LAS VEGAS – CES 2022 lacked its usual crowds and some of its headline acts, but the gadget show that returned to this city after the pandemic forced it to go online-only last year retained a certain exuberant weirdness. You can count on the technology industry to supply more possibilities than the market will necessarily demand. And you can expect many of those to surface at the Arlington, Virginia-based Consumer Technology Association's annual gathering, even if they never make it to any store. The big-name vendors that scrapped plans to exhibit in person over fear of the aggressively-spreading omicron variant still had paid-up show-floor space. That led to such minimalist workarounds as LG's "Life's Good Lounge," an expanse of plywood adorned with QR codes for attendees to scan to get more information about products they could not see or touch.

Voice control, using either Alexa or Google Assistant, is the U by Moen smart faucet's star attraction, but after testing this kitchen tool for several months, I've concluded that its gesture control feature is far more useful. Voice control is no gimmick, as you'll see when I dig all the things you can do with voice commands. But the tasks for which I use a faucet most often--washing my hands, rinsing dishes, filling a watering can for my houseplants, and the like--waving my hand over the faucet to start the flow of water, and again to stop it is all the technology I need. I love my handmade farmhouse sink, but it seriously complicates changing out the faucet. But that could be because I live in a rural area and draw my water from a well.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) typically signals the arrival of new smart home appliances, and this year is certainly no exception. To this end, Moen today debuted a voice-activated faucet and water detector in its growing U by Moen product line, complementing its digital shower system that recently gained support for Google Assistant. The family flagship -- the U by Moen Smart Faucet -- lets users start and stop water flow with their voice. They're also able to perform other tasks through digital assistants, including Alexa and Google Assistant, or take advantage of the wave sensor to turn the water off with a simple hand gesture. The LED built into the wave sensor changes color from blue to purple to red to indicate when the water is heating or cooling, while a handle on the side of the faucet offers manual control over temperature.

Moen is about to make its showers a little smarter. Last year, the company announced that it would be incorporating Alexa and Siri into its U by Moen smart shower series. What's more, the Alexa functionality has now been upgraded from being just a third-party skill to one that's fully integrated as an official Amazon Alexa Skill. For example, instead of saying "Alexa, tell Moen to turn on the shower," you can now say "Alexa, turn on the shower" for the command to take effect. It works similarly with Siri and Google too; simply swap "Alexa" with either "Siri" or "Google."

Getting up from the toilet after a satisfying bowel movement, you walk right over to the sink and start washing your hands. "Alexa, flush my toilet," you say while reaching for your toothbrush. Your mirror starts displaying your schedule for the day, the weather update and latest news. Suddenly, there's a ping -- your toilet has detected an anomaly in your stool and recommends you increase your fiber intake. A dispenser built into your medicine cabinet whirs and spits out a fiber supplement.

Jefferson Graham runs down the winners and losers of CES 2018. LAS VEGAS -- In our home, every time I try to talk to Alexa or Siri, my wife usually responds by saying, "What?" I can only imagine what life is going to be like in the coming years. We humans are going to have to find a new way to understand each other. Because now that CES 2018 is wrapped, no new one individual product stands out, but one big theme does--voice computing.

At first blush, the bathroom is the most boring possible spot smart-home technology could be applied, except maybe a closet. But consider a mirror that turns on motion-activated lights when you get up in the middle of the night, or tells you the weather in the morning. Consider setting the shower on to the perfect temperature just by asking, before you climb in. There are even "intelligent" toilets in the works though how intelligent they'll be remains to be seen. At an opening press event for CES Sunday, Kohler debuted a voice-enabled lighted mirror with dual-microphones and Amazon.com

Suitcases with a camera that follows you, so you don't have to drag them, and voice-activated shower and makeup mirrors highlight the five coolest things we saw so far at CES 2018. LAS VEGAS --Leave it to CES to show us something we never knew we really wanted. As in, you don't have to grab onto them to drag them anymore, just instead let the camera sensor from inside the bag learn who the owner is, and then follow you around the airport, hands free. A Chinese company named Forward X brought the "self-driving" CX-1 suitcases to the Sunday CES Unveiled gathering, a sneak peek at new products that will be displayed beginning Tuesday when the trade show floors officially open. The bags feature gesture control sensors and a maximum speed of 7 miles per hour. No pricing has been announced for the bags, although the company says they will be competitive, and the bags are expected to go on sale in August.

I'm expanding my horizons from games to tech next week as I head off to Las Vegas for CES 2018, the big tech trade show that begins for the media on Sunday. I hope to find some interesting stories, like the one that Arnold Donald, the CEO of the world's largest cruise company, told last year as Carnival Cruises launched its Ocean Medallion wearable. That was interesting because it was an example of how technology was infiltrating a non-tech business. Technology is fading into the woodwork, as the woodwork is getting smart. The Internet of Things trend will be a huge part of the product mix.

If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives. Sure, there are plenty of smart products that can help out in the living room, office, kitchen, or playroom. However, did you know there are also undeniably cool gadgets that can upgrade your bathroom? That's right--there are tons of smart products designed specifically for the bathroom, and they're more useful than you might expect! Here are 10 items that will transform your boring washroom into the smartest room in your house.