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All the cool new gadgets at CES 2017

Our guide to the 50 most wondrous, wantable and occasionally wacky gadgets that debuted at the show.

Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Lori Grunin
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1 of 50 Josh Miller/CNET

HP Sprout G2 3D-scanning PC

It's niche, but the Sprout G2, with its integrated 3D and 2D scanners, is perfect for product designers, CGI creators and other folks who can benefit from incorporating 3D models into their workflow. It's also got a stylus-enabled touch mat that acts as a second screen.

Pricing and availability coming in March 2017.

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2 of 50

PowerVision PowerRay underwater drone

This underwater drone can submerge up to 98 feet (30 meters) and records 4K video streamed to your phone, which you use to navigate. Not impressed? OK, with its add-on Fishfinder sonar it can detect fish up to 131 feet (40 meters) away and and lures them with a blue light. Still not wowed? PowerVision will be offering VR goggles that allow you to robot around by tilting your head.

Preorders start on February 27.

Kuri the robot nanny
Kuri the robot nanny
1:40
3 of 50 Chris Monroe/CNET

Kuri the robot nanny

Essentially a mobile security camera with some smart-home control capabilities, when Kuri ships about a year from now it will roam your home checking on your kids and pets when you're not home. It looks like a robot, though, so it's cool just for that.

Available December 2017.

Chrysler Portal concept road warrior
Chrysler Portal concept road warrior
2:33
4 of 50 Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Chrysler Portal concept road warrior

Andrew Krok from our sister site Roadshow dubbed it "a conceptual battle-tank for the family of the near-ish future." Anything that can be described that way must be cool, even though it's a minivan.

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5 of 50 AirTV

AirTV Play live TV streaming

​Sling's parent company Dish just birthed it a sibling for cord cutters and cord nevers who miss local broadcasts that you can only get via a cable or satellite subscription or antenna. AirTV looks like Roku mated with Fisher Price, but you'll never lose that remote in the couch.

Available now.

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6 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

Acer Predator 21 X gaming laptop

Acer had me at $9,000 gaming laptop (that's about £7,300 or AU$12,400). But it also has a ginormous 21-inch curved screen -- the first in a laptop -- and an eye-tracking camera. Of course, it has nine heat pipes to cool the two GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs and two power supplies, four speakers and two subwoofers, plus it weighs 19.4 pounds (8.8 kg).

Available February 2017.

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7 of 50 Josh Miller

LeEco smart bikes

Watching the bicyclists speed down New York streets while staring at their phones is scary enough. Integrating a 4-inch Android touchscreen into the bicycle for navigation, music playback and walk-talkie talking to other people not watching where they're going, as LeEco has done, is just asking for trouble. But useful!

Available in the US in the spring.

360rapidsleeponset-7.jpg
8 of 50 Sleep Number

Sleep Number 360 smart bed

Not everyone has pets to lie on their feet and keep them toasty. So Sleep Number made a bed that knows when you've got cold feet and turns heat on at the bottom of the bed. In theory, the mattress changes its Sleep Number settings to compensate for changes in position and while it can't stop someone snoring, if it senses you are, it raises your head to reduce your volume.

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9 of 50 Dong Ngo/CNET

Norton Core router

I know what you're thinking: "A router?!" I have no clue if it's any good, but this geometric orb, available in gold or silver, certainly doesn't look like a piece of networking technology. It also offers real-time network security for every device connected to it.

Available for preorder for $200 (about £165 or AU$275).

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10 of 50 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Nabi Aristotle voice assistant. For kids

It's a baby monitor. It's a Amazon Alexa voice-activated smart assistant. It answers your questions, and maybe your kids' questions, too. It orders more diapers when you run out, and soothes babies back to sleep automatically. It's the Aristotle, by toymaker Mattel, and it sounds like a new parent's dream gadget.

Available June 2017.

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11 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

Faraday Future FF91 car

Electric car startup Faraday Future debuted the FF 91 at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. It has self-parking, autonomous driving, a 378-mile range and ubiquitous screens all around the cabin. The FF 91 looks promising, but with production facilities only existing on paper at this stage, it's reasonable to worry whether the car will ever roll out on the road.

Luke Roberts Smart Light light show
Luke Roberts Smart Light light show
1:13
12 of 50 Chris Monroe/CNET

Luke Roberts Smart Light light show

OK, I admit it -- I'm partial to pretty colors. This bright hanging lamp sends regular light downward, but it sends colorful illumination upwards, which you can interactively control via an app. It belongs in a room with Razer's Project Ariana.

