All eyes may be on Rio this summer, but the buzz has already shifted to Tokyo in 2020, in part because the city is promising to present “the Olympics of the Future.” This summer, the world will tune in to South America’s first Olympics, and expectations are low. Tales of insufficient preparation paired with images of pollution and fears regarding the ongoing Zika outbreak have cast a pall over the event. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, Tokyo plans to wow the globe in just four-year’s time with its future-focused games. A Next-Gen Personal Assistant Any avid fan of science fiction, or casual watcher of the Jetsons, knows the future will include robots and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI). In Tokyo, Olympic visitors will get a firsthand look at the latest in robotics technology when they wander into the Odaiba neighborhood. Right next door to the Olympic Village, Odaiba’s streets will abound with specially programmed robots deployed to help international visitors with any number of tasks, from translation to directions and more. For foreign spectators who find themselves “robot-less,” all is not lost! Communicating with locals will be a breeze, thanks to real-time language conversion apps like VoiceTra. VoiceTra can interpret up to 27 languages and provide text conversions. For less tech-savvy travelers, Panasonic plans to debut a wearable device that can instantly translate Japanese into ten other languages. All those smart devices will need a hearty network, and Japan has that covered as well. An estimated half a million visitors are expected in Tokyo for the games, and the cell towers will surely be working overtime. In anticipation of the deluge, Japan’s largest cell phone company, DoCoMo is working with Nokia to deploy 5G wireless networks able to run on high frequencies. Current 5G demos have hit the 2 gigabit per second speed mark, more than enough to handle all those texts, selfies and status updates. Traveling in (Modern) Style For Japan, the Olympics also present the opportunity to build on past accomplishments. When Tokyo hosted the 1964 games, the country debuted its shinkansen bullet trains. Fifty or so years later, the country is putting locomotives back in the spotlight with its own maglev train, which could end up being the fastest on the planet at 374 mph. And then there are the self-driving taxis! In Tokyo, robot-taxi tests are already underway. As part of a collaborative effort between Japanese software maker DeNA and robotics firm ZSMP, a small fleet of retrofitted minivans stands ready to be hailed via smartphone. By the time the games arrive, these autonomous taxis will speedily transport athletes and spectators to and from events. Not only will the taxis be driverless in Tokyo by 2020, they may be gas-less as well. The government plans to add 6000 fuel cell cars by 2020 (with an ultimate goal of 100,000 by 2025), with $385 million set aside to subsidize purchases of Toyota’s fuel-cell car, the Mirai. In addition, another 100 fuel-cell powered buses will join to the city’s fleet. Energy Alternatives In addition to highlighting new technologies, the Japanese government is taking advantage of the games to debut new power sources, including algae-based fuel and large-scale hydrogen power. As part of an effort to introduce the use of algae-based fuel for airplanes and buses, the government has teamed with over 40 organizations, including Boeing, Japan Airlines and Nippon airlines. Algae-based fuel cuts CO2 emissions by 70%, and there’s even some indication that Boeing may use the project as a jumping off point for widespread use down the line. Anyone headed to the Olympic Village will surely travel over a large underground pipeline funneling hydrogen power directly to the village itself. In fact, Japan has earmarked $330 to promote hydrogen energy use in the next four years. The country hopes to power the entire Olympic Village with hydrogen fuel. Special Effects Not all of Tokyo’s tech advancements are altruistic....

Smart home technology becomes smarter every year. Alongside televisions, cameras, and a multitude of stunning gadgets, smarthome devices have become a significant part of the CES electronics trade show, held every year in Las Vegas. A wide array of sensors and connected appliances were on the show at the event. It appears that some of the star items now sport IoT features—like televisions, which can support to control other devices around the house and through the screen. In fact, TVs continued to be the main draw of CES. Panasonic showed off its TV with an almost completely transparent screen (it looks like tinted glass). The demo presents a display attached to shelving with various home décor behind it. The wood beneath the glass is actually where all the technology is hidden. Inside are micro LEDs that beam out the picture to the glass panel. The display maxes out at 1080p and the developers behind it are not satisfied with the current level of transparency, but I doubt people hate the tinted glass look. Looking into the future, it’s easy to see what it will be able to enable—weather, news, custom notifications, all without turning the cable box on. LG presented its signature refrigerator. This is one of the two exciting ones presented this year at the event. It features four doors and a panel on one of them that allows to see the insides of your fridge without opening it. Moreover, the LG model has darkened glass that requires you to tap on it, using the “knock-on” feature to turn on the light inside. Another cool fridge is Samsung’s Family Hub Refrigerator, despite its terrible name. It has a 21.5-inch Full HD monitor and stereo speakers and it has the ability to give access to other smarthome devices that use and work on the same standards as the company’s SmartThings platform. One of its great features is that it enables you to bring up recipes on the monitor and with the integrated interior camera you don’t even have to open the door to see what’s inside. Happy cooking! All this fridge talk reminds me of Smarter—the British firm behind iKettle has announced three new connected kitchen products during CES: the Smarter Fridge Cam, Smarter Mats, and Smarter Detect. All three devices are compatible with iOS and Android and they’ll become available this summer. No words on pricing yet. The Smarter Fridge Cam emulates the feature mentioned above in the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator; you place it in your refrigerator and then see what’s inside, streamed to your smartphone or tablet. Shopping made easier. Smarter Mats can be placed not only in your fridge, but also in your pantry. By placing containers on them, the mat sends details on stock levels to your smart device. Never out of stock! Smarter Detect is a wireless device that you mount on your wall in the kitchen and it will guard the environment of your cooking room—notify you when the oven is ready or the fridge door was left open. LG showcased Hom-Bot Turbo+, a device with a double identity: a robot vacuum doubling as security camera. The vacuum comes with augmented reality features—it has a mounted camera that sends live video of the cleaner’s view to a smartphone or tablet, helping the user concentrate on the areas on the floor that need cleaning. When doubling as a security camera, it has the option to send pictures to a smart device whenever it detects movement. Thieves will have no idea what is watching them… Honeywell’s Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector is a not-so-great-looking fellow capable of great things. This early warning system notifies you on your smartphone when a leak is detected or the temperature drops below a temperature of your choice. It costs $79.95 and is currently available in the US. Home security was a major interest in this year’s...