10 Technologies That Will Be Most Prominent at CES 2016

CES—perhaps the IT industry’s biggest event of the year—begins Jan. 6. Here’s a look at the technologies that will be most prominent at the show.

Drones will be flying all around CES 2016. The popularity of drones is already soaring, but 2016 is expected to be a breakout year for the technology. Expect several companies, including GoPro, Qualcomm and Intel, to talk about their plans for drone technology. They will be joined, of course, by some of the current market leaders, including DJI and 3DRobotics.

While Ultra HD televisions have been at CES for several years, they’ve always been showpieces, displaying what would eventually be possible. Now that Ultra HD sets have started to come down in price, expect to see some nicely affordable sets from companies like Samsung and LG that deliver the high-quality resolution alongside other compelling features.

Electric cars will undoubtedly make a showing at CES 2016. Nearly every major carmaker is saying that it wants to build an electric vehicle and follow Tesla’s lead. That will be on full display in the car section at CES, where companies will show off their future-focused technologies. They may even show off some autonomous vehicles, but don’t expect those to hit the road for several years.

The Internet of things has become a catchall term for products that have historically never been connected to the Internet but finally get that connection. The Internet of things will be on full display at CES 2016, as companies show off “smart” features in traditionally “dumb” products. CES will be overtaken by the Internet of things.

Although 3D printing has found a niche that has made it somewhat successful, the technology has yet to take off. That’s expected to change in the coming years as printing in 3D becomes easier and more feasible for the average consumer. That’s undoubtedly why so many 3D printer makers are expected to be at CES and show off what the future of that technology looks like.

The possibilities for robotics and artificial intelligence are endless. And at CES, several companies will showcase that. However, there will also be companies there that talk about how to handle artificial intelligence to ensure robots and other smart devices don’t get out of control. Either way, artificial intelligence will be a hot topic at CES 2016.

Every analyst agrees that wearables will soar in 2016, and that’s precisely why so many companies will be showcasing their latest fitness trackers, smartwatches and other wearables at the show. Apple Watch won’t be there (Apple skips CES), but expect to see plenty of other smartwatches, including Fitbit and Jawbone.

At long last, virtual reality headsets will be hitting the market in droves 2016. So, it would only make sense that companies like Facebook-owned Oculus, Samsung, HTC and all the others show off their upcoming headsets at CES 2016. If virtual reality becomes as big as analysts say it will, CES 2016 will be the opportunity for device makers to show why there’s a future there.

While computers have lost some of their luster at CES, several devices will still be on display. And the vast majority of those products will be running on Windows 10. Microsoft has officially risen from the shadow of Windows 8 and delivered in Windows 10 an operating system that vendors can get behind. Expect those vendors to show just how much they’re behind Windows 10 at CES.

Augmented reality could also make a splash at CES. The technology blends virtual content into the real world to provide information and help people work or navigate in particular environments. So far, augmented reality has shown how it can be used in several industries, including retail and automotive, but CES 2016 may prove those sectors are just the tip of the iceberg.