“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
That enduring quote, often attributed to American writer William C. Taylor, was a thought echoed by numerous consumers when some of the more off-the-wall ideas were unveiled at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The event began Tuesday, and will end Friday, but the show has already turned heads with some of the more bizarre “innovations” being pitched by the biggest tech companies in the world.
Ever wanted a see-through television set?
Perhaps the first head-scratcher unveiled at CES 2024 was from tech company LG, which showed off an incredibly fancy — though functionally questionable — television set as part of the event.
Per a company release, LG is calling this prototype model “the world’s first wireless transparent OLED TV.”
Essentially, the television functions as normal when being used as a television set (as odd as that sounds.)
The see-through aspect of it comes into play if you were to want something a little more vibrant when the television is not being used as normal.
You could do a yuletide log, some generic color splashes or even have your television pose as a fake fish tank.
Have you ever heard of CES before?
And because the television is literally “see-through” when being used in non-traditional ways, it does stand out.
U.K.-based tech reporter Dave Snelling shared video of this strange new television set on X:
Impressive TV tech from Samsung #CES2024 pic.twitter.com/YLkser3oW4
— Dave Snelling (@SnellingD) January 8, 2024
“The OLED T unlocks a world of near-limitless potential, giving users the unprecedented freedom to meticulously curate their living spaces,” the LG statement reads.
It adds: “LG SIGNATURE OLED T liberates users from a dominant black screen that competes with the décor in their home.”
LG further offered some potential uses of this strange new tech: “Its transparent OLED screen removes the usual constraints that come with conventional TVs. No longer does the TV have to be placed against the wall. Instead, users can place the OLED T in the middle of the room to become a divider or prop it against the window without blocking the view outside.”
Has Sony ever heard of OceanGate?
The other revelation at CES that has caught a few eyes thus far has been the showcase for Honda’s new Afeela model of high-tech, AI-powered “smart” electric vehicles.
Seriously, glance through the car’s web page and you’ll be bombarded with all manner of futuristic innovations that are designed to make the mundane task of driving anything but.
Ever wanted to watch full movies right off your fancy OLED dashboard? If that’s enough, how about vibrating chairs to mimic explosions and such in said movies?
The car also comes equipped with noise cancellation technology, artificial intelligence assistance, and facial scanning technology so the car can open after reading your face — no keys or fobs needed.
The car also scans the outside world as you’re driving, which can then be applied to augmented reality games that you can participate in while driving.
That, without question, seems like a terrible idea (do you really want anyone trying to change lanes to hit that next power-up?) but one that Honda appears to have doubled down on with the help of tech titan Sony.
Sony showed off the Afeela being operated remotely via a Playstation 5 controller, and it was truly wild to see at the CES 2024 press conference:
Sony’s new AFEELA car from Honda can be driven with a PS5 controller. pic.twitter.com/tkf6rqLvLd
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 9, 2024
Safety and hacking issues aside, a quick glance at social media showed swathes of users calling out Sony for, apparently, being oblivious to the circumstances of the OceanGate tragedy.
sony was inspired https://t.co/nF7yd3tL93 pic.twitter.com/peDOKoasFy
— Gene Park (@GenePark) January 9, 2024
For the unfamiliar, the now essentially defunct company OceanGate (it has suspended all operations since July) became the center of controversy when one of its Titan submersibles imploded while exploring the remnants of the Titanic.
All five passengers on board did not survive, and the incident swiftly went viral.
One reason for said virality? The Titan submersible was reportedly outfitted and controlled via a video game controller — not unlike the new Afeela.
In fairness, it does not appear that the controller functionality will reach the public (thankfully), as it’s being described as a “tech showcase” and nothing more.
But that then just leaves the question: “Why?”
After all, just because you can, never, ever means you should.
