CES 2025: 7 Coolest Things I Saw at CES
I saw a lot of technology at CES this year. The event is filled with row upon row of artificial, motorized, holographic, and shape-shifting technologies, and that’s just a fraction of what’s on display at CES as a whole.
While there were a lot of cool, interesting, wacky and weird things on display at the show, seven products in particular caught my eye. In fact, some of my favorite products aren’t necessarily products you can pick up and buy. But I appreciate both the concepts behind some of these things and where the technology might go in the future.
ColdSnap
I’ve seen ColdSnap at least at CES throughout the year, and both times I’ve visited the company’s booth have been equally fun. The ColdSnap acts like a Keurig ice cream machine: you use a single-serve pod—with a specific flavor, of course—but instead of coffee, it makes ice cream.
Last year, I assumed ColdSnap’s desserts would be underwhelming. An interesting concept for sure, but I assumed the single-serve design would be no more appealing in execution than buying a pint of ice cream at the store.
Truth be told, ColdSnap makes great ice cream. I got a taste of bourbon last year, and I don’t know if it was just bourbon, but I really liked it. ( I made the same joke last time .) This year I tried their coffee flavor and was impressed again. Better yet, a rep told me that all of their flavors are gluten-free and use certified gluten-free oats. As someone with celiac disease, I appreciate this and appreciate even more the opportunity to safely taste test food at a mega-conference like CES. This almost negates the $3,000 price tag .
LOOI
Several robots could be seen on Unveiled. Many companies seem interested in creating not only a robot, but a robot with an anthropomorphic face. Most of them don’t really interest me; some even scare me.
However, what caught my attention was LOOI . It’s a robot with a face similar to Wall-E, which in itself isn’t necessarily groundbreaking. But what I found particularly interesting is that you don’t buy the LOOI face: you only buy the robot body and outfit the face with your own smartphone.
Your iPhone or Android connects to LOOI and, through an app, turns it into a robot that you can interact with. LOOI responds to hand gestures, so you can “push” the bot back by placing your hand near it. (This doesn’t always seem to work—or at least not in the indoor lighting of CES Unveiled.) You can also talk to LOOI: A representative asked LOOI to introduce himself to me, and he did, complete with a virtual microphone to speak into.
Since LOOI works from your smartphone’s display, it can display other objects besides your face. It can show text when it “talks” to you; graphics, such as a digital microphone or even a cheeseburger that he can “eat”; or the camera view if you’re taking a selfie. I don’t think LOOI is necessarily practical, and I’m not sure what I’d actually do with it. But it’s a unique concept that I’ve definitely not seen before.
E-SKIMO
If you’ve ever ridden an e-bike , you know how cool it is. When you’re used to relying solely on your own momentum to propel your bike, boosting an e-bike’s motor is something else.
This is exactly how I imagine electric skis. E-SKIMO is working on just that: motorized skis that can give you a boost whether you’re skiing alpine or cross-country. Trying to ski over long stretches of flat terrain is always the worst part of any ski day, so I fully embrace motorized skis (or e-skis).
In addition to the motor, E-SKIMO has sensors built into the skis to collect data during the run. If you like to track your performance and look for ways to improve it, this is a tempting idea.
The key word here is concept: the product that E-SKIMO demonstrated at CES is not commercially available and is not aimed at consumers; rather, the company aims to sell the technology to brands for integration into their own skis. I hope this works and I can look forward to power skiing in the future.
Electric salt spoon
It’s drawn a crowd, and for good reason: The ” Electric Salt Spoon ” developed by Kirin claims to be able to impart a salty taste to low-sodium foods. According to Kirin, the spoon passes a “mild electrical current” through the food in your mouth, which supposedly stimulates Na+ ions that would otherwise be lost to your taste buds.
To use a spoon, you scoop up food and then press a button to cause a flow of electricity. There are four intensity levels to choose from (Kirin recommends that first-time users start with the lowest level). Then you press the button and eat. As you eat, the light on the spoon will turn white, and the company advises that you try to count each bite—about half a second per bite.
I haven’t tested the spoon so I can’t personally attest to its strength. But this is a wild idea: can you save some salt by using an electric spoon?
LISSOM R1
I lived in small apartments without a dishwasher for many years—and I hated it. I actively avoided cooking because I couldn’t stand having to hand wash every plate, bowl, and utensil I used. That’s why LISSOME R1 piqued my interest. To be honest, I didn’t really care about its “AI washing features” or the fact that it dries dishes in 15 minutes (even if that would be convenient). This is a modest portable dishwasher that I would love to have in my small kitchen. I hope it lives up to my personal hype.
Postal code Aurzen
Aurzen’s portable projector does not have the highest resolution – 720p. Plus, it’s only 90 minutes long, so it probably won’t be suitable for most movie nights. However, its foldable design is really cool: when fully folded, it looks like a Game Boy Advance SP, which speaks directly to me. But by unfolding it, you can adjust its projection. One orientation allows you to project the image onto the wall, while the other allows you to project the image onto the ceiling.
In fact, I could live with that decision on a product like this. It’s so portable that if the battery life could be extended just a little, it would make a great on-the-go movie machine. Right now it’s probably better for portable presentations, movies and shows that are 90 minutes or less.
Telfriend
It would be remiss not to mention the convertible massage chair. Bodyfriend was impossible to miss, as it seemed that Bumblebee had retired from fighting the Decepticons to become a masseuse. Besides moving around like a giant robot, it offers many different massage areas. I’m not sure I see success in the average family, but it was very interesting to see it in action.