For more than four decades, the annual tech show has been used as a platform for companies to show their wares. The VCR, for example, was unveiled at it in 1970 and in 1981 the camcorder and CD player made an appearance. The Mini Disc player debuted there in 1993, HD TV in 1998, plasma TV in 2001 and 3D TV in 2009.

The first show took place in New York in 1967 with 200 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees. This year more than 3000 exhibitors showcased their gadgets and gizmos spread across two venues covering 177,000 square metres of exhibition space (35 American football fields).

foodtechstory

The 2013 show was all about tech companies showing off what advancements or alterations they had made to existing technologies to make them even better. From prototype smartphone screens that can bend, to humungous tablets the size of a coffee table that can be used to play Monopoly, there was something for everyone.

For TV set manufacturers, the tech fair was a chance to show how much smarter their TVs were becoming. So-called smart TVs unveiled this week at the Las Vegas show offered technologies that watch the viewer, in an effort to offer more relevant programming.