Five crazy new gadgets from day one of CES

Every January, tech companies descend on the halls of Las Vegas to showcase their wares for the coming year. It's a blizzard of tellies and tablets, smartphones and headphones, and everyone who's anyone in tech will be there (apart from Apple, because they're like that).

In amongst the predictable stuff, however, there is always a whole host of wonderfully off-beat ideas. Some of these may be the next big thing; many will sink without trace. We're going to bring you as many of them as we can find this week - you decide which is which.

The Trewgrip tablet keyboard

Trouble typing on your touchscreen? Step forward, the Trewgrip. It's a mobile keyboard that takes the traditional QWERTY layout, rips it in half and rotates it to sit BEHIND your tablet, out of sight while you're looking at the screen. The idea is your fingers will fall into the right place to touch type, and before long you won't need to look at it at all.

It works with Android or iOS devices via Bluetooth, and Trewgrip says it will take 10 hours for you to get used to it. If successful, the device will go on sale at the end of the year for $250-$350 (£150-£210).

We think: Can see where they're coming from - potentially useful on the sofa or the train. But it's big, clunky, and costs more than a Nexus 7 tablet on its own.

The Sphero 2B robot toy
Made by robotics firm Orbotix, the Sphero 2B is a surprisingly cute, non-spherical robot toy, with rugged tyres and a motor that can propel it at speeds of 14 feet per second. Controlled by smartphone, it can do jumps and tricks and works with a number of augmented-reality app games. Future versions promise infra-red technology for multiplayer games, and promises to let players experiment with their own programming. It'll be on sale - at least in the US - by the autumn.

We think: Really hoping we'll have one of these to whizz around the house by Christmas 2014, scaring the cat and knocking over glasses of sherry.

The Kolibree 'smart' Toothbrush
Yes, that's right, a toothbrush. The Kolibree is an electric toothbrush which tracks your brushing with an app and highlights areas you might be missing. The founder and inventor, Thomas Serval, came up with the idea after his daughter developed gum disease. He says he 'wanted to gamify the experience of brushing your teeth'.

Hence there are points, badges and awards to be 'won' in brushing your teeth with the Kolibree. And of course, it connects to your phone using Bluetooth.

We think: It claims to be able to tailor its advice to your skin type, which was our initial big concern. While it might come across like a vain accessory, it's actually the most useful gadget on this list and we wouldn't be surprised to see other wearable tech incorporating this kind of information very soon - otherwise you'll be wearing six or seven different smart wristbands.