The huge tech convention that is Consumer Electronic Show ended on January 8, and the visitors could see some unexpectable innovations at the companies’ stands.

Most of the time, the new technologies displayed at CES are innovative and are either practical or extremely fun to use. But for some of the inventions presented, you may ask yourself what the engineers thought as they worked on their drawing boards. These are some examples;

1.Bluetooth Pregnancy Test

We start with an odd one. The company First Response presented the product thinking that with all the hype around technology these days, future moms would like to be able to take their pregnancy test with their phone. The test looks traditional but it can connect to your cellular device using the magic of bluetooth. The only thing you need to do is download the application to get information and assistance for the next 9 months of gestation. Seems useful but really bizarre too.

2. Wireless Breast Milk Pump

Another one for new moms. This strange breast milk extractor was introduced to the public by Willow to fulfill the demands of the group’s clients who asked for a pump that was hand-free and that didn’t necessitate the user to undress to be used. It works with a simple system of suction with tubes and a 4oz pouch to stock up the milk. Another useful but extremely surprising invention showed at the convention.

3. Vacuum Shoes

These are similar to the robot vacuum. The shoes won a Denso contest for their concept and people have a lot of hope for the project. The mechanism works as you walk, so each time your heel touches the ground, a small lever inside the shoe activates and the pump sucks the crumbs and the dust from your house’s floor. If they are commercialized, they could make our lazy fellows’ exercise while cleaning their home.

4. Kerastase Hair Coach

Do you struggle doing you hair in the morning? Do you worry about its health? If you answered yes to one of these or to both, the Hair Coach from Kerastase, l’Oréal and Withings is for you. Connected to an app on your smartphone, this smart brush can tell you how to do your hair and the dryness, the wetness and the damage in it. Using a microphone, it can detect frizziness in your hair, has a lot of tools and has a useful app. The problem is that it is not for every type of hair. “The brush sensors are not compatible on curly or coarse hair types” says Guive Balooch, vice-president of l’Oréal.

5. Eugene Trash Gadget

It is sometimes tough to know whether you should  throw away or recycle something. With Eugene, it’s no longer a problem. However, this clever only works if your trash has a barcode on it . All this for a extremely low price of 99$. Cheap to sort garbage easily, right?

(Edited by Thomas Lavoie)