What's Getting the Most Buzz from CES 2021?

Ahead of the world's biggest tradeshow, I recorded an interview with Steve Koenig from the CES organizing team for an advance look at what was coming. Now that the event has actually happened, there has been the usual buzz about mind reading bikes, a rapid freezing appliance to make instant soft serve ice cream, a video doorbell that can tell if the person on your doorstep has a fever, and personalized perfumes that fit your mood.

Reading about these alongside the usual stories about self-driving cars or foldable TV screens, it's easy to feel skeptical about just how realistic (or useful) these things are, or how far away they seem from practical application. That's what I thought about a decade ago when I first saw wireless charging mats. They were fiction. About four years after I saw them at CES, they were everywhere. Verge has a great recap of past CES products and where they are now.

Yes, CES seems like fantasy. But much of what is first presented there also turns into reality ... eventually.