ASUS ROG NeoCore Wi-Fi 8 Router Concept Brings Dungeons And Dragons Vibes

ASUS ROG NeoCore Wi-Fi 8 Router Concept Brings Dungeons And Dragons Vibes
Forget for a moment that ASUS is already embracing the Wi-Fi 8 standard when the vast majority of consumers have yet to upgrade their home networks to Wi-Fi 7 hardware, let alone Wi-Fi 6E or even Wi-Fi 6. The real story here is the design of ASUS ROG’s NeoCore Wi-Fi 8 router concept—is it just me or does it look it could be rolled like a D20

[$] LWN.net Weekly Edition for January 8, 2026

Inside this week’s LWN.net Weekly Edition:

  • Front: What to expect in 2026; LAVD scheduler; libpathrs; Questions for the TAB; Graphite; 2025 timeline.
  • Briefs: shadow-utils 4.19.0; Android releases; IPFire 2.29-199; Manjaro 26.0; curl strcpy(); GNU ddrescue 1.30; Ruby 4.0; Partial GPL ruling; Quotes; …
  • Announcements: Newsletters, conferences, security updates, patches, and more.

Mondraker’s ‘playful’ entry-level Scree gets latest Bosch motor and 130mm of travel

Mondraker has revealed the Scree, an all-aluminium trail bike that promises to open the door to the ebike world for new riders as well as those transitioning from non-assisted bikes.

The electric mountain bike features an all-aluminium frame, which has sleek welds that make it look almost monocoque.

It’s powered by a Bosch Performance CX Gen 5 motor with 100Nm of torque, and removable 800Wh and 600Wh batteries.

While the bike is designed for trail riding, with 130mm rear suspension, the 150mm fork up front shows all-mountain ambition.

There are four build options, starting at £4,999 / $5,999 / €5,199 for the Scree S 600 and topping out at £6,599 / $8,199 / €6,999 for the Scree RR.

All-alloy frame

Mondraker Scree rear suspension
The updated Zero Suspension System lowers the bike’s centre of gravity. Mondraker

Mondraker says the Scree borrows from its enduro models, with the bike featuring its updated Zero Suspension System that sees the rear shock placed low in the frame, dissecting the seat tube.

The brand says it inherits performance from the Crafty, while packaging it in a more playful format for assisted newcomers.

Mondraker Scree Kiosk 400
All models feature the Kiosk 400 display. Mondraker

It has 20mm less travel than the carbon bike, 130mm compared to 150mm in the frame, and 10mm less up front.

The frame is made from the brand’s premium Stealth Evo aluminium, and has a purposely low standover height for more confidence on the trails.

Mondraker Scree Bosch Performance Line CX
The Bosch Performance Line CX is a benchmark motor. Mondraker

Driving the bike is Bosch’s Performance CX Gen 5, which now has the full 100Nm of torque, and is controlled via a Kiox 400 display on the top tube and mini remote on the bar.

Mondraker Scree battery
A hex key is needed to drop the battery. Mondraker

The battery is removable and is accessed via a latch on the down tube, making it easy to swap should you plan on some epic days.

There are two battery options for the bike, with the Scree S 600 featuring a 600Wh battery and the Scree S, Scree R and Scree RR using the 800Wh battery.

Mondraker Scree on mountain trail
The Scree has a low standover height, which should benefit smaller riders. Mondraker

Cable routing is through ports on the head tube, meaning maintenance should involve less hassle, while there’s a soft plastic chain protector, mudguard and sump protector to keep things running quietly.

