Wearable Tech, Autonomous Cars, Connected Homes and Robots. CES 2015 was as big, loud and crazy as ever but what came out on top? All the above, but the winner was social media in all its shapes and forms.

Heading to Vegas last week, I already knew what would provide the main talking points for the industry. I’m not being cocky, but if I didn’t have a damned good idea I wouldn’t be doing my job at Brandwidth and beyond.

Whilst at CES, I wrote about Smartwatches, Wearable Tech and Robots. All three articles took off in a big way on my social channels but some of my other experiences were just as popular. Twitter, Instagram and Vine were the main stalwarts, covering my initial backchat at the ‘State of the Industry’ press conference (including Selfie Stick mockery), through my BMW i8 driving at the superbly organising automotive manufacturer’s experience (complete with Laser Light Show), to the incredible performance by Frankie Moreno in the Gibson tent.

A superb week that I could have gleaned tech industry news from afar via social channels, but being there made all the difference. From outside, the event looks like a barrel full of nerds, from the inside it shows that technology supports the world in which we live but requires the entertainment, engagement and most importantly ‘soul’ of the best innovators and creative minds.

Music, film, TV, publishing, automotive, retail, leisure, museums… and many more. All these industries need to work hand-in-hand with technology as a means to drive forward and make themselves relevant in the places their customers reside. They don’t need to build the hardware or construct the platforms but they damn well need to make great digital content and experiences.

Here are my CES social landmarks…

Scourge of the Selfie Stick

This guy just got bored and is taking selfies in the corner... #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/NR6h1xLKMp
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 4, 2015

Numerous reposts and later featured on Mashable

The unsexy s(l)ide of Wearable Tech

How to make #WearableTech / #Wearables look unsexy with just one slide. All the good work undone folks #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/h0zy1XExE3
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 4, 2015

Dawn of the DumbWatch

#CES2015: Dawn of the DumbWatch http://t.co/9wTpJ3WzKK #WearableTech #Wearables #Smartwatch pic.twitter.com/CF1FXY7V7D
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 5, 2015

Taking the fight to Apple Watch – Sony SmartWatch 3

Taking the fight to #AppleWatch - #Sony #Smartwatch3 Steel & changeable strap available next month #wearabletech #CES2015 #SonyCES #tech #Vegas #Wearables #Smartwatch

A photo posted by Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) on Jan 5, 2015 at 6:04pm PST

Driving the Future – the BMW i8

Just drove the future around #Vegas - a #BMWi8. Stunning, just stunning. #BMWCES2015 #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/grA50MQFni
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 6, 2015

This shit got real! No, virtual…

Frankie Moreno and Gibson prove gadgets aren’t just for geeks

Brilliant high-energy performance from @frankiemoreno at @gibsonguitar. #CES2015 - not just geeks & gadgets! pic.twitter.com/GSJkjuuDr9
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 7, 2015

BMW Laser Lights

Stunning #BMWM4 Concept Iconic laser lights (the lights are the stars of the show) #BMWCES2015 #CES2015 #innovation pic.twitter.com/avHTJxijpJ
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 7, 2015

Wearables: The Whole Package

#VR & #AR #WearableTech at #CES2015 - #Wearables: The Whole Package http://t.co/mBcIYHnWsb - #Robots tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/qGgtqN9EcN
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 8, 2015

Rise of The Machines

You thought #CES2015 was all about #Wearables? Think again... Rise of the Machines http://t.co/IkjUa4ouj9 #robots pic.twitter.com/D5tbcWAVUg
— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 9, 2015

Robots: Who doesn't love the idea of a humanoid personal assistant with artificial intelligence, laser eyes and the ability to preempt your every move? No, wait…

2015 is the year of wearable technology, right? No, that was last year. This year wearable tech beds in and gets on with the real job in hand. The 2015 buzz surrounds robots of all shapes and sizes.

Yesterday, I caught up with Aldebaran at CES, a French company making big waves in the android marketplace. That’s ‘android’ with a small ‘A’. I first met NAO in Poland last month and loved the playful approach Aldebaran had taken to developing their first consumer robot.

Only it isn’t available to consumers yet. 10 years of refinement means developers have been the first to get their hands on the cute little chap to hone interaction and push boundaries for commercial markets. He currently responds to a set list of commands but this is then extended by the user with AI kicking in as he learns new and exciting ways to respond.

The limb articulation is particularly impressive. If you push NAO over, he struggles back to his feet in a truly human fashion. This where it all begins to get a little weird. The mere act of pushing him over makes you catch your breath, as if actually bullying a small child. You feel bad about having performed this action, merely to see see how he’ll react. And so begins the human/humanoid relationship.

Aldebaran have some exciting products in the pipeline, including Romeo, a personal assistant and companion for the medical and care industry. Humanoid robots with character can play a vital role in this area, with NAO already used in hospitals to aid rehabilitation and put children at ease in an intimidating environment.

I spoke with a number of other fascinating robotic manufacturers at CES but the tiniest was Ozobot, a cute little droid that (in their words) “teaches robotics and coding through fun, creative and social games”. I love the use of physical and digital inputs – in its simplest form, providing a pen or pixel line for Ozobot to follow across paper and tablet. The manufacturers picked up a raft of awards at CES – deservedly so.

This market isn’t just for startups, Google went on a buying spree in 2014 and their ownership of robotics companies is now in double figures. Automotive manufacturers have been at this game for years. Honda and Toyota are particularly hot in this area, as Mercedes and Audi up their game at CES with autonomous cars – that kinda makes the whole car a robot!

Amazon is another big player entering the arena. They’re offering us the chance to purchase our own personal assistant, Echo, useful and worrying in equal measures – especially with its ‘always listening’ approach.

Window cleaning robots, digital sandwich board cyborgs and tiny printer droids – Vegas was wall-to-wall automatons.

Of course, robots come in all shapes and sizes, with drones also falling into this category. Now everyone wants a drone before they get legislated out of existence so grab one while you can!

If 2015 wasn’t kicking off with a big enough buzz around robots, just wait for the season climax with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December. These are the droids you are looking for.