In preorder now.

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13 of 50 Patrick Holland/CNET

Moen's U connected shower

Are you tired of turning on the shower with your hands like a chump? Moen's new shower range lets you preheat shower water, control water temperature and shower duration from your phone.

It'll start shipping on March 1, beginning at $1,160, which converts to about £950 or AU$1,600.

Lego Boost motors and smart bricks
Lego Boost motors and smart bricks
0:51
14 of 50 Josh Miller/CNET

Lego Boost motors and smart bricks

Lego and robots go together like chocolate and peanut butter. In a move that's bound to thrill kids of all ages, the Danish toymaker is offering a set of motors and programmable bricks that can work with existing Lego kits and turn them into motorized or motion-sensitive toys. Plus, its app can record voice effects to really bring your Lego Batman to life.

Available in the second half of 2017. Just in time for giftapalooza.

olly.jpg
15 of 50 CNET

Emotech Olly robohub

Meet Olly, a fusion between smart home hubs, such as the Amazon Echo, and smart home robots. It can respond to your questions by looking up information for you, and can control all of your smart devices and internet-connected products. But, like a robot, Olly has deep-learning capabilities that mean it gets to know you and your daily routines over time, and will evolve to become more like you and respond to the patterns of your life.

No firm release window has been set.

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16 of 50 CNET

Smart and Blue's Hydrao smart showerheads

Moen isn't the only one trying to change the shower game. French company Smart and Blue showed its Hydrao range of showerheads at CES. They're kitted out with LED lights that change color, from green to blue to purple to red, based on how long you've been showering. The aim here is to cut unnecessarily long showers short, saving you money on utility bills in the process. And you can turn it on without getting out of bed.

Available for preorder in the US now.

Hypersuit VR-similitude exoskeleton
Hypersuit VR-similitude exoskeleton
1:28
17 of 50 Ben Fox Rubin/CNET

Hypersuit VR-similitude exoskeleton

VR goggles are nice and all, but how can you really feel like you're flying when your feet are on the ground -- or your butt is on the couch? Enter this Paris-based startup, which built a piece of furniture to help you get your body in the game.

Availability unknown.

Neofect Rapael
Neofect Rapael
0:57
18 of 50 Josh Miller/CNET

Neofect Rapael

Cool looking and practical! This physio glove focuses and monitors your rehab by gamifying it with an app and providing measurable feedback to guide your efforts.

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19 of 50 Scott Stein/CNET

Fove 0 eye-tracking headset concept

It's not a real product yet, but Fove can plant the flag as the first company to have a usable VR headset with eye-tracking built in. Given how imprecise VR interfaces can be and how much data eye tracking can gather to inform how scenes render, the technology is a hot area for development.

LG W7 featherweight wall-mount TVs
LG W7 featherweight wall-mount TVs
1:36
20 of 50 Josh Miller/CNET

LG W7 featherweight wall-mount TVs

The "est-iest" TV we've ever seen, LG's new W7 65- and 77-inch TVs are the thinnest, lightest and potentially the best-picture quality TVs to hit the wall. Plus, LG claims the picture quality of these are better than last year's, which are pretty terrific.

Available March 2017.

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21 of 50 Lori Grunin/CNET

Panasonic Lumix GH5 mirrorless monster

With a raft of innovative new features and enough 4K and HD recording options to make your head spin, this replacement to Panasonic's video-popular GH4 promises to be one of the most impressive cameras of the year.

Available March 2017.

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22 of 50 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Rokid Pebble glowing voice assistant

It's not just a cool-looking voice assistant like the Amazon Echo and countless others. The Pebble's twist: Melody, your guide, can recognize voices and change its activities based on the individual who's talking. Plus, it really is an assistant, with the ability to manage your calendar.

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23 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

Endless Mission Mini and Mission One cheap and tiny PCs

Endless gets its cool cred in part from its intentions. The Endless computers are small, cheap and optimized for areas where internet access is unpredictable. This year's models have a more sophisticated design than its Mini plastic ball. Though they don't run a standard operation system, they come piled with applications. Plus, the systems will also work with its Endless Code initiative, a preinstalled package of tutorials and tools for teenage-level prospective coders.

Available January 2017.

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24 of 50 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Hubble Hugo anger-management robot

This follow-me robot assistant uses face recognition to identify angry, scrunchy countenances. If it's a baby it'll notify you and automatically launch into pacification mode with music, a fan or an audiobook.

