Must-Have Summer Gadgets

This season is a time for outdoor grilling, pool days, and travel, but with such high temperatures, it is hard to do anything besides staying inside near the ice machine and AC unit. If you want to make the most of the warm weather, investing in innovative tech might make the summer heat bearable. Here are some inventive gadgets that will help you stay cool and enjoy the season.

Most people wish they had a pool, a cool blue oasis just outside their backdoor waiting for them to enjoy whenever they want. In reality, pool owners are often forced to deal with dead leaves, pine needles, and sludge floating atop the water and caking the pool floor. Until recently, pool owners had two options: pay exorbitant fees to have the pool cleaned or break their back doing it themselves. This summer, you have the option to invest in an efficient, wireless robotic pool cleaner that operates on AI algorithms to keep your pool sparkling clean. The 24-pound robot has 20 sensors, nine motors, four brushes, and two filters. Operating on 9.5 hours of battery life, it will clean the surface, waterline, walls, and floors while clarifying the pool water. The bot moves in two patterns and has three different cleaning modes: quick, pro, and ECO. The bot connects to an app on your phone to seamlessly control the cleaning process. The product comes with the robot, a charging dock, a hook, and the instruction manual. It can be purchased at beatbox.com for $1,799.

Alongside cleaning the pool, another frustrating yet rewarding part of the summer is scooping ice cream that is frozen solid. After a long day in the heat, the last thing you or the kids want to do is wait for a tub of ice cream to thaw. THAT! Inventions, a company that makes sustainable kitchenware, has solved this problem. ScoopTHAT! Radii is an innovative ice cream scooper that uses heat transfer technology to slice through tough ice cream and create perfect scoops. Inside the sealed handle is a self-replenishing, biodegradable liquid reservoir that requires no electricity to transfer heat from the handle to the scooping head within seconds. The revolutionary product comes in pink, blue, and black and costs $29.95.

Handheld fans are great for outdoor concerts, traversing the city, or camping during the summer. Even more convenient for these summer activities is a portable fan that operates hands-free. Neck fans have become popular in recent years for their wrap-around design and long battery life. There are tons of neck fans on the market, but which offers the best cooling efficiency? The TORRAS Coolify Air may be more expensive than other portable neck fans, but offers multiple features that make it stand out, including the ability to cool by up to 10 degrees. It utilizes a Ku Peltier radiator that rests on the back of your neck, cooling within three seconds. Instead of spinning blades, the neck fan offers 3D airflow that blasts through 36 vents at three different speeds, optimizing the cooling experience. It is whisper-quiet and has a battery life of between 4 and 24 hours across various modes. It can be purchased at torraslife.com for $149.99.

For all the grillmasters out there, Weber offers a gadget that will optimize the summer barbeque experience, ensuring that every dish is cooked to perfection. The Weber iGrill Mini pairs with the iGrill app on your phone to notify you when your food has reached your ideal temperature, so you can watch the game without having to check on your dish periodically. Using Smart LED technology, the magnetic thermometer guides you through the cooking process without having to lift the lid off the grill. Just insert the probe into your food and select your desired temperature. When the iGrill Mini turns green, it’s ready to go. Yellow means you're 15 degrees from your target temperature, and orange means you’re 5 degrees out. The iGrill Mini will turn red when your food is done. The thermometer operates on 150 hours of battery life and can be purchased for $60.49 from weber.com.