The annual?Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a lot of things. The world's largest consumer gadget show. A major geekfest. And a breeding ground for some truly strange gadgets, tools, and ideas. The single weirdest things I saw overall were?Snooki with her?SnookifyMe app and the?booth babes, those young women who wander the showroom floor (which covers an area of size of?35 football fields)?in really, really high heels. Awkward.
Here are some of the other crazy contraptions that get my vote for the weirdest of CES 2012. Weird-awesome or just weird-weird? We'll let you be the judge of that.
Sculpteo vase
3D printing is a truly revolutionary technology with innovative implications that blow my mind. Some day, we might be able to?print blood vessels or even human organs. Until then, thanks to France-based 3D design firm?Sculpteo, we can?print our very own self-portrait on a vase. Or mug. Or espresso cup. It's fantastically vain and totally weird, not to mention expensive. The teeny, tiny espresso cup is $40. The vase is $90. How would we use it? As a gift for those we love? "Here, honey ? I want you to have this vase of my face."
Oui, Sculpteo's CEO?Clement Moreau told me as he maxed out my ability to speak French with that single response on the showroom floor of CES the other day. Ironically, the 31-year-old?Keanu-Reeves-esque French entrepreneur has the kind of hipster good looks that you could actually imagine inspiring art. He then went on to show me how simple it is to use. Just download the Sculpteo app (download Sculpteo for?iPhone or?iPad) from iTunes, snap a picture of your profile, upload it to Sculpteo's cloud-based 3D printing virtual designer, crop out any unwanted forehead or chin real estate ? and voil?, your very own mug on a mug.
2. 4moms Origami stroller
Trying to fold up a heavy, unwieldy baby stroller to pack into the back of a car, carry up a flight of stairs, or cram into an already jam-packed garage can be like a dance with the devil. I think I still have a scar from a tangle with my daughter's bleep-a-dee-bleep stroller 10 years ago. Apparently, many other moms have felt that same pain, because a?handful of them got together and created the world's first self-powered, folding baby stroller. It's called the?Origami?folding stroller.
It's weird because, just like its name denotes, the standard-sized stroller folds into itself like a work of?Japanese art at the simple push of a little button. It has a built-in generator that you power up by pushing it. That's right, the stroller recharges itself while you walk.?4moms thought of everything. Safety features include a sensor system that won't let it fold up when there's a child in it. This is clearly a weird and awesome gadget. In fact, it's not only awesome, it's like magic ? and for that, you'll pay a small fortune. It retails for?$850.
Did I mention it has running lights and charges your cell phone?
Karotz is both cute and useful
This wifi-connected robotic rabbit reads your information from the internet, including your news feeds and?Twitter and?Facebook messages, and then broadcasts it all out loud, while moving its ears and flashing lights in its belly. It also plays music and can get messages from smartphones and other?Karotz devices. It can share what it sees or hears using a built-in webcam or microphone, and it can take a picture with its built-in camera and upload it to Facebook.
I guess if you just can't be bothered to update your Facebook status the old-fashioned way (by typing in a message here or there), then sure, a $200 connected bunny rabbit might be just the thing for you. Just be careful when the camera is on...
Withings baby scale
As much as I love?Withings and its roster of healthy and connected gadgets, this new wifi internet-connected?Smart Baby Scale is the last thing many new, already-prone-to-relentless-bouts-of-over-sharing parents really need. It's similar to the?Withings WiFi Body Scale that lets you track and graph your own weight and tweet all the ups and downs, if you're motivated by that kind of public humiliation... err... I mean, motivation. With the new baby version, parents can access their child's weight readings from any connected device, such as an internet-connected computer or an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, using the already existing WiScale app (download WiScale for?iPhone or?iPad). But here's the real kicker: The scale lets those same sleep-deprived moms and dads instantly update Facebook and Twitter or send an email to private email addresses with any and all new readings. I think I feel a tantrum coming on.
I can see how some parents might want (or for medical reasons, even need) to track every single ounce of a baby's weight, attach notes and photos to weight charts, and build detailed memories of their child's growth. That's fine if they keep it to themselves or share with only those who ask. Otherwise, it's just going be another one of those ways for new parents to bug us with their annoying oversharing.
5. HzO gadget waterproofing
Yep, I have dropped my cell phone in the toilet. Be honest ? you probably have, too. That's may be one of the reason's the weirdly wonderful?HzO WaterBlock waterproofing technology stood out to just about everyone who saw it demoed at CES this year. The weird part of seeing $1,000 tablets and $300 smartphones fully submerged into tanks of water on purpose: While in the water, they would keep playing music. Taken out, the drips dried off and it was like nothing had ever happened.
How does this magic happen? Apparently, HzO's WaterBlock is a thin nano-coating that covers the circuitry?inside a smartphone, tablet, or other device. It's not something you can buy and, say, spray on to your gadget (yet). It has to be applied during the manufacturing process, and according to HzO, it makes the device waterproof from the inside without affecting performance. WaterBlock could make its way to smartphones and other gadgets as early as summer.
A world where gadgets and water mix? Weird awesome.
...what?
There were so many weird gadgets here that I just couldn't cover them all. Here are a few other honorable (or in some cases, dishonorable) mentions.
- AfterShokz Earphones that don't go in your ears. They deliver music to your ears via your cheekbones. The result is okay sound quality, weird vibration, and messy hair. Other than that, I actually like it.
- Tosy mRobo This is the new?Beiber-bot that brought tween dream Justin Bieber to the show floor this year. I don't understand why the Biebs was holding a mic to the robot's crotch, though, or really what's so great about this new tech toy in general.
- Motorized Video Recliner Is it the ultimate gamer chair or a workstation for those too lazy to move... ever?? For $6,200, you can find out. Does is have a flush toilet there somewhere, too?
- PatSaysNow Body Mouse Your immature, college frat-boy roommate just called, and he wants his boob mouse back.
- Interactive contact lenses Seattle-based Innovega showed off contact lenses that can display images when you're wearing them ? so your emails can pop up literally right before your eyes, and you can view the world through a layer of augmented reality.
- WiFi Hotspot Cufflinks They're very James Bond and pretty cool, but for $250, why wouldn't you just use a mifi device?
I would love to know if you agree or disagree with my take on the weirdest of CES. I know I've missed some great toilet tech and a few super-wacky fitness gadgets. Oh, I also heard about (but didn't see) a contraption you wear that turns you into a video game. Be sure to tell us what you think in the comments below.
This article was written by Jennifer Jolly and originally appeared on Tecca
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