Yanko Design’s Best of CES 2026: Tech That Removes Friction

CES usually means prototypes that look like they escaped from a sci-fi movie and demo reels that promise to change everything by next Thursday. This year felt different, or at least the products that actually mattered did. The best stuff on the floor was not trying to replace your habits or announce itself from across the room. It was quietly upgrading things you already reach for, tucking serious engineering into familiar objects and using it to remove friction from how you already live, work, and move through spaces.

The through-line across our favorites is technology that earns its place by behaving like a better version of something you already understand. Glasses that translate or restore hearing, a home battery that looks like furniture, headphones that twist into speakers, a TV backlight that adds a fourth primary. Even when intelligence is involved, it smooths edges rather than steals the spotlight, treating the upgrade as something you notice only when a moment becomes easier, clearer, or less annoying.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Robot Vacuum

Dreame’s X60 Max Ultra is the top of the new X60 Ultra series, reimagined for whole-home adaptive cleaning. It pairs a 7.95cm ultra-thin body with a sculptural all-in-one dock, combining engineering that lets it navigate low furniture, climb tall thresholds, and handle carpets and hard floors without leaving messes behind, treating deep cleaning and hot-mop care as a mostly background process.

The retractable sensor and VersaLift navigation let the robot clean under beds and sofas at just 7.95cm tall, switching to dual AI cameras and LEDs when it retracts. The AI-Enhanced OmniSight system uses 120-degree cameras, 3D structured light, and a 0.1s response to recognize over 280 object types and plan routes up to 200 % faster, while the ProLeap system climbs thresholds up to 8.8 cm with retractable legs.

Cleaning performance combines up to 35,000 Pa Vormax suction with the HyperStream Detangling DuoBrush 2.0, featuring 60% thicker rubber strips and 1,600 RPM speed. DreameGlide mopping uses thermal mop pads, dual omni-scrub heads, 15 N downforce, and 230 RPM rotation, while ThermoHub self-cleaning washes pads with 100 °C hot water on a self-cleaning washboard, keeping them grease-free and ready for the next run.

The All-in-One PowerDock auto-empties for up to 100 days, washes and mops with 100°C water, dries them with hot air, and manages 4.2L and 3.0L water tanks. The Max version adds dual-solution dosing for floor cleaner and pet-odor solution, and an optional water hookup handles refilling and draining, turning vacuuming, mopping, mop care, and waste management into a mostly autonomous background routine.

The design has a minimalist, geometric base station with semi-transparent accents that reads like furniture, paired with a robot featuring offline voice control, smart carpet strategies, Pet Care 4.0, and upcoming Matter support. For CES 2026, X60 Max Ultra feels like where robot vacuums are headed, combining architectural aesthetics and serious engineering into something built for large, complex homes where floors, carpets, thresholds, and pets all demand attention.

Lenovo ThinkPad Rollable XD Concept

Laptop screens have been stuck as fixed rectangles for years. The ThinkPad Rollable XD Concept is Lenovo’s bold reimagining of the laptop PC, building on experiments like the ThinkPad X1 Fold and ThinkBook Plus rollable designs but pushing further with a rollable OLED that can change shape and face both the user and the outside world, treating the display as something that stretches and wraps instead of just opening and closing.

The concept is one of the world’s first out-folding devices with a world-facing display and expanding user-facing screen. Part of the rollable panel is always visible on the lid, even when the laptop is closed, while the rest extends upward when opened, transforming a compact 13.3-inch notebook into a near-16-inch workspace and delivering over 50 % more screen real estate without the bulk of a traditional 16-inch chassis.

The taller, expanded screen supports multitasking and creative work: stacked documents, vertical timelines, side-by-side apps, or code and preview in one view. The world-facing strip on the lid shows calendars, notifications, or custom widgets, turning the outside of the laptop into a personal dashboard or a small signboard for collaboration and retail scenarios, making the closed laptop a live information surface instead of a blank slab of metal.

Lenovo folds in AI-driven features like live translation, voice assistant, multi-modal input, and lid-closed interactions that take advantage of the world-facing display. Swipe to X touch gestures and voice controls let users launch apps or switch modes with a finger or a command, framing the Rollable XD as a platform for new AI-era workflows rather than just a clever mechanical trick that extends a screen without adding much practical value.

The transparent 180-degree Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover, jointly developed by Lenovo and Corning, protects the rollable panel while revealing some of the mechanism underneath. The concept keeps familiar ThinkPad cues like the keyboard and TrackPoint, so it still feels like a ThinkPad even as the screen stretches and wraps. It offers a glimpse of laptops that can expand when you need more space and broadcast information outward when you close the lid.

Hypershell X Ultra Robot Exoskeleton

Hypershell X Ultra is the world’s best outdoor exoskeleton to date, built for people who want to hike, run, and ride farther without feeling wrecked at the end of the day. It is a high-performance, AI-powered frame that wraps around your hips and legs, delivering motorized assistance that blends into outdoor life instead of announcing itself. At CES 2026, it signals that exoskeletons are finally stepping into the same category as backpacks and boots for serious adventure.

The performance is SGS-certified, not just claimed. Independent testing confirms up to 39% less physical exertion when cycling, around 2022% less when walking, and a 63% increase in hip flexor endurance, with heart rate reductions of up to 40%. Each battery delivers about 30km of hiking in Eco Mode or intense bursts in Hyper Mode, and two batteries extend walking range to roughly 60km on a single outing, turning multi-day treks with heavy gear into something more achievable.

The AI MotionEngine Ultra takes input from more than a dozen sensors and adapts assistance in real time to terrain, activity, and stride. Key modes like Running+ and Cycling+ deliver stronger bursts during take-off and acceleration, while Snow and Dune stabilize movement on powder and sand. Downhill buffering shifts support to protect knees on long descents, making the exoskeleton feel like an extension of your legs rather than a rigid frame pushing against your gait.

The hardware is built from SpiralTwill 3000 carbon fiber and aerospace-grade titanium alloy, with more than half the frame using automotive-grade dry carbon molding and key load-bearing parts shaped through 3D hollow forming. At 1.8kg structural weight, it is designed to shrug off scratches and abrasion on rocky terrain, operate from 20°C to 60°C, and fold down for transport, so it feels like serious outdoor gear instead of industrial equipment that belongs in a factory.

At CES 2026, Hypershell is using initiatives like the Hypershell Hundred on the show floor, and a Red Rock Canyon hike to prove that exoskeletons belong in the same conversation as performance footwear and technical apparel. The Hypershell X Ultra is a glimpse of a near future where strapping on a lightweight, AI-driven exoskeleton before a big day out feels as normal as lacing up trail shoes, and where going farther stops being about raw endurance and starts being about choosing the right gear.

Dreame Aero Pro Dry Wet Vacuum

Most homes have a familiar blind spot: the strip of dust under the sofa, the pet hair hiding under the bed, and the sticky spill that never fully disappears near the dining table. Dreame’s Aero Pro feels built for that gap, a flagship wet‑dry vacuum that lies completely flat, reaches under low furniture, and then cleans itself with hot water and hot air instead of asking you to scrub a dirty roller by hand.

The Aero Pro’s 9.85 cm ultra‑thin body and 180‑degree lie‑flat design let the cleaning head hug the floor and slide under sofas, beds, and cabinets that upright cleaners and many robots simply cannot reach. Dual‑side edge cleaning helps it trace along baseboards and furniture legs, while the cordless form and low profile make it easier to weave through tight spaces without constantly stopping to rearrange a room.

Cleaning power comes from a 25 kPa vacuum‑and‑mop 2‑in‑1 setup that handles dry debris, pet hair, and liquid spills in a single pass. Dreame’s TangleCut 2.0 brush is designed for 0 hair residue, cutting through more than 3,000 hairs without clogging, which matters when you share a home with pets or long hair. Instead of pausing to detangle the roller every few days, you can focus on actually getting the floor back to clean.

Afterwards, the Aero Pro looks after itself. A 90°C hot‑water self‑cleaning cycle flushes the roller and internal channels, eliminating 99.9% of bacteria, then a 194°F hot‑air smart‑drying system finishes the job in about five minutes with intelligent humidity control. A 1,000ml clean‑water tank, 500ml dirty‑water tank, and up to 60 minutes of runtime mean you can cover a full home in one session without constant refills or a long post‑clean routine.

Smart dirt detection and voice prompts round out the experience, nudging you when the floor is especially dirty or when the machine needs attention, while the understated design lets Aero Pro live in a hallway or living room without shouting for space. It feels like a sign that wet‑dry vacuums are growing up, blending serious cleaning performance, self‑care, and thoughtful ergonomics into a slim machine that finally tackles the corners you usually ignore.

Arspura F1 Range Hood

Searing a steak or stir-frying usually means watching smoke roll past a noisy hood that never quite keeps up with the pan. The Arspura F1 is a top-suction range hood built around speed and silence rather than just big CFM numbers, using a high-speed BLDC motor and ultra-fast airflow to clear smoke at the source before it drifts into the rest of the kitchen or lingers in the air.

The F1 focuses on airspeed at the inlet, pushing up to 16 m/s through an elongated front slot that captures fumes in about 0.03 seconds, compared to the 3–5 m/s typical of many hoods. This source-capture approach keeps grease and odors from spreading, making the cooking zone feel clearer and the rest of the home less like it just hosted a steakhouse service, even during high-heat sessions.

Instead of metal filters that clog and need replacing, the F1 uses centrifugal force to spin grease out of the airstream and drop it into a large oil cup. The intelligent self-cleaning cycle spins the motor at high speed to fling away residue, preserving suction over time and reducing yearly maintenance to emptying the cup, with zero filter costs compared to conventional hoods that can easily add up.

Everyday touches include three adjustable speed levels, wave-to-control gesture input that changes fan speed without smearing the front panel, and an eye-comfort LED cooking light that illuminates the cooktop evenly without glare. Auto delay shut-off keeps the fan running for a few minutes after you finish, plus the Arspura Smart App handles scheduling cleaning and sending oil-cup alerts, turning maintenance into background notifications instead of forgotten chores.

The F1’s 30-inch-class form factor, shortened body, and minimalist grey finish fit standard cabinetry and multi-burner ranges without dominating the room. By combining high-speed source capture, filter-free self-cleaning, and smart, touch-free controls in a clean, compact shell, Arspura’s F1 feels less like a necessary box over the stove and more like a quietly overqualified piece of kitchen infrastructure that earns its space by working harder and asking for less.

Dreo Smart TurboCool Misting Fan 765S

Traditional misting fans cool well but leave floors, furniture, and electronics damp, so they end up on patios and garages instead of living rooms. The idea of a tower fan that delivers real, evaporative cooling inside without leaving residue has always felt like a promise that dissolves the moment you turn it on. The DREO TurboCool Misting Fan 765S, debuting at CES 2026, is a serious attempt to finally make mist-based cooling truly indoor-friendly.

The TurboCool 765S uses DREO’s self-developed ultrasonic misting module to generate 17µm droplets that evaporate almost instantly in high-velocity air, delivering a perceived temperature drop of up to about 10°F without condensation. The TurboWind Power system pushes around 1,800 CFM at 32ft/s, reaching up to 70ft with smooth 90° oscillation, and secondary re-dispersion keeps surfaces dry even at mist outputs up to 900ml/h.

