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CES is full of useless gadgets, but we also found some useful gadgets: for example, the very flexible Linux handheld Mecha Comet. C’t-3003 Also in the video: E-bike battery theft protection, electric salt and a painless laser injection device from Bosch.
Video transcript
(Note: This transcript is for those who cannot or do not wish to watch the video above. The text does not reflect all of the information on the image track.)
Look here, it’s the Mecha Comet, a sweet Linux handheld with open source hardware and pretty solid tech. And it’s my favorite gadget from CES 2025 so far, even though the tech trade fair has just begun. I tried this thing out for you in Vegas and of course I discovered many other strange and sometimes practical gadgets too. You can see them all in the video right here. Stay tuned!
Dear hackers, dear internet surfers, welcome here…
Gadget No. 1: Mecha Comet
Look, that thing looks really nice, doesn’t it? I miss the AI ​​machine Rabbit R1, but the mecha Comet can do a lot more. A completely accessible Linux bus based on Debian runs on it. The Mecha guys then created what I think is a pretty cool UI in Rust, it’s called Mechanics OS, because standard distributions aren’t necessarily designed for hardware in this form factor.
However, a Mecha developer told me that he recently tried installing Kali Linux out of the box and, according to him, it worked immediately. But it’s not easy to use on the 3.4-inch LC touchscreen display with 480×480 pixels.
And while we’re on the subject of specifications: This part depends on the NXP i.MX 8M Mini. It has four ARM Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.8 GHz. It also has 4 GB RAM and 32 GB flash. Of course, it also has WiFi and Bluetooth as well as a built-in sound system. There are two USB Type-A sockets and one with Ethernet. Battery capacity is 3000 mAh.
The two most interesting things are the built-in M.2 slot, connected to PCI-Express 2.0. It takes either an SSD or another M.2 card with an AI accelerator. And then the really cool one: the pogo pin interface down here. You can magnetically click on additional modules, for example a game controller, keyboard or a module with GPIO pins.
This part is compatible with Raspberry Pi HATs, and there are now hundreds of such HATs, i.e. add-ons – including for example mobile communications. You can then use Comet to build a smartphone.
The hardware and software are open source; The team only wants to make money by selling hardware.
Yes, I think this part is really cool because it’s extremely flexible, because you can tinker with it and do a lot of things with it. For example, a mobile game console with an AI assistant like Rabbit R1, but in open source. You can autograph radio accessories with SDR, in CAN or OBD port. A lot can really be done with such a small Linux computer.
I’m really hoping this thing materializes and doesn’t blow any hot air. But I’m pretty confident because I had the Comet in my hands here at CES and this thing looked really great. The only expansion modules were mock-ups and I couldn’t try them yet.
“Firescam”: Infostealer disguises itself as Telegram premium appThe Kickstarter campaign for Mecha Comet is scheduled to launch this quarter. Prices start at $160. It is still unclear when the first devices will be delivered. We will definitely stay tuned and try to test the device on the C’T 3003 as soon as possible.
Gadget No. 2: Kirin Electric Salt Spoon
Yeah, well, this thing definitely gets the title of weirdest CES gadget ever developed by the Japanese Kirin company. You might know their beers. It is believed that this spoon will make food salty with a little electricity.
Yes, excess salt consumption is a health problem all over the world, and with this spoon you can theoretically use less salt without making your food taste less salty.
If you want to get scientific details, There is a link in the descriptionBy the way, the researchers who developed the technology received the humorous Ig Nobel Prize in 2023 for the invention.
Yes, and now you’re probably asking yourself: does it work? Yes, I tried it at CES, so I ate a spoonful of miso soup with the spoon off and then a few times with the electric salt. And yes, once upon a time I had imagined it to taste really salty, but then it didn’t. I found the slight tickling on my tongue unpleasant, especially at the highest of the four levels.
This spoon is already available in Japan at a price equal to 120 euros. It’s still unclear whether it will also come to Europe or not.
Gadget number 3: e-bike battery theft protection from Bosch
Did you know that e-bike battery theft is a big problem? I haven’t done this yet, but it seems somehow logical since the battery is usually the most expensive component of an e-bike. That’s why Bosch has now developed Battery-Lock, a type of battery encryption.
The e-bike is activated only when the battery, motor and the digital key on the app or hardware display match. Yes, and if you put the stolen battery in another e-bike, the Bosch system notices: “Aha, it’s stolen!” And then not only the battery gets locked, but the entire bike gets locked. It’s actually quite clever, and it’s also nice that the function, which will be activated in the summer, is compatible with all e-bikes that have the Bosch Smart System installed from model year 2021 onwards.
Unfortunately, the battery lock function requires a so-called Flow+ subscription, which costs €4.99 per month or €39.99 per year. So subscribe, subscribe, subscribe, nerve, nerve, nerve.
Yes, and of course there are 12,100,000 other gadgets, for example the Flowbeams Boldjet. It’s a syringe without a needle, the Dutch invention allows minimally invasive intradermal injections or, more beautifully, vaccinations or insulin without the ouch. Here laser beam is used instead of needle.
Or here’s the anti-dyslexia monitor from French start-up Lily for Life. They already sell Lily lamps, and both are based on the same technology. The company claims that dyslexics, i.e. people who have difficulty reading, often have two dominant eyes and this causes images to overlap while reading. Pulsed light aims to solve this.
I would say that my neurological expertise is only half good, so I don’t trust myself to make a well-founded assessment. This is definitely interesting.
The multitasking robot Switchbot K20 Plus Pro is also interesting. It can not only vacuum, but also function as a mobile table or mobile camera. This thing is supposed to move different modules back and forth independently.
Also good: Mixed Reality Makeup Studio by Kose from Japan. Projection mapping allows you to see how makeup looks on your face. The whole thing works in real time to some extent, so the system even reacts to changes in facial expressions. It worked well, I think. or what do you say? An infrared camera is used for facial tracking, and then a projector is used to apply makeup.
Phew, yes, and then there was a cordless, smart guitar, the LibreLife C1, which unfortunately sounded terrible, at least to my ears, and which was, in my opinion, incredibly expensive at $500. I don’t know.
Just like this basketball ball machine, which has to throw the ball back to you during training, just like the ball machine in tennis. The part is said to be worth over $1,000. Yes.
Yes, that’s why it’s better to have a mental health friendly robot, of which there was plenty to see at CES. I particularly loved Mirumi from Youkai Engineering. However, it is not available for purchase right now; The crowdfunding campaign will launch in autumn 2025.
Yes, and I’m going to the trade fair again now. Feel free to write in the comments which gadgets you find particularly interesting. This will help us for future videos. And if you subscribe to the channel – yes, of course that helps us too.
goodbye!
Heise Median is the Official Media Partner of CES 2025.
3003 no This is not a YouTube channel. The videos on C’T 3003 are independent content and are independent from the articles in C’T magazine. Editors Jan-Keno Janssen and Lucas Rumpler as well as video producers Sahin Erengil and Pascal Cheve publish a video every week.
(JKJ)
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