What’s Working: Colorado companies show sweet tech at this year’s CES expo in Las Vegas

The tech goodies unveiled at the annual consumer tech fest known as CES seemed heavy on artificial intelligence at this year’s show, which wrapped in Las Vegas on Friday.

Then again, I wasn’t able to attend in person to see AI’s domination for myself. But I followed along online and also reached out to a handful of Colorado companies that were there to find out why it is a must-attend event even outside of AI.

Jacob Segil, co-founder of Afference, had a pretty good reason.

His Boulder startup won a “Best of Innovation” award last year for a glove-like wearable that uses neural haptics to simulate the sense of touch, so a user can feel something when touching, well, nothing. That would really fill out immersive game play. This year, it put the tech into a ring for your finger.

“Our technology is maturing to the point where we could be sharing it widely. This year was the first time we’re giving public demos on the show floor,” said Segil, also a research professor at the University of Colorado whose work includes creating artificial limbs that plug into the nervous system. “We have lines of people in front of our booth trying to feel the neural haptics that we can produce for the first time. That was a meaningful milestone for us to let other people try our work.”

The annual tradeshow of the Consumer Technology Association is getting back to where it used to be before a downturn caused by pandemic restrictions. Nvidia showed off its new AI chips while Intel had its AI PC.

Colorado tends to have a small presence on the CES show floor since there just aren’t that many companies making consumer-electronics goods. But you don’t need to have a booth at the convention center to be seen.

Denver-based iterate.ai cohosted a private party at the Ole Red music club on the strip to show off its new partnership with Intel, which is adding iterate’s private AI technology to its new AI PC chips. OtterBox in Fort Collins unveiled new iPhone cases and phone straps — but at “a CES-adjacent media show” in a nearby hotel, spokeswoman Kristen Tatti said.

“We haven’t exhibited on the CES show floor since before COVID, but we do host customer and partner meetings as well as attend media events,” Tatti said in an email. “CES is a huge trade show and a big cultural moment. How companies show up really depends on their needs — how their business operates, what their goals are, etc.”

Afference’s plans for neural haptics

After last year’s debut, Afference raised $3.5 million from investors that included Samsung Next, the venture arm of one of the world’s largest consumer-electronics companies. The funding helped accelerate development to get the ring ready for CES.

Afference doesn’t plan to make the rings but will work with manufacturers. And the ring is just a suggestion for potential partners interested in using Afference’s tech to build entertainment and gaming gear so users can point to virtual objects and feel a sensation even though there’s nothing but thin air.

“Picture augmented reality games, like Pokemon Go, or mixed-reality games that you can play with a (Meta) Quest headset or Apple Vision Pro headset,” Segil said. “We’re also working with game studios and game developers where (the) haptic information is just enhancing the gameplay and entertainment content.”

Consumer technology partners are expected to be announced later this year with products rolling out a year or two after that, he said.

Lightship: An electric RV trailer

Available sooner than that is something on the opposite spectrum, at least by size. Lightship RV is a travel trailer for the electric vehicle age because you don’t want to be driving cross country in an EV while towing a camper.

Lightship co-founders and former Tesla employees Ben Parker and Toby Kraus tried it and had to abandon their rented travel trailer at one point in order to make it to the next supercharger. They realized they needed to build a camper that could power itself.

The new AE.1 Cosmos looks like a modern sunroom on wheels with a rooftop full of solar panels and all the bells and whistles (a dishwasher!). But it’s the battery-powered TrekDrive base that will ensure “next to no loss in range for an estimated 300 miles of long-range towing,” Kraus, the company’s CEO, said in an email.

“The biggest challenge was solving the issue of range anxiety,” he added. “Towing an RV typically increases drag and fuel consumption, so to tackle this we designed the AE.1 Cosmos Edition from the ground up for extreme efficiency with our Dual Mode, telescoping design and TrekDrive, setting a new standard for aerodynamic performance in its class.”

The smart hitch connects the trailer to the EV energy for extra oomph uphill. But even if the vehicle towing the Lightship isn’t electric, the car should get better gas mileage compared to towing a non-EV trailer.

The trailer itself must be charged and with a level three charger, the battery recharging rate can go from 0% to 100% in 67 minutes (a level one charger rate is more like 2-3 miles of range per hour, according to the company). When parked, the AE.1 needs no generator or propane. And between the solar panels and built-in battery, it has enough energy for a week of off-grid camping for a family of four.

LEFT: Lightship RV’s electric AE.1 Cosmos trailer was designed from the trailer hitch on up and caters to camping-minded electric vehicle owners. The trailer has its own battery and solar panels to reduce drag and fuel consumption on the EV. (Handout) RIGHT: When parked, the top half full of windows is raised. Inside, a couch and table convert into sleeping areas for four people. The company is manufacturing the first 50 trailers at its plant in Broomfield. Photos courtesy of Lighship RV

Lightship, which raised $34 million from investors last year, plans to make just 50 limited-edition Cosmos, at $250,000 each (tax credits may be available). They’re being built at the company’s 32,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Broomfield, which was picked as the headquarters because of the proximity to outdoor activities and “access to a strong labor pool in Denver, Boulder and surrounding areas,” Kraus said.

