Kurt Knutsson looks ahead to the seven emerging trends and innovations in tech that will no doubt transform our lives over the next year. I'm like a kid in a candy store this time of year because CES, the Consumer Technology Association's annual trade show, is in full swing in Las Vegas. From the world's first wireless transparent OLED TV by LG that can transform your viewing experience to a smart lock that recognizes your face for seamless entry and even bone-conduction headphones with built-in AI coach, there's no shortage of cutting-edge gadgets to tell you about this year. Here are the top 10 product reveals that wowed us the most right out of the gate at CES 2024, each pushing the boundaries of what's possible in innovation. CLICK TO GET KURT'S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, AND EASY HOW-TO'S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER Imagine watching your favorite shows and movies on a see-through TV that is almost invisible.

We've been hearing a lot lately about the metaverse. Though the concept is far from new and the name itself is 30 years old, the hype cycle is in full swing, with headlines like "Everyone wants to own the metaverse, including Facebook and Microsoft. But what exactly is it?" While people may not fully agree on what it is and when it will get here, one thing is clear: The metaverse is all about virtual avatars in a virtual world doing virtual things. Unless we all end up hooked to machines that keep us alive while we gallivant in a virtual world a la The Matrix, we are still stuck with the real world, climate change and all.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has said that AI and automation are'more profound than the discovery of electricity or fire." The benefits of automating mundane, repetitive admin tasks are clear: increasing and diversifying revenue, boosting employee productivity, and optimising legacy technology are just a handful of tasks that businesses stand to benefit from. In recent times, global organizations have leaned on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to deliver this automation, using hordes of software robots to replace actions reliant on human inputs at a lower cost. As a result, the global RPA market is expected to reach USD 7.64 billion by 2028. However, there is a disconnect between the end-to-end'automation dream' companies that have been sold, and many of the offerings in the world of RPA are failing to deliver on promises made. Legacy RPA tools have been great at automating simple, siloed tasks for a number of years, yet fall down when asked to do this intelligently, and at scale.

Ask a manufacturing company what their current top headaches are, and supply chain disruptions and staff shortages will probably top the list. Vecna Robotics might have the solution for both. Vecna Robotics develops autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) used in distribution, logistics, warehousing and manufacturing (the company first cut its teeth in hospitals and other health care facilities). Their secret sauce is the software; after all, explains founder and Chief Innovation Officer Daniel Theobald, robotics is 90-95% software. Vecna Robotics implants its software brains in existing equipment like forklifts and pallet trucks, making them autonomous – though the company does build some hardware of its own.

Nissan's "intelligent factory" hardly has any human workers. The robots do the work, including welding and mounting. They do the paint jobs and inspect their own paint jobs. "Up to now, people had to make production adjustments through experience, but now robots with artificial intelligence, analyzing collected data, are able to do it. The technology has developed to that level," Nissan Executive Vice President Hideyuki Sakamoto said during a tour of the production line for the Ariya sport-utility vehicle at its Tochigi plant Friday.

Nissan's "intelligent factory" hardly has any human workers. The robots do the work, including welding and mounting. They do the paint jobs and inspect their own paint jobs. "Up to now, people had to make production adjustments through experience, but now robots with artificial intelligence, analyzing collected data, are able to do it. The technology has developed to that level," Nissan Executive Vice President Hideyuki Sakamoto said during a tour of the production line for the Ariya sport-utility vehicle at its Tochigi plant Friday.

TechRepublic's Karen Roby spoke with Joe Wolfel, co-CEO of Terradepth, about the company's ocean data-collection robot. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation. Karen Roby: I think this is a good way to summarize that what you guys are doing and are working toward is a fleet of fully autonomous deep ocean data collection submarines. Tell us a little bit about how this came about? I mean, you don't just wake up one day and say, yeah this is what I think I'm going to do.

AI has made incredible progress over the last decade, and better tools and models are being developed every day. From GPU-Acceleration to Natural Language Processing progress, we have seen accelerators and enablers taking shape and move huge amounts of investments in the most recent past. Deepmind showed us just this week again that things thought to be impossible for another decade can become a reality in no time. Ranging from Smart Robots to Neuromorphic Hardware, we will have a look at the top 13 AI trends that will be on everyone's mind from now until 2025. I am in no way affiliated with any of the following companies.

The robot brain has evolved and finally come to its senses. Researchers have created a smart robot brain that is closer to functioning like a human one by using neuromorphic computing -- mimicking the human mind with life-like brain functions. What's more, they've integrated the bot with artificial skin and sensors, giving it the ability to "see" and "feel." Humans can easily do things like grab their keys out or lift a glass to take a sip. They require an intuitive mind -- the smarts to look at the object, feel its shape, and grab and lift with just the right amount of force.

Recently, Expo 2020 Dubai announced Terminus Group as its Official Robotics Partner. Mohammed Al Hashmi, CTO of Expo 2020 Dubai disclosed that more than 150 smart robots will be deployed at the Expo. For this collaboration, Victor Ai, Founder and CEO of Terminus Group, commented: "We have been committing to the intersection of science, engineering and technology, which empowered Terminus Group's Robots with world-leading interactive computing. Undoubtedly, Terminus Group is a prior choice for any group requiring high-quality robotics product". Together with Opti, the mascot robot designed by Terminus Group exclusively for the purposes of the Expo 2020 Dubai event, the robots will interact with the visitors from all around the world by offering diverse multi-modal interactions, 5G network connectivity, AI mapping and object detection.