More CES 2022 attendees than the circumstances recommend and certainly many more than predicted. Photography: Consumer Technology Association.

To clarify. No, I'm not in Vegas. I'm reporting this safely from home, although I'm lucky to have a few eyes on the show floor. The problem is my colleagues in Vegas are too busy to write anything, while my distance and time to read the announcements, allows me a reasonable perspective of what it matters.

By this time, I really thought that I would have far more "audio stuff" to report on for our ongoing online coverage. CES 2022 is not yet - not even close - to the level of the 2020 show, in terms of product and technology announcements. The cancellations were particularly felt among traditional audio product brands. I'm more surprised by the fact that, after the press embargoes for the first day of the show were lifted, not many audio announcements are left.

The week before CES 2022 - in fact already during the weekend for most around the world - the CTA announced that CES would be closing one day early, taking place from January 5-7, 2022, and closing at 6 PM on January 7, instead of Saturday, January 8. The step was taken as an additional safety measure to the current health protocols that have been put in place for CES.

Again, I commend all the health protocol measures that the CTA implemented with vaccination, testing, and masking requirements, but this decision was basically a recognition that the organizers wouldn't be able to handle the extremely contagious virus variant that is sweeping the world - and the US in particular.

The drama for international travelers is that they will need to have a negative COVID test (PCR) within 24 hours before leaving for their countries of origin. With a three-day show, the chances of those visitors being able to return home improve somewhat, even if they will probably test positive on arrival. The CTA needs to be commended for providing complimentary RT-PCR testing for attendees traveling back internationally, but I'm afraid that CES will be classified as a super-spreader event (which as we all know, it always was).

Originally, the CTA had confirmed more than 2200 exhibitors committed to participate at CES 2022 in person in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, many of them cancelled after December 31, that very same weekend - particularly many of the smaller technology companies (many key executives were already in Vegas, or about to arrive). I could see this happen due to the amount of meeting cancellations I received over the weekend and more on Monday. Many companies - including those in healthcare - only decided to cancel on the eve of the show opening, which reveals much about the drama of those decisions "to keep our employees safe."

And yet, it was too late and the show needed to move on - and it did. Those participants who were unable to travel to Las Vegas for CES 2022 can benefit from the excellent - and totally new - CES 2022 show app, which I personally have been using for guidance and connections - and that I hope will remain a valuable tool until next year. There were not many live streamed conference sessions, keynotes, and events - nor were they very useful, to be frank - and I've been relying much more on interchanges with contacts in place, social media, etc.

The actual show remains a great experience for attendees, including nearly 800 startups that made it to CES 2022, even if the chances of actually meeting key business partners is significantly reduced. That makes it even more important for us to report on the efforts and the innovations - more than the products shipped by the large technology companies with or without a booth in place.

Without a doubt, already an important takeaway for CES 2022 is the fact that automotive and mobility will become even stronger pillars of the show for the future. This edition clearly proves that these companies see CES as an ideal stage to discuss everything that is related with key automotive technologies, systems, and solutions that don't get the spotlight at traditional car shows. Having General Motors deliver an opening CES keynote (digitally) and revealing a new electric vehicle at the show, served to signal that. Qualcomm's press conference at CES was totally dominated by its Snapdragon Digital Chassis platform, which includes cellular connectivity for vehicles, advanced driver assistance, and infotainment.

In most automotive-related announcements, it was almost implied that the software would be running in some sort of Google-controlled OS, forked from Android. And even though Qualcomm introduced Microsoft as a key partner at CES 2022, it was almost obvious that everything they discussed would be running on Android. But it also becomes clear that sooner or later Qualcomm will search for other possible OS avenues, under pressure by the automotive industry, which is intent on not allowing Google to control their platforms and consequently their future. Probably, more than 50% of car buyers will never realize their cars are running Google-controlled software, while it is also highly likely that the ones that do, will simply refuse to accept it. And suddenly, the whole bizarre notion of Apple one day also launching a car, starts to make more sense... The decision of Sony to enter the automotive market, announced at CES 2022, was probably motivated precisely by those long-lasting rumors about Apple, and the number of Chinese tech companies promising the same.

Steve Koenig, CTA's Vice President of Market Research, presented the "2022 Tech Trends to Watch" session on Monday and noted that US household ownership of new technology like 4K Ultra TVs and smart appliances increased more than 7% in the past year. The US consumer technology industry is projected to generate more than $505 billion in retail sales revenue for the first time ever in 2022 - a 2.8% revenue increase from 2021's impressive 9.6% growth over 2020. Among the drivers for the demand, are smartphones, automotive tech, health devices, and streaming services. Audio technologies, including voice control, content, and services are deeply embedded in all those.

On the home front, CES made it clear that manufacturers are looking at all possible approaches for Situational Speakers, a topic that I wrote about in previous years. Think not only smart and portable speakers that can be moved around the house, but connected shower-speakers, under-the-couch, etc. This year I have noted that Icon.ai, a company that previously had presented a tabletop mirror-speaker, now promoted its latest Sound Mirror voice-activated wireless speaker. A concept for which the company claims to have received three (3) CES 2022 Innovation Awards, although I could only find two confirmations so far.