Mondraker Scree S 600 price and spec

Mondraker Scree S 600
The Scree S 600 is the cheapest in the range. Mondraker
  • Fork: RockShox Psylo Silver 29, 150mm
  • Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select DebonAir
  • Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
  • Battery: Bosch PowerTube 600Wh
  • Drivetrain: SRAM 70 Eagle
  • Brakes: SRAM DB6
  • Wheels: WTB Sportterra Tough
  • Tyres: Maxxis Dissector 29×2.6in
  • Price:  £4,999 / $5,999 / €5,199

Mondraker Scree S price and spec

Mondraker Scree S
The Scree S is the first in the range to feature an 800Wh battery. Mondraker
  • Fork: RockShox Psylo Silver 29, 150mm
  • Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select DebonAir
  • Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
  • Battery: Bosch PowerTube 800Wh
  • Drivetrain: SRAM 70 Eagle
  • Brakes: SRAM DB6
  • Wheels: WTB Sportterra Tough
  • Tyres: Maxxis Dissector 29×2.6in
  • Price: £5,399 / $6,399 / €5,499

Mondraker Scree R price and spec

Mondraker Scree R
With Fox suspension, the Scree R looks to be a great build. Mondraker
  • Fork: Fox 36 29 Float Rhythm, 150mm
  • Shock: Fox Float Rhythm EVOL
  • Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
  • Battery: Bosch PowerTube 800Wh
  • Drivetrain: SRAM 70 Eagle
  • Brakes: SRAM DB6
  • Wheels: e*thirteen Grappler Core
  • Tyres: Maxxis Dissector 29×2.6in
  • Price: £5,799 / $7,199 / €5,999

Mondraker Scree RR price and spec

Mondraker Scree RR
The Scree RR is the top-of-the-range model. Mondraker
  • Fork: Fox 36 29 Float GRIPX2 Factory Kashima, 150mm
  • Shock: Fox Float Factory Kashima EVOL
  • Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
  • Battery: Bosch PowerTube 800Wh
  • Drivetrain: SRAM S1000 Eagle AXS T-Type
  • Brakes: SRAM DB8
  • Wheels: e*thirteen Grappler Core
  • Tyres: Maxxis Dissector 29×2.6in
  • Price: £6,599 / $8,199 / €6,999

Trump withdraws US from world’s most important climate treaty

Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the US from the world’s most important climate treaty, as well as from dozens of other international organizations, as the president intensifies efforts to upend decades of global cooperation tackling rising temperatures.

In a presidential memorandum issued on Wednesday evening, Trump said the US would withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and 65 additional UN and other multilateral groups, mostly linked to the environment, renewable energy, development, education, and the promotion of democracy and human rights.

They include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global body of climate scientists, the International Trade Centre, the UN Population Fund, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Read full article

Comments

Disney+ To Add Vertical Videos In Push To Boost Daily Engagement

Disney+, which is looking to catch up with some streaming and digital rivals in terms of daily engagement, is adding vertical videos to the service. From a report: The arrival of the new format later this year was one of several advertising-oriented announcements the company made Wednesday at its Tech + Data Showcase at CES in Las Vegas. Other new offerings include a new “brand impact” metric and a new video generation tool that helps advertisers create high-quality connected-TV-ready commercials using existing assets and guidelines.

[…] In an interview prior to the Wednesday showcase, Erin Teague, EVP of Product Management for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, said “everything’s on the table” in terms of how vertical video is delivered on Disney+. It could be original short-form programming, repurposed social clips, refashioned scenes from longer-form episodic or feature titles or a combination. “We’re obviously thinking about integrating vertical video in ways that are native to core user behaviors,” Teague said. “So, it won’t be a kind of a disjointed, random experience.”


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Your Smartwatch Actually Has No Idea How ‘Stressed’ You Are

Garmin displays a real-time stress level from 0 to 100. Oura calculates “daytime stress” and resilience metrics. For Whoop, it’s the stress monitor; for Fitbit, a “stress management score.” However it’s branded, some version of a “stress score” has become ubiquitous across smartwatches and wearables. This number is marketed as a window into our internal emotional state, turned into quantified proof of how our day is really going. The only issue: these numbers aren’t all that accurate.

What your “stress score” actually tells you

The scores lighting up our wrists aren’t measuring what most of us think they’re measuring. When you check your smartwatch and see that your stress level spiked, you might assume the device somehow detected your anxiety about some direct stimulus, like a difficult conversation or frustrating traffic. But that’s not totally accurate.

Sure, your watch might have detected physiological arousal—changes in your heart rate variability, skin conductance, or movement patterns. And while those signals do tell us something real about the nervous system, they don’t really tell us about stress in the psychological sense you actually care about.

