Colorado corporations present candy tech at CES

The tech goodies unveiled on the annual shopper tech fest often called CES appeared heavy on synthetic intelligence at this 12 months’s present, which wrapped in Las Vegas on Friday.

Then once more, I wasn’t capable of attend in particular person to see AI’s domination for myself. However I adopted alongside on-line and in addition reached out to a handful of Colorado corporations that have been there to seek out out why it’s a must-attend occasion even exterior of AI.

Jacob Segil, co-founder of Afference, had a fairly good purpose.

His Boulder startup gained a “Better of Innovation” award final 12 months for a glove-like wearable that makes use of neural haptics to simulate the sense of contact, so a person can really feel one thing when touching, nicely, nothing. That will actually fill out immersive sport play. This 12 months, it put the tech into a hoop on your finger.

“Our expertise is maturing to the purpose the place we could possibly be sharing it extensively. This 12 months was the primary time we’re giving public demos on the present flooring,” stated Segil, additionally a analysis professor on the College of Colorado whose work contains creating synthetic limbs that plug into the nervous system. “We now have strains of individuals in entrance of our sales space attempting to really feel the neural haptics that we are able to produce for the primary time. That was a significant milestone for us to let different individuals attempt our work.”

The annual tradeshow of the Shopper Know-how Affiliation is getting again to the place it was once earlier than a downturn attributable to pandemic restrictions. Nvidia confirmed off its new AI chips whereas Intel had its AI PC.

Colorado tends to have a small presence on the CES present flooring since there simply aren’t that many corporations making consumer-electronics items. However you don’t must have a sales space on the conference middle to be seen.

Denver-based iterate.ai cohosted a non-public get together on the Ole Crimson music membership on the strip to point out off its new partnership with Intel, which is including iterate’s personal AI expertise to its new AI PC chips. OtterBox in Fort Collins unveiled new iPhone circumstances and cellphone straps — however at “a CES-adjacent media present” in a close-by resort, spokeswoman Kristen Tatti stated.

“We haven’t exhibited on the CES present flooring since earlier than COVID, however we do host buyer and companion conferences in addition to attend media occasions,” Tatti stated in an electronic mail. “CES is a large commerce present and a giant cultural second. How corporations present up actually will depend on their wants — how their enterprise operates, what their targets are, and so forth.”

Afference’s plans for neural haptics

After final 12 months’s debut, Afference raised $3.5 million from traders that included Samsung Subsequent, the enterprise arm of one of many world’s largest consumer-electronics corporations. The funding helped speed up growth to get the ring prepared for CES.

Afference doesn’t plan to make the rings however will work with producers. And the ring is only a suggestion for potential companions all in favour of utilizing Afference’s tech to construct leisure and gaming gear so customers can level to digital objects and really feel a sensation despite the fact that there’s nothing however skinny air.

“Image augmented actuality video games, like Pokemon Go, or mixed-reality video games that you would be able to play with a (Meta) Quest headset or Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional headset,” Segil stated. “We’re additionally working with sport studios and sport builders the place (the) haptic data is simply enhancing the gameplay and leisure content material.”

Shopper expertise companions are anticipated to be introduced later this 12 months with merchandise rolling out a 12 months or two after that, he stated.

Lightship: An electrical RV trailer

Out there prior to that’s one thing on the other spectrum, no less than by measurement. Lightship RV is a journey trailer for the electrical automobile age since you don’t need to be driving cross nation in an EV whereas towing a camper.

Lightship co-founders and former Tesla workers Ben Parker and Toby Kraus tried it and needed to abandon their rented journey trailer at one level with the intention to make it to the subsequent supercharger. They realized they wanted to construct a camper that would energy itself.

The brand new AE.1 Cosmos seems like a contemporary sunroom on wheels with a rooftop stuffed with photo voltaic panels and all of the bells and whistles (a dishwasher!). However it’s the battery-powered TrekDrive base that can guarantee “subsequent to no loss in vary for an estimated 300 miles of long-range towing,” Kraus, the corporate’s CEO, stated in an electronic mail.

“The most important problem was fixing the problem of vary anxiousness,” he added. “Towing an RV sometimes will increase drag and gasoline consumption, so to sort out this we designed the AE.1 Cosmos Version from the bottom up for excessive effectivity with our Twin Mode, telescoping design and TrekDrive, setting a brand new customary for aerodynamic efficiency in its class.”

The sensible hitch connects the trailer to the EV vitality for additional oomph uphill. However even when the automobile towing the Lightship isn’t electrical, the automobile ought to get higher gasoline mileage in comparison with towing a non-EV trailer.

The trailer itself have to be charged and with a stage three charger, the battery recharging charge can go from 0% to 100% in 67 minutes (a stage one charger charge is extra like 2-3 miles of vary per hour, in keeping with the corporate). When parked, the AE.1 wants no generator or propane. And between the photo voltaic panels and built-in battery, it has sufficient vitality for per week of off-grid tenting for a household of 4.

LEFT: Lightship RV’s electrical AE.1 Cosmos trailer was designed from the trailer hitch on up and caters to camping-minded electrical automobile homeowners. The trailer has its personal battery and photo voltaic panels to cut back drag and gasoline consumption on the EV. (Handout) RIGHT: When parked, the highest half stuffed with home windows is raised. Inside, a sofa and desk convert into sleeping areas for 4 individuals. The corporate is manufacturing the primary 50 trailers at its plant in Broomfield. Pictures courtesy of Lighship RV

Lightship, which raised $34 million from traders final 12 months, plans to make simply 50 limited-edition Cosmos, at $250,000 every (tax credit could also be out there). They’re being constructed on the firm’s 32,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Broomfield, which was picked because the headquarters due to the proximity to out of doors actions and “entry to a powerful labor pool in Denver, Boulder and surrounding areas,” Kraus stated.

