The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas features some of the biggest tech releases of the calendar year, but hidden within the halls are some equally eye-catching, if lesser-known, products. Here are some of the weirdest devices we spotted at CES 2025.
To see all of our show coverage, visit our CES hub.
HoverAir Pro Max
Emma Rowley / Foundry
It takes a little bit of skill and coordination to fly a drone, which I, as an idiot, lack. There is no space on Earth big enough to stop me from instantly flying a drone into a tree. If there are no trees, I will immediately fly it into the ground or into my face.
This may explain why the HoverAir caught my eye. It is perfectly controlled and precise in flight. It differs from traditional drones in that you don't need dexterity – or even a controller – to fly one. Choose automatic flight mode, and it will simply recognize, follow and film you, although it has nine additional flight modes.
There are 4K and 8K camera options, and its shooting styles include orbit, bird's eye view, zoom out, side track, and slow motion.
Best of all, you can launch and land the HoverAir from the palm of your hand.
Unlike traditional drones, its propellers are enclosed, so you can fold it and put it in your pocket to carry.
The HoverAir Pro starts at $499 and the HoverAir Pro Max starts at $699. You can get more information about options and purchase from HoverAir.
We liked the Pro Max so much that we gave it a Best of CES award.
The trumpeter
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Do you want to hear a live trumpet at home, but are you missing a trumpet player in your immediate circle of friends? Don't worry: this is a fairly common problem. Finally, a solution is at hand. It's called The Trumpeter.
QRS Music Technology, one of the biggest names in player pianos (standalone piano technology), has branched out into the world of player trumpets. The technology behind the brand's device is absolutely breathtaking (and trumpeting). I will have to paraphrase the process.
EmbouchAir wind instrument driver technology from QRS has a voice coil inside, which is connected to an amplifier, which is, in turn, connected to a processor. The processor listens to a piece of trumpet music and, via an AI chip, removes the trumpet part, which is sent back to the processor. A sound file is produced and sent to the voice coil, which converts the sounds into air pockets and hey quick! the trumpet plays.
This is incredibly impressive to me, a person admittedly unfamiliar with the trumpet world, this seems like a niche product. There is a certain cachet to having a piano in a house, even without a pianist in the house, but is it really the same for a trumpet? I had to ask the QRS rep at the booth: Do a lot of people have unused trumpets lying around that they look at nostalgically?
“A lot of people have trumpets in their closet from when they were in fifth grade, or grandpa's trumpet. So you take the trumpet out of your closet, put on the mouthpiece, plug it into your piano and that's it.
It's that simple. Except for a slight hitch. The Trumpeter EmbouchAir will cost you $3,200. You'll also need the PNO4 player-piano system to use it, which costs an additional $3,000. And don't forget the trumpet.
You can find out more on the QRS website.
Nekojita FuFu and Mirumi
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Once you've sorted out your trumpet problems, you're naturally ready to tackle your next insurmountable crisis: how to cool a hot drink or soup.
I know what you're thinking: I'll just blow on it. But this is precisely the kind of outdated behavior that Yukai Engineering aims to eliminate. Here is a use case. And if you needed your mouth – not to play the trumpet, obviously – but to play the flute, at the same time did your drink need to be chilled? It's a problem as old as time.
Soon you'll be able to entrust this task to Nékojita FuFu, a plastic cat that hangs over the edge of your cup (or bowl – it's multifunctional) and blows on your drink for you.
It's an obvious solution, and we're all idiots for not having considered it sooner. FuFu crowdfunding will begin in summer 2025. Learn more.
Don't get up off the ground yet, because this next product will knock you down. Meet Mirumi, also made by Yukai Engineering.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
I was drawn to Mirumi from across Hall C by her captivating kindness. “Tell me about this little robot,” I said (with some outrageous laughter. I must emphasize: it’s very cute).
“It moves its head randomly, but in the future we think this robot will look at you using some kind of sensor. But at the moment, it's random. It does not use any AI.
I stupidly persisted. “But what’s the point?”
I'll spare you the awkward conversation that followed, during which I gradually realized that Mirumi was simply a furry robot that hangs from your bag strap (or your arm – again, it's multifunctional) and moves its head.
Manufacturers say its overall appearance is meant to mimic a baby. It's unclear if they've ever seen a baby or know they shouldn't be tied to bags.
Despite all this, I still want one. Such is the power of Mirumi.
Wed-Monday
Emma Rowley / Foundry
If Mirumi exists on one end of the robotic spectrum when it comes to functionality, Mi-Mo lives somewhere on the other end.
Mi-Mo may look like a lamp sitting on a table, but imagine the attendees' shock when said piece of furniture walked towards them and raised a leg in greeting. Or at least that would have been the case if CES had been held anywhere other than weird Las Vegas, where visitors are probably more surprised by any tables that don't do that.
Mi-Mo is a robot made up of multiple AI models working together to enable it to respond to image recognition, voice recognition and more: it thinks and acts based on visual, audio and voice inputs. movement. Its vision model features visual recognition and emotional expression, while the audio model features speech recognition and synthesis.
And the best part is that users can edit and add behavior patterns as they wish. Anyone can develop applications for Mi-Mo. The SDK pre-order waitlist is open now. Creators would especially like to hear from developers of AI models and AI robots.
Petal
Emma Rowley / Foundry
I will conclude with a product that is simply delicious and healthy in every way. Petal is made by Wonder, who created the original smart bird feeder, Bird Buddy. The brand is now turning its attention to smaller things, particularly the life of insects.
Petal is a prototype wireless bug camera, shaped like a brightly colored flower, designed to attract pollinators. Wrap it around a branch or plant it in the ground, and you can observe the comings and goings of insects in your garden. There's even a leaf-shaped solar panel to charge it.
Petal is a 4-megapixel camera that records 4K video and comes with easily replaceable lenses to give you wide-angle and telephoto options.
It will work well in combination with the brand's other creation: Wonder Blocks. These are insect hotels that you can set up in your garden or on your balcony and garnish with plants to attract the type of insects you would like to see up close. The Wonder Blocks include a bee hotel, insect hotel and butterfly feeder.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
There's an app that lets you save and share photos and videos, as well as an AI chatbot that lets you request information about visitors to your garden.
The Petal and Wonder blocks are not yet available but you will be able to find out when you can purchase them from Wonder.
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