“Part of the discrepancy can be explained by different definitions of how stress is conceptualized,” says Eiko Fried, who co-authored a 2025 study that found smartwatch stress measures did not align with self-reported stress scores for most individuals. The way most people understand the term “stressed”—as in “I was really stressed today!“—isn’t the way Garmin defines its stress score, which measures physiological stress. So, your watch is not necessarily telling you how stressed you feel, just how your nervous system is behaving. “Such elevated activity can come from various sources,” says Fried, “including many we would not typically consider a stressful experience.”

Physiological arousal shows up in response to all kinds of experiences that have nothing to do with distress. “What most smartwatches call a ‘stress score’ isn’t stress itself,” says Erwin van den Burg, a physiologist who specializes in the biology of stress. “It’s usually based on indirect physiological signals like heart rate variability, skin conductance, or movement patterns. Those signals tell us something about arousal in the nervous system, but arousal can come from many sources—physical activity, excitement, caffeine, poor sleep, illness, or emotional engagement—not just psychological stress.”

The oversimplification becomes even more problematic when we consider that most stress algorithms fail to account for sex-specific physiology, particularly the menstrual cycle. Because hormonal fluctuations can meaningfully alter heart rate, heart rate variability, and temperature, “a perfectly healthy physiological shift can be interpreted by a wearable as ‘high stress,'” says Emile Radyte, CEO at Samphire Neuroscience. This means women are more likely to receive misleading stress alerts for standard human biology, which can be confusing at best and anxiety-provoking at worst.

Can you trust your “stress score” at all?

Even setting aside the definition problem and the sex-bias issue, there’s a basic question of measurement accuracy.

“When you have problems with your heart, your cardiologist may ask you to wear a chest-worn device for a few days to monitor your heart rate and heart rate variability. This is a highly accurate medical-grade device,” Fried says. “Your doctor will not ask you to wear a smartwatch, because there are many issues that make wrist-worn measurement less reliable. This affects in particular heart rate variability, for which we need highly accurate measurements.”

Heart rate variability is the cornerstone of most smartwatch stress scores, yet wrist-worn devices struggle to measure it with the precision required for medical-grade insights. The data isn’t worthless, but it’s noisy, and building definitive claims about internal states on top of noisy data is, well…scientifically dubious.

So is your wearable useless? Of course not. My critique here isn’t that wearables have no value—it’s just that the value they provide is being misrepresented. Your smartwatch’s “stress score” claims to tell you far more than the science really supports. And in some cases, a less-than-ideal score may even increase stress, rather than help people understand what their body is responding to. The great irony of the wellness industry persists.

The bottom line

The way you think about “stress” doesn’t translate to a single biological state, let alone one that can be captured by number or “score.” Your watch simply detects signs of arousal in your nervous system, which could mean almost anything.

This distinction doesn’t make the data useless, but it should make you a more informed consumer. It’d be nice if companies could stop using the word “stress” for what they’re actually measuring—perhaps “physiological arousal” or “autonomic nervous system activity,” which would be more accurate, but less marketable, so I’m not holding my breath. (Although, if I did, I’m sure my stress score would skyrocket.)

A device marketed to help you manage stress may actually create more of it by generating anxiety-inducing alerts about normal physiological variation that it misinterprets as distress. The sooner we’re honest about that gap, the sooner these devices can actually help us, rather than selling us a quantified illusion of self-knowledge they don’t really have.

Nintendo reveals its first Switch 2 Joy-Con color variant

Nintendo has unveiled the first color variants for the Switch 2 Joy-Cons in light purple and light green, set to arrive on February 12 alongside Mario Tennis Fever. The new controllers are now on pre-order for $100 and include matching wrist-straps. 

Other than the colorway, these are standard Joy-Con 2 controllers with motion controls and HD rumble, along with the C Button for GameChat and the mouse controls for compatible games. However, you may have noticed something weird about them — the colors are on the inner rails, so you’ll barely be able to see them when the Joy-Con 2s are connected to a Switch 2 console, except around the thumbsticks. By contrast, previous Joy-Con color variants covered the entire shell. The new Switch 2 Joy-Con colors also clash with the light blue and orange strips on the inner left and right of the console.