Despite that airflow, HyperSilent engineering keeps noise as low as roughly 20dB, thanks to optimized impeller geometry and air-duct design, so it can run in a bedroom or open-plan living space without dominating the soundscape. The intelligent humidity-management system, with built-in temperature and humidity sensing, a customizable RGB indicator, and automatic humidity-target control, turns the 765S into a 3-in-1 climate tool, fan, cooler, and humidifier, instead of just a fan with a water tank.

The 6L top-fill tank supports up to 7 hours of Turbo cooling, reducing how often you need to refill it during hot days or long evenings. The pump-free, hygienic design minimizes mold and bacterial risks and makes cleaning simpler than with traditional evaporative coolers. Independent control of wind and mist, plus a dedicated humidification function, means the same appliance can handle dry winter air, sticky summer heat, and shoulder seasons without swapping devices.

The TurboCool 765S fits into smart homes with 12 fan speeds, 4 cooling modes, and 4 humidity levels accessible via app, voice, or remote, plus child-lock safety and ecosystem compatibility. The slim, silver-and-black tower with a transparent base and blue core looks more like a high-end audio column than a utility fan. At CES 2026, it stands out as climate tech that respects both performance and living-room aesthetics, making all-day indoor cooling feel less like a compromise.

Dreame A3 AWD Pro Robot Mower

Dreame’s A3 AWD Pro is a robotic mower built for the kind of lawn that usually defeats robots: sloped, uneven, full of trees, edges, and family life. It uses 360° 3D AI vision, LiDAR, and RTK mapping instead of perimeter wires, and it sits at the top of Dreame’s mower lineup as the one meant to tame complex yards without asking you to spend a weekend trenching wire around flower beds.

The 4WD hub motors and all-wheel-drive architecture let it handle up to 80% slopes and climb 4.5cm obstacles, which means it can deal with hills, roots, and transitions that would stop a typical mower. The low, wide stance and independent wheel control keep it stable on inclines and let it move confidently across different surfaces without getting stuck or leaving awkward uncut patches halfway up a slope.

The 45cm dual-blade cutting deck and adjustable height speed up mowing on larger lawns, while 1mm edge precision reduces the strip of grass that usually needs manual trimming along fences, paths, and garden beds. Dreame frames this as the difference between a robot that roughs in a lawn and one that actually finishes the job, covering wide swaths while still respecting borders closely enough that you are not breaking out a string trimmer every week.

AI-powered auto-mapping, 360° vision, and LiDAR let the A3 AWD Pro recognize yard boundaries, create virtual zones, and avoid obstacles without wires. Garden Guardian features include obstacle detection, child and pet awareness, and anti-theft alerts, making it feel safe to let the mower work while kids play or pets wander, and reassuring if it lives outside full-time, parked on a charging tower in the yard.

Automatic return to the dock for charging, rain detection that sends it home during showers, app control for schedules and zones, and OTA updates that keep navigation and behavior evolving turn lawn care from a weekly chore into something that mostly happens in the background. For people with tricky yards who usually spend Saturday mornings wrestling a push mower up hills, the Dreame A3 AWD Pro feels like the kind of upgrade that finally justifies a robot.

Hisense 163MX RGBY MicroLED TV

The Hisense 163MX RGBY MicroLED is a 163-inch wall-sized display that tries to solve a long-standing problem with ultra-large TVs: they can be bright and sharp but still miss the warmth and nuance that creators intend. It debuts an industry-first four-primary RGBY architecture and has already been recognized with a CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award for pushing MicroLED color forward in a direction that feels genuinely different.

Adding a yellow sub-pixel to the usual red, green, and blue fills the spectral gap between 500 and 600nm, where many MicroLEDs tend to mute subtle tones. The 163MX uses this RGBY structure and advanced color management across 33.17 million sub-pixels to dramatically enhance color fidelity and achieve up to 100 % of the BT.2020 color space, making it suitable for creator-true content that demands accurate warmth and vibrancy.

The display lives in a room with an ultra-slim 32 mm profile and a precision zero-gap wall mount that lets it sit flush against architectural surfaces. In a large, open living space or private screening room, the TV reads more like a luminous wall panel than a conventional screen, keeping the focus on the content while still feeling deliberately designed, not just enormous and imposing like commercial signage.

Hisense positions the 163MX as the next step in a longer journey, from pioneering RGB MiniLED technologies to exploring multi-primary systems and now RGBY MicroLED. The CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award recognizes this work in expanding the color spectrum and sets the 163MX up as a reference point for future large-format displays, not just another giant TV chasing higher brightness numbers or deeper blacks.

By treating color architecture, industrial design, and wall integration as a single problem to solve, Hisense’s RGBY MicroLED points toward living rooms and dedicated spaces where a 163-inch screen can deliver cinema-grade color without feeling like a piece of commercial equipment bolted to the wall, offering a preview of how ultra-large displays might evolve when warmth, vibrancy, and refined integration matter as much as sheer size.

Narwal Flow 2 Vacuum

Narwal Flow 2 debuted at CES 2026 as the brand’s smartest robot vacuum yet, built around a NarMind Pro autonomous system that recognizes unlimited objects and assigns risk-based cleaning strategies. Instead of treating every obstacle the same, it adjusts distance and intensity based on what it sees, cleaning within 8 mm of walls while giving pet waste a protective 70 mm bypass to avoid messy accidents.

The headline intelligence upgrades are Pet Care Mode, Baby Care Mode, and AI Floor Tag. Pet Care Mode automatically identifies pet zones, can scan for missing pets, and even video-calls them. Baby Care Mode drops into ultra-quiet operation near cribs, recognizes toys, and avoids crawling mats. AI Floor Tag spots valuables and logs them with alerts, turning the robot into something that adapts to families, not just floors.

Flow 2 also brings a new design outlook, with a rational arc-form dock, a frosted glass panel on the front, and easy-lift water tanks shaped for straight-up lifting. The integrated status light bar glows softly through the glass, giving the dock a premium, sleek presence that looks more like furniture than an appliance. It is designed to live in visible spaces without visual friction or clutter.

The FlowWash track-mop system continuously infuses the mop with fresh water at 140 °F, while a scraper strips away dirt in real time, and a built-in stirrer prevents odors in the dirty tank. Combined with 30,000 Pa suction, CarpetFocus Mode, and full-cycle de-tangling, Flow 2 handles everything from kitchen spills to pet hair without rewashing floors or clogging up after the first run through a busy home.

Flow 2 represents a shift from robots that simply avoid obstacles to robots that understand context. The combination of risk-based avoidance, scenario-specific modes, self-cleaning mopping, and a dock that looks like furniture shows that robot vacuums are finally moving from basic obstacle avoidance to genuine household awareness, adapting to pets, babies, and busy schedules without constant supervision.

TORRAS Ostand Q3 Air Phone Case

Pro-level phones get used for everything, from desk work and video calls to weekend hikes, and most cases still force you to choose between protection, a stand, or something that looks grown-up. The TORRAS Ostand Q3 Air is the third-generation evolution of its stand-based flagship, built for people whose days constantly shift between office, commute, and outdoor time, blending protection with a rotating stand and refined style.

The updated air-cushioned architecture at the top and bottom edges, plus an internal airbag-inspired system, delivers 12-ft drop protection by buffering and dispersing impact forces. Lattice-textured side panels, anti-friction grip points at natural contact zones, raised 1.2mm lips around the screen and camera, and a ring-shaped air cushion encircling the lens combine to protect without adding much bulk, keeping the case at just 3.35mm thick.

The proprietary 360-degree Ostand ring sits flush when not in use, then flips out to lock at different angles for portrait video calls, landscape streaming, or quick hands-free snapshots. It is fully compatible with MagSafe charging and accessories, so you do not have to peel the case off to drop the phone on a charger, and the ring itself acts as a precise magnetic alignment point on desks and car mounts.

The Guardian-style back panel uses TORRAS’s Tora-Smooth coating and fingerprint-resistant finish, chosen to feel refined rather than rubbery. Color options include Lava Red for a more assertive, energetic look, Glacier Sprint as a cool alpine-inspired tone, and Shadow Black as the minimalist default that fits both meetings and mountain trails, giving people subtle ways to match the case to their daily rhythm without sacrificing durability.

A case that can survive 12 ft drops, prop itself up at any angle, stay grippy and pocket-friendly, and still look considered on a conference table feels like where stand-style cases are heading. By treating the stand, the air-tech protection, and the fashion-influenced finish as parts of a single everyday tool rather than bolt-on features, the Ostand Q3 Air makes a strong case for itself as the kind of accessory that earns its spot on a carefully chosen phone.

Lymow One Plus Mower

Homeowners with large, uneven lawns, trees that drop leaves, and enough obstacles to confuse basic robot mowers usually spend Saturday mornings wrestling a push mower up hills. Lymow One Plus is a second-generation, boundary-wire-free tracked mower built to handle that complexity, with 50% more cutting power, heavy-duty mulching blades, and a Cyclone Airflow Cutting System that turns it into both a mower and a blower for year-round yard care.

The Cyclone Airflow architecture lifts and stretches grass blades so the deck can cut more evenly, then pulls clippings through a clean tunnel to a single discharge port, preventing clogging and keeping paths cleaner. Reinforced SK5 tool-steel blades, the same grade used in premium pruning shears and axes, shred fallen leaves, thick grass, and common debris, so autumn leaf piles become fine mulch instead of another weekend chore.

The upgraded LySee sensor-fusion suite combines RTK-VSLAM navigation with a next-generation stereo camera and 10 TOPS of computing power for faster, more accurate perception. AI training on thousands of complex yards lets the Lymow One Plus recognize more than 20 common yard objects, from trees and stones to fences and curbstones, with environmental intelligence sophisticated enough to distinguish over 10 hedgehog species, keeping both lawn and wildlife safer.

The automotive-grade construction includes a reinforced frame, upgraded sealing, and hub-motor rigidity strengthened by more than 200%, built to handle harsh sun, heavy rain, morning dew, and everyday bumps. The self-cleaning side-brush system and rubber film barrier keep grass out of the wheel cavity, while heated camera housings and anti-glare display shielding let One Plus maintain traction and visibility on slopes, gravel paths, and wet grass without stalling.

A tracked mower that can mow, mulch, and blow leaves, navigate complex lawns without boundary wires, and keep working through weather changes and rough patches feels like a sign that robotic mowing is growing up. By moving from light trimming on small, flat lawns to genuinely heavy-duty yard maintenance, Lymow One Plus lets you reclaim weekends while the machine quietly handles grass, leaves, and debris in every corner, treating large yards as a job it was built for instead of a stretch goal.

Creality Falcon T1 5-in-1 Laser Engraver

Typical diode engravers handle one or two materials before hitting a wall. Creality’s Falcon T1 is a fully enclosed workstation billed as the world’s first 5-in-1 laser engraver, built as a modular platform with swap-in diode, fiber, MOPA, and UV modules. A single machine can follow a studio from wood prototypes to metal badges to glass awards without changing hardware footprints, treating laser work as a family of processes instead of isolated tasks.

