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The Tech Spectrum: CES 2025's Wildest to Wisest

Best of CES 2017

Jan. 13, 2017
The best—and weirdest—technologies, innovations, and high-tech gadgetry from the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show.

A week back from CES 2017, and my mind is still reeling from experience.

So many toys, so many sensors, so much full-on, out-of-the-box innovation. Not all of it will last, sure. Not all of it is useful or practical, maybe. But the gadgets and technologies presented at CES serves as a neat benchmark for every industry.

It was clear through the millions of square feet of the place, that the world might finally be ready for robots. That more of our lives are going to be automated soon, augmented by digital technologies and smart devices. That in just three or four years, just about everything in our lives will be connected.

Here is a (very small) glimpse of what I uncovered at the event, starting with what seems important and relevant to the manufacturing industry—augmented reality built for engineers, collaborative industrial robots, desktop metal printing, autonomous vehicles, and more—and then sliding quickly into the weird stuff—all the way from dancing robots to Wookies.

About the Author

Travis Hessman | VP of Content, Endeavor Business Media

Travis Hessman is the VP of Content for Endeavor Business Media. Previously, Travis was the Editor-in-Chief for Industry Week and New Equipment Digest as well as the Group Editorial Director for Endeavor's Manufacturing Group.

He began his career as an intern at IndustryWeek in 2001 and later served as IW's technology and innovation editor. Today, he combines his experience as an educator, a writer, and a journalist to help address some of the most significant challenges in the manufacturing industry, with a particular focus on leadership, training, and the technologies of smart manufacturing.