The Weirdest Gadgets of CES 2014

Mother can "talk" to sensors in your home to find out how much coffee you've been drinking and how much time you've spent brushing your teeth.

(Image credit: Sen.se)

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is always sure to entertain, and this year is no different. Although the show is loaded with cutting edge innovations like 4K cameras, and the exploding market of wearable fitness gadgets, there are some technologies and gadgets that are unexpected, offbeat or just plain strange lurking around. We've rounded up some of the wackiest thingys of CES 2014.

ChefJet 3D printer

If you're a gadget junkie with a sweet tooth, then 3D Systems Corporation may have just the product for you. The company is launching its ChefJet 3D Printer, a kitchen-ready countertop device that can print sugary treats in all sorts of fun, 3D geometrical shapes. The futuristic candymaker will come with several recipes and flavors, including chocolate, vanilla, mint, sour apple, cherry and watermelon. The 3D printer is expected to be available in the second half of 2014, and will cost under $5,000, according to company officials.

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With the FLIR ONE personal thermal imaging device, it'll be easy to spot supernatural visitors without having to call the Ghostbusters. The device fits as a case for the iPhone 5 and 5s, and enables users to scan heat signatures around them. FLIR, which stands for forward-looking infrared, is equipped with a visual and thermal camera, and is powered by a battery that can be partitioned to charge your phone on the go. The case is expected to retail for $349, and will be available to purchase in Spring 2014.

Finally, a mom you can program to nag you. With eyes that glow and a body that looks like a cross between a bowling pin and a Russian doll, Mother is a gadget that wirelessly receives data from sensors called Motion Cookies that you can place on drawers, coffee machines, keys, pill bottles, doors and even toothbrushes to track activity in your home, The Wall Street Journal reports. The manufacturer Sen.se says its goal for Mother is to bring the Internet of Things into everyday life, helping users track their eating, fitness and hygiene habits and even home security. Mother costs $222 for a base unit and four Cookies, and is expected to start shipping next month. [11 Odd and Intriguing Smart Home Technologies ]

Why stop tracking yourself when your head hits the pillow? That's exactly what one company may have been thinking when they developed their smart bed. This $8,000 piece of furniture from Sleep Number promises to track sleep activity and nudge you into blissful rest. How? Using voice commands, a person can change the firmness and elevation of the x12 bed, made of layers of memory foam. Announced at CES 2014, the bed will even give you a massage on command.

The bed's intelligent technology monitors your entire body's movement throughout the night, sending that information to a tablet; if most of the night was fitful, the bed can modify features like firmness to ensure the next night is better. Sleep Number also claims their bed can nix snoring. "By gently moving the snorer up and down the bed opens their airways without interrupting their slumber," the BBC reports.

For those suffering from hair loss, California-based engineering company Apira Science Inc. has produced what they call iGrow – a light-weight helmet equipped with 51 lasers and LED lights that supposedly stimulate hair growth through a process called low-level laser therapy (LLLT), Mashable reports. The company claims that the red-glowing lasers excite molecules in hair follicles and stimulate growth, but there are few details about the science behind this process.

For best results, users would have to wear the helmet for about 20 minutes every other day for four to six months, according to the Apira website. And to maintain their results, users would have to continue wearing the helmet every week or so, indefinitely. To spruce up the prospect of needing eternal treatment, the company has retrofitted the helmet with iPod/MP3 interfaced earphones. The product is available online for $695.

Is this is most dangerous or the most devious phone case at CES? Yellow Jacket showed off the latest version of its iPhone stun gun case this week, which can both fully recharge your phone and jolt an attacker with 650,000 volts. An earlier version, released in 2012, fit the iPhone 4/4S, but the new model fits an iPhone 5/5S, comes in four more colors and has a detachable stun gun pack. It will be sold starting in February for $149, the company says.

Tractive's new "Pet-Remote" prototype promises to help you train your dog to execute commands from afar. The small device fits on the dog's collar. First, you train your dog to perform a command as you normally would — giving a verbal order, and offering treats or praise when Fido gets it right. Next, turn on the Pet-Remote to either vibrate, emit an electronic noise, or both, and teach the dog to associate that feeling or sound with the command.

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