CES 2018: 3 big things to know

Jan. 05, 2018 05:50AM EST

When CES 2018 opens its doors January 9 in Las Vegas, we expect three big trends to play front and center in technology biggest consumer convention of the year. Whether you're a gamer, a traveler or someone who likes to keep tabs on their health — there are new devices and experiences heading your way this coming year.

Expect AR apps and devices to be a CES trend this year.iStock

Augmented reality, not virtual reality

AR is starting to get some well-deserved attention — a way to virtually overlay imagery in your real space without fully immersing you in a digital world. Lenovo broke out with a hot AR toy at the end of last year, its Jedi Challenges. Amazon just patented a virtual mirror that lets you try on clothes without leaving your home. And Magic Leap (finally) claims its mysterious AR goggles are on their way this year.

Ikea let you drop a virtual Christmas tree in your very real living room. And Pokémon Go is even coming back this year for Round 2 with an augmented reality mobile game centered around the Harry Potter world. (As if that won't go viral.) We expect to see much more in the AR space from brands including Lenovo and Merge at CES next week.

Devices that let people track their health — from home — will be big at CES 2018.AliveCor

Your health on your wrist

Health wearables are finally getting play. Apple's plans to install an EKG monitor in its Apple Watch is just the tip of what experts believe could be a $117 billion industry for medical devices in the IoT space. AliveCor is a brand of watch bands that won approval from the Food and Drug Administration to accurately read heart rates from a user's wrist.

From Johnson & Johnson to Philips, IBM to Nokia brands will be promoting new ways to track —potentially even treat — your health conditions, and connect to your doctor all from something you'll wear.

A new crop of devices that can chatting with you will debut at CES next week.iStock

Everything's going to be talking

If Alexa was the big player for 2017, Google Assistant is going to get some time in the spotlight at CES 2018. But all voice assistants are getting new digs this coming year. Devices you can talk to this year include new TVs, streaming media devices and even your microwave oven.

So get ready to ditch your remote for just your voice — and to be on very familiar terms with Google Assistant and Alexa this coming year.