Media members jam Mandalay Bay for 1st look at CES products

Many of the more than 5,000 media members attending CES in Las Vegas this week got their first glimpse of an automated swimming pool cleaner, a home pizza oven and electric skates Sunday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

And robots, along with many, many more new innovative products.

The four-day show officially opens Tuesday for upward of 150,000 people coming from around the world to see the latest in consumer electronics products.

The event, sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association, kicked off with “CES Unveiled,” the first of two media days for what is Las Vegas’ largest audited trade show.

After a 45-minute introduction, a convention hall at Mandalay Bay with some of the newest products opened for three hours for reporters to conduct interviews with exhibitors and get a first look at new products as a preview of what to expect at this year’s show, which runs through Friday.

Attendees at the opening event mobbed eight aisles of booths featuring more than 100 companies.

Among the products introduced at the unveiling is a device that could be used by thousands of Southern Nevada homeowners — a line of cordless robotic pool cleaners from Atlanta-based Aiper Intelligent LLC.

James Edwards of Aiper said the suitcase-sized Scuba S1 Pro, which can comb the floor of a pool for debris in an hour, retails for $1,199.

It can be programmed to traverse in a serpentine pattern and climbs walls and steps with its continuous track drive system.

Speedy skating

Paris-based AtmosGear unveiled electric skates and Rollerblades at the opening.

Company representative Mido Salimon said the system, which retails for $690, can be fitted on every brand of skate or blades, and a professional skater was zipping around the crowds at the opening.

Salimon said skates have a top speed of 18 mph and a standard charge provides a range of about 16 miles.

A new smart pizza oven that can be used indoors or outdoors will be available to consumers in the second quarter of 2025. Current Backyard LLC representative Anna Grant said the unit can heat to 850 degrees in minutes and can produce a 12-inch pizza in about two minutes.

The company has a line of grills, griddles and cooking accessories. The pizza oven, which can be controlled with an app, will retail for about $599 when it becomes available.

Robotic massage

Bodyfriend, a South Korean digital technology health care company, showed its robotic massage chair at CES.

Its Falcon chair provides a 15-minute program that moves and stretches limbs on its synthetic leather surface. It retails for $9,500.

Robotics are expected to be a big part of CES this year and Paris-based Enchanted Tools showed a couple of its Mirokai robots to a crowd gathered around its booth.

The robots are designed to meet and greet customers, serve as store assistants and entertain guests who encounter them.

The Mirokai characters are designed to change the way the public perceives robots.

Prior to the opening, Brian Comiskey, senior director of innovation and trends for the Consumer Technology Association, and Melissa Harrison, vice present of marketing and communication, discussed technology trends to a standing-room-only crowd.

“I think from what we’ve discussed today, it’s clear that innovation is becoming more human-centric than ever,” Comiskey said. “And it’s leveraging our data to personalize and protect outcomes.”

More than 4,300 exhibitors are expected to show their products at CES, which is only open to registered technology professionals. About a third of the attendees are vice presidents or C-suite executives while 40 percent are coming from outside the United States.

Several airlines have added special flights from destinations they don’t normally serve to and from Las Vegas to accommodate CES attendees.

Exhibits at four venues

CES is spread out over exhibit halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center, The Venetian Expo, the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Aria. And, for the first time, a CES keynote address will be held at Sphere by Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on Tuesday after the show floors officially open.

The presentation of the CES Innovation Awards featuring technology advancements across 33 categories is a show highlight that may likely determine some of the products that will find their way into households in the years ahead.

Compact discs, VCRs, streaming services, home computing, smart homes, smart watches and self-driving vehicles are among the innovations that made their first appearances at past CES shows.

Amazon, AMD, Disney, John Deere, LG, Netflix, Samsung, Siemens, SK and Waymo lead the list of companies returning to CES, where Foxconn, Henkel, Komatsu, Oshkosh and Scout Motors are exhibiting for the first time.

Two major buzzwords of the show this year and likely for years to come are expected to be “artificial intelligence” because the applications are so vast.

How AI will figure into key areas such as transportation and mobility innovations, health tech and wearable technology are expected to be among the key elements of the show.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.