Along with the new Joy-Con 2 controllers, Nintendo released a lengthy game-play video for Mario Tennis Fever, also set to arrive on February 12th. It details some of the key gameplay features, like “fever shots,” the ice racket and moves like slides and dives. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-reveals-its-first-switch-2-joy-con-color-variant-142725414.html?src=rss

Endura ‘leaving Scotland’ amid employees reporting redundancies

Several Endura employees have said they are leaving their jobs or facing redundancy because the cycling clothing brand is relocating from its home in Scotland. 

The change of location and redundancies follow two consecutive losses posted by Endura since 2023.

Endura was bought in 2018 by Pentland Group, which is the majority shareholder of JD Sports and also owns Berghaus and Speedo, among other clothing brands.

Pentland Group said the changes at Endura are part of the company making changes to its marketing, product and finance operations. It said changes are also taking place at Berghaus, which recently reported a seventh consecutive year of losses.

“The changes will see the Berghaus and Endura brands move to a more streamlined product process, designed to deliver innovative products to market faster and more efficiently. Marketing capability will also be expanded in key international markets, building on the recent growth in both brands,” Petland Group said in a statement released today.

“As part of this evolution, Pentland Brands has begun consultation with a number of employees across its UK offices, with some roles proposed to relocate to its new London Hub in Farringdon. The Hub brings creative, brand, digital and commercial expertise closer together, enabling greater collaboration and agility in brand building.”

Pete Newton has been Endura’s design manager for seven years. He revealed in a LinkedIn post last week that he is leaving the company.

“Big changes ahead for the Endura next year with a total relocation of the brand, so it is with sadness that I’ve a confirmed leaving date [at] the beginning of April,” Newton wrote

“The options available just weren’t workable so I’m bowing out – a tough decision but the right one for me.” 

Katrin McDonald, who has worked at Endura since 2011, also revealed she is leaving the Livingston-based company. 

“After nearly 15 years at Endura, I’m now facing redundancy. While it’s never easy to close a chapter, I’m hugely grateful for the journey I’ve had,” McDonald said on LinkedIn. 

Marketing manager Martin Steele took to LinkedIn to say he is leaving Endura: “With Endura leaving Scotland, it’s time for me to leave Endura and take the next step in my career. I’ll be with the team for the next few months, so I’m officially looking for new opportunities from April onwards.” 

Product manager Peter Dunn posted: “Like many others, my time at Endura is coming to an end, as my role is at risk of redundancy.” 

The redundancies and news of the brand’s relocation follow two tricky years for Endura. Three months ago, the company posted a £4.7m loss, following a loss of £14m between January 2023 and February 2024. 

Andrew Long, the company director of cycling clothing, helmets and accessories, said the consecutive years of losses were due to a “continuation from prior years of challenging market conditions within the UK and cycling industry as a whole”. 

Long previously said the loss of £14m in 2024 was due to a “large reduction in sales”, primarily in the UK, which reflected the tough conditions throughout the cycling market. Endura’s sales dropped from £40.8m in 2023 to £28.5m in 2024, while gross profit fell from £18.8m to £3.7m. 

Despite the financial difficulties, Chirag Patel, CEO of Pentland Brands, said Endura is “performing well” and is expected to return to growth.

Patel said: “We know these proposals will be difficult for some of our colleagues, and we’re committed to supporting everyone through this period. At the same time, these changes are about investing in the long term success of our brands. Building the right capabilities, in the right places, to strengthen our competitiveness and continue our growth internationally.”

Pentland Group said consultation is ongoing and further updates will be shared when appropriate.

