A tech convention would not be complete without an array of odd and fascinating gadgets.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas showcased over 4,500 exhibitors.
These displays highlighted unusual devices such as a surveillance camera for your garden, a vacuum that retrieves socks from the floor, and a cheese-making device that produces mozzarella in just two hours.
DailyMail.com selected several quirky items including a lovable fluffy robot that mimics a bashful infant.
An animatronic companion resembling a bashful infant
Mirumi is equipped with sensors that recognize approaching individuals, causing it to either curiously look around or appear to shy away.
It also features two long arms that can wrap around a bag’s strap or handle, resembling a small child holding on.
Available in pink, black, white, or gray, the Japanese startup Yukai Engineering aims to launch the robot in 2025 through crowdfunding. The retail price for each model will be approximately $70.
These charming little animatronic creatures are called Mirumis and can cling to straps or poles while moving their heads around
This image displays another Mirumi
The booth drew a crowd at CES, with many visitors stopping to pet the charming robots and addressing them in gentle tones similar to those used for a pet cat or dog.
Last year, Yukai Engineering introduced a delightful round cushion featuring a cat-like tail.
This cushion is fitted with sensors that adjust the tail’s movement based on the speed of someone stroking it.
Known as Qoobo, this product is available online, currently priced at $253.44 on Amazon or $125 on eBay.
Garden surveillance camera
While many have opted for doorbell cameras to see who is at their door, what about a camera to monitor who is snacking on your garden produce?
That’s the concept behind Petal, a 12-megapixel 4k camera perched atop a lifelike plastic stalk that can be placed anywhere in the garden.
Powered by a solar ‘leaf’, the camera observes the garden all day long and employs AI to recognize visitors before sending updates to the user’s smartphone.
It can be set near flowers to identify which insects are visiting or placed in a vegetable patch to track which critter is munching on the vegetables.
The image illustrates the Petal cam, which could inform avid gardeners who has been feasting on their prized vegetables
The camera is set to be released this spring with a price tag of under $100.
It’s marketed under the Wonder brand, owned by Bird Buddy, a Michigan-based company known for its solar-powered bird feeder that photographs birds as they come to eat seeds.
Craft cheese at home with a cheese-maker
A cheesemaker might soon be available for your kitchen.
Fromaggio — a name combining the French word for cheese, Fromage, and the Italian term, Formaggio — was launched late last year and is already sold out.
The device can produce at least 17 varieties of cheese, including popular types like cheddar and parmesan, as well as artisanal varieties such as blue cheese.
Mozzarella is the quickest to make, requiring only two hours, while it also includes instructions for preparing aged parmesan (which takes two hours initially, then must be aged in a cupboard for a year).
Above is CEO Glen Feder with two of his Fromaggio cheese-making devices
On average, the cheeses take eight to nine hours to prepare, with many needing attention partway through to add additional ingredients.
The cheeses don’t cause kitchens or homes to smell like cheese, according to the developers, but they more than compensate for it with their tastes.
DailyMail.com sampled some feta produced by the machine and can confirm that it is incredibly tasty.
CEO Glen Feder expressed to DailyMail.com that he conceived the idea for the machine after returning to the US following a decade in Europe, where he found that American cheeses did not meet the same quality.
‘Our cheeses often tend to be much more processed,’ he informed DailyMail.com, ‘you also just don’t know what additives or chemicals have been included in them’.
Fromaggio has already sold 200 machines and anticipates another 1,000 units entering the market in February.
They are priced between $745 to $800.
The image depicts the robotic turtle being marketed by the pool cleaning firm. It might hit the market within the next two years
A robotic turtle to monitor water quality
Pool cleaning company Beatbot has developed a robotic turtle to monitor water quality.
A representative informed DailyMail.com that the robot navigates like a turtle, features a camera in its head, and possesses a solar panel for a shell — enabling it to ascend to the surface for recharging.
Named RoboTurtle, it has been crafted for conservationists, allowing them to assess a natural habitat without causing disruption.
However, employees mentioned that numerous individuals had come by inquiring if they could purchase one for their kids to play with in the pool.
Currently, there is no information available regarding the potential cost of the turtle, but it is anticipated to be at least four digits.
Beatbot markets the ‘finest pool cleaners globally,’ many of which are priced above $2,000 each.
The RoboTurtle is projected to be launched in the next two years, following its unveiling at this year’s CES.
Displayed above is the vacuum cleaner retrieving a sock with its retractable arm
A vacuum cleaner that can grasp socks
A cleaning firm has devised a clever method to prevent your robotic vacuum from becoming ensnared by stray socks and garments.
RoboRock introduced a new vacuum, Roborock Saros Z70 at CES, which was still autonomous but included a crane mechanism with a claw attached.
During a demonstration, onlookers observed the appliance approaching a sock, seizing it, and depositing it into a waste container.
Personnel informed DailyMail.com that this was merely a demonstration model that had been pre-configured.
They anticipate launching a version of the vacuum that can collect and relocate socks as it encounters them within five months.
The innovation received accolades at the CES event, including an award for best smart home or home technology.