WaveSync is the adaptive multi-wavelength system that automatically recognizes which of the five laser modules is installed, then dials in working distance, power, and scan speed every time it starts. Users can switch modules in about 30 seconds without tools, and the diode, fiber, MOPA, and UV options together cover wood, leather, coated metals, stainless steel, titanium, plastics, ceramics, glass, and transparent acrylics in one compact tower.

The high-speed galvo system pushes up to 10,000 mm/s line speeds, making the Falcon T1 up to roughly 10 to 15 times faster than conventional frame-style diode machines while holding 0.01 mm precision. It can carve 3D reliefs on wood and stone, engrave inside glass blocks via the UV module, and mark one-touch full-color patterns on stainless steel and titanium using over 100 MOPA colors and in-house process libraries.

AI-assisted tools handle 3D relief image generation from standard 3D models, Smart Fill & Layout that auto-detects materials and boosts batch efficiency, curved-surface engraving, flame monitoring, and auto focus for different heights. The fully enclosed, Class 1-certified design, with lid and tray interlocks, emergency stop, and key lock, makes the T1 far more comfortable to run in shared studios or small shops than open-frame Class 4 rigs.

By letting one machine handle cutting, 3D relief, internal engraving, and full-color metal work across so many materials, the Creality Falcon T1 gives design teams and makers a flexible, upgradeable core tool instead of another specialized box on the bench. The modular lasers, WaveSync automation, industrial-grade speed, and Class 1 enclosure turn a compact tower into a small-format production cell ready to handle whatever material or creative idea comes through the studio next.

GlocalMe MeowGo G50 Max Satellite Mobile WiFi Hotspot​

International travel and remote work usually mean swapping SIM cards, paying roaming fees, losing signal in mountains or on flights, and juggling multiple hotspots or paywalls just to stay online. The GlocalMe MeowGo G50 Max is the world’s first device to seamlessly integrate terrestrial cellular, in-flight Wi-Fi, and satellite connectivity into one pocket-sized hotspot that automatically chooses the best network, treating every environment as just another mode in the same system.

HyperConn architecture combines three layers. On the ground, 5G and 4G across over 200 countries with speeds up to 3.4 Gbps and localized, roaming-free tariffs. In the air, CloudSIM technology taps into in-flight Wi-Fi at 35,000 feet for seamless work and streaming. Off the grid, NTN satellite communication provides emergency voice and SMS in remote locations where traditional networks disappear, keeping you connected in deserts, mountains, or open water.

HyperConn monitors latency, congestion, and signal strength in real time, automatically switching between 5G, 4G, 3G, office Wi-Fi, and satellite without user intervention. Wi-Fi offloading means that when the device detects a high-quality home or office network, it switches to save cellular data, then switches back when that network degrades. It acts like a smart traffic controller that constantly optimizes for speed, reliability, and cost without asking you to think about it.

The G50 Max offers 5G coverage in 80+ countries, support for over 300 operators, and Wi-Fi 6 sharing to up to 16 devices, making it suitable for teams or families on the move. A 4,850 mAh battery with 18 W charging handles a full day, while a multi-layer security stack with encryption, firewall protection, and automatic authentication keeps data safe across all three connectivity layers, from urban 5G to satellite links.

The sleek, rounded body features a large circular MOLED touchscreen that visualizes network modes, wrapped in a premium cream or lavender finish that makes it feel like a thoughtfully designed travel tool rather than a utilitarian router. MeowGo G50 Max offers a glimpse of always-connected life, where a single device in your bag seamlessly handles connectivity, whether you are in a city, on a plane, or halfway up a mountain, treating the network as something that should just work everywhere you go.

Hisense 116UXS RGB MiniLED TV

Most extra-large TVs chase more brightness and more inches, often feeling like commercial signage in a living room. The Hisense 116UXS is a 116-inch flagship that instead treats color as the main story, using the next-generation RGB MiniLED evo system to make a wall-sized screen feel more natural, expressive, and at home in bright, design-heavy spaces rather than overwhelming them with sheer scale or nits.

RGB MiniLED evo is a four-primary backlight architecture that adds cyan to the usual red, green, and blue, because cyan sits in the part of the spectrum where our vision is most sensitive to subtle shifts. This lets the 116UXS render gradients, skin tones, and shadow transitions with more nuance, adding depth without cranking saturation, so everyday scenes look richer rather than just more intense.

The Hi-View AI Engine RGB chipset manages tens of thousands of color dimming zones, constantly balancing fast motion, bright highlights, and deep blacks to preserve that tonal subtlety. Hisense claims up to 110 % BT.2020 color coverage, pushing beyond standard wide-gamut sets, with the result being a picture that holds its character across sports, films, and games instead of only shining in HDR demo clips.

The nearly bezel-free design and 1.57-inch profile let the 116UXS sit on a wall like a luminous surface rather than a framed object, as seen mounted above a low console in a glass-walled living room. The integrated Devialet Opéra de Paris 6.2.2 audio system delivers cinematic sound tuned to match the expanded color performance without needing a separate soundbar cluttering the clean AV setup.

The 116UXS is the fullest expression of Hisense’s color philosophy, with the UR9 and UR8 series scaling RGB MiniLED to more sizes, but this model carries the multi-primary evo system and the highest-end design. For readers who care as much about how a giant TV sits in a room as how it measures on a chart, the 116UXS shows what happens when color architecture, processing, industrial design, and audio are treated as a single flagship brief.

Dreame Aero Hair Straightener

Straightening hair usually means juggling a dryer and flat iron, waiting for hair to dry, then clamping it between hot plates that can leave it dry or frizzy. Dreame’s Aero Straight Pro is an air-driven straightener that uses high-velocity airflow instead of metal plates, drying and smoothing in one glide while aiming to be kinder to hair and scalp, treating the blow-dry and straightening ritual as a single step.

The dual hot-and-cold airflow channels use the Coandă effect to wrap air around strands, with hot air straightening and cold air setting in the same pass. A 120,000 RPM motor pushes airflow at 58 m/s and 45 m³/h, letting it go from wet to straight without a separate blow-dry. Dreame claims up to 50 % higher styling efficiency compared to traditional flat-iron routines.

Six NTC sensors check temperature 200 times per second, while temperature and humidity sensors watch how wet the hair is, adjusting airflow and heat automatically. The AI Styling Assistant and app-based hair-type recognition tune temperature and speed to your hair’s length, thickness, and moisture level, so you are not guessing settings or worrying about over-drying fragile strands or under-styling thick hair.

The ion-infused and oil-coated care system combines negative ions to reduce static and frizz, a keratin-infused coating to reinforce strands, and Moroccan argan oil that releases under heat to add moisture and shine. A 57 °C root-care mode lifts roots while keeping the scalp comfortable, and Dreame’s lab data suggests smoother, shinier, longer-lasting results compared to traditional flat-iron passes.

The smart display shows Wet, Dry, Root, or Cold modes along with temperature and airflow, and the intelligent safety guard slows, pauses, and shuts off automatically if you set it down. The lightweight, balanced body, long 2.8 m cord, and soft metallic finishes in Rosy Purple or Pink Gold make the Dreame Aero Straight Pro feel like a thoughtfully designed tool rather than just another hot appliance.

Acer Swift 16 AI Laptop

Acer’s Swift 16 AI is the flagship of the new Swift AI Copilot+ PC lineup, built for creators and professionals who need AI horsepower without carrying a workstation. Powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor with integrated Arc B390 graphics, wrapped in a thin aluminum chassis at just 14.9 mm, it is designed to feel like a premium ultrabook that can still handle heavy creative tools and large files.

The 16-inch 3K OLED touch display runs at 120 Hz with 100 % DCI-P3 color and DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, covering photo editing, video grading, and fast scrolling in one tall 16:10 canvas. Below it sits the world’s largest haptic touchpad, measuring 175.5 × 109.7 mm and supporting MPP 2.5 stylus input, turning the palm rest into a secondary drawing surface for sketching, animating, and editing directly without needing a separate tablet.

As a Copilot+ PC, the Swift 16 AI unlocks Click to Do, Copilot Voice, and Copilot Vision, while Acer adds PurifiedVoice, PurifiedView, User Sensing, and the Intelligence Space hub for calls, privacy, and productivity. Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1, MicroSD, Wi-Fi 7, DTS:X speakers, and an FHD IR camera complete a machine that treats AI, I/O, and everyday ergonomics as equally important, making it one of the most complete thin-and-light creative laptops arriving this year.

Clicks Power Keyboard

Typing on glass, remote controls, and air-gesture keyboards still feels like a compromise when you are trying to write more than a couple of words. Clicks Power Keyboard is a pocket keyboard designed for smart screens, snapping onto phones via MagSafe or Qi2 and riding along like a slim backplate. It is built for people who bounce between phones, tablets, TVs, and headsets but still want fast, confident typing everywhere.

A slide-out mechanism reveals an ergonomic QWERTY layout with sculpted keys, directional arrows, and a dedicated number row, with multiple slider positions and landscape support so it can adapt from compact phones to big Ultra and Pro Max devices. An integrated 2,150 mAh battery powers the keyboard and wirelessly tops up a phone, turning it into a power bank that actually earns its pocket space while you type.

Power Keyboard also works as a multi-device Bluetooth keyboard for phones, tablets, smart TVs, and headsets, with quick profile switching so you can jump from drafting an email on your phone to searching on a TV or naming files in AR. The Clicks app on iOS and Android lets you tune key behavior, shortcuts, and backlighting, so one small accessory quietly fixes input across your whole ecosystem instead of adding yet another single-purpose gadget.

Pininfarina-designed InkPoster Duna Art Frame

TVs and digital frames dominate rooms with glow and cables, either demanding constant power or looking like technology trying too hard to be art. InkPoster Duna is a Pininfarina-designed A1 color ePaper art poster, conceived as furniture rather than a gadget. The precision-engineered aluminum frame, wrapped in elegantly stitched Alcantara borrowed from luxury automotive interiors, uses fluid curvature and tailored details to make the piece feel timeless and deliberate, not disposable.

The E Ink Spectra 6 screen with Sharp IGZO backplane displays more than 60,000 colors without any backlight, using pigment-like color capsules that behave like printed ink. Once the image is set, no power is needed to hold it on screen, so one charge can last up to a year. No blue light, no flicker, no glow, no heat, just a surface that looks like a poster and can change with a tap.

The InkPoster app offers thousands of licensed artworks, from vintage graphics to timeless classics, plus an exclusive collection of original Pininfarina design sketches and automotive prototype images. You can also upload personal images and update artwork remotely, hanging Duna vertically or horizontally, completely cable-free. It becomes an evolving design element that can shift a room’s mood in seconds without adding another glowing screen to the wall.

CyberPower MA-01 Desktop PC Cases

The MA-01 Modern Analog Series chassis from CyberPowerPC treats a gaming tower as something you want visible on a desk. It hides fans, radiators, and cabling behind sculpted vents and shrouds, framing only the GPU, CPU cooler, and memory through pillar-less curved glass. The woven steel mesh top reduces high-frequency resonance, cutting exhaust noise by 20 to 30 percent while moving enough air to keep temperatures controlled.

