CES 2024: Everything revealed so far, from Nvidia and AI to Samsung's Ballie robot

CES 2024 is here! The TechCrunch team is in Las Vegas this week to get in on all the action and understand what it means for you. You already know what to expect, so sit back and stay tuned throughout the week as we bring you the products, announcements, and startup news you need to know.

The first day begins with some bigger announcements from companies, including Nvidia, LG, and Samsung. Here are all the ways you can watch live.

Here's how you can follow our team's coverage.

Will.i.am's new company combines music while driving

Mercedes-AMG and will.i.am launch the immersive MBUX SOUND DRIVE experience at CES 2024

If you think that sounds a bit silly, contributor Tim Stevens did too — at least until he participated in the startup's Sound Drive demo at CES, which left him suddenly impressed with the underlying technology. Read his full impressions of the music experience “being done on the road” here.

Sony highlights mobility partnerships, creators and originality of content

Sony took last place at Monday's keynote press conference, with an expected focus on creators, the success of its intellectual property across gaming, film and streaming studios, and an emphasis on its partnership with Honda to imagine the mobility space as a “creative space.” ” The latter was demonstrated in part by whipping up a game of Fortnite in Afeela's car and driving her around the stage with a PlayStation 5 controller. Her “digital birth certificate” also reminded us of the brighter side of NFTs, which Hajj Jean Camps explains in detail here.

Kia's new modular electric vehicle lineup

Kia PBV model lineup

Kia's new electric minivans come with a modular twist. In addition to using a modular powertrain, the vehicles will also have modular roofs allowing for many different cabin options. But it remained vague about the prices, specifications and expected launch dates of this new fleet of commercial electric vehicles. Read more.

Samsung is bringing back Ballie. Renewed green initiative

Image credits: Samsung

Meet the new and improved Ballie, Samsung Electronic's home robot, which I reviewed today. It's about the size of a bowling ball with a battery designed to last two to three hours. Ballie has a spatial lidar sensor to help it navigate rooms and obstacles, as well as a 1080p projector with two lenses that allows the robot to show movies, video calls, and even act as a second computer screen. He learns more.

By expanding beyond cute, rolling robots, Samsung showcased its broader connected home initiatives. Aside from the expected UI and feature updates to the existing SmartThings home automation platform, Samsung showed off a “Map View” for users, which creates an interactive home map that even includes animated avatars of residents and pets. He learns more.

Samsung also dedicated some of its keynote to its commitment to sustainability. “We've started incorporating recycled materials into some of our favorite products, like recycled fishing nets in our galaxy,” said Inhee Chung, vice president of corporate sustainability at Samsung. “Smartphones, recycled plastic in our TVs, and recycled aluminum in our custom refrigerators. Recycled plastic makes up 14% of the total plastic used in our products in 2022. We are working to increase this amount. Read more.

X1 Interpreter Hub: A new real-time translator

Image credits: Time kettle

Timekettle has announced the X1 Interpreter Hub, a more powerful solution designed for meetings. Timekettle calls it “the world's first multilingual simultaneous translation system.” The system works out of the box, without the need to download a separate application. For in-person meetings, two devices touch together to start translating the conversation. The handheld devices have earpieces, similar to previous Timekettle products. Finally, the X1 is capable of supporting up to 20 people simultaneously in five different languages. Read more.

LG Transparent TV

LG Signature OLED T. Image credits: LG

TVs are not naturally beautiful nor are they used as a design feature, but LG Electronics is working to change that perception. The consumer technology giant today unveiled what it describes as the world's first wireless transparent OLED TV. the LG Signature OLED T Combines a transparent 4K OLED display with LG's wireless video and audio transmission technology.

Breathe easy with bioengineered houseplants

New plants at CES 2024 Image credits: Haj Camps/TechCrunch

French startup Neoplants is showcasing its progress on houseplants that act as air purifiers designed for the home. Genetically modified plants, according to the company, could replace 20 “regular” houseplants, as measured by the number of pollutants the plants can remove from the air.

More from Samsung: Bigger, more foldable, more rotatable displays

Image credits: Samsung

Ahead of Samsung Electronics' press conference later today, we're taking a look at some of its product plans that include a “new generation of products that fold in and out,” along with “screen-sized” foldable and slide-out OLED displays. Samsung also revealed “Transparent micro LED“Showed for the first time.

Nvidia is starting its game

GeForce RTX 4080 Super. Image credits: Nvidia

Today, Nvidia is getting into the world of artificial intelligence in a big way with the unveiling of its software GeForce RTX, including the GeForce RTX 40 Super series of desktop graphics cards. Many of these are dedicated to gaming, and Nvidia said 14 titles will get the RTX upscaling treatment, including Horizon Forbidden West, Pax Dei, and Diablo IV. The RTX 4080 Super starts at $999.

More chip updates from AMD

Speaking of chips, AMD debuted its new product Ryzen 8000G Desktop processors, with a major focus on their AI capabilities.

Bosch in-car eye tracking system

Image credits: Bush

Bosch is showing off two technologies this week in eye-tracking while driving: One will see that your eyes are tired and ask you if you need an espresso when you get home. If yes, its communication technology will tell your luxury device to have it ready. The other is a bit more complicated because it was developed to track what you look at while driving.

Smart cooking

Image credits: Hajj Kambas (Opens in a new window) /TechCrunch (Opens in a new window)

We've got a range of small home kitchen appliances, from grills to smart microwaves and everything in between, that are sure to get you cooking this year, if you haven't already.

ChatGPT at Volkswagen

Image credits: Volkswagen

The German automaker plans to add an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to all Volkswagen models equipped with its IDA voice assistant. Currently, it is not available in the United States

Apple Vision Pro will go on sale on February 2

Image credits: apple

Apple, in a surprise pre-CES announcement, stole some of the show's spotlight by announcing that the Vision Pro would be available in the United States. The consumer electronics giant confirmed that the Vision Pro will be available in the US starting February 2. The $3,500 spatial computing device opens on Friday, January 19.

Some companies made announcements before the big event. Check out what's already been released from the headlines:

Withings' new multi-endoscopic device checks vitals for telehealth visits

Invoxia has a new smart collar suitable for both cats and dogs

This app allows restaurants and cafes to charge for bathroom use

Aurora and Continental pass the first major hurdle in a commercial self-driving truck deal

This startup is bringing its “audio frequency absorption device” to CES 2024

For just $139, this startup turns your iPhone into a relic of the BlackBerry era

The XR chip is Qualcomm's next generation with up to 4.3K resolution per eye

Urbanista integrates Powerfoyle technology with its solar-powered headphones

Moonwalker's robotic boots just got lighter and smarter