From the new Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro series to the Echo Show 8 that just debuted, which features the same familiar form factor but with an evolved home screen, modern tech innovations opt for refining practical usage. While honing in on use-case is helpful, and those small differences add up, there’s rarely conversation surrounding tech that is both useful and wildly creative. Taking a break from the mainstream influx of “tech-tober” hardware, we compiled a list of the best funky tech we’ve seen that’s unique and niche in form-factor and user experience.

Whether you’re looking to shock yourself awake in the morning rather than subtly track with an Oura ring, Apple Watch, or Fitbit, or be the life of the party with a flying disc or nostalgic Kirby synthesizer, it’s safe to say that these weird tech items stand out in a very cookie-cutter market, starting with our ultimate favourite, the Mr.Go glow cube.

Best weird tech: Our top picks

Mr.Go is a weird tech that looks like furniture from the future. It’s a portable cube that emits LED lighting that can be used in home, office, or even outside for decoration purposes. This illuminating weird tech comes in a handheld small 10.16 centimetre version, so you can put it on your nightstand, or, if you need a nightstand, you can buy the 41 centimetre version.

With eight levels of adjustable brightness, Mr.Go can be dimmed to suit the mood. It takes about an hour and a half to charge, with a battery life that varies from 48 hours on its dimmest setting, to eight hours on its brightest. Included is its credit card sized remote control that allows you to switch its four lighting colours with 16 different variations and even features one of four flash modes including a strobing effect.

Mr.Go is also durable and safe. You can throw it in water because of its IP68 rating; you can sit on it due to its strong polymer body and soft edges; it’s heatless, so you can touch it. And if a cube shape seems too normal, Mr. Go also comes in various shapes like an egg, ball, lantern, and rectangle versions.

The TOSY UltraLED is the best weird tech to exercise outside with your friends at 3am in the morning. This isn’t just an ordinary frisbee, its power lies within its game modes and immense lighting capabilities (we’re talking light bulb levels here) using its jam packed 360 LEDs. When you throw it, it looks like a U.F.O that illuminates the surrounding environment.

There are a ton of fun features built in the TOSY UltraLED Flying Disc. If the light is too bright for you, you can adjust it to one of its twelve different brightness settings which include: no light, bright, and extreme. There also includes six different play modes, which makes it useful for following the rules in games like ultimate frisbee; one mode has it where the disc will light up when thrown, and once you catch it, it will blink for 10 (or 7) seconds, replicating a countdown timer for the stall count rule in ultimate frisbee – perfect for later evening games as the days shorten.

The TOSY UltraLED Flying Disc also has a rechargeable battery which is powered by its included USB-C charging cord. Full charges take just 30 minutes, allowing for up to 2,000 throws. The disc has motion detection technology too, so the LEDs will turn off automatically after 10 minutes, saving you some extra battery life.

If alarm clocks, coffee, cold buckets of water, or the IRS knocking on your door won’t wake you up, the Shock Clock 2 will. This weird tech wearable gets you up in the morning with a silent electrical shock (adjustable at strengths from 10 to 100 per cent) sent to your wrist.

Though the Pavlok Shock Clock 2 may be a masochist’s dream, it’s a wake-up call for anyone who wants to maximise their productivity or not disturb anyone with a loud alarm clock. You can adjust the watch to do various combinations of beeping, vibrating, and shocking. The highest shock setting will feel like the relentless thwacking of a snapped back rubber band (and not the large rubber ones, the small thin ones that give that vicious sting). In order to turn the watch off, you’ll either have to do some jumping jacks, solve a puzzle, or go to another room and snap a picture of a QR code.

You can even program the Shock Clock 2 to “help” remind you at certain times throughout the day of your important tasks, like exercise, mediating, or studying. Its dedicated Pavlok app even keeps a record of your sleep tracking by monitoring your sleeping patterns, so you can keep a check on the quality of your sleep. Comes with a 1-year replacement warranty in case you run into any issues.

The Magnetic Man Face Transforming LED Mask has got to be not only the weirdest tech for Halloween, but one of the most creative. The futuristic mask enables you to display hundreds of images (both static and animated) like ethereal ghouls and digital demons as well as custom uploaded images, so you can fully personalise your very own digital mask.

