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CES 2021 REVIEW
European Startups Make a Splash at CES 2021

By Sally Ward-Foxton

From indoor gardening to AI-powered perfume, gadgets
from European startups were well-represented at CES.

ES 2021 might have been virtual, but that didn’t stop the world’s
gadget makers from showing their wares at the consumer electronics
industry’s biggest event. European startups showed off some inven-
C tive ideas, from reinventing the keyboard for the smartphone age
to enabling a Covid-19 sniff test.
Here’s what some of those startups had to offer today’s discerning consumers.

70% bigger, and it is designed to be conve-
nient to use (unlike QWERTY, which was Keyble has fingerprint and vital sign
deliberately designed to slow down typists sensors for authentication. (Source: Flywallet)
so the typewriter levers didn’t jam).
Typewise’s literature suggests that with and finger tracking and enables users to
the company’s keyboard, typos can be reduced feel shapes, textures, stiffness, impacts, and
by 80% and typing speed increased by about resistance in VR. It’s equipped with magnetic
33%. The app also offers an AI-powered auto- friction brakes on the fingers, which can apply
correct that works offline, unlike many similar resistance, emulating the feeling of touching
products, safeguarding privacy. The keyboard an object. Each brake delivers up to 20 N of
can recognize which of 40+ languages you’re force. The glove also has vibrotactile feedback
The Typewise keyboard promises to make typing in and switch to that language. in the form of a voice coil actuator for realistic
typing with two thumbs faster and more Typewise has also considered the biggest button presses, crucial for training users on
accurate. (Source: Typewise) barrier to adoption: learning to use the new dashboard-type functions.
layout. The company has developed a small The Nova glove was developed in collabo-
CLOTHES THAT FIT game that it says will teach you the layout in ration with customers of its first-generation
For consumers who struggle to find the right about 15 minutes. glove, including Volkswagen, Airbus, Scania,
size, London-based Technovus has invented Honda, and others. It is compatible with the
an AI-powered body measurement platform. REALISTIC VR TRAINING latest standalone headsets and will start
Simply use your phone’s camera to photo- From the Netherlands, SenseGlove showed shipping in March.
graph yourself, and the Mezura AI app will a working prototype of its Nova glove, the
accurately take your measurements. The idea second generation of its haptic-feedback CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS
is that these measurements can be compared virtual reality (VR) glove for applications like Italian startup Flywallet has invented Keyble,
with online retailers’ size charts so consumers training employees to use complex equipment a contactless payment device that can be
can choose the size that’s most likely to fit. or handle hazardous materials. worn around the wrist or on a watch strap.
The company has also made a hardware The Nova glove enables smooth hand Keyble could also be integrated into other
pod, based on a Raspberry Pi with a camera
module, that can stand in a clothes shop and
do the same thing. Users can measure them-
selves in-store, with sizing information fed
back to their smartphone for privacy.
Technovus hopes that both the online and
the physical versions of Mezura will be used
by retailers to reduce clothing exchange and
return rates.
Mezura AI will be available as an iOS and
Android app by mid-2021.

FASTER TYPING
Forget 150-year-old QWERTY: Swiss startup
Typewise has developed a smartphone key-
board layout that promises to make typing
with two thumbs much easier. Unconstrained
by the traditional layout, the Typewise key- SenseGlove’s second-generation glove has feedback mechanisms that make it feel like
board has hexagonal buttons that are you’re touching or holding objects. (Source: SenseGlove)

www.eetimes.eu | FEBRUARY 2021