CES 2023 in pictures: Electric skates, pet tech and gadgets taking aim at surgery

Tech companies of all sizes show off their latest products at a CES gadget fest in Las Vegas Tuesday, ahead of the opening of the consumer electronics extravaganza. Here are some highlights:

POKEMON, BUT MAKE IT BIRDS: Bird Buddy showed off a smart bird feeder that takes snapshots of feathered friends as they fly in to eat some treats. The startup says its AI technology can recognize more than 1,000 species of birds, allowing users to share through a mobile app what kind of birds they’re feeding. “We try to kind of gamify the collection so it’s a really fun game that you can play — almost like a real life Pokémon Go with real animals and wildlife in your backyard,” said Kyle Buzzard, the company’s co-founder and chief hardware officer.

ELECTRIC SKATES: Journalists had fun zipping around the exhibit hall on remote-controlled, electric inline skates from French startup AtmosGear. The battery lasts for 20 miles (32 kilometers), said founder Mohamed Soliman, who hopes people will see them as a viable way to commute, like electric bikes or scooters.

DIGITAL TEMPORARY TATTOOS: A handheld device displayed by South Korean company Prinker allows you to quickly and easily apply temporary tattoos. The device uses cosmetic-grade ink with a library of thousands of designs or the option to make your own with the company's app. After picking a tattoo, you just wave the device over wherever you want it applied. The tattoos are waterproof but wash off with soap.

HELPING FIND YOUR WAY: Japan-based Loovic has created a device designed to solve the challenges of those who have difficulty navigating while they walk. The device worn around the neck employs sounds and vibrations to guide users to destinations, enabling them to look at what's around rather than focusing on a phone's map app. Loovic co-founder and CEO Toru Yamanaka said he was inspired to create the device for his son, who has a cognitive impairment making it difficult for him to navigate. The prototype device is not yet available to the public.

METAVERSE FOR KIDS: The creators of Roybi (above), an educational AI robot that helps children learn about STEM topics and new languages, are venturing into the metaverse. The RoybiVerse is expected to offer stations where K-12 and higher education students can learn about a wide range of educational topics. The RoybiVerse, which is expected to launch by mid-2023, will be available in virtual reality headsets and on a website. No robot needed.

TOILET TURNED LAB: Digital health and wellness company Withings was at Unveiled with a U-Scan device that lets people analyze their urine by peeing as they normally might into a toilet. A disk that hangs inside a toilet bowl can house changeable cartridges, one of which monitors a woman's menstruation cycle and another of which measures nutritional health indicators such as vitamin C and ketone levels. The in-toilet device syncs wirelessly to a smartphone app.

DIGITAL TWINS: France-based Abys displayed technology that enables surgeons to create "digital twins" of patients using data from X-rays and other standard medical scans. Surgeons can then precisely plan an operation, reducing the time it takes and the risk involved, company co-founder Arnaud Destainville told AFP. In operating rooms, surgeons can use Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headsets to access a patient's hologram "twin" and other data as they work, Destainville said.

ARMCHAIR MASSEUSE: South Korean company Bodyfriend is taking aim at neck and back aches caused by sitting hunched over screens. A Bodyfriend massage chair billed as a medical device kneads muscles, applies heat and even pulses electromagnetic waves that are supposed to ease aches and pains. "Our technology helps solve problems created by technology" since spending time on one's phone and other screens can create back problems, said Bodyfriend North America manager Changjoo Kim.

TELEMENTAL CARE: Founder and CEO of iMediSync Inc. Dr. Seung Wan Kang displays the new consumer version of iMedisync's iSyncWave for digital brain health monitoring with AI brain mapping and LED therapy. The brain–computer interface machine allows individual brain scanning at home so people can measure their brainwaves by themselves and then discuss results with their doctors.