Three analog RGB knobs let you dial through 16.7 million colors and adjust brightness and effects without software. Pressing each knob activates secondary functions, so color, brightness, and lighting modes are controlled with hardware instead of menus. Precision-molded I/O shrouds self-center cables and reduce wear. The MA-01 ships in warm matte off-white, dark steel gray, and metallic dark silver, supporting ATX and BTF motherboards with space for 360 mm radiators and long GPUs.

The CyberPowerPC MA-01 suggests that gaming hardware can behave like a mature object in the room. It still moves air and lights up, but through woven mesh, sculpted vents, and analog controls that feel considered. For people who want a powerful tower that can live on a desk without shouting, that shift in attitude turns a spectacle into something you choose to keep visible.

Roborock Saros Rover

Most robovacs stop at stairs, split levels, and weird thresholds, then politely give up and wait downstairs. Roborock’s Saros Rover is a development-stage robot that uses the world’s first two-wheel-leg architecture in a robovac, moving more like a small rover than a puck that just rolls and bumps. Each wheel-leg can independently raise, lower, and bend, giving it reach, lift, and height while keeping its body level as the ground changes.

The wheel-legs let Saros Rover execute small jumps, agile turns, sudden stops, and directional changes, enabling it to tackle traditional, curved, and carpeted staircases with bullnose fronts, cleaning each step as it climbs or descends. It also handles slopes and complex multi-level room thresholds, transitioning into areas that have been hard no-go zones for homes trying to clean multiple floors with a single robot.

AI algorithms work with motion sensors and 3D spatial information to understand the environment and make those wheel-legs react with precision, dramatically shrinking no-go zones in multi-storey homes. For people who have given up on a single robot handling upstairs and downstairs, Saros Rover offers a glimpse of where robovacs might be heading, treating stairs and split levels as just another surface instead of a permanent boundary, though launch timing remains unconfirmed.

Pila Energy Plug-and-Play Home Battery

Backup power is usually something you hide in a garage or closet. The Pila Mesh Home Battery is a slim, 3.3-inch-thick object designed by bould Design to sit beside a desk or under a console, treating energy infrastructure as something you actually want to see. A monolithic front panel, integrated handle and stand, stackable form, and four color-accented shells turn the battery into a piece of living-room furniture.

Each Pila unit plugs into a standard outlet with no electrician, permits, or landlord approval, so renters and homeowners can drop backup power exactly where it is needed. Multiple batteries coordinate wirelessly like a Wi-Fi mesh, charging during off-peak hours and discharging during expensive peaks, while the Pila app monitors appliance-level usage, refrigerator temperature, and solar input, turning scattered appliances into a coordinated, intelligent energy system.

The numbers behind it: 1.6 kWh LFP capacity per unit, 2,400 W continuous output, 10-year lifespan, Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, smart-home support for Alexa, Google, and HomeAssistant, and $1,299 per unit that can scale as needs grow. At fleet scale, connected Pila batteries form a virtual power plant that smooths peak demand and strengthens the grid, turning individual design-forward boxes into shared energy infrastructure.

TDM Neo Hybrid Headphones

Neo is TDM’s hybrid headphone speaker that twists from on-ear headphones into a compact speaker with a single motion. It is built for people who move from solo listening on a commute or walk to spontaneous hangs in parks, hotel rooms, or studios, without swapping gear. TDM’s “Tomorrow Doesn’t Matter” philosophy is about making those shifts feel effortless, treating music as something you can keep private or share on impulse.

The quad 40 mm driver setup uses two inward-facing drivers for clean, detailed headphone sound and two outward-facing drivers that turn Neo into a palm-sized speaker with surprising volume. Dual-layer memory-foam cushions, a soft vegan-leather headband, and an adjustable clamp keep it comfortable during long wear, while customizable twist controls and simple buttons let you switch modes, pause, or power off without digging through menus.

Neo delivers 200+ hours of battery life in headphone mode and 10+ hours in speaker mode, with USB-C fast charging that gives about 8 hours from a 5-minute top-up. Bluetooth 6 multipoint and Auracast readiness, a 3.5 mm aux port, voice assistant support, and replaceable batteries frame Neo as design-forward audio gear that earns its spot in a bag by doing double duty between private listening and shared sound.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition (16″, 11″)

Lenovo’s Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition is the flagship Yoga for people who spend days inside timelines, node graphs, and layered canvases. Framed as “The Ultimate Power to Create,” it pairs Copilot+ PC intelligence with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, all wrapped in a redesigned Thunder Grey chassis that still looks like a Yoga, not a bulky workstation trying too hard to signal power.

The 16-inch 3.2K PureSight Pro Tandem OLED display runs at a 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz variable refresh, and up to 1,600 nits peak brightness, covering 100% of Adobe RGB, P3, and sRGB with Delta E below 1, tuned for Dolby Vision and True Black 1000. The glass Force Pad and included Yoga Pen Gen 2 turn the 150 × 95 mm surface into a sketchpad that automatically disables touch when the pen is in use.

Performance hardware includes up to 64 GB of LPDDR5X memory, up to 2 TB PCIe 4.0 storage, a 92.5 Wh battery, and a six-speaker Dolby Atmos system around a centered 1.5 mm-travel keyboard. A 5 MP IR webcam, dual Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, SD UHS-II reader, and Wi-Fi 7 handle connectivity, while Lenovo Power Engine’s AI modes shift between Extreme Power Boost, Adaptive Performance, and Extreme Low Power as your work moves from rendering to writing.

Hisense X-Zone Master Laundry System

Hisense’s X-Zone Master is the world’s first infinitely scalable modular washer-dryer system, built around the idea that laundry needs change faster than most people want to buy new machines. You start with a high-capacity main unit and add mini double-drum modules over time, arranging them side-by-side, stacked, or built into cabinetry. The system grows with pet-owning families, active households, or anyone tired of mixing delicates with gym clothes.

The main unit handles 28.7lb wash and 19.8lb dry loads using Hisense’s Zeus heat-pump hybrid drying, while each mini module tackles 4.4lb wash and 2.2lb dry with fresh-air condensation. Dedicated minis let you run baby clothes, pet bedding, workout gear, and intimates simultaneously without cross-contamination or waiting, operating under 46dB even when multiple units run at once.

AI-driven natural-language control through the ConnectLife platform identifies fabric types and soil levels, optimizes cycles, and provides predictive time-to-ready updates. Backed by 66 global patents in modular design, zoned care, and efficient drying, X-Zone Master hints at a future where your laundry setup can evolve room by room instead of being replaced wholesale every decade or when your household changes shape.

Cearvol Lyra Glasses with built-in Hearing Aids

Many adults who need hearing help avoid traditional aids because they do not want to advertise age or disability, even though they already wear glasses. Cearvol Lyra hides professional-grade hearing enhancement inside stylish frames, merging prescription vision correction with intelligent audio so users can see clearly and hear clearly at the same time without broadcasting their hearing needs to everyone in the room or feeling self-conscious.

Lyra comes in two models: Lyra OWS with a dynamic driver and 35dB gain for moderate loss, and Lyra RIC with a balanced armature receiver and 50dB gain for moderate-to-severe loss. A 3-microphone beamforming array with Voice Pickup Unit, self-voice suppression, AI noise reduction, NAL-NL2 amplification, and Bluetooth 5.3 audio keep ears open while streaming calls and music, maintaining environmental awareness.

The multi-size frame system and smart electronics distribution balance weight and reduce nasal pressure for all-day wear. Discreet physical buttons on the arms handle volume and modes, the Cearvol app offers environmental presets and an in-app hearing test on Lyra RIC with OTA updates, and the NFC wireless dock charges Lyra simply by setting the glasses on a stand at night, like any favorite pair of eyewear.

The post Yanko Design’s Best of CES 2026: Tech That Removes Friction first appeared on Yanko Design.

CyberPowerPC MA-01 at CES 2026: A Clean, Quiet, and Modern PC

Most high-end PC towers still shout for attention with exposed fans, RGB strips, and visible screws. That clashes with calmer, more considered interiors, especially when a tower lives on a desk next to a monitor and chair that look like real furniture. The MA-01 comes from the idea that performance hardware can grow up without losing its edge, treating a gaming rig as something you want to see every day instead of something you tolerate.

The MA-01 Modern Analog Series chassis is CyberPowerPC’s attempt to design a case around the beauty of what you do not see. It hides the usual clutter, guides air and light through sculpted vents and woven mesh, and frames only the GPU, CPU cooler, and memory. It is a mid-tower that wants to disappear into the room until you look closely, at which point the details start to reveal themselves, analog knobs, corner-less glass, and a top surface that looks more like furniture than electronics.

Designer: CyberPowerPC

Hiding Complexity, Framing Performance

The internal architecture conceals fans, radiators, and cabling behind multi-piece intake covers and internal shrouds, so the interior reads as a clean composition rather than a tangle of parts. The focus shifts to the GPU, cooler, and RAM, which are treated almost like objects on a stage, with consistent geometry and minimal visible mounting points. The chassis does not feel like a kit waiting to be assembled. Rather, it feels like a display case for the hardware that actually matters.

The dual curved glass panels meet without a corner pillar, creating an open-corner view that lets you see the main components from multiple angles without a vertical bar cutting through the scene. Hidden PCI bracket covers and minimized screw heads support the same idea, making the case feel more like a finished appliance than a bin of screws and panels. When you turn the case, the components stay visible and framed, not obscured by structural elements or visual clutter.

Airflow and Acoustics as Design Tools

The woven steel mesh top is one of the defining features, a surface where varying porosity and depth help break up high-frequency resonance that traditional punched vents can amplify. CyberPowerPC claims a 20-30% reduction in exhaust noise, which matters when the tower sits at ear level on a desk. The goal is to make power quieter rather than louder, so fans can spin up during intense sessions without filling the room with the usual high-pitched whine.

A full-length internal vent cover runs from the right-side intake across the bottom and up to the rear exhaust, with angled vents that redirect intake air directly onto heat-critical components. That guided airflow reduces wasted intake air and helps radiators and GPU coolers work more efficiently, which in practice means lower fan speeds and a calmer acoustic profile. It is not just about moving air, it is about moving it deliberately so the case stays quieter while still keeping temperatures in check.

Analog Controls and Tactile I/O

Three analog RGB knobs sit on the front panel, mapping to red, green, and blue in one mode and to color, brightness, and effect mode in another. You can sweep through the full 16.7-million-color spectrum and adjust effects without opening software, which appeals to builders who prefer hardware-level control and a more analog, tactile interaction. Pressing each knob activates secondary functions, so the same three controls handle color jumping, brightness, and lighting modes without menus or drivers.

The precision-molded I/O shrouds around the USB-A, USB-C, and audio ports are designed to self-center cables, absorb side impacts, and reduce insertion wear. That small detail makes daily use feel less fragile, especially when the case is on a desk where ports are used often. The framing of the ports contributes to the overall architectural, finished look, turning functional elements into part of the visual language rather than afterthoughts drilled into a panel.

