Unveiling the Quirky Marvels: CES 2025’s Most Unusual Gadgets

The yearly event has taken place this week, attracting over 100,000 visitors from the technology industry to explore the multitude of new gadgets on display.

The showcased items have ranged from nearly market-ready to more conceptual products that are intended for future launches, representing various categories of devices from smart home gadgets to electric automobiles.

One of the standout new products comes from Aptera Motors, which has arrived at CES with what they claim is a production-ready solar-powered electric vehicle.

This vehicle features solar panels integrated into both the hood and tail, with Aptera stating it can travel up to 400 miles on a single charge.

Additionally, the company mentions that drivers can gain an extra 40 miles of free driving each day solely from the sunlight it collects, estimating that in sunny regions, users could achieve more than 10,000 miles per year of solar-assisted driving – diminishing their dependence on home or public charging stations.

However, the Aptera isn’t the sole electric vehicle drawing interest at CES, as electronics powerhouse Sony has announced that its electric car, Afeela 1 – produced in collaboration with Honda, is now available for orders for the first time.

The vehicle, which is expected to commence deliveries in 2026, will have a starting price of just under $90,000 (£72,000), inclusive of a three-year subscription for a suite of in-vehicle features such as semi-autonomous driving assistance and an AI-based personal assistant.

Robotics have historically been a prominent theme at CES, and this year is no exception, with an array of robots featured at the exhibition, designed to assist humans in various capacities.

Two noteworthy models are both robotic vacuum cleaners, yet they provide different additional functionalities aimed at enhancing their utility.

The X50 Ultra, from the Chinese company Dreame, is equipped with retractable legs allowing the bot to “jump” over minor stairs or ledges in the house to reach hard-to-access areas that other robots cannot.

Right across the aisle in one of the CES exhibition halls, the competing robot vacuum manufacturer Roborock has introduced the Saros Z70.

Roborock’s product is distinct due to its foldable mechanical arm, enabling it to grasp and relocate, or tidy up, minor impediments it confronts while cleaning.

Another variant of smart home robot, Samsung’s Ballie, is also returning to CES this year.

Initially showcased at the convention five years prior, Samsung states the device is slated for a public launch in 2025 for the first time.

Ballie is designed to be a smart home aide, but it also integrates a built-in projector that can display reminders or other information following voice prompts, and can project videos onto walls upon user request.

At the same time, one of the unexpected success stories of the technology exhibition has been a mobile charging system presented by start-up Swippitt.

This company has developed a smartphone charging mechanism that claims to fully charge a phone’s battery in just two seconds.

This is achieved through a clever design of a phone case that accommodates a battery pack to wirelessly charge a user’s smartphone, in addition to the Swippitt Hub, a device akin to a toaster, which quickly swaps out the case’s battery pack for a fully charged one when the user places their phone into it.

The company asserts that the system can double a user’s phone battery within two seconds, and also includes multiple spare batteries housed within the Hub, allowing several users within a household to recharge for the day.

On a more unconventional note, tech behemoth LG has introduced a device that merges an air purifier with a cat perch.

The AeroCatTower features a cat seat atop the purifier itself, with the basket being heated to keep cats cozy and equipped with a built-in scale to enable users to monitor their feline’s sleep patterns via LG’s ThinQ smart home application.