Sky Views: Making the internet of things matter

Greg Milam, US Correspondent

I have always thought it testament to the monumental strength and ingenuity of humans that, in the nearly 100 years of having refrigerators in our homes, we perfected the art of pulling open the door to see what's inside.

Just think how many people have done that over the last near century. Billions, possibly. Amazing.

Of course, technology now tells us we no longer need to do this. Our smart fridge in our smart home can tell our smart phone that the smart thing to do is buy some milk.

We can presumably use the time saved in not opening the fridge door to stare at our devices for a bit longer.

The shape of this magical future will become a little clearer to us all this week as the tech world meets in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show.

The big brains of tech have identified where their advances can genuinely have important value.

Already we have been teased with stories of the weird and wonderful that might be revealed in Sin City.

Cars that can read our minds and predict our actions, mobile phones you can bend and more robots than you can shake a stick at. Oh, and there could also be a robot dog, maybe to fetch that stick.

But among the connected-home toys, self-driving cars, wireless chargers, augmented reality, new speakers, monitors, phones and everything else, there are signs of a valuable and growing tech trend this year.

While there will be fewer 'wearables' on display, there will be a lot more space dedicated to medical and health devices. And not just pedometers and heart-rate monitors but things that could make a real difference.

There are glasses that read text aloud and recognise faces and products and money in real time for the blind or visually impaired.

There is a device to help recovery for people who have suffered lung damage, a scarf that can cut pollution, and underpants that block radiation.

Yes, that's underpants. That block radiation.

Some of the connected devices on display, ones that monitor, track and alert, will literally be life-savers for some people in the future.

This is bigger than the toothbrush that tells you where you've missed, the hairbrush that spots split ends and the 'smart mirror' that offers some home truths.

The big brains of tech have identified where their advances can genuinely have important value.

Call it the internet of useful things.

So, this week, look behind the headlines about 8K TVs and the robot that can do yoga and celebrate the life-enhancing bits instead... and don't forget to check the fridge.

Sky Views is a series of comment pieces by Paste BN editors and correspondents, published every morning.

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