CES 2024’s Weird but Oddly Helpful Gadgets

CES, one of the world’s largest tech shows, can be a bit much with all the groundbreaking unveilings. Even if you dedicate all your time to it, there’s a chance you might overlook some awesome gadgets with the potential to enhance your life. While many reviews emphasize practical technology, what about the most peculiar yet surprisingly useful gadgets?

Here’s a recap of some of the quirkiest but still helpful gadgets spotted at CES 2024.

AI as the Grill Master

The Perfecta grill is like an oven but looks and works like a toaster that’s sold as a grill. It uses smart infrared burners on both sides to cook steak, chicken, fish and more while they stand up to make sure the meat gets heat evenly from both sides. According to Suraj Sudera, founder and CEO of Seer Grills, it cooks so fast that juices stay locked in a tasty crust, even though your meat is hanging in the air.

Home Robot Smart Assistant

Rosey the Robot from “The Jetsons” has nothing on this little gadget.

Ballie, Samsung’s rolling “companion robot,” a bit bigger and heavier than a bowling ball, will be available for purchase later this year. Not your typical home gadget, it projects movies, hosts video calls on walls, talks to your smart appliances, and even keeps an eye on your pets. How good it is at all these tasks is a bit uncertain, but word has it that its projector works quite well.

Unlike Samsung’s other home devices such as automated mops and vacuums, Ballie looks to be more of an all-around assistant.

An AI-Powered Talking Toothbrush

The Oclean X Ultra toothbrush has a quiet Maglev motor with a PowerClean algorithm, making 84,000 movements per minute. You can choose from five brush modes on the touchscreen.

It also talks to you in real time. Using bone-conduction tech, an artificial intelligence (AI) voice guide gives you tips while you brush, letting you know if you’re pressing too hard or not brushing evenly.

One Ring to Control the Home

Many rings at CES focus on health, but here’s one from a startup called Lotus that is all about controlling your home. Each Lotus Ring has a tiny button — press it, and you can command compatible Lotus smart home products. Imagine turning off lights or switching on appliances with just a click. CEO Dhaval Patel says you can also manage your TV, and they’re even working on a version with a touch sensor for channel surfing.

Who is it for? Lotus made this ring thinking about people with limited mobility who might not have turned their homes into high-tech hubs yet — a group often overlooked in the tech world.

Motorized Skiing

Cars used to be the stars at shows known for new TVs and PCs, but now there’s something different — French motorized ski shoes that look like in-line skates with headlights.

Picture strapping these on and zipping around town at 50 mph. It might sound a bit scary since regular electric scooters go about 25 mph. These four-wheel-drive skis, though, are more chill at 12 mph, taking you almost 20 miles on a single charge. When you’re done, the remote that steers these speedy shoes becomes a handle for easy carrying.

But here’s the catch: the luxury of skiing anywhere comes with a price. Even with an early-adopter discount, a set of Skwheels will set you back close to $2,700 at full retail.