Coming in summer 2017.

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25 of 50 Josh Miller

Funky Bots Atomic Bands for klutzes

These bands for your wrists and ankles use accelerometers and an app to coach you to develop more graceful movement. That's neat in itself, but their ability to approximate full-body motion makes me think they'd be a great start for a consumer motion-capture system. That's just how I roll.

Goes into preorder in January 2017.

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26 of 50 Chris Monroe/CNET

Moxi stroller and phone charger

Who needs solar? While you're strolling your child through the park the Moxi is turning all its wheel-turning kinetic energy into usable electricity. You can charge your phone, light your path or track your distance.

Available now.

Holo Cube trippy magical puzzle block
Holo Cube trippy magical puzzle block
0:57
27 of 50 Scott Stein/CNET

Holo Cube trippy magical puzzle block

It may be a cheap foam block, but it works in conjunction with Merge VR's inexpensive headset to turn it into an AR toy.

Available summer 2017.

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28 of 50 Claire Reilly/CNET

Willow breast pump and hand liberator

Cordless, quiet and pretty darn liberating -- the Willow wearable breast pump is hands-free mothering at its best.

Available spring 2017.

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29 of 50 Josh Miller/CNET

BACtrack Skyn buzz killer

Breathalyzers are fine, but the Skyn band tracks your blood-alcohol content in real time and proves to you that you're a lightweight. I'm not sure you could read that screen after a few too many, though.

Available summer 2017.

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30 of 50 Neonode

Airbar for touchless MacBooks

Airbar brought us the accessory that simulates touchscreen operation on Windows, and now it's done the same for selected MacBooks. Mac users, you can check your touchscreen envy at the door.

In preorder now.

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31 of 50 David Carnoy/CNET

JBL Pulse 3 colors your swim

These are less waterproof speakers than they are submersible lava lamps for the 21st century.

Available spring 2017.

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32 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

Sony A1E synesthesia TV

Sony made a TV that sort of lets you see sound. It eschews speakers in favor of audio that comes right at you from the screen.

Available "soon."

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33 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

Razer Project Valerie portable video wall

I don't game, but a multiscreen portable -- I refuse to call something that weighs 12 pounds (5.4 kg) a laptop -- has tons of uses for people whose work or play requires multiple screens. And it's like a giant curved screen! It's just a concept now, but I vote yea!

Polaroid Pop funky instaprint camera
Polaroid Pop funky instaprint camera
1:39
34 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

Polaroid Pop funky instaprint camera

I'm in tourist central New York, and I see a ton of visitors toting Fujifilm Instax cameras. But I don't think I've ever seen one of the Polaroid Snap models in the wild. That might change with this charmingly designed instant camera that doesn't discard digital conveniences.

Available in winter 2017.

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35 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

Dell Ultrasharp UP3218K packs a peck of pixels

The first 8K (7,680x4,320-pixel) display, this 32-inch monitor crams in enough resolution to retouch the hairs off a model's face and nudge your pixels precisely in Adobe Illustrator. It doesn't match that by covering the entire Rec 2020 color space -- it's only 10-bit color, not 12-bit -- and it's not clear whether it stores the color profiles in hardware or not, but you can't expect everything at once. For $5,000, though, Dell should throw in the calibrator for free.

Available March 2017.

Airblock
Airblock
0:53
36 of 50

Airblock

It's a drone and a learning experience. You snap the blocks together magnetically -- you can configurate it as things besides a hexacopter -- and program it via the app. Fun for all ages!

Available in spring 2017.

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37 of 50 Sarah Tew/CNET

ZeroUI Ziro 'bot builder

Ziro's a kit full of robotics fun. You build them, program them via an app and control them via a smart glove. Wave "hi" robot arm!

In preorder, available spring 2017.

Razer Project Ariana
Razer Project Ariana
1:18
38 of 50 Dan Ackerman/CNET

Razer Project Ariana

We've seen this concept before, but that doesn't make it any less impressive. It's an HD projector that can supplement your game display by filling your walls with action as you play. It's still just a prototype, but a girl can dream.

Asus ZenFone AR sees the future
Asus ZenFone AR sees the future
1:35
39 of 50 James Martin/CNET

Asus ZenFone AR sees the future

The first phone to integrate and combine Google's Daydream VR and Tango AR, the ZenFone AR has all your realities covered.