Finishes, Compatibility, and Longevity

The three finishes each serve different desk environments. The warm matte off-white nods to classic beige machines while feeling contemporary, suitable for creative studios that lean toward lighter, Scandinavian palettes. The dark steel gray is a cooler alternative to black with a subtle hint of blue, fitting more traditional setups. The metallic dark silver is a more industrial counterpoint to familiar aluminum aesthetics, bridging productivity and gaming without leaning too hard into either category.

On the practical side, the MA-01 supports ATX and micro-ATX boards, including BTF-standard layouts for cleaner cable routing, and offers space for long GPUs, tall air coolers, and 360 mm radiators at the top and motherboard side. Hidden fasteners and seven expansion slots signal that the case is built for multiple hardware generations, not just a single build cycle. The compatibility range means it can handle everything from a mid-range productivity build to a high-end gaming rig with a large GPU and custom cooling loop.

CyberPowerPC at CES 2026: The Beauty of What You Don’t See

The MA-01 is a sign that gaming-class hardware can finally behave like a mature object in the room, not just a spectacle. It still moves a lot of air and lights up in any color you want, but it does so through woven mesh, sculpted vents, and analog controls that feel considered and deliberate. For people who want a powerful tower that can live on a desk without shouting, that shift in attitude is the real headline, and it suggests that the future of PC hardware might look less like a science experiment and more like something you would actually choose to keep visible in a living room or studio.

The post CyberPowerPC MA-01 at CES 2026: A Clean, Quiet, and Modern PC first appeared on Yanko Design.

SanDisk Just Made USB Drives Look Like Whistles and Crayons

Remember when USB flash drives were just boring little rectangles you’d inevitably lose in your bag? The younger ones who have gotten used to cloud storage or just sending files on messaging services probably don’t even know what flash drives are. Over the last years, they haven’t really been relevant or needed or even interesting especially since they just practically look the same.

Well, SanDisk just tossed that playbook out the window. The storage giant is bringing some serious whimsy to the tech world with two collections that prove functional doesn’t have to mean forgettable. I haven’t used flash drives for some time now but seeing these new designs makes me want to get them and think about what I should actually store in them. Or maybe I can even just get them as a bag charm if I don’t really need them.

Designer: Sandisk

First up is something that’ll have soccer fans doing a double-take. SanDisk has launched an officially licensed FIFA World Cup 2026 collection, and the star of the lineup is a USB-C flash drive shaped like a referee’s whistle. Yes, you read that right. These aren’t just novelty items either. They pack up to 128GB of storage and boast speeds of up to 300MB/s, so you can actually use them to store all those nail-biting match moments and victory celebrations.

The FIFA collection comes in multiple editions celebrating the three host countries: USA, Canada, and Mexico, plus a Global Edition and a premium Gold Edition. Each design draws inspiration from the unique culture of its respective country, turning these drives into collectible pieces that go beyond basic storage. It’s the kind of thing that makes you wonder why more tech companies aren’t having this much fun with their products.

But SanDisk didn’t stop at sports memorabilia. They’ve also teamed up with Crayola to create something that might just be even more delightful: crayon-shaped USB-C flash drives. And we’re not talking about generic crayon shapes here. These drives come in actual Crayola colors with real names like Mango Tango, Cerulean Blue, Electric Lime, and Vivid Violet.

The Crayola collaboration is particularly clever because it bridges the gap between nostalgia and practicality. These adorable drives offer up to 256GB of storage, making them perfect for students, creatives, or anyone who wants their tech to spark a little joy. The drives even come with a three-month subscription to the Crayola Create & Play app and access to Crayola Thinking Sheets, which adds an extra layer of value beyond the hardware itself.

What’s fascinating about both collections is how they challenge the notion that tech needs to look “professional” or minimalist to be taken seriously. There’s been this long-standing assumption in the tech industry that sleek, understated design is the only way forward. But SanDisk is betting that people actually want products that reflect their personalities and interests.

The whistle-shaped FIFA drives are particularly genius from a design standpoint. They come with a lanyard attachment, so you can literally wear them around your neck at matches or viewing parties. It’s functional (you won’t lose it), thematic (referees wear whistles), and conversation-starting all at once. That’s the kind of thoughtful design that makes products memorable.

Similarly, the Crayola drives tap into something deeper than just aesthetics. Crayons represent creativity, childhood wonder, and the freedom to express yourself. By transforming that iconic shape into a storage device, SanDisk is sending a message: your digital creations deserve the same colorful treatment as your physical ones.

Both collections also demonstrate smart licensing partnerships. FIFA World Cup 2026 is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, and Crayola is an instantly recognizable brand with nearly universal positive associations. These aren’t random collaborations. They’re strategic moves that connect technology with cultural moments and beloved brands. From a practical standpoint, these drives deliver the specs you’d expect from SanDisk. USB-C connectivity means they work seamlessly with modern devices, from smartphones to laptops. The SanDisk Memory Zone app makes organizing and backing up files straightforward. They’re real, functional products that just happen to look fantastic on your desk or in your pocket.

The post SanDisk Just Made USB Drives Look Like Whistles and Crayons first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dreame Kosmera Nebula 1 electric supercar concept has serious ambitions

Dreame is better known for its vacuum cleaners, but the Chinese company surprised everyone at CES 2026 with an electric car. Created under the new sub brand, Kosmera, the EV had a good first impression at the mega event. Called the Kosmera Nebula 1, the four-door electric supercar concept produces 1,876 hp courtesy of the quad-motor electric drivetrain rated at a combined 1,399 kilowatts. The company says the performance car goes from zero to 62 mph in just 1.8 seconds, which is better than the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. That signifies a serious horizon for the brand’s automotive future.

Aerodynamics and active airflow are the talking points as Nebula 1 boasts large dual-layer cooling vents on both sides. The front bumper also gets the flow channels to redirect the air flow to the sides for reduced drag and improved performance. The car has hidden door handles, a full-width taillight design, an oversized diffuser, and a rear spoiler to explain the buzz around it.

Designer: Dreame

The hypercar-level performance stats of the EV signal serious ambitions for the company, as they look beyond just household tech. Success in high-end mobility demands a cohesion of design, performance, and appeal. Nebula 1 seems to have it all, with founder Yu Hao confident of competing with the big names like Bugatti and Rolls-Royce. Earlier in August, the brand hinted at their automotive ambitions with hints pointing to a Bugatti-inspired design. The final concept revealed at CES 2026 confirms otherwise with a more streamlined shape.

Kosmera Nebula 1 turned eyeballs at the event in green skin complemented by the extensive carbon fiber trim all across the body. The front section resembles Italian supercars as the low-scooping hood cements the powerful character. Pillars are also made out of carbon fiber to reiterate the performance-centered approach in the build. The rear balances the look with the flowing roofline, full-width taillights, and dual-layer diffuser.

Not much was revealed about the interiors, and we’ll have more in the coming months. The company is targeting a global market release in 2027 as they’ve plans to build a new manufacturing plant in Berlin. So far, they are intent on partnering with French banking giant BNP Paribas to build the factory, which will apparently not be far from Tesla’s Gigafactory.

The post Dreame Kosmera Nebula 1 electric supercar concept has serious ambitions first appeared on Yanko Design.

Artly Robots Master Latte Art and Drinks for CES 2026 Debut

People gather around a robot arm in a café, half for the drink and half for the performance. Most automation in food and beverage still feels either like a vending machine or a novelty, and the real challenge is capturing the craft of a skilled barista or maker, not just the motion of pushing buttons. The difference between a decent latte and a great one often comes down to subtle pressure, timing, and feel.

Artly treats robots less like appliances and more like students in a trade school, learning from human experts through motion capture, multi-camera video, and explanation. At CES 2026, that philosophy shows up in two compact robots, the mini BaristaBot and the Bartender, both built on the same AI arm platform but trained for different kinds of counters. Together, they make a case for automation that respects the shape of the work instead of flattening it.

Designer: Artly AI

Click here to know more.

mini BaristaBot: A 4×4 ft Café That Learns from Champions

The mini BaristaBot is a fully autonomous café squeezed into a 4 × 4 ft footprint, designed for high-traffic, labor-constrained spaces like airports, offices, and retail corners. One articulated arm handles the entire barista workflow, from grinding and tamping to brewing, steaming, and pouring, with the same attention to detail you would expect from a human who has spent years behind a machine. “At first, I thought making coffee was easy, but after talking to professional baristas, we realized it is not simple at all. There are a lot of details and nuances that go into making a good cup of coffee,” says Meng Wang, CEO of Artly.

The arm is trained on demonstrations from real baristas, including a U.S. Barista Champion, with Artly’s Skill Engine breaking down moves into reusable blocks like grabbing, pouring, and shaping. Those blocks are recombined into recipes, so the robot can reproduce nuanced techniques such as milk texturing and latte art, and adapt to different menus without rewriting code from scratch or relying on rigid workflows. “Our goal is not to automate for its own sake. Our goal is to recreate an authentic, specific experience, whether it is specialty coffee or any other craft, and to build robots that can work like those experts,” Wang explains.

“The training in our environment is not just about action: it is about judgment, and a lot of that judgment is visual. You have to teach the robot what good frothing or good pouring looks like, and sometimes you even have to show it bad examples so it understands the difference.” That depth of teaching separates Artly’s approach from simpler automation. The engineering layer uses food-grade stainless steel and modular commercial components, wrapped in a warm, wood-clad shell that looks more like a small kiosk than industrial equipment.

A built-in digital kiosk handles ordering, while Artly’s AI stack combines real-time motion planning, computer vision, sensor fusion, and anomaly detection to keep quality consistent and operation safe in public spaces where people stand close and watch the whole process. “Our platform is like a recording machine for skills. We can record the skills of a specific person and let the robot repeat exactly that person’s way of doing things,” which means a café chain can effectively bottle a champion’s technique and deploy it consistently across multiple sites.

The ecosystem supports plug-and-play deployment, with remote monitoring, over-the-air updates, and centralized fleet management. A larger refrigerator and modular countertops in finishes like maple, white oak, and walnut let operators match different interiors. For a venue, that means specialty coffee without building a full bar, and for customers, it means a consistent drink and a bit of theater every time they walk up.

Bartender: The Same Arm, Trained for a Different Counter

The Bartender is an extension of the same idea, using the Artly AI Arm and Skill Engine to handle precise, hand-driven tasks behind a counter. Instead of focusing on espresso and milk, the robot learns careful measurement, shaking, or stirring techniques, and finishing touches that depend on timing and presentation, all captured from human experts and turned into repeatable workflows. “If the robot learns the technique of a champion, it can repeat that same pattern at different locations. No matter where it performs, it will always create the same result that person did,” Wang notes.

Dexterity is the key differentiator. The Bartender uses a dexterous robotic hand and wrist-mounted vision to pick up delicate garnishes, handle glassware, and move through sequences that normally require a trained pair of hands. The same imitation-learning approach that taught the BaristaBot to pour latte art is now applied to more complex motions, so the arm can execute them smoothly and consistently in a busy environment.

For a hospitality space, the Bartender offers a way to standardize recipes, maintain quality during peak hours, and free human staff to focus on conversation and creativity rather than repetitive prep. Because it shares hardware and software with the BaristaBot, it fits into the same remote monitoring and fleet-management framework, making it easier to run multiple robotic stations across locations without reinventing operational infrastructure for each new skill type.

