Skip to main content

Booth babes, banned sex toys, and other mishaps at CES 2019

With an event as big as the Consumer Electronics Show, there are bound to be mishaps. In fact, with more than 180,000 attendees from around the world descending on Las Vegas for the annual event, it’s surprising there aren’t more each year.

More CES 2019 coverage

Of course, nothing can top last year’s #blackoutgate, where rain caused a power outage in the Las Vegas Convention Center, skidding the show to a complete halt. Samsung, LG, and other hallmark booths were eerily black for about two hours until the Consumer Technology Association, which runs the show, was able to get electricity restored.

While there hasn’t been anything as big as a blackout this year, we at Digital Trends have seen a few flubs and missteps at CES 2019. Here are some highlights.

1. Booth bros

Here come the booth bros! #CES2019 #Pepcom pic.twitter.com/05U3zVfRaA

— Chris Fox @ CES (@thisisFoxx) January 8, 2019

At CES 2018, it was hard to miss the scantily clad cheerleaders at Pepcom greeting attendees, handing out schwag, and generally serving as eye candy for attendees. Organizers took some heat for the decision to include them last year, and this year they tried to compensate — poorly we must say — with “booth bros.”

This year, it was the dudely looking men in football uniforms who did the greeting and handing out of the schwag. While intentions might have been good, we found ourselves rolling our eyes again. Maybe it’s time to just drop the idea of having people dress up in costumes that reinforce gender stereotypes?

2. Booth babes

It’s 2019 and there are still booth babes at #CES2019 so that’s nice. Guess they figure only guys come to the North Hall because CARS! pic.twitter.com/2WUOYwa8hC

— Molly Wood (@mollywood) January 8, 2019

In the past, “booth babes,” or attractive women sometimes wearing next to nothing, have been extremely common at booths at CES, where the majority of attendees are men. We will say this: We saw considerably fewer “booth babes” overall on the CES floor this year. But … they’re still around, albeit in a toned-down kind of way. This year, Nikon propped a scantily clad model on a pedestal so that people could test out the cameras by taking photos with her, and the cars area of the show had many. The CTA took steps this year to be more inclusive of women, which we appreciate. Let’s hope more exhibitors follow suit next year.

3. Approving, then booting, then reinstating a company that works with the cannabis industry

This guy @Joeyricard was the first to bring Cannabis to CES! Check out @diamond_cbd — vending machines for CBD. It’s in the middle of Smart Cities Expo #cannabistech #CES2019 pic.twitter.com/K237lsRDy4

— jfparina (@jfparina) January 9, 2019

This is such a weird story: Apparently, CloudPay, a retail automation and payments company that works with the cannabis industry, had been approved by the CTA for entry into the show and was setting up their booth on Sunday when a floor manager walked by and saw the word “weed” at their display. Shortly after, security came and told them to leave.

“Security came in and told us we had to take down our booth, and it had to be by the end of day. All of our stuff was going into the back, and could not be on the CES floor,” CloudPay CEO Joey Ricard wrote in a post on Medium.

Now, the CTA has never been a fan of cannabis tech, so it’s not really surprising. What is surprising, though, is that CloudPay sought, got, and paid for the right to be on the show floor. Despite this, the company was forced to tear down their booth. After hours of discussion with representatives of the CTA, it was allowed to return to the floor.

4. Giving, then taking away an innovation award for a women’s sex toy

so VR porn and female sex dolls are fine, but CES – which is held in las vegas – deems a groundbreaking vibrator for people with a clitoris "profane". how mysterious https://t.co/X33kJwmyrB via @dezeen

— India (@indiablock) January 9, 2019

This one takes the cake. Apparently, the Ose Robotic Massager, a sex toy for women, was named an honoree in the robotics and drones category for the CES Innovation Awards. An independent panel votes on entries and when a device scores enough votes, it’s automatically an honoree.

