The AI-driven, robotic ping pong player from CES 2020. Credit: Paustian by Dr. Anthony Paustian Author of  A Quarter Million Steps Chair, 2020/2021  International Space Development Conference National Space Society REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION ©2020  Anthony D. Paustian Each year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada offers a chance to see the most promising and impactful technologies on the horizon and look back at past shows to see the trajectories technology has followed. It is at once inspiring and overwhelming.  When I attended CES in 2000, many of the technologies we take for granted today—flash drives, Internet gaming, Bluetooth wireless technology, smartphones, and even cell phones with built-in cameras–– didn’t exist. Many products on display now incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), automation, and robotics. This year’s line-up included voice-activated automatic frying pans, “bionic”