15 Fascinating Gadgets Exhibited at CES 2025
- BY DAKALO NEKHUMBE
- Feb 5
- 8 min read
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a technology show that exhibits new technology. These exhibitions happen every year in January at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. Among those attending are market giants in the world of tech, car manufacturers, health tech and satellite telecommunications companies. The exhibition categories range from automotive, health, tech, extended reality (XR) and wearables. Let's explore 15 eye-catching gadgets that were unveiled at this year's edition.
Imagine having the option to choose between driving or flying, all in a car! Well, this is what the LAC is, it is a hybrid land-air travel car. The car itself does not actually lift off into the sky, but it carries an aircraft in its boot. What was once a concept became reality when Xpeng AeroHT hosted a demo in November 2024 at the annual China Airshow showing eVTOL (the aircraft) emerge from its carrier 6-wheeled van and it flew into the sky above the city of Zhuhai.
With the aircraft being in the boot, the expectation is that this van has to be huge, but surprisingly it has a length that is slightly shorter than the Mercedes Benz Sprinter 144 and a height low enough to fit in an underground parking. The LAC is a four seater car with a ready to launch aircraft at the press of a button. Nonetheless, this does not offer a solution to dodging traffic by simply ejecting the aircraft and leaving your van in the traffic, but it may make air travel easily accessible. Xpeng AeroHT plans to open preorders soon and to start deliveries in 2026. Their website does not list the LAC’s price, but it is reported that it will cost about $280 000 (around R5 287 772).
Instead of a door handle and keys in hand, Lockly is a smart lock that allows you to unlock your door using facial recognition. The facial recognition feature launched at the 2024 CES exhibition. At the 2025 CES show, they launched new features that include a 2K camera on the outside, and a screen on the inside to see visitors. An additional feature is that Lockly can be linked to your phone and will unlock the door when you are close to it.
The lock uses ultra-wideband (UWB) radio that communicates with the UWB in a smartphone to know exactly where you are, allowing it to unlock only when you are outside the house. This feature is only compatible with phones that have UWB. Other features include a fingerprint reader, a touch screen and physical keys. The lock uses a rechargeable battery that lasts up to eight months. It is set to cost $379,99 (approximately R7 161,12).
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Now while smart glasses are not a new concept-come-to-life, the way Halliday designed their smart glasses is different from the existing ones. The screen is placed on the frame of the glasses instead of the lens. It’s hard to believe a screen that small is conceivable, but Halliday’s smart glasses are proof that it’s possible. Although the position of the screen on the frame makes you look like you’re rolling your eyes, this feature is functional as it allows you to have clear vision on your lens.
The features on the smart glasses are AI real-time translations in over 40 languages, teleprompter text, notes, notifications such as texts, music titles, lyrics and even navigation instructions. All of these features are displayed in green. These features are navigated through touch controls on the side of the glasses. They are set to retail for $489 (approximately R9 204,69).
Futuristic films envision future technologies including holographic features, with LG Signature OLED T we might get an idea of that vision. Although the LG Signature OLED T was originally showcased at the 2024 CES show, they only announced its price at the CES 2025. The price is set at a staggering $60 000 (approximately R1 131 563,06). The 77 inch, 4K TV has two model options: transparent or opaque. The transparent model gives you the option to engage the retractable black shade that transitions from transparency to a normal OLED TV.
Equipped with features such as virtual lossless wireless video and audio transmission – meaning, when audio is compressed it loses some data contained in the original audio, but lossless compression preserves all the original audio, thereby enhancing the listener’s experience. Along with other features such as Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, webOS, Filmmaker mode support and LG Channels for content browsing. The OLED TV is targeted at businesses that will make the most use of the transparent features.
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Picture a button that controls multiple smart devices, ranging from adjusting a light bulb's brightness, light switch control, adjusting the volume on a speaker, controlling plugs, irrigation, locks, thermostat, capturing photos and videos on a phone and controlling laptop functions such as switching slides and playing music. This is what the Linxura Aura does. The Zigbee mode integrates with SmartThings and Home Assistant, Matter mode is compatible with SmartThings and HomeKit and Cloud-based devices support systems such as Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Homey and many more. To control cloud devices Linxura needs to connect with the Linxura App, which is found on both iOS and Android devices. Each mode is able to support 12 devices. It is estimated to cost between $30 - $39.99 (approximately R565,72 - R754,10).
One of the most quirky inventions to feature at CES 2025 is a portable cat-like robot whose tiny paws cling to your mug to cool hot beverages. Instead of spending much time blowing air into your hot beverage, you could place the Nekojita Fufu on your mug to cool your beverage for you. Named after the onomatopoeia sound you make when blowing air into a mug, Fufu is a device that releases cool air from an internal fan through its mouth. It can cool hot water from a temperature of 88°C to 71°C in 3 minutes. It has a rechargeable battery. The Nekojita Fufu will only be released in Japan.
