The Weirdest Stuff We Saw at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019
By Michael Kan, PCMag, 11 January 2019.
By Michael Kan, PCMag, 11 January 2019.
If you love tech, CES is the place to be in January. Hall after hall is lined with massive TVs, souped-up PCs, and eye-popping car concepts. But there are also those products that make us do a double-take, like last year's radiation-blocking undies and the DockATot from 2017. These are the CES gadgets that are just plain weird.
That's not to say they're not useful; a number of the gadgets below address real problems and might end up on your holiday wish lists (personal BreadBot, please?). But they're still pretty bizarre.
1. BreadBot
The BreadBot is like a vending machine for fresh bread. Except it makes the loaves right in front of your eyes. It can produce 10 loaves per hour, or about 235 loaves per day. To maintain the machine, a human simply needs to refill it with the bread ingredients and occasionally clean out the interior.
The maker of the bot, Wilkinson Baking Company, said one machine costs about $100,000. However, the company plans to lease, not sell its BreadBots. Three of the top five grocers in the US will pilot the technology later this year, according to Wilkinson.
2. Royole Top Hat
The same company that brought us the foldable FlexPai phone also created a top hat that features a curved, flexible display. The battery-powered product can stream video or display pictures from your phone via a Bluetooth connection. You can buy it from the company’s website for $899 (and pair it with a Royole T-shirt that also sports a flexible display).
3. Kohler Numi 2.0 Smart Toilet
For $7,000, Kohler's smart toilet will give your butt cheeks a treat. The Numi 2.0 includes a heated seat, built-in speakers, and a toilet seat that automatically closes itself and re-opens when you approach. On top of all this, the toilet is voice-activated and works with Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant. For instance, you can tell the toilet to flush itself, change the temperature of the seat, or play a different music track. The Numi 2.0 is slated to launch in Q4.
4. DFree
If you're suffering from bladder control problems, the DFree - which stands for diaper free - claims to be the world's first wearable that can predict when you need to use the bathroom. It's specifically designed for people who suffer from urinary incontinence. The device works as an ultrasonic sensor that connects to a transmitter, which can tell your smartphone how full your bladder is and when you need to go. You can buy it now for $499 or rent DFree for $49 a month.
5. Hupnos Smart Sleep Mask
The Hupnos smart sleep mask promises to stop your snoring. It detects when you're sleeping on your back or when you're snoring, and creates a gentle vibration intended to get you to move without waking you. It can also put pressure over your nose, clearing the nasal passages and helping you to breathe more quietly. The mask links to a smartphone app, which can listen to your breathing when it sits by your bed. The Hupnos will sell for $179 and you can order it now.
6. Ellcie Healthy Smart Glasses
Ellcie Healthy created a pair of glasses intended to wake up drowsy drivers. Their sensors can detect when you've closed your eyes for too long, and will shine a bright light in your eyes if you do. In addition, the glasses can connect to the company's mobile app to get your smartphone to sound an alarm. The glasses cost $250, and will first be available in France later this month.
7. Photo-Based Nail Art
Nail art might not be the first thing you think of when you hear CES, but the show floor had several gadgets designed to print photos on your fingernails. PCMag's Will Greenwald tried it out at the O'2 booth (pictured), and I stopped by Japan-based Funai Electric, which can also print any digital image on a fingernail in less than a minute. With Funai, you place your finger in its machine, which snaps a picture of your fingernail. Use an app to select a pattern, or even a personal picture, and customize its size for the nail. The machine will then print the image on the finger with nontoxic ink. Funai plans to sell a consumer version for $299 and a pro version for salons for $499.
8. Cocoon Bee Life
If you've ever wanted to manage a beehive with your smartphone, now's your chance. The Cocoon is a man-made, temperature-controlled beehive designed to keep bees healthy and free of harmful mites. A solar panel up top keeps it juiced up, and owners monitor and control the beehive's temperatures via an app. The Cocoon, from France-based Beelife, will cost beekeepers and hobbyists about $1,085 and is set to arrive later this year.
9. Seraphin
Your smartphone does a lot of work for you; why not give it its own comfy bed? Seraphin's gadget is as much a cute resting place for your device as it is a way to help you put your damn phone down. The bed itself is actually a book. It can cover up the device entirely, or drape over it and let your smartphone's screen become a lamp. Seraphin also designed an app that can tell you how many times you reached for your phone during the night, analyze your sleep patterns, and wake you up in the morning with soothing sounds, the radio, or a podcast. The product will be available in September.
10. Drinkshift
"We wanted to solve the run out of beer situation," said Takuma Iwasa, CEO of Shiftall, a Japanese company that offers a new take on subscription beer services. Drinkshift will rent you a smart refrigerator that tracks your beer inventory as the bottles get pulled out. It'll then deliver more beer to your home to keep the stash fully stocked. You'll also be able to track your bottle intake over a mobile app. It isn't clear what all this will cost yet. But the company plans to launch it later this year in Japan before taking it worldwide.
11. Lussya One
Has your cousin or favorite Instagrammer been hawking essential oils lately? Help them take things up a notch with this swan-like contraption, which can warm your hands and dispense oils for a massage, play soothing sounds, and give off calming light. From France-based Wisharings, the Lussya One works with "wellness care capsules" that dispense the oils. It's being marketed to parents and pregnant women as a calming experience, but it could likely be of use to anyone who needs to chill out or has someone willing to give them a massage. The app includes massage instructional videos and also act as a health tracker. The Lussya One will be available in March for 150 to 200 Euros.
12. Shoppal
If you're serious about shopping or unable to carry heavy packages, this bot will follow you around a shopping mall and carry whatever you buy. The Shoppal rolls along on four wheels and its camera can recognize your face and body shape. Shoppers activate it by scanning a mobile app. The Shoppal, from a Chinese company that also built a robot luggage case, will first launch in China through shopping mall partners in the first half of 2019.
13. FightCamp
If you can't have Fight Club, how about FightCamp? With it, you can train to be a boxer at home; the gear and service tracks your progress as you punch the bag. For $995, you get the bag, a mat, gloves, and a pair of punching trackers. Unlimited access to workout content, which can play on a TV, is $39 a month.
The Best of CES 2019
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