Weird or Wonderful? The Wackiest Gadgets From CES 2021

Every year, CES manages to showcase plenty of weird and wacky products. Some of them might never see the light of day; others could be gracing everyone's homes within a few years.

So, which were the standout oddities at the 2021 edition of CES? Keep reading to find out.

1. Cove's Stress-Reducing Headband

When you think of stress-relieving tricks, your mind probably starts to wander to vacations in remote places or perhaps a week without the kids.

None of that is necessary according to Cove. The company's $490 headband uses "proprietary gentle vibrations" to activate the part of your brain that manages your emotions and reduces stress.

With just 20 minutes of use a day, you'll see clear improvements within a month.

2. Clean Your Teeth in 10 Seconds

Dentists have long espoused the importance of brushing your teeth for two minutes per session.

But that age-old advice might be about to get a rethink if a new toothbrush from Y-Brush has its way. The device, which looks like a sports mouthguard, needs just five seconds of pulsing on your top and bottom teeth to give them a thorough scrubbing.

The Y-Brush starter pack is available to buy right now for $152.

3. A Flying Taxi From GM

Vehicle tech is another big sector at CES. New in-car audio solutions, displays, and smart features are released every year.

It's rare, however, for an entirely new type of vehicle to be announced. Yet, that's what GM did at the 2021 event when it unveiled a concept eVTOL air-taxi.

The craft is designed for regular people to be able to fly; you wouldn't need to be a qualified pilot. It has a 90kWh EV motor, four rotors, and is capable of performing vertical takeoffs and landings. The top speed when in the air will be 56mph.

There's no price or release date, but this is definitely one to watch.

4. An Alarm Clock That Disinfects Your Phone

In our CES 2021 preview article, we told you that a reoccurring theme at this year's show would be pandemic-related tech.

And so it proved. Companies were falling over themselves to make (often convoluted) connections between their products and supposed health benefits.

One such product was a germ-killing alarm clock from iHome. The interior of the clock is fitted with 12 UV-C LED lights that can disinfect phones, car keys, and other small items in just three minutes, all without the need for bleach and other chemicals.

5. Bluetooth Speakers for Your Glasses

JLab was at CES to talk about its new headphones and earbuds. Indeed, we reviewed the company's new Epic Air ANC earbuds in December 2020 and found them to be excellent.

However, the most curious product at its CES 2021 booth was the Bluetooth speakers for your glasses.

Costing just $49, the open-ear speakers can turn any pair of regular specs into an audio solution. They clip onto your frames (one speaker for each ear) and include 16.2mm drivers, AAC and SBC support, and a built-in microphone for hands-free calling.

6. Improve Your Wellness With the Biohacking ORB

CES isn't quite ready to debut true biohacking solutions. Let's face it, the public at large isn't about to start undergoing surgery to get Apple chips inserted under their skin.

But we are starting to see companies develop less invasive solutions that can help you to improve your wellness.

Stealing the show at CES 2021 was the Biohacking ORB. The human-sized pod offers seven treatments to users, including neuroacoustic sound therapy, Mandala chakra chromotherapy, and vibroacoustic therapy.

You can program the pod to provide both short and long sessions, thus providing flexibility to all types of lifestyles.

7. Antibacterial Laptop Cases

Targus is one of the world's most well-known brands for laptop bags, tablet protectors, and other tech mobility solutions.

One of the most eye-catching products it debuted at CES was the 2Office Antimicrobial Backpack. As the importance of personal hygiene takes on a new significance thanks to COVID, Targus hopes its new bag will help people who spend a lot of time traveling with their tech gear feel safer while they are on the road.

The bag has an "antimicrobial infused protective finish" on all the surfaces that are at risk from germ transmission. The antimicrobial finish will prevent the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms.

The bag goes on sale in the spring, though there is no confirmed price tag yet.

8. Razer Is Making a Face Mask

Razer is one of the world's foremost brands when it comes to gaming hardware. The company was at CES 2021 to take the wraps off its new Blade 15 laptop lineup, as well as the more expensive Blade 17 Pro machines. The company even unveiled a super cool concept gaming chair.

Yet the gaming chair wasn't the concept Razer design that sparked the most curiosity. That award goes to Project Hazel, the codename for Razer's new smart face mask.

Of course, face masks mark something of a departure from Razer's regular gear, but it should be worth the wait. It offers an auto-sterilization function, voice amplification tech, and support for Razer Chroma RGB lights.

9. A Replacement for Your Family Pet

Pets might be loyal and loving, but they also smell terrible and cost a lot of money to keep healthy.

Those "unique" odors might be a thing of the past if a new AI pet robot from Vanguard Industries can find a foothold in the market.

Called Moflin, the guinea pig-esque creature has fully developed emotional capabilities, a multitude of built-in sensors so it can assess and understand its environment, and even animal-like twitches and movements to convey a sense of realism.

The AI pet will start shipping in March and will cost $400.

10. AR Dinosaur Battles in Your Living Room

The augmented reality (AR) sector grows larger at CES with every passing year. It's now pretty clear that AR is the gaming medium of the future, even if the technology is not quite there just yet.

CES 2021 brought us a VR laser tag game from Bigger Inside that was excellent, but it was the augmented reality tabletop board game, Legendino, that was the real showstopper.

At its core, Legendino is a deck-building game. Nothing particularly remarkable about that. But as soon as we learned that the aim is to build your own dinosaur, and then take it into an AR battle against your friends, we were hooked. Think Pokemon, but a lot better.