A darker film rises from the base at the touch of the remote, turning it into a gorgeous next-generation, more “normal looking” 4K TV, too. Watching it in action resembles the way transition sunglasses go from clear inside to darker when you go outside in the sun. Because OLEDs — organic light-emitting diodes — can be printed on any surface, the screen is basically a transparent piece of glass no wider than a smartphone. 

Why would you want a see-through screen? Because having a giant black box on the wall is so 2020. Now, it’s there when you want it and not when you don’t. LG says they expect it out later this year, but there is no word yet on pricing.  Autonomous Mobile Robots

The Samsung set I spent even more time checking out, though, is their new flagship 65-inch QN900D Class Neo QLED 8K set with brilliant picture quality and mind-blowing sound that the company says is thanks to the latest AI Gen 3 processors tucked inside.

Strapping on a pair of Shift Robotics Moonwalkers X new robotic “AI Informed” shoes felt like taking a step into the future. They look kind of like super high-tech roller skates, but each magnesium platform that you Velcro your own shoes onto has it’s an operating system that controls a drive train. The smart shoes communicate with each other to keep you steady and sailing ahead — up to 7MPH — or about 3 times faster than normal. 

You don’t skate. You don’t glide. You don’t do anything except walk, heel-to-toe. There’s no real learning curve. To speed up, you just take a bigger stride. To slow down or stop, you just … slow down or stop. On-board regenerative brakes slow you down and bring you to a smooth standstill, similar to how the brakes work on most electric vehicles. 

Each “shoe” weighs about four pounds, so they’re heavy, but they make you move so much faster that you end up taking fewer steps overall. A company spokesperson says this is a big deal for the 6 million people who work in warehouses and distribution centers in the U.S.  

Electric vehicles are back in full fleet this CES, including the new Helix ultralight eVTOL from Pivotal. It’s a fully carbon-fiber, 348-pound “almost” flying car concept, but without wheels. It takes off vertically, like a helicopter, and can fly for about 20 minutes or 20 miles at speeds around 60mph. It soars to altitudes between 400 and 1,200 feet, and you don’t need a pilot’s certificate to fly it, but the company does train you extensively before take off. 

Who might buy this kind of futuristic flying machine? The company says ranchers, aviation pioneers, former pilots, adventure-seekers, and Silicon Valley types who can afford six figures for that last leg of their commute are among the people pre-ordering it. A $250 deposit gets you in, but the actual price tag starts around $190,000.