The New Year means that tech developers and designers are looking to create something new. And where better to showcase the latest offerings than at the annual Consumer Electronics Show? This year, the legendary January event has showcased a range of innovative new products, so we were eager to share some of the best.

Held in Las Vegas, the CES always plays host to the latest, best and futuristic tech products from international and smaller brands alike. This year, we were interested to see that drones were the hot topic, with an array of creative ones on display, varying in colour, function and size. One of the most popular seems to be the “selfie” drone, which is designed to fly up to 60 metres above the user’s head and circle around, in order to take a 360 degree aerial selfie. Its success is already apparent- parent company Hexo+ raised over $1.3 million on Kickstarter to fund the creation, and when the selfie trend is so dominant, we can understand why! There was also a pink drone on display catering to the female market, a minute drone- small enough to fit in your hand, and a drone stick, meaning users can attach their drone cameras in situations when they’re unable to use the drone in isolation. One of the most beautiful on display though had to be the Bionic Bird drone, modeled (as its name suggests) on a bird in flight. It can be controlled from your smartphone, contains a Bluetooth radio, and functions best outside.

Bionic Bird drone

One of the most innovative products at CES had to be the Voxel8 3D printer- a 3D printer with a twist. While we’ve seen most 3D printers used to create physical products, the Voxel8 prints electronic circuits instead. These can be embedded into other objects, meaning the possibilities are endless for incorporating into wearable tech devices for instance. Making a name for itself as far as innovation is concerned, has also got to be home security brand Nest, and their forward-thinking approach to indoor technology. While we’ve become acquainted with their legendary smoke alarm and thermostat system, this year, the company announced 15 new partnerships including the Jawbone UP fitness band, Whirlpool washing machines, and Dropcam home security cameras. The particularly cool thing about this last collaboration is that Dropcam’s capabilities mean it can automatically save clips if your smoke alarm goes off for instance, allowing the user to identify the problem.

The most jaw-dropping product on display though, had to be this year’s winner in the Automotive Technology category- Mercedes’ F015 Luxury in Motion Concept. The aim behind this is for the car to be thought of as a second moving home, taking its passengers between places. With this in mind, Mercedes created an astonishingly beautiful 17 ft. hydrogen-powered and autonomous car with external LED lights that change colour, to show when the car is in control. From the living room-like space within, each passenger can control a digital screen, just by using their own gestures. The car is even able to interact with people outside, with features such as the ability to laser-project a virtual crosswalk onto the road, letting pedestrians know whether it is safe to cross.

Mercedes F015

Did you manage to catch any of the action at CES? And what have been your favourite products from this year’s show? We’d love to hear your picks, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.