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The Strangest Smart Home Gadgets of 2017

Maybe everything doesn’t need to be included in the Internet of Things

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A look back at some of the bolder technology that 2017 brought us.

A look back at some of the bolder technology that 2017 brought us.

The rapid advancement of technology has improved lives immeasurably, from connecting far-flung people across the globe to providing comfort and convenience in everyday activities.

We’re taking a look at a few of the stranger tech things that 2017 brought us.

Cubiio

What a glorious sci-fi future is ours—you can now own a laser. Cubiio, the world’s most compact personal laser engraver, is a petite box with the ability to burn whatever you design onto wood, leather, paper and a number of other surfaces. Via the Cubiio app, users can have the device replicate a drawing—or a photo—on the surface of their choosing with laser precision. Perfect for all those times you’ve look at your furniture and thought, "You know what? That would look better with my face on it."

The Cubiio is available for pre-order for $499 to $899, depending on perks, with estimated delivery in April or June 2018.

Pause Pod

Self-care is important. Everyone deserves the opportunity to take a break from the world and focus on themselves, if even for only a few brief moments. If such solitary self-reflection is impossible in your home, perhaps it’s worth investing in a Pause Pod. The "world’s first private pop-up space" (read: one-person tent) is an easily expandable and enclosable capsule comprised of light-reducing fabric that offers users a break from the stresses of everyday life. And if your self-care requires a more prone position, good news—the portable Pause Pod is equipped with an extendable leg sleeve allowing users to lie down.

The Pause Pod is available for $99 with estimated delivery in January 2018.

CHiP

Finally, humanity is free from the cruel labor of…*squints, checks notes*…baking cookies? Keurig for cookies, the CHiP smart cookie oven solves the problem that no one ever seemed to have—but it does so in 10 minutes. Promising the perfect cookie in record time via a QuickConvect Air Flow System and intelligent baking, CHiP also offers zero clean-up and the expertise of a team of cookie experts. Yes, CHiP provides proprietary dough delivery (a la carte or by subscription) in smart packaging that is scanned and identified by the smart oven to ensure an optimal bake. Better still, the WiFi-enabled device allows users to send CookieGrams—video or text alerts to friends and family, letting them know the cookies are ready.

The CHiP is available to order online for $129.

Hair Coach

Debuting at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the Hair Coach, a smart brush developed by Nokia and Kerastase, remains one of the year’s weirder devices. The Wi-Fi-enabled brush is equipped with a microphone and sensors that allow it to not only track the quality of your strokes and movement, but the health of your hair. When paired with the Hair Coach app, users receive a Hair Score—as well as a number of data points that would be impossible to digest on a daily basis—and the opportunity to purchase hair products to help address their current mane situation. The great force of technology is directed at the terror of tangles.

Originally aimed for Fall 2017, interested parties are now asked to sign up online for the latest updates on the Hair Coach’s release.

mealhero

Your dystopian food future has arrived with Dutch culinary creation mealhero. Promising a zero-effort cooking solution, mealhero allows users, via an app, to order pre-seasoned ingredients packaged in stackable boxes labeled with RFID tags. Upon arrival, the boxes are scanned and identified on the accompanying mealhero smart steamer and placed inside the device to complete the cooking process. In no time at all—but more importantly with minimal effort—dinner is ready, and all with the aesthetic of meal preparation on a starcraft searching for life in the far reaches of space.

mealhero is currently available (in the Netherlands) for €299 to €1,276 (US$355 to US$1,516), depending on size of order.