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

By Nick Mokey Published January 22, 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.

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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.

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Nick Mokey

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As Digital Trends’ Editor in Chief, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team covering every gadget under the sun, along with…

Smart Home

Jackery’s new solar panels are indistinguishable from your roof

When you think of solar panels on a home, what's the first thing that comes to mind? In most cases, it's the square, black photovoltaic cells. While those do work, they aren't the most aesthetically pleasing. This is an issue, especially in communities with draconic HOAs. The Jackery Solar Roof offers an attractive alternative that's practically indistinguishable from terracotta roofing tiles.

The Solar Roof has a conversion rate of over 25%. That might not sound like a lot, but the average efficiency rating of solar panels is typically between 15% and 22%, putting Jackery far ahead of the pack. These panels are tougher than a normal roof, too; they're impact and hail resistant and come with a 30-year warranty. That's right, 30 years (and the average lifespan of a normal roof is only 20 years).

Smart Home

This Keurig coffee maker is nearly half-price after a $70 discount

For those who are planning to buy a coffee maker, we highly recommend checking out Keurig deals, especially this one from Amazon: the Keurig K-Classic for only $80, following a limited-time discount of $70 on its regular price of $150. There's no telling how long you've got before you miss out on the savings, so if you're interested in this coffee maker and you want to get it for nearly half-price, you're going to have to complete your transaction for it as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the Keurig K-Classic coffee maker
If you need coffee to wake up in the morning and get through sluggish afternoons, then you're going to want a coffee maker in your kitchen or home office. You can't go wrong with the Keurig K-Classic, which uses the brand's K-Cup Pods to make different types of coffee. There's no need to grind the coffee beans yourself, or to create the mixtures by hand -- just pop the K-Cup Pod into your Keurig K-Classic, choose between cup sizes of 6 ounces, 8 ounces, or 10 ounces, and your coffee will be ready in less than a minute.

Smart Home

The Dreame Z1 Pro Robotic Pool Cleaner takes the hassle out of pool maintenance

the dreame z1 pro robotic pool cleaner takes hassle out of maintenance img 6328

Robot vacuums are out. Robot pool cleaners are in (the deep end). In addition to the noteworthy Dreame X50 Ultra, the company has introduced the Z1 Pro robotic pool cleaner. At first glance, it looks like the world's bulkiest robovac. With large treads instead of wheels and dual brushes on the front, the Z1 Pro looks like a cross between a tank and spaceship.

There's a reason it's significantly larger than household bots, though. Navigating through the water is more difficult from a physical standpoint, but it's also trickier for the navigation system. The Z1 Pro utilizes a combination of ultrasound, 3D structured light, and infrared to make its way through the depths, but what stands out most is its ability to handle elevation shifts. Early models of robot pool cleaners struggled with dips in the floor of the pool, but the Z1 Pro can clean not just the floor but also the walls (by literally climbing them) and the surface of the water. It will float atop your pool and act as a skimmer, too.