CES 2026 hasn't been short on big screens and bigger AI claims, but the real fun is in the stuff that makes you stop in the aisle and mutter, "Wait… what?"
From a holographic anime assistant that literally watches you work, to a $500 AI-powered ice machine, here are the strangest devices on the show floor so far.
A holographic anime assistant that stares back at you
Razer has turned its Project AVA concept into a full-blown desk companion: a 5.5‑inch animated hologram that lives next to your monitor.
Originally pitched as an esports AI coach, AVA is now equal parts gamer sidekick and everyday assistant. You can pick between characters like anime girl Kira or muscle-bound Zane, each with:
- Lifelike animations and eye‑tracking
- Expressive faces and accurate lip‑sync
- Contextual help for gaming, productivity and daily planning
There’s a catch: AVA is always watching. A built‑in camera tracks both you and your screen to tailor advice and interactions. It’s still just a concept, so there’s no price, ship date or guarantee it’ll ever escape Razer’s labs — which might be a relief if the idea of a holographic coworker eyeballing you all day feels a bit much.
An AI baby panda robot for lonely grandparents
An’An, from Mind with Heart Robotics, looks like a plush baby panda but is built to support older adults.
The robot is packed with sensors so it reacts when you touch or hold it. Its “emotional AI” remembers:
- Your voice
- How you interact with it
- What kinds of activities and conversations you prefer
Over time that data trains An’An to offer more personalized comfort, conversation and prompts. It’s designed to:
- Provide around‑the‑clock emotional support
- Help counter loneliness and social isolation
- Offer gentle reminders about daily tasks and routines
- Share wellbeing updates with caregivers
Think of it as a cross between a therapy pet, a smart speaker and a very cute health companion.
A $500 AI ice cube machine that tries to be quiet
Smart home brand GoveeLife is betting you care a lot about ice. Its new Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro sits on your counter, costs $499.99, and uses AI to stop sounding like a cement mixer.
The company’s proprietary AI NoiseGuard system monitors the machine and detects when it’s about to freeze up and start rattling. Before the cacophony kicks in, it automatically defrosts to keep noise levels down.
Beyond the AI marketing:
- First batch of nugget ice in about 6 minutes
- Up to 60 pounds of ice per day
- Bin holds 3.5 pounds at a time
GoveeLife plans to start selling it on January 15 through Amazon, govee.com, Walmart and Best Buy. It’s a serious price for better chewable ice, but nugget‑ice obsessives are a real thing.
An ultrasonic chef’s knife that vibrates 30,000 times a second
Seattle Ultrasonics brought one of the show’s most divisive gadgets: a chef’s knife whose blade vibrates at over 30,000 times per second.
The idea is simple. That high‑frequency motion makes the knife behave as if it were far sharper than its physical edge, sliding through:
- Vegetables
- Meat
- Bread and crusts
The company says the vibrations are so subtle you can’t see the blade move, can’t hear anything, and don’t feel buzzing in the handle.
The ultrasonic knife is listed at $399 and is available for preorder. Whether home cooks actually want a powered, vibrating blade in their kitchen is another question entirely.
A musical lollipop that plays Ice Spice in your skull
Musical toothbrushes walked so these could run. Lollipop Star is showing off candy that doubles as a bone‑conduction audio device.
Pop one of these lollipops in your mouth and it sends vibrations through your skull bones directly to your inner ear, effectively turning your head into a speaker. No earbuds. No external sound.
The lineup blends artists and flavors:
- Ice Spice – peach
- Akon – blueberry
- Armani White – lime
You get a burst of fruity sugar and a private concert that only you can hear. Dentists everywhere are screaming into the void.
A Wall‑E‑style home robot that also goes camping
Zeroth Robotics’ W1 looks like it rolled out of a Pixar storyboard. It’s a chunky, Wall‑E‑inspired robot built as both a home guardian and an outdoor companion.
According to the company, for $4,999 you get:
- 24/7 AI‑powered home security
- 360‑degree mobile video surveillance
- Integration with smart home devices
- Instant smoke and intrusion alerts
Outside, W1 switches roles:
- Carries camping gear
- Follows you around as a family photographer
- Provides portable power so you can run entertainment off‑grid
What it apparently can’t do (yet): sort trash or hoard little trinkets like its cinematic cousin.
An egg‑shaped hormone tracker for at‑home fertility and cycle insights
Health tech at CES rarely looks this cute. Mira’s Ultra4 Hormone Monitor is an egg‑shaped device that analyzes reproductive hormones using a simple urine test.
The process:
- Urinate on a test wand.
- Insert the wand into the device.
- Let the system analyze four hormones:
- FSH (follicle‑stimulating hormone)
- LH (luteinizing hormone)
- E3G (estrone‑3‑glucuronide)
- PdG (pregnanediol 3‑glucuronide)
At $249, Mira says the monitor can:
- Pinpoint your six fertile days
- Provide data relevant to PCOS, PMDD, perimenopause and menopause
For anyone already tracking cycles with an app, this is a much more granular, hormone‑level view — without repeated clinic visits.
CES will keep throwing bigger TVs and faster chips at the crowd all week. But it’s devices like AI pandas, musical lollipops and ultrasonic knives that capture what the show really is: a glimpse of how weird the future of consumer tech can get when engineers are allowed to follow their strangest ideas to the end.
