CES 2020 Review: Product Design Perspective

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Attending the annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is a product designer’s version of visiting Santa’s workshop.

New gadgets, technology and innovation fresh out of the R&D lab are put on display. This results in a flood of new ideas that can impact the direction of existing and future projects.

To get the most out of CES 2020, you must come prepared. With over 4500 exhibitors and 2.9 million square feet of exhibit space, it is easy to get overwhelmed.

Take a look at some of our favorite highlights:

1) Robotic Hardware Startup Pitches

The hottest startups at CES 2020 were robotic hardware – hands down. This cohort even had their own “robotic hardware pitch” competition which drew thousands of attendees.

Digging into the details it is easy to see why connected hardware is creating a new industrial revolution where sensors, connectivity and artificial-intelligence are being baked into new physical objects. The result? Groundbreaking, affordable products that delight.

The video below provides an excellent recap of the coolest robots seen at CES 2020:

The weird and wonderful world of robots at CES 2020

2) Exploring the Future of Foldable Screen Technology

Foldable screens are more than a novelty, they are a clever design feature allowing devices to shrink while still maintaining screen real estate. At CES 2019, foldable screens made their debut but the excitement was short-lived. Tech reviewers kept breaking the screens – and reporting the results. The most memorable was the Samsung Galaxy Fold review fail.

This year at CES2020 foldable screens moved beyond smartphones to laptops. The most notable were Intel’s 17-inch prototype tablet/laptop and Lenovo’s 13.3 inch ThinkPad X1 Fold.

Moving into 2020, expect to see foldable screens across a large variety of physical devices.

The future of foldable PC’s at CES2020

3) Product Design Industry Sessions

Each year at CES, there are hundreds of industry sessions and talks. These events are the perfect way to get up to speed on current trends.

Our top five favorite sessions for product designers at CES2020 were:

These sessions were a wonderful way to hit on the prickly realities of the design process. They also answered our customers most common questions such as, “How do I improve predictability moving to market?”, “How can I prioritize sustainable materials in my design?”, and “How can I speed up prototyping as my company expands?”.