{"id":361117,"date":"2026-01-09T15:48:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T15:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/361117\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T15:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T15:48:19","slug":"ten-gadgets-that-caught-our-attention-at-ces-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/361117\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten gadgets that caught our attention at CES 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

An AI<\/a> pocket pet, a vibrating ultrasonic knife and a “paper battery” were among the interesting and unusual products on display at the world’s most influential technology fair, CES<\/a>, in Las Vegas this week.<\/p>\n

Running annually in the first days of the new year, the Consumer Electronics Show<\/a> (CES) puts major brands such as Samsung and LG alongside small companies, start-ups and disruptors as they launch new products and test out fringe concepts.<\/p>\n

This year, perhaps unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI) was everywhere, from smoke alarms<\/a> to showers<\/a> to shoe cabinets<\/a>. However, this was more fatiguing than inspiring, with few AI products succeeding in grabbing our attention or making the case for their usefulness.<\/p>\n

In the most crowded of crowded fields, these are the gadgets<\/a> that stood out, whether for their novelty, potential or polish.<\/p>\n

\"Flint<\/p>\n

“Paper battery” by Flint<\/a><\/p>\n

Singaporean tech company Flint’s rechargeable “paper battery” is a thin, flexible, non-toxic and non-explosive alternative to today’s lithium batteries, made from a combination of zinc, manganese and a water-based solution. The company even claims that it will biodegrade at the end of its life cycle.<\/p>\n

Unlike most experimental battery designs, the paper battery has officially entered production at Flint’s facility in Singapore, lighting a beacon of hope that we may be able to move away from damaging lithium and cobalt mining.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Flint battery \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cloid<\/p>\n

CLOiD robot by LG<\/a><\/p>\n

For a long time, the humble act of folding laundry was held up as an example of the kind of mundane but quietly complex everyday human tasks that were beyond the capabilities of robots.<\/p>\n

This year, CES was home to not one but two humanoid machines slowly but surely folding garments \u2013DYNA Robotics’ laundry service robot<\/a> and LG’s CLOiD \u2013 an AI-powered robot that the electronics brand has targeted at the domestic market.<\/p>\n

Debuted on stage as part of LG’s keynote presentation, the AI-powered CLOiD robot is said to naturally engage with the humans it serves and take care of a small range of household chores, including laundry, retrieving items and simple cooking.<\/p>\n

Find out more about CLOiD \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/p>\n

Smart Brick by Lego<\/a><\/p>\n

Toy manufacturer Lego has revealed an upgraded version of its beloved brick with electronic components capable of making engines roar, lights flash and lightsabres hum in response to actions during play.<\/p>\n

The Smart Brick, part of a new Smart Play system, uses components such as sensors, accelerometers and tiny speakers to bring a new element into Lego builds and will be introduced initially in three Star Wars sets launching in March.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Smart Brick \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"C-200<\/a><\/p>\n

C-200 knife by Seattle Ultrasonics<\/a><\/p>\n

Billed as the “world’s first ultrasonic knife”, the C-200 by American manufacturer Seattle Ultrasonics vibrates more than 30,000 times per second.<\/p>\n

These vibrations are imperceptible to the human eye \u2013 and hand \u2013 but supposedly help the blade to behave sharper than it actually is, quite literally slashing the force needed for cutting by half.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the C-200 knife \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Clicks<\/p>\n

Clicks Communicator by Clicks Technology<\/a><\/p>\n

Last year, we asked whether the rise of AI might be the end of smartphones<\/a>. Instead, we might be seeing people each have two, with the second serving a more contained function.<\/p>\n

That’s the bet that Clicks Technology is making with its Clicks Communicator<\/a>, a phone designed primarily for messaging. It combines a messaging-first interface with a Blackberry-style physical keyboard, and Clicks imagines people might use it in combination with a second smartphone for entertainment and content.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Clicks Communicator \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Music<\/p>\n

Music Studio 5 speaker by Samsung and Erwan Bouroullec<\/a><\/p>\n

Following on from his work on the Serif TV, French designer Erwan Bouroullec has again collaborated with Samsung on the Music Studio 5, a speaker with a minimalist dot design.<\/p>\n

Bouroullec’s aim was to create a design that won’t be “forgotten the moment the sound stops”, but instead resembles an abstract sculpture that enhances an interior even when not in use.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Music Studio 5 \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Punkt<\/p>\n

MC03 smartphone by Punkt<\/a><\/p>\n

The MC03 has one unique selling point: privacy. Created by the Swiss technology company Punkt, it is a full-featured smartphone intended to eliminate invasive practices such as tracking and profiling, give users complete control over their data, and protect them from spying and hacking.<\/p>\n

The phone is targeted at people who are disaffected with mainstream technology companies and ships without any of the default Google apps that are typically packaged into Android devices. According to Punkt founder and CEO Petter Neby, privacy is being sought by people more than ever, particularly as we enter the age of AI.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the MC03 \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Doughnut<\/p>\n

Updated Varmblixt lamp by IKEA and Sabine Marcelis<\/a><\/p>\n

IKEA made its CES debut in 2026, bringing a range of new smart products for the home, including an updated version of the doughnut-shaped Varmblixt lamp by Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis. Originally launched in 2023, this chubby orange lamp quickly sold out and became a viral hit for its playful and tactile form.<\/p>\n

The updated version has a matte white finish and a dimmable, colour-changing smart bulb. Marcelis describes it as “a very natural, technical evolution of how light can be experienced”.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the new Varmblixt \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Neo<\/a><\/p>\n

Neo hybrid headphones by TDM<\/a><\/p>\n

Another world premiere at year’s CES came from audio brand TDM, which debuted the “first and only” headphones that turn into a portable speaker.<\/p>\n

TDM’s patent-pending twist mechanism simply aligns the two earpieces and wraps the headband around them to form a compact speaker.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Neo \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sweekar<\/p>\n

Sweekar by Takway<\/a><\/p>\n

Chinese startup Takway unveiled a cute\u00a0AI-powered virtual pet, designed to grow physically and emotionally alongside its user through voice interactions.<\/p>\n

Similar in concept to a Tamagotchi, Sweekar is a handheld accessory that users must keep alive. However, unlike traditional virtual pets, Sweekar is fitted with\u00a0Myers-Briggs Type Indicator<\/a> (MBTI)-based behavioural modelling that determines each pet’s individual personality.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Sweekar \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

The Consumer Electronics Show<\/a> (CES) is on in Las Vegas, USA, from 6 to 9 January 2026. See Dezeen Events Guide<\/a>\u00a0for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An AI pocket pet, a vibrating ultrasonic knife and a “paper battery” were among the interesting and unusual…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,131726,786,59,3302,94035,40339,41464,44784,138451,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-361117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ces","tag-gadgets","tag-gb","tag-las-vegas","tag-product-design","tag-sectionall","tag-sectiondesign","tag-sectiontechnology","tag-technology-and-design","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}