NVIDIA Reportedly Wants China To Pay 100% Upfront For Millions Of H200 AI Chips

NVIDIA Reportedly Wants China To Pay 100% Upfront For Millions Of H200 AI Chips
After coming to a revised royalty rate agreement with the U.S. government, NVIDIA has orders from China for more than 2 million H200 AI chips at around $27,000 each, but will only ship the orders if they are paid in full upfront, Reuters reports. Citing two people who have purportedly been briefed on the matter, the outlet says NVIDIA’s requirement

Apple AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale at a record low price

The AirPods Pro 3 are on sale and back at their record low price of $200. This is marked down from $250, a hefty 20 percent discount. This model was just released in September of last year, so consider this a substantial discount for such a recent product.

We gave these AirPods a score of 90 out of 100 in our review and we consider them the best wireless earbuds for iPhone users. The third generation model is a substantial update to an already impressive product, bringing new features like live translation to the table.

The AirPods Pro 3 also offer heart-rate tracking, allowing them to stream live data to Apple Fitness and other third-party workout apps. This lets you track your fitness and close activity rings similarly to when using an Apple Watch.

Apple also improved the sound quality of this generation thanks in large part to a redesigned acoustic architecture that improves how air is delivered into the ear canal. Additionally, the company changed the angle of the drivers to help more sound get where it needs to go instead of bouncing off the sides of your ear. We felt the jump in audio quality from the last generation to this one was substantial.

The ANC on the AirPods Pro 3 has also been improved. Apple claims this model filters out twice as much noise as the AirPods Pro 2 and four times as much as the original AirPods Pro. We found the noise cancellation to be top-notch.

Live Translation is as neat as it sounds, leveraging the AirPods’ noise cancellation tech, Apple’s AI and beamforming mics to help you understand a speaker in a different language. Right now, this is limited to a handful of languages with more being added over time.

It’s not often you see one of Apple’s best and most recent products on sale for 20 percent off, so if you’re in the market for an upgrade or your first set of AirPods, consider taking advantage of this deal.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-airpods-pro-3-are-back-on-sale-at-a-record-low-price-140752004.html?src=rss

Former Google CEO plans to singlehandedly fund a Hubble telescope replacement

Prior to World War II the vast majority of telescopes built around the world were funded by wealthy people with an interest in the heavens above.

However, after the war, two significant developments in the mid-20th century caused the burden of funding large astronomical instruments to largely shift to the government and academic institutions. First, as mirrors became larger and larger to see deeper into the universe, their costs grew exponentially. And then, with the advent of spaceflight, the expense of space-based telescopes expanded even further.

But now the tide may be turning again.

Read full article

Comments

LEGO Says Smart Brick Won’t Replace Traditional Play After CES Backlash

LEGO has responded to concerns that its newly announced Smart Brick technology represents a departure from the company’s foundation in physical, non-digital play, a day after the official reveal at CES drew criticism from child development advocates. Federico Begher, SVP of Product, New Business, told IGN the sensor-packed bricks are “an addition, a complementary evolution” and emphasized that the company would “still very much nurture and innovate and keep doing our core experience.”

A BBC News report on the CES announcement noted “unease” among “play experts” at the unveiling. Josh Golin, executive director of children’s wellbeing group Fairplay, said he believed Smart Bricks could “undermine what was once great about Lego” and curtail imagination during play. Begher compared the rollout to the Minifigure’s gradual introduction decades ago. The Smart Brick launches in March in Star Wars sets including an X-Wing that produces engine sounds based on movement. The technology is screen-free and physical, Begher said, drawing on learnings from previous projects like Super Mario figures where “some of the levels were very prescriptive.”


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

ChatGPT falls to new data-pilfering attack as a vicious cycle in AI continues

There’s a well-worn pattern in the development of AI chatbots. Researchers discover a vulnerability and exploit it to do something bad. The platform introduces a guardrail that stops the attack from working. Then, researchers devise a simple tweak that once again imperils chatbot users.

The reason more often than not is that AI is so inherently designed to comply with user requests that the guardrails are reactive and ad hoc, meaning they are built to foreclose a specific attack technique rather than the broader class of vulnerabilities that make it possible. It’s tantamount to putting a new highway guardrail in place in response to a recent crash of a compact car but failing to safeguard larger types of vehicles.

