AI hair clippers and self-opening fridges among host of launches at world’s biggest tech show

AI-powered hair clippers and fridges that can open themselves are among a range of new technologies introduced at the world’s biggest technology show this week.

Many of the new announcements from the Consumer Electronics Show focused on artificial intelligence, as companies look to add the much hyped technology to new products.

Some of those included products that might not be expected to integrate artificial intelligence, however. Glyde released a smart clipper that is able to guide people through cutting their own hair – so long as they are wiling to wear a large headband to allow the system to know where it is on someone’s head.

Last year’s CES focused on a range of innovations but “AI was largely absent at the trade show”, noted analyst Richard Windsor. “This year, it is almost all about new ideas, products and services that incorporate AI to enable a new use case or bring a previously unrealistic product to life,” he wrote in a note, pointing to “robotics and smart glasses” as the likely most discussed innovations.

As with every year, many of the releases at CES were focused on updates to existing products. The big TV makers in particular launched a host of new upgrades, and there were new laptops and chips to power phones.

But some usual fixtures were less present. Many carmakers avoided launching new electric vehicles, for instance, as changes by the Trump administration make them less financially appealing.

Instead, the new car updates revealed tended to focus on self-driving technologies and new connectivity for the vehicles.