Glasses and high-tech device: The Ticino startup Lighthouse Tech is presenting glasses for the visually impaired in Las Vegas that alert them to obstacles at waist height. Lighthouse Tech
This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was all about artificial intelligence. Swiss startups used the trade fair as a springboard to expand into the USA.
This content was published on January 18, 2024 – 5:00 p.m. January 18, 2024 – 5:00 p.m
Pascal Lago, SRF
That’s what it’s about: The largest tech trade fair in the world, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), took place in Las Vegas at the beginning of January. More than 30 startups from Switzerland were also there and presented their latest inventions. You want to expand abroad thanks to the trade fair and with products in the field of artificial intelligence.
Swiss participation: Investors, tech scouts and potential business partners gathered at the largest tech trade fair in the world. The trade fair itself lasted four days and the startups from Switzerland had a full agenda. You make the most of every minute and have one appointment after another.
In order to expand into the USA, Swiss startups built a network there. One example is “Safe-Living” from Zug, which presented the emergency alarm product in Las Vegas last year and has since founded a subsidiary in San Francisco.
Is it worth it? The young companies from Switzerland have been preparing for these four days since September. According to Patrik Wermelinger from Switzerland Global Enterprise, young Swiss companies can gain a foothold in the US market. You not only come into contact with donors and potential business partners, but also with international media.
The big tech companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Samsung are also interested in innovations from Switzerland and specifically visit the Swiss stand at the tech trade fair. The Swiss startups are not only trying to gain a foothold in the US market, but are also marketing Switzerland as an innovation and tech location.
The AI glasses from Lugano: The startup Lighthouse Tech from Lugano was in Las Vegas to establish contacts in the USA. It develops glasses for blind people and people with severe visual impairment. Thanks to sensors and artificial intelligence, the glasses detect obstacles in the way, such as branches or street signs. The glasses warn the wearer of these obstacles with vibrations. Lighthouse Tech used the trade fair, among other things, to network with various organizations for the blind in the USA.
AI alarm from Cham in the canton of Zug: The startup Safe-Living produces emergency detectors equipped with radar technology. The device looks like a fire alarm and registers all movements within an apartment.
Using artificial intelligence, the emergency detector detects if a person falls or stays in the bathroom longer than usual. As soon as a person moves differently than usual, the alarm is triggered and, for example, relatives are notified.
What other exciting innovations were there? All possible and impossible electrical products were presented at the largest tech trade fair in the world. For example, intelligent refrigerators that analyze food using artificial intelligence and suggest suitable recipes.
Or robots for dogs that, thanks to AI, play with the dog, throw balls and feed the dog at the same time. More than 4,000 companies from over 150 countries presented their latest products at CES.
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