Whereas the 2 founders haven’t duplicated their Boulder-San Francisco street journey with the brand new trailer, they plan to sooner or later, he added. “We’ve relied closely on street checks to make sure the AE.1 Cosmos Version delivers leading-class aerodynamics and a virtually zero vary or effectivity loss whether or not you drive an EV or gasoline/diesel tow automobile.”

Additionally of notice:

➔ VOORMI’s microclimate monitor. This Pagosa Springs firm could also be greatest identified for activewear and “weather-shedding” clothes that’s breathable and climate resistant. At CES, the corporate added to its combine “Mij” (pronounced ‘me’), expertise that makes use of sensors built-in into material to assist individuals management their thermal load.

By monitoring the warmth a physique loses and generates, Mij communicates by way of an app to assist customers improve exercise and muscle efficiency or decelerate to cut back threat of harm. No different particulars have been out there, as we’re nonetheless ready to listen to again from the corporate. However the CES judges just like the product. Mij was named a 2025 Innovation Award honoree. >> Extra

➔ CES 2025 Innovation Award winners. Right here’s a fast method to scan some highlights of the present, as curated by the tradeshow. >> Awards

Colorado’s 2025 legislative session has begun

And with it, a lot of business-related payments. Some have been talked about throughout Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ State of the State speech Thursday. >> Test it out

As a public service, Colorado Solar politics reporter Jesse Paul has put collectively a information to determining how state legal guidelines are made, find out how to monitor them and find out how to become involved. >> The information

➔ Extra Colorado politics information >> Tales

Solar economic system tales you could have missed

➔ Park Metropolis ski patrol union secures common of $4 hourly wage bump for 200 employees. May or not it’s a precedent? >> Learn story

➔ New midstream gasoline guidelines ought to minimize greenhouse emissions, Colorado officers say. Environmental teams object a December vote lacks enforcement, creates a questionable credit-trading system. >> Learn story

➔ Colorado lawmakers supply $34 million in tax incentives to land the Sundance Movie Competition. A invoice proposed this week would supply $3 million a 12 months to a “international movie competition entity” that strikes to Colorado. >> Learn story

➔ The great, the dangerous and the algorithm: What banning TikTok may do to Colorado creators. TikTok has turn into a gathering house for all types of area of interest pursuits, however with a looming ban, native creators and shoppers concern they may lose entry to their communities. >> Learn story

➔ Homelessness amongst households with kids in Colorado grew by 134% in 2024, in keeping with federal report. The U.S. Housing and City Growth report reveals that Colorado was one in all 4 states the place household homelessness greater than doubled. >> Learn story

What readers should say about 2025

Final week’s reader ballot had the vast majority of people trying ahead to … one thing in 2025. Be it a giant pay increase, small pay increase, new job or simply maintaining the one they’ve. Listed below are the outcomes from final week:

What’s Working: 2025 expectations

Different working bits

➔ Ibotta ranks as one of many high VC exits in 2024. When the Denver-based retail-tech firm Ibotta held its preliminary public providing final April, it was a fairly large deal, not only for Colorado however for the way forward for tech IPOs. However it was an particularly large — and financially good — deal for traders. In line with PitchBook, which tracks the enterprise market, Ibotta ranked final 12 months because the nation’s tenth largest exit, the time period used for earlier traders getting their a reimbursement. Based mostly on its closing worth Friday of $66.90, the corporate is valued at $2.05 billion. And because it turned out, there wasn’t a lot momentum in 2024, with some even calling it a “boring 12 months for tech startup IPOs.”

➔ Silverthorne AI firm raises $11 million in funding. Kamiwaza AI, which develops personal AI programs for corporations regardless of the place their knowledge is saved, added back-to-back rounds totalling $11 million, the corporate stated Thursday. The Silverthorne firm stated the spherical was led by out-of-state traders by S3 Ventures in Austin, Texas, and Pioneer Sq. Labs in Seattle. Early traders have been native, together with Better Colorado Enterprise Fund and First Mile Ventures in Colorado Springs. >> GeekWire

➔ Growth Supersonic will get nearer to supersonic speeds. The Centennial plane developer stated Friday that it accomplished its eleventh take a look at flight on the Mojave Air & Area Port in California on Friday. At a velocity of Mach 0.95, or 575 knots, Growth’s XB-1 demonstrator plane is getting nearer to supersonic speeds, which is above Mach 1 (or 768 miles per hour at sea stage). The corporate is aiming to deliver again supersonic air journey for on a regular basis passengers. Whereas the staff will want take a look at the take a look at flight outcomes from Friday, if all goes nicely, the subsequent take a look at flight could possibly be the one to interrupt the sound barrier “in early 2025,” the corporate stated in an replace. >> Learn Growth’s take a look at flight notes

➔ CU Denver’s Sensible Futures Lab seeks startups. The college’s particular entrepreneurial program has labored with 19 startups which have raised or generated $4.5 million in revenues and investments, in keeping with the varsity. It’s hoping for 10 extra to affix its Sensible Futures Lab, a free, six-month incubator providing mentorship, help and entry to stuff like a prototyping lab and personal 5G community for analysis and growth. Deadline to use is Feb. 21, with data periods Jan. 15 and Feb. 12. >> Apply

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Thanks for sticking with me for this week’s report. As at all times, share your 2 cents on how the economic system is maintaining you down or serving to you up at cosun.co/heyww. ~ tamara

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