On Wednesday the Department of Transportation announced the launch of a pilot program that will lead to new regulations. On Wednesday the Department of Transportation announced the launch of a pilot program that will lead to new regulations. Here's a hypothetical: How tolerant would you be of a drone flying over your head or zooming through your backyard, if it were carrying life-saving medicine to the scene of a hard-to-reach accident? The U.S. Department of Transportation plans to collect the answers to questions like this, and a slew of other data, in a new test project called the Integration Pilot Program. After combing through 149 applications from state, local and tribal governments seeking to partner with some of the world's leading technology companies, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced the winners Wednesday.

In a corner of LG's sprawling, dripping-with-technology booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center sat a circular table populated by a group of small, futuristic snowmen. Each of them sported a black touchscreen display showing a pair of electronic eyes that would intermittently squint as if they were smiling at you. On a large screen nearby, a video showed one of these gizmos, the LG Hub Robot, calling out in a soothing tone: "Hello. I learn your lifestyle to better serve you." This year's CES tech show in Las Vegas highlighted how our technology is finding its voice, with makers of cars, appliances and speakers starting to let people control their products simply by talking to them.