The celebration for the women-owned company was short-lived, however, as after being notified they were given the award, the CTA revoked it on grounds that it apparently violated obscenity rules. At a show that’s historically showcased sex tech geared toward men, it’s more than a bit ironic.

CTA spokesperson Sarah Brown told The Verge that the award was revoked because “the product does not fit into any of our existing product categories and should not have been accepted for the Innovation Awards Program.”

We reached out to the CTA to try and understand how sex tech geared toward men is acceptable, but sex toys geared toward women are not. We’ll let you know if we hear back.

5. Fake news! Some media duped by a fake story about a robot/Tesla collision

According to Promobot, a number of robots were making their way to the booth around 7 p.m. when one of them stepped out of line and into the parking lot roadway. As it did, it was struck by a Tesla Model S operating in autonomous mode. The crash… https://t.co/wyaERyU9cw

— AGeekOnDemand.com (@AGeekOnDemand) January 11, 2019

On Tuesday, many media outlets, including Digital Trends, got an email about how an autonomous Tesla ran over a robot on the Las Vegas Strip, doing thousands of dollars worth of damage to the robot.

While red flags were raised here at Digital Trends (this story is way too good to be true, the editors agreed), other news outlets, including the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom, ran with the story. No one has come forward confirming it was a stunt, but a lack of a police confirmation kept us from reporting it.

Kim Wetzel
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before joining Digital Trends as Home Editor, Kim was an adjunct journalism professor at Linfield College and high school…
Get this Roomba robot vacuum for $160 instead of the usual $275
iRobot Roomba 694 Robot Vacuum cleaning a foyer.

Crutchfield is currently selling an iRobot Roomba 694 robot vacuum for a fantastic discount. Usually costing $275, it’s down to just $160 for a very limited time only. One of the best robot vacuum deals around, the sale is only on until March 16 so you haven’t got long to snap one up. If you’re keen to streamline the cleaning process at home, check it out now before the sale ends.

Why you should buy the iRobot Roomba 694 robot vacuum
The Roomba range provides some of the best robot vacuums around meaning it’s the perfect brand to consider. With the iRobot Roomba 694, you get a 3-stage cleaning system with an edge-sweeping brush, dual roller brushes, and powerful suction. Alongside that, there are Dirt Detect sensors that inform it when it needs to give more attention to dirtier parts of your home.

Read more
The Blink Mini 2 features an updated design, support for outdoor use
The Blink Mini 2 placed on two books.

The original Blink Mini was one of the best indoor cameras thanks to its affordable price, 1080p resolution, and support for Alexa. Now, Amazon is making the gadget even more enticing with the new Blink Mini 2, which boasts a sleek new design and is capable of working both indoors and outside in the elements.

While it's still small and compact, the Blink Mini 2 looks slightly different from the old Blink Mini. Its corners are much softer, its entire chassis is white (instead of a white chassis and black faceplate), and its camera takes up a bit more space on the front of the device. The differences are apparent when the two gadgets are placed side by side -- and the minor changes add up to make the Blink Mini 2 look a bit more premium than its older sibling.

Read more
This 4-camera Lorex wireless video surveillence system is $200 off
A Lorex 2K Wireless camera mounted on an outside wall.

One of the best security camera deals today is over at Crutchfield with $200 off the Lorex 2K Wireless NVR System. Usually priced at $550, it’s down to a fantastic $350 until March 17. That means you don’t have very long to enjoy the significant discount. If you need to know more, we’re here to help with some insight about the security system below. Remember to buy it before March 17 if it sounds like the right setup for you.

Why you should buy the Lorex 2K Wireless NVR System
Sure to be one of the best home security camera systems for many people, the Lorex 2K Wireless NVR System is packed with features. It comes with an easy-to-use network video recorder along with four weather-resistant 2K cameras which are battery-powered and wireless. Any time the cameras notice motion, you’ll get a notification to your smartphone. You can then opt to view the live feed as well as talk to anyone on the other side. Its motion-based detection system does a great job of highlighting things only when there are people rather than objects, cutting down on false alarms.

Read more