Enter ZombieAgent, son of ShadowLeak

One of the latest examples is a vulnerability recently discovered in ChatGPT. It allowed researchers at Radware to surreptitiously exfiltrate a user’s private information. Their attack also allowed for the data to be sent directly from ChatGPT servers, a capability that gave it additional stealth, since there were no signs of breach on user machines, many of which are inside protected enterprises. Further, the exploit planted entries in the long-term memory that the AI assistant stores for the targeted user, giving it persistence.

Read full article

Comments

The Meta Quest Pro Is Over $300 Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The Meta Quest Pro launched as Meta’s vision of what high-end virtual and mixed reality could look like without dragging a gaming PC into the equation. At $679.99 on Woot, it’s now $320 off its original $999 price and still more than $100 cheaper than Amazon at the time of writing. This deal runs for six days or until it sells out, with free standard shipping for Prime members and a $6 fee for everyone else. This headset won PCMag’s Best VR Headset award in 2022, and while it’s no longer the newest thing Meta sells, it’s still positioned well above entry-level VR in both build and capability.

What you’re really paying for here is comfort and hardware that doesn’t feel compromised. The Quest Pro uses a balanced halo-style strap with the battery placed at the back, which spreads the weight more evenly than front-heavy headsets. That makes longer sessions more tolerable, though “long” is relative—the battery lasts around two hours, which can feel limiting if you’re deep into work or creative apps. Inside, you get a Snapdragon XR2+ chip, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, which is generous for a standalone headset. The displays push 1,920 by 1,800 pixels per eye, with better contrast and richer colors thanks to local dimming. In practice, this means sharper text, deeper blacks, and fewer washed-out scenes compared to older Quest models, especially in mixed-reality apps where clarity matters.

The controllers are another quiet upgrade. Meta removed the tracking rings and gave each controller its own cameras, so tracking doesn’t depend on where your headset is pointing. That pays off in tasks like 3D sculpting, painting, or precision-heavy productivity apps, where hand movement feels steadier and more predictable. Eye and face tracking also come built in, which lets avatars mirror your expressions in supported apps. It’s impressive, but not essential for everyone. One downside, according to this PCMag review, is immersion: The default open-style face interface lets in light from the sides, and full isolation requires an optional light blocker that costs extra. Still, if you’re after a premium standalone headset with solid future-proofing, this is the lowest price the Quest Pro has seen, and a compelling offer while it lasts.


Deals are selected by our commerce team

CES 2026 Day 2: All of the coolest tech we saw on the show floor during the second day

CES 2026’s second day was all about hands on time with new tech. From Lego’s most ambitious play experiment yet to assistive mobility tech, smart home ideas that actually feel affordable and robots that might one day fold your laundry, here’s what stood out most on January 7.

Lego Smart Play

Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke's Red Five X-Wing
Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

LEGO’s new Smart Play system feels far more compelling in person than it did on stage. The Smart Brick, combined with Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures, responds dynamically to movement, proximity and context, triggering sounds and interactions without screens or apps. Seeing kids physically act out Star Wars battles while the bricks reacted in real time made it clear this is designed first and foremost for active social play, not digital distraction.

WheelMove

A man sits in a manual wheelchair with an add-on attached that gives it a large central front wheel and raises the casters off the ground
A man sits in a manual wheelchair with an add-on attached that gives it a large central front wheel and raises the casters off the ground
Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget

WheelMove’s motorized wheelchair attachment is compact, surprisingly quick to install and genuinely empowering in action. The add-on lifts a chair’s front wheels and adds powered assistance, making grass, cobblestones and slopes far easier to navigate. After seeing it demonstrated on uneven surfaces, it’s easy to imagine this opening up spaces that would otherwise be exhausting or inaccessible for manual wheelchair users.

Throne

Image of the Throne Toilet Computer perched on the side of a toilet.
Image of the Throne Toilet Computer perched on the side of a toilet.
Daniel Cooper for Engadget

Throne’s toilet-mounted health tracker is exactly as strange as it sounds, but it’s also thoughtfully designed. Using computer vision to analyze bowel movements and urination, the device aims to establish a personal baseline and flag changes over time, with gut health and GLP-1 users firmly in mind. It’s too early to judge accuracy, but seeing it in person made it feel less gimmicky and more like a niche wellness tool worth testing.