Fitted with 2074 LED bulbs and 2121 RGB lead beads, the battery operated mask gives you up to 10 hours of use to display bright and illuminating images that are customisable with any colour and shape. The one size fits all mould is made with a blend of both strong plastic and latex, includes adjustable straps, and has a lightweight, soft, and breathable interior so you can wear it comfortably all day. Pre-cut eyeholes make it easy to see out of and navigate.

The mask’s Bluetooth app integration includes numerous preloaded effects and images and allows you to switch between masks effortlessly with just a tap. Even cooler, it has built-in gesture sensor controls that allow you to switch between masks by waving your hand in front of it. You can even make your own mask displays through a custom image file, by drawing it, or through text by typing it out.

The eye-catching novium Hoverpen is engineered to be balanced at a 23.5 degree angle so you can withdraw it intuitively by your hand’s natural positioning at your desk. If you don’t want to write, you can twiddle and spin the pen to activate its kinetic motion and watch it twirl around for around 20 seconds.

The body of the novium Hoverpen is designed with a twisting like finish and is crafted out of aircraft-grade aluminum, giving it a sturdy feeling when you write. Its satin-like finish feels soft on the fingers, and when you pull the cap off, you can drop it on its stand to magnetically connect. German engineered Schmidt-ballpoint cartridges makes for smooth writing feeling without spills or blotching.

The pen comes in three styles: an 18K gold-plated model, a basic version with four colours, and the meteorite embedded version.

The Original Toilet Night Light may light the way for those weird nights where you forget where your toilet is, or you just don’t want to disrupt your sleep by turning on the lights. The bathroom light is put directly by your toilet bowl and emits a soothing radiance in nine different colours, so you’ll know exactly where to go – when you need to go.

Both energy efficient and convenient, the light fits to any toilet in under a minute and is equipped with sensors so it knows when to light up. Enough light covers the bathroom area so you’ll know where to step, sit and stand without being overwhelmed with too much brightness. You can even set the light for a colour rotation, so you can have your own mini midnight lightshow with radiant blues, reds, greens, and more.

The compact packaging of The Original Toilet Night Light makes it great to wrap up and give as a gift too.

Music does not have to be a dying artform, and what better way to gain the respect of all your peers than performing a soothing rendition of “Sweet Child of Mine” with the Otamatone Kirby Pink Star Hero Japanese Electronic Musical Instrument? Woo, what a mouthful!

This weird tech musical instrument operates as both a toy and portable synthesiser that can be played in four different ways. You can press its long stem firmly with two fingers to produce single notes; you can slide your fingers down the stem for a smooth transitioning of high to low or low to high notes; you can squeeze its mouth cheeks to create a “wahhh – wahhh” sound effect; and you can shake the stem to make a vibrato.

On the back of the Kirby Otamatone are its operating modes: two volume levels (and an off switch) and three tones adjustable for at low, medium, and high. If you want to practise with your Otamatone without disturbing others, you can lower the volume and play in a lower tone.

The Kirby Otamatone comes in three different sizes: a deluxe large size for advanced players, an original standard size version for beginners, and a mini size for kids that can be worn as a keychain. The Otamatone doesn’t just come in a Kirby version either, but a variety of other cute characters as well as Gudetama, the egg yolk being. The innovative instrument was originally released in Japan in 2009 and even won the Japan Toy Association’s grand prize Japanese Toy Award in 2010.

Bottom line: What makes weird tech any good and what’s the best option to buy?

Weird tech is not so much weird as it is niche, or, unique to a person’s given situation. Some weird tech provides a kind of novelty of funny entertainment like the Otamatone Kirby Pink Star Hero Japanese Electronic Musical Instrument. Other weird tech, like the zapping alarm clock of the Shock Clock 2 or the lighting and various sizes of Mr.Go offers an imaginative approach of unconventional tech that can meet certain tastes or ideas that we otherwise didn’t know were out there.

How we picked the best weird tech

There is a lot of weird technology out there, but the main focus was honing on both variety and functionality. Aside from the weird aspect of these technologies was thought of how they function within normal situations. For instance, it took the abnormality of the Shock Clock 2 to wake myself up and adjust my otherwise abnormal sleep schedule. For others, it might be wanting to create an unforgettable liminal space, like using Mr.Go to light up a certain spot in your home or see where your toilet is with the Original Toilet Light. The goal in mind was to ensure that these functionalities can be useful for anyone, despite the tech being otherwise being weird.