Minnesota tech on display at country’s biggest consumer electronics show, with 3M leading the way

3M’s role in electronics is largely hidden — lots of films, adhesives and tapes. So every year, the Maplewood-based company tries to make as big a splash as it can at the world’s largest personal tech expo, the Consumer Electronics Show.

This year, the electric motorcycle should help.

Inside a stark white two-story booth at the show, which runs all week in Las Vegas, the Tarform bike will showcase all the ways 3M makes electric vehicles more efficient.

Also on display is information on data center technology breakthroughs, carbon-scrubbing climate tech and foldable phone screens.

Plus, all the ways 3M tech helps cellphones work.

“We’re not releasing a phone, but we’re in many of them,” said Collin Hummel, 3M’s director of brand partnerships.

The message: 3M brings “uncomplicated” solutions that make technology run better.

The Consumer Electronics Show runs all week in Las Vegas and annually boasts 130,000 attendees, thousands of exhibitors and scores of new product releases.

Several other Minnesota companies are showcasing their latest breakthroughs, some aimed at consumers and others at the brands building the next big thing.

GrandPad will bring its senior-focused communication tablets, while Bloomington-based Omcare will be showing off its Home Health Hub meant to manage complex medication regimens.

“Our platform not only enhances adherence to prescribed medications, but also keeps caregivers informed and provides clear insights into their loved ones’ well-being, ensuring peace of mind for families,” Omcare CEO Lisa Lavin said in a news release.

3M’s health care spinoff Solventum will be at the show with its Medical Technologies OEM segment, which includes pressure-sensitive adhesives, microfluidic tapes and films and transdermal drug delivery components. So will medtech company Nomo Smart Care with its motion-tracking devices that “help your loved ones maintain independence and age in place.”

Best Buy reps will look for the next big thing, meeting with vendors and hunting for products that will resonate best with the Richfield-based retailer’s customers. Product experts will be joined by ad and marketing teams to sharpen personalized content, among them Target’s retail media business, Roundel.

Hopkins-based “internet of things” (IoT) pioneer Digi will be showing off its IoT sensors “that support the mission critical needs of operations in precision agriculture, water management smart building retrofit and more.”

“From powering applications in space to smart cities, over 25 million Digi XBee modules are proving what’s possible in IoT with Digi,” said Mike Rohrmoser, the company’s vice president, in a news release.

Edina’s Element Electronics, an appliance maker that bills itself as “the only major TV company assembling in the U.S. since 2014,” will have three locations at CES.

Bringing its TV mounts and other accessories, Brooklyn Park-based ErgoAV will be showing off its products, as will Lakeville’s LED lighting and panel company ThinLight Technologies, Shakopee’s High Walk Ventures and Minneapolis-based tech company xBlock.

“xBlock solves one of the biggest challenges businesses face: capturing and organizing institutional knowledge so it’s always actionable,” says the company, which was picked by the Department of Commerce to showcase at the U.S. Government pavilion.