IKEA smart home gear

The popular VARMBLIXT donut lamp is now smart.
The popular VARMBLIXT donut lamp is now smart.
Amy Skorheim for Engadget

IKEA’s first CES appearance leaned heavily into what it does best: simple, affordable design. The new Matter-compatible smart home range includes bulbs, plugs, remotes and sensors priced low enough to make smart homes feel accessible again. Standouts like the magnetically mounted BILREA remote and playful TEKLAN lamps showed that IKEA hasn’t sacrificed charm in its push toward interoperability.

SwitchBot

Switchbot's Onero H1.
Switchbot’s Onero H1.
Karissa Bell for Engadget

SwitchBot’s Onero H1 was one of the most intriguing robots on the show floor because it’s meant to ship this year. The wheeled humanoid robot uses articulated arms and onboard AI to perform household chores, like loading a washing machine, albeit at a deliberate pace. Watching it work made the case that speed matters less than reliability when a robot can handle tasks while you’re not home.

Eyebot vision testing

Image of the Eyebot Kiosk
Image of the Eyebot Kiosk
Daniel Cooper for Engadget

Eyebot’s self-service vision testing kiosk turns a 20-minute optometrist visit into a process that takes just a few minutes. The test is guided by a large touchscreen and reviewed remotely by a licensed eye doctor, striking a balance between automation and oversight. After comparing results with a recent traditional exam, the accuracy felt reassuring, even if it doesn’t replace full eye health screenings.

Dephy Sidekick sneakers

Dephy's Sidekick, which the company describes as "footwear."
Dephy’s Sidekick, which the company describes as “footwear.”
Karissa Bell for Engadget

Dephy’s Sidekick robotic sneakers deliver a subtle but noticeable boost with each step. The ankle-mounted exoskeleton adapts to your gait, and walking with it feels bouncy rather than overpowering, especially at lower assist levels. It’s not for everyone, but after hours on the CES floor, the idea of powered help for people with limited mobility started to make a lot of sense.

Klipsch headphones

Klipsch Atlas HP-1
Klipsch Atlas HP-1
Billy Steele for Engadget

Klipsch’s return to headphones starts strong with the Atlas HP-1. The wireless ANC model looks premium, borrows familiar design cues and delivers the brand’s warm, balanced sound in early demos. Pricing is still unknown, but based on build quality and audio alone, these feel positioned firmly at the high end.

Clear Drop

The Clear Drop soft plastics compactor next to a pile of the bricks it produces.
The Clear Drop soft plastics compactor next to a pile of the bricks it produces.
Amy Skorheim for Engadget

Clear Drop’s home plastic compactor tackles a real recycling problem most households face. The machine takes bags and wraps them into dense bricks that can be shipped to partner recycling facilities, and watching it swallow soft plastics was oddly satisfying. It’s expensive and not perfect, but it’s one of the more practical attempts at dealing with waste outside municipal systems.

Nosh cooking robot

Nosh
Nosh
Daniel Cooper for Engadget

Nosh is an AI cooking robot designed for low-effort, sauce-heavy meals like soups, curries and pasta. Multiple ingredient trays allow you to prep meals ahead of time, then slide them in when you’re ready to eat. It’s not replacing real cooking anytime soon, but as an alternative to microwaved meals, it’s more appealing than expected.

Day two leaned heavily toward tech you could physically interact with, whether that meant flying Lego ships through the air, watching a robot load laundry or testing a vision exam in a kiosk. With more show-floor time still ahead, we’ll be back with additional hands-ons, impressions and daily recaps as CES 2026 continues.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ces-2026-day-2-all-of-the-coolest-tech-we-saw-on-the-show-floor-during-the-second-day-134608348.html?src=rss

The weirdest tech we’ve seen at CES 2026 so far

CES is famous for ushering in big TVs, faster chips and serious upgrades to the tech we already use every day. It’s also where companies feel emboldened to ask some very strange questions, like whether your toilet should analyze your poop or your nails should change color on command. From experimental laptops to health tech that probably didn’t need a camera, these are the weirdest gadgets we spotted at CES 2026.

