5 Weirdest Gadgets In 2018

oday’s technology seems to be never ending. There are new phones, tablets, computers, and more being released and unveiled at technology shows around the world at a rate that feels almost daily. 

There were lots of new gadgets to be excited about in 2018, and they aren’t all simply the latest iterations of the same old techie gear that gets branded as ‘new and improved’ year after year — the new iPhone, the newest MacBooks, the newest Android smart phone, etc. 

What you really need to know about, if you love to collect the neatest—and weirdest—technology on the market, is all the cool gear that goes beyond your smart devices and takes you to a whole new realm of reality. 

Robot Chef

Gordon Ramsay, Emeril, Wolfgang Puck, and Anthony Bourdain can take a seat and never cook another meal again as soon as Robot Chef hits the market this year. This machine is capable of cooking over 2000 meals of Michelin star quality in your very own home. Set to be the very first robotic personal chef, Moley’s Robotic Kitchen works by recording the movements of chefs and replaying them through its arms, which are attached to your kitchen furniture or ceiling. You can select the menu through a touchscreen or remotely through an app with an interface like an iTunes library. 

Smart and Blue’s Hydrao Smart Shower Heads

These are the perfect shower heads for people who want to party while getting clean. Smart and Blue, a French company, is introducing a new line of shower heads that are outfitted with LED lights that change colour, depending on how long you have been showering. Although the aim is to become eco-friendlier and cut down on showering time, thus eliminating water waste and high utility bills, the colourful, changing lights create a private rave show in your shower. You can also turn on your shower remotely to warm the water without ever getting out of bed!

Rokid Pebble Glowing Voice Assistant

This isn’t just your average Alexa or Siri technology. The Rokid’s assistant, Melody, can recognize different voices and change the way it communicates with different users The technology can manage your personal calendar based on voice and can change activities to suit you as well. You can set Melody to automatically adjust the thermostat, lights, security system, and any other preset commands when you greet her, all based upon voice recognition. Even if the greeting that you and other household members use is exactly the same, such as “Hello Melody”, she will automatically load the settings that are matched to your voice alone.  This makes her the ultimate choice in personal assistants. Plus, the gadget looks like a giant, glowing crystal ball or egg, which is totally weird in and of itself. 

Hubble Hugo Mood Tracking Smart Camera

This wearable empath machine looks like a giant rotating eyeball straight out of a science fiction novel. The machine can scan your face and recognize 6 different emotions: anger, joy, sadness, disgust, surprise, and fear. It can also determine gender and age based on facial expressions. This technology has already been used in the retail market to gage customer reactions to product displays and advertisements, and has the potential to help people who suffer from autism gain insight into understanding the emotions of the people around them. 

Taclim VR Shoes 

If you have the urge to feel mud squish between your toes or want to see what it would really feel like to walk across a bed of hot coal or sharp nails without actually having to do it, Taclim VR Shoes can lend you a hand—or foot, rather—without the risk. These shoes by Japanese tech makers, Cerevo, come as part of a virtual reality system that includes a set of gloves as well. The shoes simulate different walking surfaces so that you feel as though you are part of the environment you are playing in. 

These shoes have gotten lots of different reviews from beta testers that say some surfaces seem very lifelike, while others need some improvement. In one game, a poisonous puddle sends a shock through your feet! You can also practice your expert martial arts skills and fight your way out of dangerous situations in your virtual worlds. 

Any of the weird tech gadgets on this list coming to the market in 2017 are sure to impress and entertain you and your friends. Most of these have the potential to make life a lot easier — or much more interesting, at least!