The 9 strangest devices at CES 2024

It's been a very busy week at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, and during his time here, Tom's Guide has seen everything from cutting-edge technology to see-through OLED TVs and plenty of robotic vacuum cleaners. However, one theme that we saw across all product categories and played a big role at this year's show is artificial intelligence.

Whether it's a grill, a pet accessory, or even in some of the toys we were able to try out, AI was everywhere. In fact, AI was mentioned over 300 times in all the meetings and conferences we attended during CES.

While we released our best prices for CES 2024 earlier this week, we're back with a list of the strangest gadgets we saw at this year's show. However, there is some crossover, as a lot of the gadgets and devices we used were pretty weird compared to what we've seen in our previous years at CES. Without further ado, here's our list of the strangest devices we saw at CES 2024.

Rabbit R1

There was a lot of hype surrounding the Rabbit R1 before its reveal and we had the chance to test it at CES. Instead of trying to replace your smartphone like the Humane AI Pin, the Rabbit R1 does a lot in a small package for just $199.

This little tool, designed by Teenage Engineering, makes AI actionable and you can ask it to do things like book a flight or add rows to a spreadsheet. The problem is that you first have to show its big business model how to do what you want. The Rabbit R1 is not just a concept device and the first batch will be in the hands of users by March 31.

Seagirls Perfecta

What's better than food fresh off the grill? The steak is clearly cooked to perfection by the AI. The Seergrills Perfecta is the world's first AI grill, and after seeing it in action, our Global Editor Mark Spoonauer was very impressed.

But where does artificial intelligence come into play? According to Seergrills, the Perfecta uses a quad-core processor along with an array of smart sensors to measure the food you're cooking and the environment. It also has vertical burners and 360-degree cooking capability, so you don't have to flip anything. However, there is a downside: the Seergrills Perfecta costs $3,500. But if you want a very simple grilling process, it may be worth it.

GNU electric backpack

There's a lot of baggage to carry, but we haven't seen anything as nice as Gnu. This three-wheeler steers by moving its horns forward and backward, the front wheel lights up, while a Bluetooth speaker on the front can play music. The Gnu seat opens to reveal a small storage area. The Gnu has a maximum speed of 5 miles per hour, so your little one can't com. mooove away from you very quickly.

Gyroor's website says the bag will be available in May for $199. Hopefully there won't be any ancient wildebeest around by then.

Artly Robot Barista

Now this really puts Java inside Java. The Artly Robot Barista is a mechanical arm that can prepare lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, and other frothy drinks. Better yet, it can also make latte art very well.

Place your order via the Artly app and watch the machine in action: the arm is placed in the center of the coffee station and moves, from grinder to espresso machine to milk frother, to collect everything, while the image displayed lets you know how long it will take until your drink is ready.

From start to finish, it takes about 3 minutes to make a latte, so you don't have to worry about losing their functionality just yet. Currently, Artly has about 10 locations nationwide, including two in Seattle, six in San Francisco and one in New York.

Swarovski Optic AX Visio

When you think of Swarovski, you probably think of diamonds. At CES, we saw the luxury Austrian brand unveil a pair of smart binoculars with built-in AI technology, capable of identifying more than 9,000 species of birds, mammals, butterflies and dragonflies. Likewise, these AI-powered binoculars also allow you to record and share photos and videos of the animals you see from your smartphone.

However, they're not “cheap” and when AX Visio launches in February, these smart binoculars will set you back $4,799, making the Bird Buddy look like a real bargain by comparison.

AI-powered Flappy Cat Flap

Smart pet technology was all the rage at CES 2024, and one gadget that caught our attention was the Flappie. This smart cat flap uses motion sensors and AI vision technology to detect when your best friend is trying to bring small animals into your home. As any cat owner will tell you, this is often the case.

Flappie can recognize the presence of prey in your pet's mouth in at least 90% of cases. When this happens, the door will be locked and your cat will not be allowed inside until it releases its prey. Flappie is also able to detect pet microchips and uses this information to ensure that the door only opens for a specific pet.

Razer chair x Dolce Gabbana

Razer may have announced its unexpected partnership with luxury brand Dolce&Gabbana last September, but at CES we had the opportunity to see the fruits of this collaboration. Razer's Dolce&Gabbana-branded headset is what you'd expect, but the upgraded version of the Razer Enki Pro is something else.

If you want one of the best gaming chairs but prefer Dolce&Gabbana's black-on-gold rather than Razer's neon green, this might be the chair for you. It's not cheap at $2,999 and it's already sold out.

Miruka and Meruki

Robots were the other big trend, along with artificial intelligence, at CES 2024. Along with these more traditional robots, we also got to test and spend some time with two hospital robots called Miruka and Meruki.

Funny enough, we saw the Miruka on our first day at CES, but it didn't really catch our attention. We gave them a second chance until we saw Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at Eureka Park interacting with Miroki, and we were all happy about that.

These robots have a ball at their base that allows them to move, as well as a very expressive and mobile face. For example, when our IT editor Jason England pushed Meruki, the robot let out a short scream and made a shocked face. You may never be able to buy any of these robots, but you will be able to see them when you visit a hospital or nursing home.

eVTOL flying car

Forget self-driving cars, what we really want are flying cars and we got to see the closest thing at CES with the eVTOL Flying Car. In fact, this model vehicle not only flies, but also transforms like one of the Autobots from Transformers.

Xpeng Aeroht, the company behind this flying car, demonstrated how it opens its arms and propellers rise from the back of the car and then spread out. They even managed to turn slightly to give the illusion that this supercar concept is about to take off. The eVTOL flying car is also very small and can only fit two people, but it sparked our imagination and gave us hope for the future that the Jetsons promised us all those years ago.