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Bear-proof glass, glow-in-the-dark toilet seats, and more weird stuff at IBS 2016

From contractors to architects, designers, and even the guy who plans where gas lines should go, putting a literal roof over your head takes a lot of people. Once a year, representatives of all these groups convene in Las Vegas for the International Builder’s Show, where you can find everything from state-of-the-art appliances and solar arrays to faucets and all the latest styles of bathroom flooring.

KBIS 2016: The Pod House is 432 square feet of high-tech, net zero living

That’s the stuff you expect, anyway. But along the way, we bumped into more than a few oddities that made us stop in our tracks and wonder what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. These are those.

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…
How to map a house with the iRobot Roomba
iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum.

If you’ve got your eye on a new iRobot Roomba robot vacuum, you already know it can sweep or vacuum your whole home. While you can simply push the button to send out the Roomba or even ask your digital assistant to deploy it on a cleaning mission, the real power in a robot vacuum is its smarts. Today, that means enabling and using the smart mapping features.

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Maybe you know already, or maybe you don't, but not all generators are gas-powered. The downside to a gas generator is, besides needing the fuel itself, you can't use them in various configurations. For example, you should never place a gas generator inside. That's super inconvenient in bad weather like the rain or cold. But portable power stations, on the other hand, which utilize electricity, even solar energy, can be placed indoors. They're safe because they're emission-free. They can also replace traditional gas generators to provide backup power for your home, or if you're living off-grid. Plus, it's all in the name. They're portable so you can use them virtually anywhere, like when you're camping, on outdoor adventures, by the pool, in your backyard during a party or barbecue, and much more. They can also be pretty expensive depending on the capacity you need, but deals and discounts go a long way towards making them both more affordable and more accessible. That's precisely why we've gathered up all of the best portable power station deals right here, in one place.

 
Our favorite portable power station deal

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