Throne toilet computer

Image of the Throne Toilet Computer perched on the side of a toilet.
The Throne device perched on the side of a toilet.
Daniel Cooper for Engadget

Throne is a toilet-mounted computer that uses cameras and microphones to analyze your bowel movements, which is a sentence we did not expect to type this week. Designed to establish a personal “baseline” for your bathroom habits, it aims to flag changes that could indicate digestive or metabolic issues, including for people on GLP-1 drugs. We can’t speak to its effectiveness yet… but if knowledge is power, this thing might know way too much.

Vivoo Hygienic FlowPad smart menstrual pad

Image of Vivoo's FlowPad
Vivoo’s FlowPad
Vivoo

Vivoo looked at at-home health tracking and decided the bathroom was still underutilized. Alongside its clip-on smart toilet that analyzes your hydration by literally monitoring your pee, the company also unveiled a menstrual pad infused with microfluidics that can track fertility and hormone markers once you scan it with your phone. It’s a bold reminder that CES 2026 is fully committed to quantifying everything — even the stuff we’d rather not discuss over brunch.

Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable

While it normally has a 16-inch display, the Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable concept's screen can expand up to 23.8 inches across.
While it normally has a 16-inch display, the Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable concept’s screen can expand up to 23.8 inches across.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Lenovo’s Legion Pro Rollable is what happens when a gaming laptop decides it wants to be a widescreen monitor mid-match. Its 16-inch display can physically expand sideways into ultra-wide formats, turning flight sims and racing games into full cockpit experiences at the press of a couple of keys. It’s impractical, faintly ridiculous and absolutely the kind of CES concept we hope survives long enough to escape the demo floor.

Lenovo ThinkBook XD Rollable

With its XD Rollable concept, Lenovo took the Thinkbook Plus Gen 6's basic design and made it even more futuristic by allowing its flexible display to wrap around onto its lid.
With its XD Rollable concept, Lenovo took the Thinkbook Plus Gen 6’s basic design and made it even more futuristic by allowing its flexible display to wrap around onto its lid.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget

If the Legion Pro Rollable is excessive, the ThinkBook XD Rollable is philosophically confusing. Its flexible display doesn’t just grow taller, it wraps over the lid to create a “world-facing” screen for people sitting across from you, which feels either futuristic or deeply unnecessary depending on your mood and situation (maybe this is the perfect device for hotel check-ins and other points of sale?). Still, it’s a gorgeous piece of hardware theater and proof Lenovo is determined to roll screens onto every surface it can reach.

OhDoki Handy 2 Pro

Image of The Handy 2 and Handy 2 Pro
Image of The Handy 2 and Handy 2 Pro
Daniel Cooper for Engadget

OhDoki’s Handy 2 Pro arrived at CES with one clear message: more power, fewer limits and absolutely no chill. The upgraded sex toy model cranks battery life up to five hours and unlocks a Turbo mode so aggressive it was described as “overclocked,” which is not a term we expected to hear in this category. It can also charge your phone, because apparently even pleasure tech needs to justify itself with productivity.

iPolish

iPolish
iPolish
Daniel Cooper for Engadget

iPolish finally made Total Recall nail tech real, minus the dystopia and Schwarzenegger. These press-on acrylic nails use an electric charge to switch between hundreds of colors in seconds, letting you change your manicure as often as your outfit. It’s delightfully impractical, surprisingly affordable and the most convincing argument yet for treating your nails like a customizable display.

Hisense S6 FollowMe display

Hisense S6 FollowMe display
Hisense S6 FollowMe display
Hisense

Hisense’s FollowMe display is a screen that physically follows you around the room — which no one really asked for, but CES happily delivered anyway. Designed to reposition itself automatically so content stays in view, it feels like the logical endpoint of smart TVs becoming increasingly clingy. We haven’t seen it in action yet, but the idea of a display that refuses to be ignored is deeply on brand for 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-weirdest-tech-weve-seen-at-ces-2026-so-far-134056504.html?src=rss