The finicky nature of man brushed up against the seductive allure of machine Saturday when Dave Gibson got a glimpse of Wigglin` Hand.
Standing in the middle of the Consumer Electronics Show, surrounded by the latest in lasers, video games, computers and all sorts of devices with
”digital” or ”cellular” in their names, Gibson chose to be transfixed by the humanlike, motorized hand waving at him from a table top.
”That`s about the last thing I ever expected to see at a consumer electronics show,” said Gibson, 27, of Glen Ellyn. ”That`s cool. It just really caught my eye. I`ve never seen any movable thing like this.”
Few people have. Saturday was the first time ever that ordinary consumers like Gibson were allowed into the mammoth trade exhibition, which resembles Disney World`s Tomorrowland on steroids. The show is open again from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 at the door.
They started lining up outside McCormick Place well before the noon opening of the show. Inside, it was relatively tranquil around the acres of beeping booths, as tradespeople, who had the show to themselves Thursday and Friday, milled about and talked electronics.
But just after noon, those same tradespeople, many of them dressed in blue or gray suits and sporting friendly, can-we-talk smiles, were swallowed up by a sea of electronics-hungry consumers.
”I love it,” said Carolyn Mason, 41, who had traveled from Southfield, Mich. ”I`m just amazed. I`m elated. I love new equipment.”
There was a lot for her to love. A TV set that can be watched in the back seat of the car. A computer that let children design their own roller coasters. A talking robot that did a pretty good Jack Nicholson impression.
There was noise-plenty of chirping and whirring and buzzing, and music ranging from ”Singin` in the Rain” to Beethoven`s ”Ode to Joy.”
There was paper-oh, was there paper. None of the goods on display was for sale, but every exhibit had a press release or an advertising booklet, and almost every consumer carted an armful of leaflets, brochures and esoteric trade journals like Rental Dealer News.
And, of course, there were people everywhere, crowding aisles, clogging escalators, lengthening food lines and watching in wonder. Officials said they would not know how many attended until Monday, but they anticipated 50,000 to 100,000 in two days.
Many dealers were thrilled with the influx and closely watched to see which products proved popular. One well-watched attraction was Oscar, a rolling, talking robot that resembled a hair dryer. With a little human help, he chatted with those flesh-and-blood beings who stopped by.
”This is the coolest thing we`ve seen so far,” said Denise Frankenberger, 35, of Hanover Park, after schmoozing with the metallic man.
”He sees when you move. When I asked him how he worked, he just laughed.”
But Oscar`s limitations were exposed by Laura Glab, 45, of Normal. ”Do they clean house?” she asked.
”They don`t do dishes, they don`t wash windows and they don`t vacuum,”
said Daniel Deutch, Oscar`s keeper and vice president of the Orlando-based company The Robot Works.
”Then they`re not worth anything,” she joked, and moved on.
Some dealers preferred not to risk such rebukes from the general public and closed up shop or banned consumers from their booths. Others grumbled about the crowds, and their complaints were joined by tradespeople who were used to having more space to operate-and to breathe.
But Gary Shapiro, vice president of the event`s sponsor, the Electronic Industry Association`s Consumer Electronics Group, declared the opening of the show to consumers a success and said ”the world`s largest focus group” might be invited back in that ever-elusive future.
”People are here,” he said. ”People are happy. They`re here to learn. People are very excited. People who have never been to a trade show before are overwhelmed.”
