The wildest, wackiest tech gadgets of the year

It’s that time of year again—time to pay homage to the wackiest, most wonderful tech gadgets around. As you might know by now, I’m a huge fan of “unique” gifts. Lucky for all of us who appreciate the stranger things (and the Stranger Things) this year, the cup runneth over. So, off we go.

Kuri-ous?

If you’ve been jonesing for a robot since the early Jetson days, Kuri ($799) delivers big time on cute and quirky, minus the ability to wash the windows and clean up after Astro. Kuri’s a robotic home companion that wanders around the house shooting short videos to send to you while you’re away, so that you never miss a moment. Go ahead and chat her up. She talks back— in endearing beeps and chirps—and the occasional purr. You can also access her remotely to play music and podcasts. Or to just scare the heck out of your cat or kids. I mean, c’mon, you know that’s fun.

Going full circle

This one looks like a mini-Kuri. Or a cyclops cyborg eyeball. The newest Samsung Gear 360 camera ($229.99) captures whatever is happening in 360 degrees of 4K high definition. This is the camera to bring when you are jumping out of a plane or doing anything similarly wild. Just hold it and let it record the moment. Or broadcast live to Facebook or even Gear VR. It’s light and easy to hold or you can pop it into a tripod and let it capture crowd or event footage.