Favorite Product Innovations of CES 2016

This year’s Consumer Electronic Show (CES) has been a rewarding experience for us at MAKO as we get to support our clients in being a part of an innovation driven, global community. To recognize the different product innovations that have been revealed so far in the show, we are featuring some of our favourite products. Although difficult to choose, we decided our 3 picks based on the user experience and design of the products.

1. In the air: ProDrone

There has been a lot of buzz in the tech world with many tech enthusiasts suggesting that this is the year of the drone. That’s why when we saw the ProDrone on the first day of CES 2016, it had to land on our favourites list as a unique product innovation.

ProDrone showcased its fourth drone, better known as the Byrd, distinguishing itself from other drones with capabilities that go beyond flight time and camera quality. For starters, each of their three versions (Standard, Advanced, and Premium) can fold down to approximately the size of an iPad, making it highly advantageous for portability.

Another unique feature is their ability to carry DSLR cameras that weigh up to 4.5 pounds with a built-in mount. With this mount, ProDrone can integrate Byrd with a lot of the popular DSLR cameras available in the market, but with the added weight, there is a reduction in flight time to between 12 to 15 minutes rather than the original flight time of 25 to 29 minutes.

2. On the road: Volkswagen Budd-E

Despite the recent controversies that took place with VW, the Budd-E has still made it on our list because of its advanced smart car features. With its unique responsive abilities users can control this product innovation with voice recognition and hand gestures. Thus, Budd-E is not your standard car, as it doesn’t require door handles.

With just one charge, Budd-E can travel a maximum of 373 miles, equivalent to an average car running on a full tank. The car stays connected with other smart home devices, such as your fridge and your front door, giving the user full control. Although still in its prototyping phase, we love that Volkswagen could give their psychedelic minivan from the past a promising future!

3. For the home: Samsung’s SUHD TV

Samsung is notorious for its wide selection of television sets. For the 2016 CES they introduced their first bezel-less curved design, made to give the user the perfect experience at any angle. This product innovation has LED 10-bit quantum dot HDR screens that have 1000 nits of contrast between light and dark.

With their new Ultra Black tech, the TV absorbs natural light to provide viewers with less glare and darker blacks. In addition to all of this, the TV will also act as a smart home hub for all other Samsung smart appliances and third-party items.

With a few more days left in the show, MAKO is looking forward to see more ground breaking innovations to pave the way for a new technological wave.  Our passion for helping our clients achieve their dreams to become participants in such events is truly gratifying. With every year that passes, we strive to increase our support for innovators and improve their expectations within the product development industry!

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!