While the two founders haven’t duplicated their Boulder-San Francisco road trip with the new trailer, they plan to in the future, he added. “We’ve relied heavily on road tests to ensure the AE.1 Cosmos Edition delivers leading-class aerodynamics and a nearly zero range or efficiency loss whether you drive an EV or gas/diesel tow vehicle.”

Also of note:

➔ VOORMI’s microclimate monitor. This Pagosa Springs company may be best known for activewear and “weather-shedding” clothing that is breathable and weather resistant. At CES, the company added to its mix “Mij” (pronounced ‘me’), technology that uses sensors integrated into fabric to help people control their thermal load.

By monitoring the heat a body loses and generates, Mij communicates through an app to help users increase activity and muscle performance or slow down to reduce risk of injury. No other details were available, as we’re still waiting to hear back from the company. But the CES judges like the product. Mij was named a 2025 Innovation Award honoree. >> More

➔ CES 2025 Innovation Award winners. Here’s a quick way to scan some highlights of the show, as curated by the tradeshow. >> Awards

Colorado’s 2025 legislative session has begun

And with it, a number of business-related bills. Some were mentioned during Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ State of the State speech Thursday. >> Check it out

As a public service, Colorado Sun politics reporter Jesse Paul has put together a guide to figuring out how state laws are made, how to track them and how to get involved. >> The guide

➔ More Colorado politics news >> Stories

Sun economy stories you may have missed

➔ Park City ski patrol union secures average of $4 hourly wage bump for 200 workers. Could it be a precedent? >> Read story

➔ New midstream gas rules should cut greenhouse emissions, Colorado officials say. Environmental groups object a December vote lacks enforcement, creates a questionable credit-trading system. >> Read story

➔ Colorado lawmakers offer $34 million in tax incentives to land the Sundance Film Festival. A bill proposed this week would offer $3 million a year to a “global film festival entity” that moves to Colorado. >> Read story

➔ The good, the bad and the algorithm: What banning TikTok could do to Colorado creators. TikTok has become a gathering space for all kinds of niche interests, but with a looming ban, local creators and consumers fear they could lose access to their communities. >> Read story

➔ Homelessness among families with children in Colorado grew by 134% in 2024, according to federal report. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development report reveals that Colorado was one of four states where family homelessness more than doubled. >> Read story

What readers have to say about 2025

Last week’s reader poll had the majority of folks looking forward to … something in 2025. Be it a big pay raise, small pay raise, new job or just keeping the one they have. Here are the results from last week:

What’s Working: 2025 expectations

Other working bits

➔ Ibotta ranks as one of the top VC exits in 2024. When the Denver-based retail-tech company Ibotta held its initial public offering last April, it was a pretty big deal, not just for Colorado but for the future of tech IPOs. But it was an especially big — and financially good — deal for investors. According to PitchBook, which tracks the venture market, Ibotta ranked last year as the nation’s 10th largest exit, the term used for earlier investors getting their money back. Based on its closing price Friday of $66.90, the company is valued at $2.05 billion. And as it turned out, there wasn’t much momentum in 2024, with some even calling it a “boring year for tech startup IPOs.”

➔ Silverthorne AI company raises $11 million in funding. Kamiwaza AI, which develops private AI systems for companies no matter where their data is stored, added back-to-back rounds totalling $11 million, the company said Thursday. The Silverthorne company said the round was led by out-of-state investors by S3 Ventures in Austin, Texas, and Pioneer Square Labs in Seattle. Early investors were local, including Greater Colorado Venture Fund and First Mile Ventures in Colorado Springs. >> GeekWire

➔ Boom Supersonic gets closer to supersonic speeds. The Centennial aircraft developer said Friday that it completed its 11th test flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California on Friday. At a speed of Mach 0.95, or 575 knots, Boom’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft is getting closer to supersonic speeds, which is above Mach 1 (or 768 miles per hour at sea level). The company is aiming to bring back supersonic air travel for everyday passengers. While the team will need look at the test flight results from Friday, if all goes well, the next test flight could be the one to break the sound barrier “in early 2025,” the company said in an update. >> Read Boom’s test flight notes

➔ CU Denver’s Smart Futures Lab seeks startups. The university’s special entrepreneurial program has worked with 19 startups that have raised or generated $4.5 million in revenues and investments, according to the school. It’s hoping for 10 more to join its Smart Futures Lab, a free, six-month incubator offering mentorship, support and access to stuff like a prototyping lab and private 5G network for research and development. Deadline to apply is Feb. 21, with information sessions Jan. 15 and Feb. 12. >> Apply

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Thanks for sticking with me for this week’s report. As always, share your 2 cents on how the economy is keeping you down or helping you up at cosun.co/heyww. ~ tamara

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