CES 2024 is in full swing in Las Vegas. We are on the ground giving you the most talked about news and announcements from the event, but much of the fun is in the weirder fringes of the show. In a CES era where companies are all-in on the AI hype machine, there are bound to be gadgets and claims that are a little outlandish, to say the least.
Here are the 14 weirdest gadgets, tech and claims from CES 2024 so far.
AI powered bird binoculars
For poultry on an unlimited budget, Swarovski has revealed it AX Visio 10×32: a $4,799 pair of AI binoculars. The binoculars use artificial intelligence to help you quickly identify more than 9,000 birds and other species, and provide the ability to take photos and videos of your discoveries to share.
An app that lets you pay to pee
Image Credits: Rinse off
Want to go and want to pay? Web-based Flush application allows businesses to rent out their bathrooms to individuals for additional revenue. The weirdest thing about this app, other than its existence thanks to the lack of maintained and public restrooms in the US, is the rating system businesses use to approve or deny a reservation.
A BlackBerry-style keyboard for your iPhone
Image Credits: Click technology (opens in new window)
Do you miss the days of having a tactile keyboard on your iPhone? Revealed at CES 2024, Click on the Technology creator keyboard turns your phone into a relic of the BlackBerry era for $139. The keyboard works as a phone case attachment and gives you access to more of your iPhone’s screen without the digital keyboard. It’s sure to make your phone last a lot longer, but maybe that’s the price you pay for nostalgia.
Dynamic audio mixing based on your driving
Image Credits: Tim Stevens
Sound Drive, a startup from singer-songwriter-turned-entrepreneur Will.i.am, aims to match the music you listen to with the pace and energy of your ride. The technology reacts to your speed and matches the music, with lyrics intelligently coming in and out whether you’re blasting down the freeway or stuck in traffic. While we were a little skeptical, we came away from the technology quite impressed.
A router that looks like a picture frame
Image Credits: GL.iNet
Matching your technology to your home’s aesthetic has been trendy in recent years. Is your TV too boring? Make it look like a gallery board with the Samsung Frame, or make it blend seamlessly into your home with LG’s newly unveiled transparent TV.
And the latest piece of tech to get the yaasification treatment is the humble router. The Marble Wi-Fi 6 OpenWrt Router by GL.iNet looks like a small piece of framed art that you can hang on your wall or prop up on your desk.
An AI assistant that calls 911 for you
At LG’s press event, the company announced the Smart Home AI Agent. The “two-legged” robot works as an assistant in sync with your LG devices. Generative AI lets you chat with Agent AI, and the company claims it can to show you empathy. In the company’s surreal, Pixar-like commercial, the bot can remind you to take your medicine or call 911 in a crisis.
A bidet that you can talk to
Image Credits: Kohler
Hello, Alexa? Turn on the bidet spray. Kohler introduced the PureWash E930 bidet seat with voice command support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. With voice assistance, you can control the seat hands-free, activate the spray and dryer functions of the bidet, as well as the UV self-cleaning feature. Just don’t let anyone watch you talk on the toilet.
A muzzle-like voice-absorbing mask
Image Credits: Haje Kamps (opens in new window) / TechCrunch (opens in new window)
Goodbye, noisy eavesdroppers. Skyted’s “Mobility Privacy Mask” and “Hybrid Silent Mask” are designed to “absorb voice frequencies” in noisy environments such as planes, trains and transit, so you can communicate with a little more privacy, according to founder Stéphane Hersen. The company aims to implement them Bane-like masks in offices, call centers and even gaming environments.
An artificial intelligence stroller that moves your baby for you
Image credits: GlüxKind
Parenting is hard. GlüxKind hopes that’s enough to convince you to put your child in the hands — er, wheels — of Cart with artificial intelligence, Ella. The stroller boasts the ability to push hands-free, automatically stop on hills and gently rock your child without you having to lift a finger. The cart also includes a built-in white noise machine function.
An uncanny valley to think with
One of the most notable “Who asked for this?” The products shown at CES are the GPT version of WeHead. The AI powered head brings a face and physicality to ChatGPT, rather than a purely virtual AI experience. The multi-screen mannequin-like layout aims to act as a confidant to bounce around ideas, though we’re more fixated on how weird it looks and how much it feels like interacting with anything.
A pocket AI assistant that scrolls your phone for you
Want to order a pizza? Instead of pulling out your phone, unlocking it, finding a delivery app, opening it, and going through the user interface to complete your order (so painful!), why not just ask rabbit r1 do it for you Instead of voice-activated AI assistants like Siri and Alexa, the device designed by Teenage Engineering runs on a “language action model,” which allows it to hypothetically perform the requested task.
Smart molluscs that can watch out for water pollution
From phones to TVs and even toilets, everything has to be ‘smart’ these days. What about molluscs? Inspired. MolluSCAN CEO and co-founder Ludovic Quinault found that a simple, non-invasive sensor attached to a clam or oyster shell can monitor everything from nutrition to reproduction to stress responses, which can be excellent predictors of quality of water and possible pollution.
A TV that folds into a statue
Love your TV but wish it could be turned into a work of art? Boy, we have good news for you. Folding TV N1 by C SEED consists of five MicroLED panels, allowing it to go from an impressive 137-inch screen to a brutalist-like sculpture in your living room in about 90 seconds. With so-called Adaptive Gap Calibration, there are no visible hinges between the screens, revealing a seamless viewing experience when fully unfolded. It also starts at $200,000.
A breathing and peeing CPR dummy
How realistic it is very realistic? ADAM-X by Medical-X is a patient simulator designed for a range of medical training exercises: IV infusion, use of a defibrillator, CPR and more. The company boasts realistic replicas of a human’s skeletal anatomy and will give you reactive feedback based on the patient’s needs and how accurate you are. According to Engadget, the company plans to incorporate a GPT-like feature in the future to help train doctors more directly. ADAM-X also contains simulated fluids such as blood and urine for accurate training. Go, science.
A smart mirror that claims it can tell if you’re depressed
Magic mirror on the wall, why am I so stressed? Baracoda calls BMind the world’s first AI-powered smart mirror for mental well-being. The mirror uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to determine your mood based on your gestures, expressions and tone. In turn, the mirror can chat with you, create guided meditation exercises and self-affirmations, and implement light therapy sessions through the edge of the mirror.
A CNC mill that looks straight out of the 90s
Coast Runner CNC mill, introduced at CES 2024
This is not that It’s a strange product, really, but its looks are too impressive to leave out. It’s actually part of an admirable mission from Coast Runner to make computer numerical control (CNC) machines more affordable. to professionals and hobbyists. For those less familiar with the space, a CNC machine is one that allows for the standardization and automation of an otherwise manual process, such as cutting parts on an assembly line or 3D printing.
But just look at this graphic referring to the 1992 design of a “Jazz” tumbler (which has since had a life of its own online.) In an event that has had so, so, so many painful or confusing aesthetics, a little nostalgia is cool and refreshing.