Artly AI at CES 2026: From Robot Coffee to a Skill Engine for Craft

The mini BaristaBot and the Bartender are not just two clever machines; they are early examples of what happens when a universal skill engine and a capable arm are pointed at crafts that usually live in human hands. For designers and operators, that means automation that respects the shape of the work, and for visitors at CES 2026, it is a glimpse of a future where robots learn from experts and then quietly keep that craft alive, one cup or glass at a time, without demanding that every venue become bigger or that every drink become simpler just to fit a machine.

Click here to know more.

The post Artly Robots Master Latte Art and Drinks for CES 2026 Debut first appeared on Yanko Design.

Emerson Just Built the Air Fryer That Actually Listens to You

One of the goals for this year is to cook more, and my good ol’ air fryer should play a huge role in this as I’m also trying to be healthier. However, preparing the ingredients while operating the device can sometimes be a little challenging and messy, to say the least. I sometimes wish that my air fryer could actually just listen to what I want it to do instead of me trying to figure out everything manually.

Emerson is trying to solve that problem with their SmartVoice 10QT 6-in-1 Air Fryer and its game-changing feature: true voice control. The device has more than 1,000 preset voice commands, which make it easier for you to just tell the air fryer what it is you’re cooking, and it helps you figure out how it should be cooked. Having this in your kitchen will bring convenience to a whole other level.

Designer: Emerson

The SmartVoice Technology built into this allows you to use natural conversation. You can say things like “Hey air fryer, cook pork chops” or “Hey air fryer, increase temperature” without having to memorize the exact syntax you need for it to follow you. It is a 6-in-1 device as you can also bake, roast, broil, reheat, and dehydrate all sorts of food and dishes in there, aside from air frying, of course. There are also voice prompts that will remind you to shake or flip your food if the recipe calls for it.

Another standout feature of this device is that all your voice commands are handled directly on the device. There are no cloud servers or background monitoring involved, which should satisfy those who are concerned with privacy and data collection. It is also a literal plug-and-play device, so there should be no frustrating setup issues, or so they claim. Reality can sometimes be different, but hopefully, it is as advertised.

This SmartVoice air fryer should suit large households as it has a capacity of 10 quarts, which should be able to hold up to 10 pounds of food. It is able to recognize more than a hundred different foods, so you don’t need to constantly check on temperature and times. If you prefer the usual button approach, the appliance also has 12 touch presets. It also has preheat settings to ensure optimal cooking conditions even before you start cooking. The 1,700-watt power output ensures your food cooks quickly and evenly, while the nonstick basket makes cleanup a breeze. The device weighs 14.46 pounds, giving it a sturdy presence on your countertop without being impossible to move when needed.

What makes this air fryer truly special is how it fits into your real cooking routine. Picture this: you’re marinating chicken with messy hands, your phone is across the room, and you suddenly remember you need to adjust the temperature. Instead of washing your hands, drying them, and fumbling with buttons, you simply speak your command. It’s that seamless integration into your workflow that makes voice control more than just a gimmick as it becomes genuinely useful.

For busy parents juggling multiple tasks, this is a game-changer. You can monitor your cooking while helping kids with homework, folding laundry, or prepping the next dish. For anyone with mobility challenges or arthritis that makes pressing small buttons difficult, voice control offers newfound independence in the kitchen. And for multitaskers who are always moving between counters, the ability to control your appliance from anywhere in the kitchen is liberating.

Priced at $169.99, the Emerson SmartVoice Air Fryer sits in the mid-range category for large-capacity air fryers. However, when you consider that you’re getting six cooking functions, genuine offline voice control (not just app-based controls), and a family-sized capacity, the value proposition becomes quite compelling. Many smart appliances require subscriptions or constant connectivity; this one simply works out of the box.

The Emerson SmartVoice 10QT 6-in-1 Air Fryer represents a thoughtful approach to smart kitchen technology. Instead of adding complexity for complexity’s sake, it addresses real pain points that home cooks face daily. Whether you’re trying to eat healthier, cook more efficiently, or simply make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable, this voice-activated marvel might just be the cooking companion you’ve been waiting for. If you’ve been on the fence about smart kitchen appliances because of privacy concerns or setup hassles, this offline, plug-and-play solution could finally change your mind.

The post Emerson Just Built the Air Fryer That Actually Listens to You first appeared on Yanko Design.

Narwal Flow 2 at CES 2026: Sees Everything, Cleans Smarter

Robot vacuums quietly went from novelty to background appliance, yet many still behave like polite bumper cars. They avoid walls, follow schedules, and send maps, but they do not really understand what they are seeing. A cable, a sock, and a pet toy often get the same treatment, which is why people still hover nearby during automatic cleaning runs, ready to intervene when the robot inevitably gets confused by something obvious.

Narwal Flow 2 is the latest step in the brand’s attempt to build a robot that actually sees and decides. It builds on earlier DirtSense and dual-camera work, but now leans on a NarMind Pro autonomous system and a foundation-model brain to recognize unlimited objects, assign risk levels, and adjust both path and cleaning strategy. This is less about more suction and more about better judgment, the kind that changes behavior based on whether it is looking at a table leg, a pet bowl, or a crawling mat.

Designer: Narwal

The 2026 flagship also adopts a brand-new design outlook, with a rational arc-form dock featuring a frosted glass panel on the front and easy-lift water tanks shaped for straight-up lifting. The integrated status light bar communicates through the frosted glass instead of scattered LEDs, giving the dock a more premium, sleek presence. It is designed to look less like an appliance you hide in a corner and more like a considered object that can live in visible spaces without visual friction.

A Robot That Sees and Decides

The Narwal Flow 2 uses dual RGB cameras and a VLA OmniVision model running on a 10 TOPS AI platform to capture 1.5 million data points per second. It categorizes objects as no-risk, low-risk, mid-risk, or high-risk, then adjusts distance and behavior accordingly. Walls invite close cleaning within 8 mm, pet bowls get 20 mm of space, and high-risk items like pet waste trigger a protective bypass at 70 mm.

Adaptive smart cleaning means Flow 2 uses different strategies for dry debris, wet spills, and heavy messes. Dual-direction mopping keeps the side brush from dragging dirty water into clean zones, with a reverse pass to protect the brush and a forward pass to lift stains. Cloud-based recognition feeds back into the model, so the robot becomes more tuned to a specific home over time, learning which corners collect dust and which zones need extra attention.

Living with Pets, Babies, and Busy Schedules

In Pet Care Mode, Flow 2 automatically identifies pet-active zones and adapts for deeper cleaning there, while treating pet bowls, beds, and toys as objects to avoid bumping or soaking. The same visual system that keeps it away from waste can be used to scan for a missing pet on command, turning the robot into a quiet scout when you are not home and want to make sure your dog is not locked in a bedroom.

Baby Care Mode shifts behavior around cribs and crawling mats. Flow 2 can drop into ultra-quiet mode near a sleeping baby, recognize toys left on the floor and nudge you to pick them up, and avoid rolling over dedicated play areas to keep them as clean as possible. The goal is not to replace parenting, but to make the robot feel like it understands which zones are more sensitive than others, adjusting volume and intensity without manual scheduling.

The updated dock and mapping round out the picture. TrueColor 3D mapping turns the home into a more intuitive map where you can tap rooms or furniture for targeted cleaning, while AI Floor Tag remembers floor types and zones. The all-in-one base station now uses a reusable dust bag and washable debris filter, along with hot-water self-cleaning and hot-air drying, so the system stays hygienic without filling a trash bag with single-use consumables every few weeks or emitting odors between runs.

Mopping That Stays Clean While It Cleans

The FlowWash mopping system treats the mop like a moving track rather than a pair of pads. Sixteen angled nozzles continuously infuse the track with fresh water, while a reverse-rolling mop applies 12 N of downward pressure and 140 °F heat. A tight scraper presses against the fabric to strip away dirt in real time, so the surface touching the floor is constantly refreshed instead of slowly turning into a gray sponge you would not want to touch.

Wastewater extraction and storage, with a built-in stirrer in the dirty tank, prevents residue and odors from settling. That matters in homes where mopping is not just about dust, but about food spills, pet accidents, and whatever kids drag in from outside. The system is designed so that by the time Flow 2 returns to its dock, both the floor and the mop have been treated, not just one at the expense of the other.

On a mixed floor with tile in the kitchen and wood in the living room, Flow 2 can push harder and use hotter water on stubborn kitchen stains, then ease off as it moves into more delicate areas. EdgeReach capabilities let the track mop get within 0.19 in of walls and baseboards, reducing the need for manual follow-up with a traditional mop that you have to wring out by hand.

Beyond the Floor

The Flow 2 is not the only thing Narwal is launching at CES 2026. The V50 Series cordless vacuum brings the same auto-empty, smart dirt detection philosophy to a stick form, with a compact dock that handles a 3.2qt dust bin, active dust scraping, and push-in charging. At 3.1lb with dual detachable batteries and 210 AW of suction, it combines CarpetFocus Mode and full-cycle de-tangling with a dirt-detection headlight and multi-cyclone H13 filtration, turning a handheld into something that feels almost as hands-free as a robot.

The U50 Series mattress vacuum targets a different corner of the home, using 137°F iron-heating, UVC sterilization, 60,000 taps per minute, and 16,000 Pa of suction to pull mites and allergens out of mattresses and upholstery. It weighs just 3.7lb and uses sealed, disposable dust bags with a transparent window, so you can treat beds and sofas without dealing with messy dust cups or touching what comes out. Together, V50 and U50 show Narwal extending its maintenance-free, AI-aware design language into spaces the robot cannot reach, keeping the entire home cleaner without multiplying the number of chores you actually have to do.

Narwal Flow 2: See Further, Think Deeper, Clean Smarter

Flow 2 is a sign that robot vacuums are finally moving from smart enough not to fall down the stairs to smart enough to adapt to how you live. It still has big suction numbers and a long spec sheet, but the interesting part is how it sees pets, babies, and messes differently, and how it keeps its own mop clean while it works. For a category that has been chasing power for years, that kind of judgment feels like the more meaningful upgrade, especially when the alternative is manually zoning a map and hoping the robot does not knock over a water bowl or wake up a napping toddler on its next routine pass.

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AI-powered Razer Motoko headphones with 4k cameras do what smart glasses can

Every year at CES, Razer has some exciting tech on offer. This year is no different as they’ve come up with headphones that go beyond audio nirvana. Dubbed Project Motoko, the over-ear headphones are the next frontier of wearable AI, since they have eyes. Yes, the concept cans are loaded with a pair of Sony 4K cameras (with 12MP resolution), to make you ditch your smart glasses for good reason. Since most of us wear headphones more than smart glasses, this innovation makes complete sense.

AI is the name of the game at this year’s CES, even though we’ve seen cramming of machine learning technology in things where it makes no sense or is not useful at all. The Motoko headphones are different as they build on an accessory we already use a lot. The in-built cameras analyse the world around you, seeing what the user sees, in first-person view. They can do pretty much what other smart glasses can, and yes, they play ear-pleasing music when you need to zone out.

