One of the major themes at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is connecting the objects that people use each day -- clothing, cars, light bulbs and home appliances. These objects are featuring sensors capable of collecting information that sould be processed in order to become useful to consumers. That's a challenge for developers, who have to return this information in the physical space.

Some of the new devices on display at a preview Sunday included apps to monitor and improve the quality of sleep, a connected baby bottle to measure infant nutrition intake, and sensors that analyze one's golf swing to compare it to that of the pros. Smart clothing, connected smoke detectors and dozens of new smartwatches and fitness devices are also in the mix.

An example is Parrot's Flower "Smart Pot" that not only detects whether plants have enough light and fertilizer, but waters them as needed. Sensors in pots measure light, moisture, temperature, and the level of fertilizer to determine whether plants are getting proper amounts of each to flourish. Flower Power applications are available for mobile devices powered by Apple, Android or Windows software.

A Parrot "smart pot" is heading for global release this year at a price yet to be revealed by the Paris-based company.

We're also getting closer to the so-called "smart home" concept. Current iterations primarily include the ability to control gadgets such as lights and security alarms or view data remotely through a smartphone app.

At this year's CES, manufacturers are promoting more devices and functionality. Some gadgets will be able to talk directly with one another, not just to an app. They envison wearable devices that tracks sleep and tell the coffeemaker to start brewing as soon as you weak up.

Lucis Technologies will soon ship a smart-lighting device called NuBryte that can learn your behavior, such as what time you tend to come home. Sensors can turn on the night light if you wake up to use the bathroom but switch on brighter lights during the day. A coffeemaker from Smarter will soon use data from fitness trackers such as Fitbit. Other products focus on better notifications: a battery for a smoke detector to alert you on your phone when the alarm goes off, or a bracelet that vibrates when the baby cries in its crib.

Whirlpool will also dryers that can run at a slower, energy-saving cycle if you aren't home and thus aren't in a rush. The dryer integrates with Google's Nest smart thermostat, which has sensors to figure out that no one's home and then lowers the heat automatically. Meanwhile, a smart-home hub called DigitalStrom will lower automated window shades to block out sunlight.

EchoStar, the satellite service provider affiliated with Dish Network, is also jumping into the smart-home space with Sage, a home-automation hub.

The system connects in between your cable, satellite, or streaming-video set-top box and your TV, overlaying its dashboard on the screen and showing the live TV using picture-in-picture mode. There will be also smartphone and tablet apps for the system.

The Sage supports the radio frequencies of all of the most popular smart-home protocols: ZigBee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Users will also be able to download updates that will add support for other protocols, such as Nest’s Thread or 6LoWPAN. So Sage should have the infrastructure to support most any type of lighting control, security camera; door, window, motion, or glass-break sensor; thermostat; or other smart-home component.

Echostar will also build a doorbell sensor that sends an alert to your TV and to your smartphone when someone rings the doorbell. If there’s a security camera pointed at the front door, a video stream showing the person who rang the bell will pop up on your TV.

Sage could also offer protection to your home, as it could detect motion if someone breaks in and everyone in the family would get an alert on their smartphoness. If a security camera is involved, a clip of what triggered the alarm comes attached to the message. That video will pop up on the TV.

The Sage hub can control lighting, door locks, thermostats, and more. It will have a battery backup and a GSM module, so that it will remain able to send alerts to your smartphone in the event of a power outage or if a burglar cuts the phone or cable-TV line that you use for Internet service.