Granted, it wasn't a regular Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – the annual mecca to Las Vegas every January to kick the tires on new tech – as several exhibitors and journalists (including yours truly) decided to cover the show remotely because of the surge of omicron cases and related travel challenges. But the 55th CES still managed to impress with several hundred new products that debuted this past week – both in person (albeit to a significantly reduced turnout) and virtually, for those not in Sin City (like last year's online-only CES). CES, of course, serves as a glimpse into the near future of consumer electronics trends. The following are a few CES 2022 announcements that caught my eye. Here I'll focus on gadgets and gear, to be fast-followed with an article on automotive tech coming down the road.

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.

Welcome to your 2019 kitchen. There's a smart oven, which lets you adjust the temperature and cook time from your phone. There's a smart refrigerator, which can tell you when your produce is about to go bad. There's a smart scale, which (hopefully) makes you a better baker. If you're wondering why you'd ever need a smart sink--and how it's different than a regular sink--we broke down exactly what the Kohler Sensate smart faucet is (and isn't) below.