Designer: Razer

According to Nick Bourne, Global Head of Mobile Console Division, Razer, “By partnering with Qualcomm Technologies, we’re building a platform that enhances gameplay while transforming how technology integrates into everyday life. This is the next frontier for immersive experiences.”

Motoko headphones can do translations in real time, beam weather updates, provide navigation input, and a whole lot more. The biggest advantage Razer should be appreciated for compared to smart glasses is that the Motko can fetch information from multiple AI assistants, including Grok, Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Meta. Most basic functions run on the headphones, like checking the calendar updates and schedules. For other deeply embedded tasks, you have to pair them with a phone or PC. For the most part, someone unassuming won’t be able to tell the difference between a normal pair of headphones and these.

The headphones are built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform, making them AI-powered in a real sense. You can recognize objects, track exercises, or even summarize information. The stereoscopic vision extends the field of view beyond the human peripheral vision capabilities. In combination with the audio input and the far-and-near field microphones, the headphones detect dialogue, voice commands, or ambient noises. Thereby, the headphones use all this data in machine learning applications, which ultimately assist the user in daily tasks, work, and, of course, gaming. Down the line, you could be using them for preparing meals in the kitchen, immersive AI guidance in strategy games, or translating in real-time when travelling abroad.

As per Ziad Asghar, SVP and GM of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, they are thrilled to work with Razer to push “AI wearable computing into a new era where intelligence, performance, and immersive experiences converge.” There is no word yet on the probable timeline for the release of the headphones, but they definitely are exciting tech to experiment with and use in daily life. The AI-assisted feature should work at a deeper level with the headphones, and it’ll be exciting to use them hands-on.

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LEGO’s New Smart Bricks Launched at CES 2026 Bring Star Wars Builds to Life

If you thought LEGO couldn’t possibly get any cooler, think again. At CES 2026, the iconic toy company just dropped what they’re calling their biggest innovation since the Minifigure debuted back in 1978. That’s nearly 50 years of building history, so yeah, this is kind of a big deal.

Meet the LEGO Smart Brick: a standard 2×4 brick that looks totally normal on the outside but is secretly packed with more tech than you’d think possible. We’re talking motion sensors, LED lights, a tiny speaker, and a custom-made computer chip that’s literally smaller than a single LEGO stud. The result? Your builds can now react to how you play with them, complete with authentic sounds and lighting effects. And the best part? No app or screen required.

Designer: LEGO

LEGO is launching this new Smart Play system with three Star Wars sets hitting stores on March 1, and honestly, they picked the perfect franchise to showcase this technology. Because if there’s any universe that deserves the full immersive treatment, it’s Star Wars. And if there’s any fandom that would gobble these builds up, it’s those that love the galaxy from far, far away to bits.

The Smart Play system works through three components working together. There’s the Smart Brick itself, which is the brain of the operation. Then you’ve got Smart Tags, which are special tiles that trigger specific responses when the brick detects them. Finally, there are Smart Minifigures that activate character-specific sounds and interactions. The bricks communicate with each other using something LEGO calls BrickNet, a proprietary wireless system that creates what they describe as a “decentralized network” of interactivity.

In practice, this means when you place a Smart Brick into Luke’s X-wing and fire it up, you hear authentic engine sounds. Move it around, and the accelerometer responds with appropriate whooshes and laser blasts. Park it at the command center, and you’ll hear refueling sounds. Put Emperor Palpatine on his throne, and the Imperial March starts playing. It’s the kind of detail that makes Star Wars fans absolutely giddy.

The three launch sets cover different price points and iconic moments from the original trilogy. The most affordable is Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter at $69.99 with 473 pieces. It includes a Smart Darth Vader minifigure who breathes menacingly and delivers his famous lines. The mid-range option is Luke’s Red Five X-wing at $99.99 with 584 pieces, featuring Smart versions of Luke and Princess Leia, plus good old R2-D2. The premium set is the Throne Room Duel and A-wing at $159.99 with 962 pieces, which recreates that unforgettable final confrontation from Return of the Jedi. This one comes with two Smart Bricks and three Smart Minifigures, including Luke, Vader, and Palpatine.

What makes this feel different from LEGO’s previous tech experiments is how seamlessly integrated everything is. There’s no coding required like with Mindstorms, no video game component like Dimensions, and no augmented reality app like Hidden Side. The Smart Play system enhances the physical building and storytelling experience without pulling you into a digital world. For parents worried about screen time, that’s actually a pretty compelling selling point.

Of course, some play experts have raised concerns about whether adding technology might diminish the imaginative play that makes LEGO special in the first place. But LEGO’s approach here seems thoughtful. The tech is designed to respond to creativity rather than dictate it. Kids still build whatever they want, but now their creations can talk back.

Pre-orders open January 9, and LEGO has already teased that more Smart Play sets are coming later in 2026, including a Millennium Falcon, Mos Eisley Cantina, and a Landspeeder. They’re clearly betting big on this platform.

For collectors, these inaugural Smart Play sets represent something special: the ground floor of what LEGO is positioning as their most significant evolution in decades. Whether that claim holds up remains to be seen, but one thing’s certain. The Force is definitely strong with this one, and your childhood dreams of building Star Wars worlds that actually come alive just got a whole lot closer to reality.

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Google Gemini AR Glasses and other cool wearables at the Global Connect Show at CES 2026

Las Vegas in January means two things: CES crowds and overpriced hotel rooms. Global Connect sidesteps both problems on January 5th by hosting wearable tech companies at Mike Tyson’s private villa (no, seriously), giving journalists space to test devices designed to sit on your face, in your ears, or against your skin for hours at a time. Wearables demand different scrutiny than robots or appliances because discomfort kills adoption faster than missing features. AR glasses that overlay useful information but give you a headache after 20 minutes won’t survive. Translator earbuds that work perfectly in quiet rooms but fail in restaurants are useless for actual travel. A stress-regulating wearable that’s supposed to calm you down but feels like a medical device defeats its own purpose.

The lineup spans sensory augmentation, communication, health monitoring, and pet tracking. TCL RayNeo and INMO bring AR glasses with AI embedding. Timekettle has translator earbuds handling real-time cross-language conversations. Vocci’s AI Ring puts an AI notetaker on your fingertips (well, not literally but you know what I mean). Cearvol’s smart hearing solutions adapt to different acoustic environments. ZenoWell’s vagus nerve stimulator uses electrical pulses to regulate stress response. GlocalMe built a wearable tracker and phone for pets. DaÏve created a heads-up display for divers who need data underwater without surfacing. iMpact PR and USA Today are co-hosting with brands that have manufacturing scale and market strategies, not concept sketches. Four hours provides enough runway to discover whether AR glasses cause eye strain, if translator earbuds struggle with accents, or if a vagus nerve stimulator actually makes you calmer or just vibrates annoyingly on your chest.

TCL RayNeo X3 Pro: AR Glasses with Gemini AI

AR glasses have promised to replace smartphones for years, but most prototypes are too heavy, too dim, or too awkward to wear beyond a demo. TCL’s RayNeo X3 Pro addresses those problems by shrinking the optical engine to what the company claims is the world’s smallest MicroLED system, cutting weight by 36% to just 76 grams while maintaining 2,500 nits of brightness that stays visible in any lighting condition. The display projects a 43-inch floating aerial screen into your field of view without blocking your sight, running Google Gemini 2.5 AI for context-aware assistance that understands both voice commands and visual recognition. You can ask it to identify objects, translate conversations across 14 languages in real time using Microsoft’s translation engine, or record meetings and let the AI summarize the content afterward. The glasses run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform with a 245mah battery providing four hours of use and a 38-minute fast charge. Control happens through an intuitive five-dimensional temple interface or voice activation, keeping your hands free while the system processes requests.

TIME named the X3 Pro one of the Best Inventions of 2025, and it’s been available since December 17 at $1,299. RayNeo was initially incubated within TCL before spinning out to focus exclusively on AR technology, and the X3 Pro reflects years of iteration aimed at making augmented reality wearable for actual daily use instead of just trade show demonstrations. The developer-friendly app ecosystem connects the digital world with physical spaces, letting third-party apps build experiences that overlay information, navigation, or entertainment onto your environment. Whether AR glasses become mainstream or remain niche depends largely on whether people will tolerate wearing technology on their faces all day, and the X3 Pro’s 76-gram weight combined with ergonomic design addresses the comfort problem that killed previous attempts. Four hours of battery life won’t get you through a full workday, but it covers meetings, commutes, or travel scenarios where real-time translation and hands-free information access provide genuine utility beyond novelty.

Vocci AI Note-Taking Ring: Recording on Your Finger

Smart rings usually track heart rate or count steps, but Vocci decided your finger should handle something different: recording and transcribing conversations without pulling out your phone. The AI note-taking ring weighs 3.5 grams, measures 2.8mm thick and 6.8mm wide, and captures audio from a 5-meter effective pickup range with enough battery life for eight hours of continuous recording. You tap once to highlight key moments during a conversation, and the ring records, summarizes, and organizes those insights automatically. Double-tap starts full recording mode, with AI cleaning the audio, understanding context, and structuring your ideas without requiring manual note-taking. The system supports 112-plus languages with multilingual speaker recognition, handling transcription accuracy across different accents and languages while encrypting everything locally before syncing to private cloud storage.

The ring comes with a portable charging case and fast charges in 30 minutes, addressing one of the persistent complaints about wearables that die halfway through the day. IPX4 water resistance means it survives hand washing or light rain without failing. The AI-powered summaries and highlights turn raw audio into organized notes accessible through the companion app, which displays weekly summaries, key insights, and searchable transcripts. This positions Vocci somewhere between productivity tool and memory aid, letting you participate in conversations without simultaneously trying to write everything down or remember to review voice memos later. Whether wearing a recording device on your finger feels natural or creepy probably depends on your comfort level with ambient recording technology, but for people who spend their days in meetings, interviews, or brainstorming sessions, the ability to tap a ring instead of fumbling with a phone or notebook offers genuine workflow improvement. The question is whether you’ll remember it’s there after a week or if it becomes another forgotten wearable gathering dust in a drawer.

Timekettle W4: Bone-Conduction Translation in Your Ears

Timekettle has been iterating on AI translator earbuds for years, so the W4 arrives with some history behind it rather than pretending to be a first draft. These are bone‑conduction interpreter earbuds built for sustained, in‑depth conversations rather than quick tourist phrases. A bone‑voiceprint sensor sits in the stem and picks up vibrations from your jaw while directional mics handle the rest, which lets the W4 keep recognizing your speech with claimed 98 percent accuracy even in environments up to 100 dB, like subways, airports, or trade show floors. The hardware runs Babel OS 2.0, Timekettle’s in‑house translation platform, and handles 43 languages and 96 accents with around 0.2‑second latency, so replies feel conversational instead of like waiting on a phone app to catch up. A 30‑degree tilted stem is shaped to hug the face, and the charging case comes in matte Midnight Blue or Sandy Gold, pitched as something you can keep on a conference table without it looking like a gadget museum piece.

