Dezeen Magazine

Lora DiCarlo sext toy Ose

This week, CES brought sexism, robots and the world’s first rollable TV

This week on Dezeen, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas dominated the headlines, with accusations of gender bias, a car crash involving a robot and the launch of a television that can be rolled up.

The biggest story from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) saw Lora DiCarlo, a female-led sex toy startup, accused the show of sexism after its organisers revoked an innovation award from its hands-free robotic massager, then banned the product for being "immoral".

In response to the claims, CTA officials said that Osé should not have been accepted for the Innovation Awards Program in the first place, as it "does not fit into any of the existing product categories".

Technology critic Holly Brockwell said the move shows the industry is oblivious to women's wants and needs.

World's first rollable TV unveiled by LG at CES 2019
World's first rollable TV unveiled by LG at CES 2019

Also at CES, a humanoid robot was "hit and destroyed" by a self-driving Tesla. Promobot, the robot's manufacturer, said that the robot "suffered serious damage".

Meanwhile, LG used the show to launch the world's first rollable TV. The "game-changing" 65-inch Signature OLED TV R can be rolled away and stored out of sight at the click of a button.

Other launches included a walking concept car and a pack of robot dogs that deliver parcels.

London Heathrow airport
Mystery drone sighting grounds planes at Heathrow Airport

Also this week, a mystery drone sighting grounded planes at Heathrow Airport, making it the second major UK airport thwarted by drones in recent weeks, after London's Gatwick 36-hour shutdown.

There was a new development in the row between Patrik Schumacher and the other three executors of Zaha Hadid's estate. Schumacher revealed court documents that showed the trio had tried to remove Hadid's name from the eponymous practice.

Lubetkin's Penguin Pool, photo by FeinFinch
Berthold Lubetkin's empty Penguin Pool should be blown "to smithereens" says daughter

Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye shared his thoughts on the release of Ghana's first Building Code, stating that the move "marks a pivotal moment for architecture and construction in the country".

Also, the daughter of modernist architect Berthold Lubetkin sparked conversation around her father's seminal Penguin Pool, suggesting that the now disused structure could be blown "to smithereens".

Taipei Twin Towers proposal by MVRDV
Taipei Twin Towers by MVRDV will be "a Times Square for Taiwan"

Architecture proposals unveiled this week included Snøhetta's masterplan for an island-like student district in Budapest, plus MVRDV's design for a pair of towers in Taiwanese capital Taipei.

Named Taipei Twin Towers, these skyscrapers will be made up of stacks of misaligned blocks wrapped in interactive screens, in a bid to create "a Times Square for Taiwan".

Also in Taiwan, images showed that OMA's long-awaited Taipei Performing Arts Center is finally nearing completion.

Travelling Bauhaus school
Bauhaus bus embarks on world tour to explore the school's global legacy

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included a bus that looks like the BauhausJohn Pawson's Jaffa Hotel residences and the refurbishment of a London garden flat.