What these products show is an increasing trend in consumer electronics to turn every possible product into a connected device. Whether those devices are simply gadgets, part of a building smart home strategy or the realization of the IoT vision, the important thing is that they will all offer audio systems, speakers, amplifiers, and microphones. Essential to creating the enabling features, even for the simplest connected mirror-speaker, is voice control. And this highlights another major trend for CES 2022, related with the emergence of edge AI-powered voice-solution replacing Alexa and Google Assistant virtual assistants.

Examples of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) systems moving to devices (on the edge of the Internet of Things) are everywhere at CES 2022, and the companies powering the concept are this year's main beneficiaries. Examples include Texas-based MicroAI, a pioneer in edge-native AI/ML software, which introduced its Launchpad quick-start deployment tool and security software running on embedded devices, using connectivity provided by iBASIS and KDDI. Security and costs are the main motivators for manufacturers moving in that direction, and there's no doubt that edge-AI will finally power the so-called "smart" appliances and will be essential for devices that form part of the smart home.

Moving to a more extreme example, Zinfanite Technologies introduced a minimalistic product that is the Voice Activated Medallion (VAM). It's essentially the condensation of wearable technology for hands-free functionality in a compact, waterproof device that is fashionable and effective (because it is close to the mouth). Independently of making sense or not, powering the Zinfanite Voice Activated Medallion concept is Syntiant's NDP101 Ultra-Low-Power Edge AI Processor, allowing for cloud-free wake word identification, voice commands, and accurate deep learning processing with minimal drain on battery consumption. The VAM device uses Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity (it pairs with smartphones), and features two microphones with noise filtering technology, with enough battery for 16 hours of continuous use. Yes, it does have a built-in speaker. Since I didn't attend the show physically I still don't know what the speaker might be used for (surely not for music?)

Syntiant is also at CES 2022 promoting an interesting demonstration of its Neural Decision Processors (NDPs) with Energous, the company developing and promoting RF-based charging for wireless power networks. Syntiant is providing edge AI for Energous’ WattUp wireless power network technology across a wide range of consumer and industrial use cases. Energous's wireless power network solutions include a WattUp PowerBridge transmitter that emits conducted RF power in a specific area or direction. This RF-based energy is then harvested by multiple receiving devices for “one to many” charging. The company's ecosystem of wireless power transfer technology has been growing following a number of recent regulatory approvals and key partnerships and could become a key technology for the smart home. Syntiant believes this is a key contributor for enabling AI interfaces in connected devices at the edge.

CES 2022 is also naturally dominated by health and wellness companies, and most of the announcements distributed to the press are related to this application area - including of course many new varieties of air purifiers, now even in the portable variety and including UV light stages to destroy all viruses, including COVID. I also noticed that, along with the unavoidable category of virtual reality goggles, we are seeing many more interesting announcements in glasses - normal eyewear frames - used both for augmented reality (AR) applications as well as simply for improving our eyesight. Most of those glasses, including those from Fauna - a proof-of-concept brand from Austrian MEMS speaker pioneer USound - include speakers in the frames and are intended to provide audio augmentation.

A leading example in the category is Vuzix, a pioneer in Smart Glasses and AR technology and products. At CES 2022, Vusix announced its latest next-generation Shield Smart Glasses, which are touted as "the most powerful binocular, optically see-through smart glasses," mainly intended for professional use. These rely on the computing power of Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR1 platform, coupled with Vuzix's propriety waveguide optics driven by miniature microLED (uLED) stereo displays. Housed inside lightweight, prescription-ready safety glasses, the Vusix Shield have voice or touch controls, multiple noise-cancelling microphones, and acoustic chambers fully integrated into the frames for stereo sound.

Like Vusix, several other companies, including a number of startups, are at CES 2022, demonstrating less sophisticated concepts of frames with auto-adjustable lenses that convert from normal prescription glasses to sunglasses, or are adjustable for different daily usages, such as reading a book, working on a laptop, or searching the horizon for an enemy attack. Because adjustable lenses require active systems, some of the concepts also combine built-in dynamic and bone conduction drivers, mainly because it seems to be a good idea.

There's even a Californian company, InWith, showing an electronic soft contact lens platform with augmented vision - connected and tunable with mobile devices - that the company says will enable "easy transition from real world to Metaverse". InWith is planning to achieve FDA Breakthrough Clearance this year and to put the futuristic contact lenses on the market shortly thereafter, based on the fact that it offers an electronic solution for myopia or presbyopia and other eyesight and ophthalmic capabilities.

Also a frequent topic that comes up in many wellness and health products demonstrated at CES 2022 is that of haptic systems and the use of sound of vibration for sleep, therapy, rehabilitation, pain relief, etc. Clearly, haptics and vibration - including the more subtle bone conduction - are growth areas for the audio industry since all these systems are normally connected with audio sources. audioXpress offers an excellent article by Mike Klasco on this subject in its February 2022 edition, available next week.

If you are looking for more "traditional" audio product articles, please keep following our daily updates published in audioXPress.com. Next week, I will probably cover some of the audio technology products and solutions that are being presented in meeting suites. Maybe also expand a bit on the few announcements on Matter for the Smart Home - probably the most important technology to follow in 2022, together with UWB. And we will continue to provide coverage of CES 2022 announcements throughout - I predict - the whole month of January. Funny enough, most of the announcements will have remained hidden from view from the brave masked souls who are running around CES at this moment.

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