The software side is where the W4 differentiates itself from generic translation buds. Large language models do context analysis and self‑correction, so when you say “complement” and it hears “compliment,” the system uses surrounding context to fix the mistake before it reaches the other person. Modes are tuned to specific scenarios: one‑on‑one mode for direct conversations, listen‑and‑play for conferences where you’re mostly listening but occasionally speaking, and a record‑and‑summarize flow that logs meetings, preserves audio, and generates AI summaries of key points afterward. Battery life lands at about four hours of continuous translation or eight hours of music on a charge, stretching to roughly ten hours of translation with the case. They also double as regular Bluetooth earbuds, so you are not carrying a single‑purpose device; you can stream music between meetings and still have an on‑demand interpreter when someone switches languages mid‑sentence.

INMO Air3 and GO3: Two Takes on AR Glasses

RayNeo built its X3 Pro around Gemini AI and a massive 43-inch virtual display, but INMO is showing up with two models that split the difference between immersive entertainment and discreet everyday utility. The Air3 is the world’s first all-in-one AR glasses equipped with a full-color 1080P waveguide display, using a Sony Micro-OLED panel that hits 600 nits peak brightness and stays visible even in bright outdoor environments. It runs on a Snapdragon XR processor with 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, and comes preloaded with Google Mobile Services, giving you access to the full Android app ecosystem. The 36-degree field of view projects a 150-inch virtual screen for streaming Netflix, browsing YouTube Shorts, or playing AAA games through cloud gaming platforms. Control happens through INMO’s Spatial Ring system, offering button-plus-touchpad controls or iPad-like gesture navigation, with a 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera (120-degree field of view) built in for capturing photos or video. The Air3 is pitched as portable entertainment for camping, fishing, vacations, or anywhere you want a private theater without carrying a monitor.

The GO3 takes the opposite approach by prioritizing subtlety over specs. It uses a dual-eye green monochrome Micro-LED display with 1,500 nits brightness and a 30-degree field of view, looking more like regular glasses than visible tech. At approximately 53 grams, it’s even lighter than the RayNeo X3 Pro, with ultra-slim 8mm temples that integrate the mainboard and battery while maintaining a discreet appearance. The GO3 comes with four interchangeable frame styles designed for professional, academic, casual, and social environments, all with a five-axis CNC-machined matte finish that resists fingerprints. The swappable battery system includes two 270mAh batteries and a charging case, with magnetic battery replacement taking about five seconds so you can stay powered all day. AI capabilities include translation supporting 77 source languages and 200-plus target languages, an AI teleprompter with automatic scrolling based on speaking pace, meeting summaries with speaker identification and transcription, and HERE Maps navigation displayed hands-free. A built-in camera privacy cover physically shields the lens in public or social settings, addressing the creepiness factor that killed Google Glass years ago. INMO’s positioning these as everyday wear that happens to have AI functionality, rather than AR entertainment devices that occasionally get used for productivity.

ZenoWell: Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Stress and Sleep

Most wearables track what your body is doing; ZenoWell claims to actively change it by stimulating the vagus nerve through your ear. The company uses transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) technology, targeting the only branch of the vagus nerve located on the body’s surface with electrical pulses designed to enhance parasympathetic activity, restore balance to the autonomic nervous system, and modulate brain activity and neurotransmitters. Founded in Heidelberg, Germany with engineering in Shenzhen, China, ZenoWell positions itself as wearable neurotech that activates the body’s natural healing power rather than relying on medication or quick fixes. The science backs some of this; a 2024 JAMA Network Open study showed eight weeks of taVNS use resulted in significant clinical improvement for chronic insomnia, outperforming control groups in reducing anxiety, depression, and fatigue, with effects lasting up to 20 weeks and demonstrating good safety and high patient compliance.

ZenoWell has two main devices: Luna and Vita, both offering 100% vagus nerve coverage through ergonomically designed earpieces. Luna includes an enhanced Relief Mode targeting headaches for both acute episodes and long-term prevention, along with modes for relaxation, sleep improvement, fatigue reduction, inflammation management, and body pain relief. Vita focuses on faster sleep onset with 20-minute sessions, deep relaxation, and body-mind balance restoration, claiming better sleep, less fatigue, and reduced body pain within seven days. Both devices offer multiple modes: Sleep Mode for insomnia and sleep disturbance, Relax Mode for stress and anxiety, Medit Mode for body pain and inflammation, and Relief Mode for headaches including migraines and cluster headaches. The system requires consistent use; most benefits appear after two to four weeks, with full effects observable after 24 weeks depending on the condition being addressed. Whether strapping a nerve stimulator to your ear feels like self-care or medical intervention probably depends on your tolerance for wellness technology that requires daily commitment, but for people exhausted by sleep medications or chronic stress who want alternatives beyond meditation apps, ZenoWell offers a science-backed approach with published clinical results instead of just marketing promises.

GlocalMe PetPhone: Connectivity for Everyone, Including Your Dog

GlocalMe built its entire brand around a patented Cloud SIM technology that virtualizes SIM cards, letting devices automatically connect to the best available network across 200-plus countries without needing a physical card. This obsession with seamless connectivity has produced a surprisingly diverse product lineup, from the Numen Air 5G mobile hotspot and GuardFlex Pro backup router to the UniCord, a charging cable with a built-in emergency hotspot and GPS. The company, a brand under uCloudlink, even offers the RoamPlug, a travel adapter that doubles as a 4G LTE hotspot for up to 10 devices. While these gadgets solve connectivity problems for remote workers and international travelers, GlocalMe’s most ambitious product applies that same technology to a user who can’t complain about dropped calls: your pet.

The PetPhone bills itself as the first smartphone for pets, and it makes a surprisingly strong case for the title. While most pet trackers are just GPS tags that tell you where your dog is, the PetPhone adds two-way audio, letting you call your pet and talk to them in real time to ease their loneliness when you’re away. You can also play soothing music, send recorded voice messages, or set alarms for feeding times and potty breaks. The tracking itself is more robust than standard GPS, using a six-fold positioning system (GPS, AGPS, LBS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Active Radar) that provides precise location data even in dense forests or indoor areas where other trackers fail. It runs on GlocalMe’s SIM-free Cloud SIM network, connecting to over 390 carriers worldwide to eliminate dead zones. The AI health features monitor activity over six weeks to establish a baseline for your pet’s normal routine, sending alerts if they move significantly less than usual. With an IP67 waterproof rating and a five-day battery life, it’s designed for actual pet life, not just a walk around the block.

Cearvol: Hearing Aids That Don’t Look Like Hearing Aids

Hearing aids have a persistent image problem, often looking more like medical devices than modern technology. Cearvol, a company with a 20-year history in acoustics developing products for brands like JBL and Sennheiser, is tackling that stigma head-on by designing hearing solutions that look and feel like consumer electronics. Their entire product line, from the Diamond X1 and Liberte earbuds to the discreet Nano in-the-canal device and the more traditional Aurora, is powered by NeuroFlow AI 2.0. This DNN-based system learns complex acoustic patterns from real-world data to compensate for hearing loss, balancing sound across frequencies for clear listening without the over-amplification that makes traditional hearing aids sound harsh. The goal isn’t just to restore hearing but to create companions that people actually want to use, integrating Bluetooth streaming and stylish designs that blend in rather than stand out.

Two products at Global Connect showcase this philosophy perfectly. The Lyra integrates a 24-channel hearing aid directly into a pair of stylish glasses, combining optical vision with seamless hearing assistance in a single device. With a 14-hour replaceable battery, Bluetooth 5.3 for audio streaming, and an AI noise reduction system powered by three omnidirectional microphones, it’s a clever solution for people who already wear glasses and want an all-in-one device. The Wave takes a different approach, packing a 24-channel hearing aid into a pair of earbuds that come with a unique remote microphone. This small, touchscreen-equipped remote can be placed up to 10 meters away to precisely pick up voices in a large meeting room or noisy restaurant, streaming the audio directly to the earbuds. It even has an AUX-IN for connecting to TVs or airplane entertainment systems. Both Lyra and Wave represent a thoughtful re-imagining of what a hearing aid can be, one integrating the technology into an everyday object and the other extending its functionality far beyond what a simple earbud could accomplish.

Momcozy W1 Wellness: Warm-Massage Meets Wearable Pumping

Shown Above – Momcozy Air 1

Wearables usually mean smartwatches, AR glasses, or fitness rings, but Momcozy is demonstrating that “wearable” can also mean medical devices designed to free up your hands while solving real health problems. The W1 Wellness is what the company calls the world’s first warm-massage wearable breast pump, combining technology typically found in wellness devices with the practical needs of nursing mothers. The system integrates adjustable heat (between 99°F and 106°F) with rhythmic vibration massage, both designed to improve milk flow and efficiency. The warming zone envelopes the breast for even heat distribution, addressing one of the limitations of traditional warming options like hot pads that only hit certain areas. Research shows massage improves milk output and helps with complete emptying, and Momcozy is packaging both features into a hands-free system controlled through app-based automated programming.

This positions Momcozy with two different solutions for the same problem. The Air 1 prioritizes discretion and portability for working moms who need to pump during meetings or while traveling, maintaining 62 core patents and awards including a 2025 TIME Special Mention. The W1 prioritizes comfort and efficiency through warmth and massage, targeting mothers who struggle with clogged ducts, slow flow, or discomfort during pumping sessions. Both feature transparent tops for precise alignment, wireless charging for 15-plus pumping sessions, and suction up to 280mmHg, but they’re solving slightly different pain points within the same user base. Whether heat and massage become standard features or remain premium options depends on whether the efficiency gains justify the cost difference, but for mothers dealing with engorgement or flow issues, the W1 offers features that traditional pumps and even other wearables don’t currently provide. Momcozy’s strategy reveals how wearables are fragmenting into specialized variants, each addressing specific user needs rather than trying to be one universal solution.

Daïve HUD: An Underwater Augmented Reality Dive Computer

The most persistent interruption in scuba diving isn’t a curious fish; it’s the constant, focus-breaking glance down at a wrist-mounted computer to check depth, time, or remaining air. Daïve’s HUD clips directly onto your existing dive mask to solve that problem, projecting a full-color display into your sightline so critical data feels like a natural part of your underwater view. The system has three modes tailored for recreational, technical, and freediving, with layouts designed for how decisions are actually made in each discipline. It’s controlled with a glove-friendly rotary selector that provides tactile mechanical feedback, a crucial detail for anyone who’s tried to operate a small button with thick neoprene gloves. The display flips up instantly when you don’t need it, and a dual-battery, non-sealed power design supports over 20 hours of use for long days of repeated dives.

What makes the Daïve HUD more than just a convenient display is its connectivity. It pairs with a wireless smart gauge for real-time air monitoring and uses a multi-mode communication system combining optical, near-field RF, and acoustic links for real-time team awareness and coordination with other divers. This isn’t just about convenience; it’s a fundamental shift in situational awareness. For instructors monitoring students, photographers managing cameras, or technical divers navigating caves, reducing the cognitive load of constantly checking a wrist computer is a massive safety and performance upgrade. The entire system is modular, with swappable components and an open software path designed to evolve over time, positioning the Daïve HUD less as a single gadget and more as a long-term platform for underwater augmented reality.

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