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Ballie is a cute yellow robot that resembles the Minions in the Despicable Me movies and much like those Minions, Ballie is a home assistant robot that helps with home tasks such as being a companion to your dog when you’re not home, projecting videos on walls, floors or the ceiling. Ballie is also able to answer questions, has voice command recognition and facial recognition. Ballie was originally exhibited as a concept in 2020, now at CES 2025 Ballie has become a real robot. Samsung announced that Ballie would be available in the US and Korea this year, but its definite release date is yet to be confirmed.
If ever there ever was a friendly-looking camera system, the Reolink Duo 3 Wifi would be it. With its anthropomorphic eyes and antennas that look like ears, it is one of the least intimidating cameras to look at. It has 4K image sensors, 2.8mm lenses and the camera brings vivid visuals, revealing the finest of details. It can identify faces and license plates with accuracy, even from a distance. With 180° coverage, its dual lenses minimises blind spots ensuring precise visuals. It allows you to get faster wifi coverage with Wifi 6. It has motion track features which allow you to see what happens at specific time stamps. You can view these motion track images on the Reolink App or in the alert emails. The release date and price of the Reolink Duo 3 Wifi has yet to be announced, but based on industry trends it is expected to cost between $200 -$300 (approximately R3 763,23 - R5 644,84).
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A griller that allows for remote setting adjustments and allows you to monitor food as it cooks via their mobile app. No need to be standing by the griller till everything is thoroughly cooked because the app updates its users on the progress of the cooking. If by chance you ignore the updates the AI will automatically adjust temperatures to prevent the food from becoming a pile of ashes. The Smart Image Recognition feature enables you to tell the app the ingredients you have and it will generate a recipe for you and you even have the added option to send a recipe to the griller and it will instruct you when to put the food on, when to flip it and when to take it off the grill. Brisk It plans to have the Zelos 450 available at Amazon, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and the Brisk It Grills website in the first quarter of 2025. It will retail for $399 (approximately R7 504,22).
A system designed to make your bathtub water ice cold. With a mat placed over the bathtub it will turn your somewhat cold water to freezing cold. The research Chillshark has made shows that taking a cold plunge has health benefits such as reducing inflammation by constricting blood vessels and eases stress on overworked muscles. The abrupt temperature drop stimulates circulation, removing toxins and soothing sore joints. The cold plunges help you recover quicker from workouts or strenuous activity. The pre-order option is open on their website and the campaign is set to go live between February and March 2025.
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XGIMI scooped up several awards at CES 2025 some of which include CES Picks Award 2025, AVS Forum Best of CES 2025, The Ambient Best in Show and the Android Authority Best of CES and seeing how out of the box the Ascend Projector is it’s clear why they got so many awards. The Ascend Projector shown at CES 2025 has a space-saving design that enables the projector to disappear into its base, which happens to be a soundbar, and lift from its base when you want to use it. With Harman Kardon speakers inside the XGIMI Ascend the sound quality is excellent and it makes the Ascend an all-in-one home theatre.
Strutt’s ev1 wheelchair wants to redefine mobility for those who use wheelchairs. It uses a 3D sensor and smart algorithms to create a real-time adaptive map of the user’s environment. With three modes:
Drive mode: this enables the user to manually control the wheelchair.
Support mode: the support mode manages the speed and brakes to avoid accidental collision with people or buildings.
Glide mode: this mode adjusts the input by constantly adjusting speed and direction, constructing a path that is obstacle-free in challenging environments. Glide mode also allows the user to be present in their surroundings.
Additional smart features include an extended battery range and live-view with 3D mapping and a rear view camera. To know about the ev1 follow Strutt’s website.
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If there’s a tech invention that could benefit South Africa it’s the droplet sensor. Hydrific’s droplet sensor monitors how much water you use. The tool can be installed by anyone, in just 5 minutes. The sensor is clipped onto the main water pipe. It measures water flow up to 50 times per second, it gives clear insight into water usage, including advanced leak detection and tracking features through their mobile app. It helps people use water in a sustainable way.
Aotos unveiled its rideable suitcase at CES 2025. The suitcase is a three-wheeled electric mobility device that uses a 36-volt battery and has a speed of 6.2 mph. The suitcase weighs 17 pounds (3,18 kg) and can hold up to 242 pounds (109,78 kg). So, now you don’t have to haul your suitcase around the airport. It can haul you instead!
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Love plants but not great at gardening? Meet Plantaform’s Smart Indoor Garden! Plantaform uses NASA’s tech to grow plants with fog. The Plantaform is a 26-inch egg shaped vessel with removable windows. The Plantaform is low maintenance only needing fertiliser every two to three weeks. It uses a mobile app that controls temperature, humidity, light wavelengths and water cycles.
