The 15 Strangest Smart IoT Devices Released So Far This Year

Stranger Things

As the hype builds around the Internet of Things, manufacturers are rushing to connect just about everything – from toothbrushes, to mirrors, even to mousetraps.

From the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show, to new products launched by Amazon and Bosch, here are 15 strange smart IoT devices we've seen so far this year.

Amazon $200 Echo Look

Amazon's new $200 connected camera, called Echo Look, will do as its name implies – judge how you look.

Amazon's product – with a built-in LED light, a microphone, and a base mount – acts as a "fashion specialist."

This camera works with a companion app with a Style Check feature to compare two outfits and rate which one is better. The Echo Look is available by invitation only – customers who are interested can request one on the product's page.

Kolibree Ara Smart Toothbrush

Apparently, brushing your teeth just isn't enough now. In January, CES-goers saw the first smart toothbrush with artificial intelligence this year: Ara the Kolibree Smart Toothbrush.

Dental product manufacturer Kolibree said that its smart toothbrush collects data about its user's brushing habits, even when it is not connected to its corresponding app.

The toothbrush then provides users with feedback about their brushing techniques based on integrated artificial intelligence technology. Ara is currently be available for pre-order at the end of February and will priced at $129.

HiMirror, A Smart Beauty Mirror

HiMirror debuted its HiMirror Plus, a smart mirror, at CES. For a whopping $259, this mirror enables users to analyze and assess their skin conditions, such as wrinkles, dark circles, spots and pores -- and then recommends customized skincare routes to help improve those blemishes. HiMirror Plus features LED makeup lighting with five environment settings, as well as increased memory, to accommodate more users.

Panasonic Smart Table

You won't have to worry about the "no phones at the dinner table rule" ever again – Panasonic's Smart Table allows you to check your emails and phone calls, video-call others, and more all while sitting at the kitchen table.

This interactive wooden table enables users to view content on its surface, and heats or cools drinks or food. The table features integrated wireless device charging and syncing capabilities and multiple infrared range sensors and cameras -- all backed by a proprietary operating system. Panasonic's Smart Table is still in the prototype stage.

Sleep Number 360 SmartBed

Sleep Number has introduced the next generation of its connected bed -- Sleep Number 360 SmartBed. Like its predecessor, this smart bed can self-adjust throughout the night to match the sleeper's movements and patterns. If you snore while sleeping, the bed will sense this and adjust itself to lessen the snoring.

The new bed also comes with foot warming technology, warming up the feet while the user is falling asleep and then turning off once they are in dreamland. The new smart bed will be available in the first half of 2017, according to a representative. The price has not yet been finalized.

Fenotek's Smart Doorbell

French startup Fenotek launched a wireless and GSM-enabled video doorbell, dubbed Hi). This smart doorbell can recognize familiar faces with a real-time app notification that allows homeowners to confirm identities. Just as importantly, the device detects strangers approaching the house, and notifies the user through Fenotek's companion iOS and Android apps. This gadget features 24/7 video monitoring, as well as in-app door control and alarm triggers. Fenotek's smart doorbell is available for pre-order at $299.

Smarter's FridgeCam

If you want to constantly monitor what's in your fridge while at the grocery store, meet connected kitchen product manufacturer Smarter's Fridge Cam.

This small camera is placed in the refrigerator and detects which items are in stock, what they are, and their expiration date through a companion app that users can check while at the store. Fridge Cam also offers suggestions on how you can use your groceries before they go bad, and shows any nearby grocery store locations.

Fridge Cam is currently available for pre-order at $149.99.

Zeeq Smart Pillow

Rem-Fit decided that it would be a cool move to connect pillows with Zeeq, a pillow that plays music, monitors and reacts to snoring, and analyzes sleeping habits. This smart pillow helps ease users asleep by playing music, meditation sounds, or audio books through embedded nine precision wireless speakers, and also contains a decibel-tuned microphone that monitors snoring intensity. Under the pillow's comfort foam shell is also a 5000mAh battery with audio wave technology to promote restful, and vibration monitors that react to snoring. Zeeq is still on Kickstarter and available for pre-order at $249.

Kuri

Kuri is a new robot for the home that's part assistant, part pet. This digital assistant can be controlled by your voice, but the robot communicates only in a robot language of beeps, and through facial expressions and head movements. The robot, which is being developed by startup Mayfield Robotics, also has wheels and can map its surroundings, and one use case is asking Kuri to investigate what's going on in another room of the house. Pre-orders for Kuri are available now for $699, and the robot is expected to ship for the 2017 holiday season.

Aera Smart Fragrance

Aera at CES launched a new Smart Fragrance product for smart homes.

This product contains a variety of different fragrance capsules that can be triggered through a companion app. So, if you are driving home and know that guests are coming over, you can schedule the Smart Fragrance product to turn on from your phone.

The Aera Starter Set is available now for $189 and includes the device and a fragrance capsule.

Hair Coach

L'Oreal unveiled a connected hairbrush, the Kerastase Hair Coach, at CES. The Hair Coach is a brush equipped with sensors and technology powered by Nokia-owned Withings to measure the quality of hair and effects of different hair routines.

This brush features a microphone to identify patterns in brushing, as well as an accelerometer and gyroscope. Users can look at a companion app to tell how often their hair is being brushed -- and whether it has been over-brushed. Hair Coach will be available in the fall.

Eugene, The Smart Recycling Tool

Eugene by Uzer will scan trash before it is thrown away -- and tell you whether it needs to be recycled.

Eugene uses a product database, supplied by Walmart and Amazon, to determine whether things are trash or recyclables. This tool also is compatible with a smartphone app and lets you track how much you've recycled by weight and what you've thrown in the garbage. The gadget is currently available in Europe.

IoT Connected Mousetrap

Pest control company Rentokil said it has developed a connected mousetrap – for $1,600. ResiConnect traps the rodents, gasses them with carbon dioxide, and automatically notifies the user for disposal. This system also gives users early warning of mouse activity, so they can eliminate the mice immediately before they begin to breed in large number.

According to the company, the control panel also contains its own SIM card so it can operate without connecting to a home Wi-Fi network. Consumers can decide for themselves if this system is worth the hefty price.

Bosch Mykie – The Kitchen Elf

At CES, Bosch showed off Mykie, short for "My Kitchen Elf," a connected kitchen companion.

This smart robot listens to voice commands and helps with everyday activities in the kitchen, such as cooking – the product can help by putting up recipes from an index. Beyond that, Mykie can help by answering questions about how long a cake still needs to bake in the oven or what's in the refrigerator.

Mykie is also compatible with a range of Bosch's Home Connect household appliances, such as connected refrigerators and coffee machines. At this point, Mykie is still a concept but it may hit shelves later in the year.

U By Moen Shower

The U by Moen shower allows users to customize their perfect shower before they step in. Users can merely tap their smartphone to set and save their perfect shower temperature, time their showers, and start or pause their shower, instead of adjusting the shower nozzle…

Users can install it in their shower, with a two-outlet model costing $1,225.