At the CES tech megashow in Las Vegas, it is unusual to see an entrepreneur hold up a plant and present it as the latest breakthrough in consumer technology.

But for NeoPlants co-founder Patrick Torbey, the gathering held annually just after the new year should not be thought of as "only about machine technology and electronics."

"It's also about natural technology that we can leverage using these really cool engineering techniques," Torbey told AFP.

NeoPlants, a Paris-based startup, was showing off a bioengineered plant capable of purifying indoor air of toxic pollutants "by doing the work of 30 regular houseplants," according to its website.

Technology geared towards helping the environment has steadily increased in number at CES since the Sin City expo began fifty years ago.

But observers often doubt the seriousness of the consumer tech industry's commitment to protect the environment, with all the real excitement focused on smart TVs and robots instead of the more complicated and less profitable project of saving the planet.

"Until it really, really matters for consumers, it's just going to kind of be this trend that's over here on the side," said Ben Arnold, research firm NPD's consumer electronics analyst.

"As somebody who studies the market, I'm just not seeing yet where (environmental-minded tech) makes a difference in terms of units and dollars," he added.

Ran Roth, the head of tech company Sensibo, agreed that successful devices were the ones that made financial sense and believed his products did just that.

Roth's devices use artificial intelligence and sensors to better manage air conditioning, an important concern in the often blistering heat of Israel, where his company is based.

Sensibo's sensors measure humidity and temperature, and use software that learns a user's habits, thereby saving energy and money.

Roth said new technology should have a "path to profitability" if it is going to thrive, a recurrent shortcoming of so called green tech that so often fails to be bankable.

"What is good about smart thermostats is that they are readily available and they offer the highest return on investment," said Roth, who called air conditioning a "human right."

- 'What matters' -

But as the climate emergency worsens, industry observers said major tech companies were under more pressure to commit to sustainability goals.

"We have seen the public naming and shaming of organizations who indulged in greenwashing over the past year," said Abhijit Sunil of Forrester Research.

"So a lot of organizations are kind of careful in what they mention as their sustainability initiatives and they are now as transparent as possible," he said.

Sunil said that the real advances on the environment were to be seen in the industrial sector, agreeing that the consumer gadget business may be a step behind when it came to doubling down on going green.

Product design, manufacturing and packaging with an eye on a company's waste and carbon footprint were the low hanging fruits when it came to environment technology, he said.

One such company, ACWA Robotics, won plaudits at CES for a robot dedicated to the detection and prevention of water leaks in underground pipes.

In France, where the startup is located, 20 percent of drinking water is estimated to be lost due to leaky pipes.

Fighting for the environment "is the challenge of a century," ACWA Robotics engineer Elise Lengrand told AFP.

"I mean sure it's really cool to make big TVs and stuff, but this is really what matters," she said.

Scanners for avocados and your brain: Highlights from CES 2023
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 8, 2023 - At the annual CES tech show in Las Vegas, hundreds of start-ups presented products aimed at improving health, education and work, increasing productivity and helping to save the planet.

Here are some highlights from the 2023 edition of the popular gadget fest, which ends on Sunday:

- Brain-scanning cap -

Like the Sorting Hat in the "Harry Potter" book series, the iSyncWave sits atop your head, does a quick analysis of you, and reads out its results.

But this gadget isn't magic.

Developed by iMediSync, the headset performs an electroencephalogram (EEG) and uses artificial intelligence to predict potential risks of cognitive issues, including Alzheimer's disease, within 10 minutes.

The South Korean company believes its headset could drastically reduce the financial cost and time needed to do such diagnostic tests.

The device could also possibly be used one day to perform certain therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

- Ripe and ready -

The start-up OneThird, which aims to fight food waste, presented its infrared device that "scans" avocados -- for which ripeness seems to be a roll of the dice.

All one has to do is hold an avocado under the scanner, then algorithms determine whether it is "not yet ripe," "ripe" or "overripe," presenting a color-coded response on a mobile app.

The device is also touted as a way of preventing supermarket customers from squeezing avocado after avocado, which can make them spoil quicker.

The company takes its name from the fact that one third of global food products go to waste.

- Coding without coding -

As computers increase in complexity by the day, many startups are facilitating communication with tech, especially for people who don't know how to code.

At the Tactigon booth, Nadia Giuliani stands behind a small robot, grabs two connected joysticks and claps her hands saying "clap."

The device imitates her immediately by clapping. She can also use it to teach dance moves to the robot.

"We are now using voice commands and gestures because we need to have a more natural interface with the digital world," says Massimiliano Bellino, boss of Tactigon parent company Next Industries.

"We need to humanize interaction with the digital world," he adds.

The Italian company's suite of software, based on artificial intelligence, is designed in particular for factories, so that technicians can teach robots to perform tasks instead of having to program them manually.

Tactigon promises productivity gains of 30 percent thanks to its algorithms.

- Smart punching bag -

The I-Perskin, a wireless sack that slips over any punching bag, features light-up targets and flexible electronic sensors that guide workouts and analyze the user's strength and accuracy.

A mobile app helps set workouts and review performance.

The French startup that designed the cover, I-Percut, intends to sell it initially to gyms.

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Ukraine startups at CES strive to help the nation triumph
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 6, 2023
A dozen Ukrainian startups proudly showed off innovations at CES on Friday, striving to help their nation triumph economically as well as on the battlefield. The contingent was welcomed to the premier consumer electronics gathering in Las Vegas, while Russian firms were not allowed due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war. Before the conflict, Ukraine was an up-and-coming tech hotbed, but the war forced entrepreneurs to relocate and rethink their business plans. But they have ... read more