Meet The Anti-Gas Baby Bottle, The Smart Flower Pot & The $40 Web-Connected 9 Volt Battery

Even though International CES — the mammoth electronics show that takes over Las Vegas every January — doesn’t technically begin until Tuesday, a horde of appetizer-hungry press descended on the CES Unveiled pre-show on Sunday night for free food and beer, and to look at some new products.

We muscled our way through the crowded ballroom, dodging selfie-sticks and occasionally talking to people about the products they were showing off.

Here are some of the more interesting things we came across:

(NOTE: Any mention of a product is not an endorsement and any opinions stated are based solely on demonstration versions of the items.)

Baby GlGl

Crowds of tech reporters lined up to learn about the Baby GlGl, a $120 baby bottle that tells you you're holding it wrong.

Crowds of tech reporters lined up to learn about the Baby GlGl, a $120 baby bottle sleeve that tells you you’re holding it wrong.

Can you prevent gas and colic simply by feeding baby a little slower? From the people who brought you the food tracking fork, now there’s “Baby GlGl” a battery-powered sleeve that, using an inclinometer, calculates the weight and angle of your baby’s bottle.

Lighted arrows tell you to increase of decrease the angle of the bottle until you’ve reached the one that will provide the optimum flow of milk. Ultimate baby feeding precision will run you €100 (around $120), which is, you know, a lot.

The Parrot Pot

A close-up of the prototype for the (presumably) less-expensive version of the Parrot Pot.

A close-up of the prototype for the (presumably) less-expensive version of the Parrot Pot.

There have been many attempts over the ages to create devices that would automatically water your plants, but many of them rely on just gravity (slowly drawing water from a reservoir) or timers that don’t take into account external conditions.

The solution, at least for the French folks at Parrot, is to create a smart flower pot. One prototype on display holds about 2 liters of water. Users tell the pot which kind of plant they are raising. It then accounts for things like temperature and humidity to (hopefully) dole out the right amount of water.

Another prototype doesn’t require a special pot. Instead, it’s a device that you put into the soil and attach a water source too (in this case, a bottle of water).

Parrot showed off prototypes of web-connected flower pots and plant-watering devices.

Parrot showed off prototypes of web-connected flower pots and plant-watering devices.

It ultimately works very similarly to the smart flower pot, but would presumably cost less.

Parrot does not yet have estimated retail prices for these products, but says it hopes to have finished items in U.S. stores sometime in 2015.

The Roost Smart Battery

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If you want a web-connected smoke detector like the Nest Protect, you’re facing a price tag of $99 for each device. What if you could get some of that functionality out of your current, “dumb” alarm for a fraction of that amount?

That’s the idea behind the Roost Smart Battery, which can be used to retrofit your existing smoke detector to alert you when there’s a problem.

Something like the Roost battery might make good financial sense to a homeowner who wants to add a level of connectivity to their fire safety devices but blushes at the notion of paying hundred, possibly thousands, of dollars to upgrade them to new alarms.

Granted, a single Roost battery is currently available for pre-order at $40/each, but that unit price drops the more you buy. A pack of 4 goes for $120.

A Roost rep we spoke to also said that the company is working on expanding the idea to other household devices that could be retrofitted via a smart battery.

The Ring
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A $270 ring might seem overpriced, especially if it doesn’t involve a wedding, but Japanese manufacturer Logbar is pretty confident about its elegantly simple-looking controller that allows you operate various products and devices with a simple twist of the finger:

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The device detects the slightest movement and immediately put that gesture into action. To use Ring, consumers must pair the device with their phone, download the mobile app and either use a set of pre-programmed or custom gestures to perform actions like send a text message, call an Uber car, or Tweet.

By purchasing the yet-to-be-released Ring Hub, consumers can further control their lives by connecting Ring to their smart appliances.

Triby

The Invoxia Triby will be available in multiple colors when it launches later this year.

The Invoxia Triby will be available in multiple colors when it launches later this year.

Imagine you’re working in the kitchen and want to call your kid to make sure he’ll be home in time for dinner. Your hands are a mess and your phone is all the way in the other room. If you’ve got a Triby phone from French manufacturer Invoxia, you can quickly tap a dedicated button on the device and it will call your ungrateful offspring.

You can also use the Triby as a bluetooth speaker for your phone, so you can deal with things around the house without having to lug the phone around or wear a headset.

The Triby app also lets users post messages to the notifications window on the device. So if you want to remind the kids to vacuum before you get home, the message will be shared by all attached users and displayed on the Triby screen.

Invoxia claims that the Triby battery can go up to a month without having to be charged.

Expect the Triby to retail for $199 when it goes on sale later this year.

Brio Safe Outlet
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Dubbed, “The world’s safest, smartest, and boldest outlet technology,” this product uses microelectronics to eliminate shock hazards — especially from the careless, curious fingers of small children.

In addition to the Safe Outlet (which will sell for $49), Brio is launching a companion $99 device that detects various hazards, like carbon monoxide leaks, fires and flooding. If the Outlet detects a hazard, it sends a text message notification to users.

Brio safe and smart outlets should be available this Spring.

Visijax Commuter Jacket
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Here’s a jacket with turn signals on the arms. It’s rechargable and machine washable. Raise your arm and turn signal LEDs on the front and back of the sleeve blink for 10 seconds. Other exceedingly bright LEDs on the front and low on the back (below a presumptive backpack) alert drivers to your presence. Available in crazy bright safety yellow (pictured) in addition to fairly normal-looking colors that one could wear when not biking, including black. Available now.

Temp Traq

Temp Traq is a disposable, wearable thermometer that continuously monitors a child’s temperature for 24 hours. The flexible patch, which fits much like a band-aid, uses wireless technology to send the child’s temperature data to any nearby mobile device. Users can customize their thermometers to send alerts when a child’s fever spikes and allows for day sharing with family doctors.

Temp Traq is not currently for sale, as it is pending Food and Drug Administration review. Officials with the company are hopeful it will hit the market mid-2015.

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