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40 of 50 Josh Miller/CNET

Tanvas Touch gives tablets the feels

Despite how long it's been around, haptic technology is still really in its infancy. Tanvas takes it a step towards toddlerhood with touch feedback that gives you a sense of what different materials feel like.

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41 of 50 Chris Monroe/CNET

Stages Hero and Sidekick help you ignore Mom

There's a countably infinite supply of noise-cancelling headphones at CES, but these manage to rise above the noise. You can set the Hero headphones to allow certain voices through and block everything else; while Sidekick is a version of them that you fit on your existing headphones. This is what the future should sound like.

Enters Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign January 12, 2017.

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42 of 50 Dong Ngo/CNET

Cujo, defender of networks

There are a boatload of companies offering firewalls to stand between your home network and the evil outsiders who want to compromise your security. At least this one's cute and relatively inexpensive.

Available now.

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43 of 50 Chris Monroe/CNET

Hello Egg: Bizarre but useful kitchen helper

Essentially a weird-looking, kitchen-centric Amazon Echo with a projector (it's a Magic 8-Ball for the 21st century), the Egg not only looks up receipes you ask for, but projects step-by-step videos to help you make them. There's a similar concept assistant from Bosch, but it's not nearly as goofy looking, which is part of Hello Egg's charm. If it rolls its eye at my cooking skills, though, it's gonna end up scrambled.

In preorder now. Entering Indigogo crowdfunding campaign in Mary 2017.

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44 of 50 Wayne Cunningham/CNET Roadshow

Honda self-balancing motorcycle concept

Forget autonomous cars; this motorcycle can park itself, because its ability to balance means it can motor without you on it.

Toyota Concept-i puts you at the mercy of the AI
Toyota Concept-i puts you at the mercy of the AI
1:18
45 of 50 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Toyota Concept-i puts you at the mercy of the AI

Some car designer realized that they'd been woefully underutilizing spline surfaces in their CAD software and decided to use a year's supply in one shot for this AI-powered car. Which, by the way, answers to "Yui" and knows what you want and what mood you're in, and then reacts appropriately.

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46 of 50 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Samsung FlexWash and FlexDry laundry overlords

I live in an apartment building with humongous, dumb industrial washers and dryers that burn everything and are a big Hercules Laundry Monitoring fail, so I don't get all the fuss about multicompartment smart washer/dryer combos. But our smart Smart Home folks think these are "the wackiest innovation we've seen yet" and not just because it has two washer compartments and two dryer compartments. It can operate off a single water line even when washing two loads simultaneously, has customizable temperature zones for the small dryer, and can be controlled by your phone.

No pricing or availability yet.

Taclim VR shoes squish virtual mud between your toes
Taclim VR shoes squish virtual mud between your toes
1:17
47 of 50 CNET

Taclim VR shoes squish virtual mud between your toes

One of the big problems with the current state of the VR art is that it really doesn't fully engage your senses. But how do you get haptic feedback for your tootsies? Taclim's tackling that with prototype VR shoes that will let you feel it as you're virtually tiptoeing through the tulips and wading on the shore.

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48 of 50 Andrew Gebhart/CNET

Bluemint Labs Bixi, because how do you control a smart home with laryngitis?

In a nice change from all the army of smart devices which expect you to make conversation, this Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-connected motion sensor recognizes gestures to control the troops. But if you like the choice between waving and chatting, the company will also be offering a Bixi 2 with voice support.

Bixi is available in France and will come to the US in March 2017; Bixi 2 will arrive by the end of the year.

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49 of 50

Furrion Prosthesis is the best thing EVER to strap yourself into

This may be the first step on the road to our mecha future, but Furrion's giant exoskeleton is designed for peace, not war. It's a racing exoskeleton that's 14 feet/4.3m tall, 16 feet/4.9m wide and weighs over 3.5 tons (3.2 metric tons). Yet, it can run at speeds up to 21 mph, jump 10 feet in the air and run for two hours on a charge. All with you controlling it with body movements.

And it will be real this spring.

Furrion Elysium RV for the billionaire who likes RV'ing
Furrion Elysium RV for the billionaire who likes RV'ing
2:17
50 of 50 Marc Ganley/CNET

Furrion Elysium RV for the billionaire who likes RV'ing

And I'll wrap it up with this. Because between the giant racing exoskeleton and this showcasemobile from the luxury RV-outfitter -- equipped with a hot tub, helipad and automatic seat-lifting toilet (with 2 modes for...figure it out) -- I declare that Furrion wins CES 2017.

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