Consumer Electronics Show 2017 — the hits and misses

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show is the craziest yet, as the falling cost of sensors and connectivity means the internet of things is finally a reality.It turns out that this reality is more weird than wonderful with everything from shoes to toothbrushes being turned “smart”, whether they need it or not.

Here are the hits and misses of CES 2017, which runs in Las Vegas until Sunday.My favourite this year is the Hover Camera Passport drone. While unlikely to challenge DJI’s Phantom range in general-purpose aerial photography, this compact Chinese quadcopter, which folds to the size of a hardback book, is a remarkable feat of design and engineering.

A carbon-fibre cage around the propellers means it can be launched and caught by hand or carried in a bag without risk of injury to human or drone. Computer vision allows its 4K camera to recognise its owner’s face and follow them — no complex controller needed — while another sensor keeps it flying at a steady height. At $600 it is more expensive than a selfie stick but is simpler, and less dangerous, than any drone I have tested.

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