People try out gadgets during the CES tech show. (AP/Rick Bowmer)

These electric skates roll on their own. They cost about $500. (AP/John Locher)

Bakers can give the GE Profile Smart Mixer verbal commands. (AP/John Locher)

This robotic pillow mimics the rhythm of human breathing. (Handout)

The BMW i Vision Dee car can change color. (AP/Jack Dempsey)

Bright Ideas Now

Posted: March 1, 2023

Stroll around the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Strap on some motor skates. Cuddle a pillow that breathes. High-tech mix a cake and change the color of your car. Which innovation will you like best?

Electric Skates: Is this the most fun way to get to school? People zip around on remote-controlled, electric inline skates made by French startup company AtmosGear. The skates’ battery lasts for 20 miles. A waist bag holds the battery and cables connected to the skates.

Smart Mixer: This souped-up stand mixer weighs your ingredients in the bowl. It changes speed based on the texture of the batter. You can tell it what to do. It responds to commands so you don’t have to stop what you’re doing and wash your hands to work it.

“Breathing” Pillow: This new robotic pillow helps users relax. The soft, fluffy pillow gently expands and contracts. It vibrates as you hold it against your stomach. The big idea: You’ll breathe more slowly and deeply as your breath starts to sync with the movement of the pillow.

Color-changing Car: BMW showcases a new car called i Vision Dee. “Dee” stands for Digital Emotional Experience. This electric car talks. It has artificial intelligence. (These “smarts” come from computer programs.) I Dee’s makers say it can act excited when it sees you and can express its mood using screens on the front grille. E-Ink panels cover the car. These allow the car to change color. You can have a purple car one day and a checkerboard pattern the next!

Why? “There is nothing new under the Sun.” But people can use their God-given creativity to meet old needs and wants in new ways.