This can be useful if you work from home, and they may even appear in some offices.

If you need to motivate yourself or your employees to exercise, this could be the answer.

Ryse Recon Air Utility Vehicle

Are flying cars finally about to go mainstream? Not enough. Startup Ryse showed off its Recon flying car, which is actually more of a quadcopter. It’s big, noisy, and can only hold one, but it can fly for about 25 minutes per charge. It takes off and lands vertically, so it could be used to get around tight places. Moreover, the company claims that it only takes about ten minutes to learn how to fly it and that it is not necessary to have a pilot’s license. Demonstrations in the outdoor parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center proved that while it might sound cool, it won’t be replacing your four-wheeled ground transportation anytime soon.

It may not make your daily commute to work any easier yet, but it could be a sign of things to come.

Corsair and LG curved monitors

The curved TV trend seems to have died down, but curved ultrawide monitors are becoming increasingly popular with gamers due to the immersive experience they can deliver. Unfortunately, they’re not great for day-to-day work and if you don’t have the luxury of a dedicated gaming PC, you’ll want something more practical. Now you can get the best of both worlds – Corsair’s Xeneon Flex is a 45-inch 21:9,240Hz OLED panel that you can literally grab and bend to be flat or curved. LG’s OLED Flex is a 42-inch TV that can function as a monitor and, as a bonus, it’s motorized so you can switch between flat and a few different degrees of curvature with the press of a button.

Corsair’s monitor has retractable handles you can use to fold it (left) while LG’s implementation is motorized (right)

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i

It’s been a few years since we’ve seen Intel’s multi-screen laptop concepts, and now Lenovo has brought something very similar to market in the form of the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, with a second panel which unfolds above the main one. Multi-finger gestures make it easy to scale content across both screens, and you can multitask on the go with the detachable keyboard. The folio stand lets you arrange the two 13.3-inch OLED displays either horizontally or vertically, and of course, they both work with a stylus.

Both screens can be positioned horizontally or vertically, opening up multitasking possibilities

Vegas Loop

Rounding out our list, we have a technology demo that wasn’t part of the CES 2023 exhibits. The new Loop is a system of tunnels dug by The Boring Company between the old and new concourses of the Las Vegas Convention Center, with a extension to a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. There are plans to extend this new public transport system to high traffic tourist areas of the city. At the moment, only Tesla cars drive through the tunnels at low speeds, and that too only by trained drivers. Eventually, self-driving vehicles could turn it into something more like a point-to-point metro. Of course, RGB lighting throughout made CES attendees feel right at home.

Cars are limited to 25 mph (40 km/h) in very narrow tunnels

Disclosure: Flights and hotel stay for Las Vegas trip were sponsored by MSI