The battle to be at the center of your digital life has taken on a new dimension amid a proliferation of connected devices.

After smartphone wars, browser wars and platform wars, a fight is on to be the "hub" which connects the millions of connected objects from light bulbs to wearable to washing machines.

At the Consumer Electronics Show which concluded Saturday, the contenders included robots, televisions, speaker hubs and even wearable trackers powered by artificial intelligence. And the connected car raced into the mix.

Exhibitors ranging from startups to big consumer electronics giants are vying to be the control center for the vast array of Internet of things in your home, car, and elsewhere.

South Korea's LG unveiled its Smart ThinQ home hub, a speaker that lets a user communicate with and get alerts from connected appliances, security systems and even talk to cars.

This allows the smart home and connected car to communicate with each other. And it can connect with older appliances with attachable sensors.

LG calls this "the future of the smart home" and uses an open platform that can connect with devices using Google Nest, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and more.

Samsung announced its TVs will act as command centers in smart homes by incorporating technology from Silicon Valley start-up SmartThings, which Samsung bought in 2014, allowing them to control devices synched to the platform.

"You can have a smart home basically for free as a starting point; it is pretty amazing," SmartThings founder and chief Alexander Hawkinson told AFP.

Chinese electronics giant Haier unveiled its Ubot personal assistant robot -- a near-humanoid gadget which can control home appliances.

"He's like a personal assistant who can turn on your TV and all your appliances, and when you're not home he helps with surveillance," said Haier's Kristen Smith.

"The ultimate goal is to simplify your life, to take care of the things you worry about."

- Respond and entertain -

Segway, which is owned by China's Ninebot, unveiled a personal transporter which morphs into a cute robotic personal assistant.

The robot, made in collaboration with Intel and China's Xiaomi, is open to developers which could add on applications for security, entertainment or other activities.

After riding it, the device sprouts arms and can navigate and interact with users with its sensors and artificial intelligence. It is expected to be commercialized later this year.

More whimsical, Chinese startup UBTech Robotics unveiled Alpha 2, a prototype personal assistant humanoid which can respond and entertain.

"You can talk to him and he will answer. He can give you the weather," said UBTech's Jessica Pan.

"And he is very lifelike. He has 20 joints and can move like humans, he can dance and show you a yoga pose."

These new contenders face a tough battle against entrenched companies like Google and Apple -- not part of the floor exhibitors at CES -- which each have their own artificial intelligence assistants as well as ecosystems for connected homes and wearables.

And Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg said ahead of the show that he wants to build a robot butler "like Jarvis in 'Iron Man'" which can manage household tasks.

While Zuckerberg and Facebook were not exhibiting at CES, his comments and the innovations at the show underscore the progress being made in computing and artificial intelligence which can unleash new innovations.

- Wearable Siri -

Israeli-based startup OrCam for example unveiled a wearable artificial intelligence clip-on camera which "acts like a personal assistant like Siri or Cortana, but with eyes and ears," says OrCam marketing chief Eliav Rodman.

The device "can provide a real-time profile of people as they walk up to you during a conference, displaying their details on your smartphone or watch; it can track your eating habits," says OrCam co-founder Amnon Shashua.

"It can even monitor the facial expressions of people you meet and topics of discussion and let you know in hindsight the quality of interaction you have with friends and family."

Carmakers don't want to be left out either.

Ford for example unveiled an alliance at CES with US online giant Amazon aimed at allowing people to connect their cars into "smart home" networks.

The tie-up will enable drivers to communicate with the hub and, for example, ask if their garage door is open, or request an appointment with their mechanic.

Other carmakers including BMW and Volkswagen showed systems which connect not only to a smartphone but to home networks, enabling users to tap smart appliances or garage door openers, for example.

- Wild West -

These new systems offer new connecting options but could create confusion because of multiple technical standards.

"It almost forces you to get things within the same brand in order to match up," said Ron Montoya at the auto research firm Edmunds.com.

Roger Kay, analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates, agreed, saying that There is no grand architecture, so everyone is making a land grab. Everyone wants to be the hub."

Kay said that until players such as Apple, Google and Microsoft agree on open standards, "it going to be difficult for this market to move forward."

Eight takeaways from 2016 Consumer Electronics Show
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 10, 2016 - Here are some key highlights from the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, which concluded Saturday:

1. Netflix stunned the show with the announcement that it added 130 new countries for its streaming TV service to bring its total to 190, calling it "the birth of a new global Internet TV network."

India will be one of the new markets for Netflix, which is still studying ways to get into China.

2. Google and Lenovo announced plans to produce the first consumer handset using the US computing giant's Project Tango 3D technology.

The device set to launch worldwide later this year aims for a new generation of smart devices that can be used for indoor mapping, augmented reality and more.

3. The 4K high-definition television format became the standard base for manufacturers, which showcased thinner and more spectacular displays for those willing to pay the price.

The Consumer Technology Association, the trade group behind CES, said one in every five televisions sold this year is expected to be 50 inches or more, measured diagonally, and feature ultra high-definition 4K resolution.

4. The Internet of Things showed spectacular growth from products like a smart mirror from Haier that delivers news and weather and connects to other appliances, and connected spoons and diet scales.

Samsung unveiled a smart refrigerator that lets its owner use a smartphone to virtually peer inside and see what should be on a shopping list.

5. Wearable technology probed deeper to get more data about health, while making inroads into the medical field: diagnosing conditions and even offering treatment for pain and other ailments. Shoes measured steps and shirts kept tabs on heart rates.

French-based health group VisioMed introduced its Bewell Connect "virtual checkup though a smartphone app that communicates with its connected blood pressure and glucose monitor, thermometer and blood oxygen sensor.

6. Automakers moved to connect not only to the smartphone, but to the smart home and other parts of the digital life.

Ford teamed with Amazon to link up the carmaker's Sync vehicle hub with the online giant's smart home hub called Echo.

7. Virtual reality spread beyond video games to touch sex, sports, sales and space exploration. Facebook-owned Oculus began taking pre-orders for its eagerly-anticipated Rift VR headsets at a price of $599, and CES was rife with companies scrambling to field competing devices or content that could draw people into faux worlds.

8. Startups turned attention to ways to tap into the brain.

A "mind control" headband unveiled by startup BrainCo effectively hacks into brain signals with a range of possible applications -- from helping to improve attention spans, to detecting disease, controlling smart home appliances or even a prosthetic device.