CES 2026 has the usual wall of 8K TVs and concept cars, but the real fun lives in the corners of the show floor — where startups and big brands park the stuff that makes you stop and say, “Wait, what?”
From an AI anime hologram that stares at you from your desk to a $500 ice machine and a lollipop that plays Ice Spice directly into your skull, here are the most bizarre gadgets on display so far.
Razer’s holographic anime assistant that watches you work
Razer’s Project AVA started life last year as an esports AI coach. At CES 2026, it’s morphed into something stranger: a 5.5-inch animated holographic desk companion.
The new AVA concept projects a 3D-style character that lives on your desk and acts as both gaming ally and general-purpose assistant. Razer says it can:
- Suggest in‑game strategies
- Help with productivity and daily planning
- Offer personal advice and light life-organizing support
You can pick from different avatars, including anime girl Kira and a muscular character named Zane. These digital companions are built to feel eerily alive: they track your eyes, move fluidly, show expressive faces and lip-sync to their speech for more natural conversations.
The unsettling twist: AVA is constantly watching you and your screen through a built-in camera so it can react in real time to what you’re doing. That level of monitoring will be a hard sell for a lot of people, even in the age of always-on webcams.
For now, Project AVA is still just that — a project. Razer is showing it as a concept, with no guarantee it will ever ship.
An’An, the AI baby panda for elderly care
On the opposite end of the vibe spectrum is An’An, an AI baby panda robot from Mind with Heart Robotics.
It looks like a plush toy, but the company is pitching it as serious assistive tech for older adults. The robot is packed with sensors across its body so it reacts naturally when you touch, hold or pet it.
An’An’s “emotional AI” is designed to:
- Recognize and remember your voice
- Learn how you like to interact
- Track your preferences over time
The idea is that the longer someone spends with An’An, the more tailored and comforting its behavior becomes. It offers round-the-clock emotional support aimed at fighting loneliness — a huge problem in aging populations.
Beyond companionship, the panda also plays a practical role. For older adults dealing with memory issues, An’An can:
- Help keep them mentally engaged
- Remind them about daily tasks
- Share basic well-being updates with caregivers
It’s a soft, cartoonish form factor wrapped around a very utilitarian pitch: a robot that helps seniors feel less alone and a bit more on top of daily life.
A $500 AI-powered ice maker that tries to be quiet
If you’ve ever owned a nugget ice machine, you know they can be loud enough to dominate a small kitchen. GoveeLife wants to fix that with a countertop smart ice maker that leans on AI to shut up.
The Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro uses the company’s patented AI NoiseGuard system to predict when the machine is about to get loud. When the AI detects that internal parts are on the verge of freezing up and starting to clatter, it automatically triggers a defrost cycle to head off the racket.
On the spec sheet:
- First batch of ice in about 6 minutes
- Up to 60 pounds of ice per day
- Bin capacity of 3.5 pounds at a time
- Price: $499.99
That price tag will make plenty of people stick with ice trays, but for hardcore nugget-ice fans, it’s a plausible splurge. GoveeLife says the Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro goes on sale starting January 15, and you’ll be able to buy it from Amazon, govee.com, Walmart and Best Buy.
An ultrasonic knife that vibrates 30,000 times per second
Kitchen gadgets at CES are usually smart fridges and app-connected air fryers. Seattle Ultrasonics went a lot more literal with its tech: an ultrasonic chef’s knife whose blade vibrates while you cut.
According to the company, the blade oscillates at over 30,000 times per second. That ultrasonic motion lets the edge glide through food more easily than a conventional knife with the same physical sharpness.
The pitch:
- Smoother slicing for vegetables, meat and bread
- Less effort required on each cut
- Cleaner cuts without needing an extreme edge
The weird part is you’re not supposed to feel any of that power. Seattle Ultrasonics says the vibrations are so subtle that:
- You can’t see the blade move
- You can’t hear it
- You don’t feel it in the handle
The knife is priced at $399 and is available for preorder. Depending on your point of view, it’s either overkill for home cooks or a legitimately interesting tool for anyone who struggles with grip strength and repetitive chopping.
A musical lollipop that plays Ice Spice in your head
Musical toothbrushes have existed for years. Lollipop Star takes the same idea and makes it a lot stranger: a music-playing lollipop that turns your skull into a speaker.
Instead of blasting sound into the room, the lollipop uses bone conduction. While it’s in your mouth, tiny vibrations travel through your skull bones directly to your inner ear. You hear the music internally while everyone around you hears nothing.
Each lollipop also comes with a matching fruity flavor. At CES 2026, the company is highlighting three artist tie-ins:
- Ice Spice – peach flavor
- Akon – blueberry flavor
- Armani White – lime flavor
It’s part candy, part audio gadget, part marketing vehicle. Whether it becomes a viral hit or just a CES footnote, it’s exactly the kind of delightful nonsense that keeps this show interesting.
The strange side of CES is alive and well
CES 2026 has plenty of serious themes — AI, robotics, smart homes, next-gen hardware. But as these products show, the weird, experimental side of consumer tech is still going strong.
An AI panda for seniors, a holographic anime coach that watches you work, an ultrasonic knife you can’t hear, an AI ice machine and lollipops that sing via your skull: none of them are strictly necessary. All of them say a lot about where companies think the next big niche might be.
And the show’s just getting started.
