It's the final day of CES 2025, we saw new GPUs, laptops and TVs, but today we're recognizing
companies that understood the assignment. The true meaning of CES is showing off tech that's slightly disturbing, tech that's just
a bit wrong. Now I'm not sure you could say that about Mirumi though, it's a fuzzy robot that clips
onto bags and turns its adorable head towards anyone approaching.
If this little guy is wrong, I don't want to be right.
But why would you pay 70 bucks for one? Mirumi's makers, Yukai Engineering, say it's to make the people around you happier.
And maybe give them just a smidge of existential crisis from staring into its bashful, yet
probing eyes. A little uncomfortable, Yukai's got something a little more practical.
The Nekojita Fufu, a little cat with a fan inside that can cool down your hot tea in
the same way humans do, by randomizing its blowing speed and rhythm using its special
algorithm called f***ing system.
That can't be right? You may remember, Yukai Engineering is the company behind many a weird CES product, including
one of my favorites, the Kubo Pillow with a cat-like tail that gently wiggles when stroked.
How I miss it. Other companies are trying very hard to emulate Yukai's perfect mix of cuteness and horror.
TCL's A.Me, spelled A.I.Me, is apparently geared towards parents who've decided that
having one real human child is plenty.
But there's room in the family for what is essentially a robot egg baby that can ask
its fleshy sibling questions he is not prepared to answer.
What is living? It looks like TCL genuinely thinks families will treat A.Me like it's alive, and you
may think that's creepy. But is it as creepy as the uncanny valley apparitions from real botics pretending to
be something other than chat GPT-powered sex bots?
I don't know, ask the 12 people who have apparently purchased one, I'm sure they're
great guys. CES had wacky displays aplenty, including the vertically extending rollable screen on
Lenovo's Thinkbook Plus Gen 6, which we mentioned on Tuesday.
But there are yet more weird things we can do to displays.
Samsung displays stretchable micro LED prototype, which can create sort of a 3D effect without
the use of glasses, is one such display. ZDNet notes it could also be used to create tactile buttons on touch screens, like say
a car's infotainment system. So we could use those instead of forcing drivers to tap through their giant dashboard's tablet
settings to turn the wipers on. But if you just want a giant display you can put anywhere, there's the Displace TV, a
battery-powered, fully wireless TV that can combine with other units into a larger display,
each of which can be stuck on the wall with four built-in suction cups.
Because sure, you might be risking your $6,000 TV falling, but it's better than drilling
mounting holes and ruin this perfectly good drywall.
Hey, JSOX says their Flipgoe Horizon adds two monitors to the side of a laptop.
But I've seen this before. That's Razer's Project Valorys, stolen from the CES show floor in 2017.
Hmm, maybe we can steal it back in a clandestine operation.
For that, we might consider using the X-Peng Aero HT, which answers the question, what
if a Cybertruck was that huge and obnoxious for a reason?
The reason being it can spit a giant drone out of its back that can seat two people.
Despite costing just under $300,000, it apparently already has 3,000 pre-orders, and will launch
in China in 2026. Aw, what do we get?
Uh, well, there's this three-wheeled, solar panel-equipped two-seater EV from Aptara that
looks like some kind of tadpole shoe hybrid.
Okay, I'll admit, I thought this thing looked goofy when I first saw it.
But if you get a lot of sun, you may never have to charge this thing.
And there's actually a surprising amount of room in the back for cargo or for sleeping.
So we could go off the grid after we pull the Project Valory heist.
One getaway car we're definitely not going to be using is Amazon's autonomous toaster
shuttle, ZUKS! Mostly because of the name.
I want there to be a jingle for that. We can ride in a ZUKS!
ZUKS, ZUKS, ZUKS! I could introduce the QuickBits now.
But guess what? We've already been doing QuickBits this whole time.
Oh, you should see your face right now.
They were like, oh. Console accessory makers do be acting a fool right now.
Hyperkin announced a new version of one of its Xbox and PC controllers with a clearly
PlayStation DualSense inspired design called The Competitor.
Look, it's like when you wrap a Coke label around a can of Pepsi because you want to
drink a Pepsi, but you want to feel like you're drinking a Coke, right?
We understand this. Hyperkin also debuted a new Guitar Hero controller for the Nintendo Wii, which came out 18 years
ago. Turns out it's actually the same product Hyperkin released in 2009, but with completely refreshed
brand new internals. And it had to apologize to fans for the confusion.
What is fans of Guitar Hero on Wii?
I feel like they should check out some newer peripherals. Like the AutoKeybo, a Linux PC with built-in ergonomic keyboard, trackpad, and mouse modules
that automatically shoot out like Wolverine's claws when the onboard camera detects certain
motions from your hand. You can customize its speed and sensitivity, so it doesn't shear your fingertips off as
that may compromise your ability to remain perfectly ergonomically productive.
Moving your hand to your mouse and back is quick, but those seconds add up.
But if you love keeping yourself as busy as possible, there's the Mecha Comet, a handheld
Linux computer with modular attachments for adding game controls, a keyboard, sensor arrays.
If you can dream it, and you have vast amounts of patience and free time, you can build it.
If you prefer a wacky device that someone else built for you though, Ukitel showed off two
of them at CES. The WP200 Pro is an Android phone with a chunkier than average camera module because it contains
a pop-out device that can be used either as a smartwatch or a Bluetooth earpiece.
Okay, see this? CES should just be entirely this stuff.
This is what I'm talking about. Ukitel also showed off the Titan, a fantastically chunky phone with a massive 33,000 mAh battery
that can power a 1200 lumen camping light on the back, or a 120Hz projector on the top.
Throw that in the back of the Aptara, we're going glamping! Hmm, we may need more solar power though.
We could use Anker's solar panel equipped beach umbrella, but that might attract too
much attention. I'll grab the EcoFlow power hat with built-in solar panels instead.
But once you have that, then you pretty much have to complete the look with Anker's solar-powered
cloak. I'm sorry, you wanted to put solar panels in clothing that people wear in the year 2024
and you went with... Cloak. Hey!
They're coming back! What?
Now, you should always take everything you hear about these wacky CES concept products
with a grain of salt, but you won't need any actual salt for that.
With perhaps my favorite weird thing from CES, the Kieran Electric Salt Spoon.
It's designed to make foods taste saltier by sending a weak electric current through
your food, drawing sodium ions out so it tastes saltier and you don't have to increase
your salt intake. So for that to work though, you have to complete the circuit by holding the bite in your mouth
for a few seconds and make sure you hold it in perfect triangle formation.
The food will taste better not only because it's saltier, but also because you feel relief
that you didn't die. Just light electrocution.
Follow these instructions closely, or you could end up pregnant.
Instead, I want you to end up back here again on Monday for more tech news.
And we'll be back to three episodes a week, because doing one every day is, well, I don't
recommend it.