10 Weird USB Gadgets You Need To Check Out

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The humble Universal Serial Bus changed computing forever, as anyone who's ever wrangled a parallel port printer or a null modem cable will tell you. USB devices became so successful that they're now ubiquitous in computing, with uses ranging from device charging to data transfer. You may or may not have a drawer full of old USB wall chargers collecting dust, but if you do, there's some strange stuff you can plug into them.

We've scoured the internet high and low to source 10 USB gadgets you can buy right now. We won't pretend they're productivity tools or genuinely useful strange USB gadgets, but they just might enrich your life and bring a little fun to a drab office space. Many of the following products are quite literally useless, but there's a fair chance you'll want them anyway. And if you get any questions about your weird new trinkets, you can just say they're art.

When the original Japanese humping dog USB accessory came out a decade ago, it did nothing other than — well — hump your USB port. Conversely, the Frienda Dog Charging Cable, currently $11.99 on Amazon, is an actual charging cable that features the tenacious humping dog on the charging end, making it a fine accessory to the device you're plugging in. What's more is that the motion serves a purpose. In the second image under the Amazon listing's product description, the seller explains how: "The dog will automatically swing its buttocks when charging, and it will stop by itself when [your device] is fully charged." That's a progress indicator if there ever was one.

The humping dog charging cable is surprisingly functional, if somewhat noisy, although we wouldn't expect an ultra-fast charge despite the product's claims. Do you know what's better than a humping dog USB charging cable, though? A two-pack of the same product: the Frienda 2 Pcs Dog Charging Cable, which only costs $3 more than the single cable does. As Amazon reviewer Lloyd C. aptly put it: "Entertaining."

While NFTs came and went (the guy who paid $69 million for digital ownership of a JPG probably isn't pleased), Bitcoin is still alive and well. But the days of mining at home for profit are over, even with the most powerful graphics cards. Still, that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun. The NerdMiner Bitcoin Lottery Miner — costing a mere $23.74 — is a special application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) mining chip that only sips a mere 1.5W of power through a regular USB port to do its job. It's sold as a "lottery" style Bitcoin mining novelty device. With hashing power of around 1,000 kilohashes per second, even if your electricity were free and you used a shared mining pool specifically for low-power miners, your profit rate would be close to zero. The only way you'd make anything is if you were extraordinarily lucky.

Seriously — do not expect to make any money with this gadget. For reference, at 1,000 kilohashes per second, your chance of receiving one Bitcoin right now would be roughly 1 in 6.4 trillion per day. Still, there's a chance! And as they say — if you're not in it, you can't win it. But in the process of setting up your Bitcoin lottery miner, you can at least learn all about Bitcoin, hashing pools, and digital wallets. 

According to research conducted at the University of Arizona, the average keyboard has up to 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat does (BBC News). Scientists measured 49 bacterial colony-forming units per square inch of toilet seat — "colony-forming" meaning they're capable of multiplying — while the keyboard clocked in at 3,295 germs per square inch. That's impressive in the most disgusting way possible, although it's not much compared to the 25,127 germs per square inch found on a corded phone handset.

While Playmaker Toys' Tiny Blower cannot, in fact, blow the world's tiniest leaves from your yard, it's a useful gag gift for cleaning dust bunnies out of your keyboard and has an equally tiny price of $13.05. But as healthy as it sounds to circulate dirt and bacteria around your work environment, we'd like to suggest other ways to keep your keyboard clean. And for the sake of your sanity, try not to think about it too hard. As an aside, buyers also report that this little USB gadget is a great tool to use on acrylic pours.

We know what you're thinking: "This is silly. It's just a novelty pillow." But you'd be wrong: it's also functional. The Yadillo Giant USB Big Enter Key Pillow is a standard USB device that works much in the same way as any keyboard or mouse does. So when you smash the pillow while it's plugged in, it'll actually work as an Enter key. The product is compatible with both Windows and macOS, and no driver downloads are required. It's a shame the manufacturers don't make one of these for every possible keyboard key, though. For those who work remotely, it would be a great excuse to create a full working keyboard made of pillows — expensive that may be, considering this pillow's price point of $16.99.

If the pillow format is too absurd for your liking, this Programmable USB Macro Enter Keyboard is an alternative that serves the same purpose, but in the style of a panic button. It's programmable to whatever macro you want, which means you could even have it type out your favorite passive-aggressive email response automatically.

At $41.99, the USB-powered WBTY Fully Assembled Useless Box sits on the pricier side of our gadget list. The device has a single button you can press to activate a hidden mechanism. This mechanism opens the box, extends a tiny plush tiger arm, and presses the button to close the box again. That's it. That's the whole product. It turns itself off when you turn it on. You can't store anything in the box; it closes the moment you flick the switch to open it. You can't even use it for USB storage. It's useless, but it's also amazing in its own right. Despite its lack of function, we wouldn't begrudge anyone for being inclined to buy it.

Useless machines have a surprisingly rich history. They've been around as early as the 1930s, back when Italian artist Bruno Munari made them as a counter-narrative to the technological enthusiasm of the era. He likely wouldn't be pleased to know about modern-day technological overreach, though, or about smartphones causing a mental health crisis for teenagers. But at least we've still got useless boxes.

When COVID came along, we collectively discovered that many people don't really need to work in an office to do their jobs. In many cases, in-office roles were just a way to scaffold managerial roles and corporate buzzwords. So we worked from home, made up the acronym "WFH", and everything was great for a while. But along with great power came great responsibility, as well as profound new problems — like how to appear active on Microsoft Teams while you're taking your twelfth tea break of the morning.

That's where the Meatanty Metal Tiny Mouse Jiggler comes in. For the attractive price of $9.99, this product "moves" your mouse to combat screensavers and status updates alike. Your computer recognizes the device as an actual mouse, so even while you're physically away, the jiggler will keep your computer active. Automatic mouse jigglers aren't exactly a new concept; they first made their rounds in the early days of the internet, when you could be paid to "surf" using specific browsers or plugins. You could make decent beer money with a piece of software that made it look like you were browsing while you were actually sleeping. But the beauty of a USB mouse jiggler is that it can be used on any machine, including a company-issued computer.

This Joker Greeting Screaming Goat USB Prank device, which sells for $24.99, randomly plays a screaming goat sound every three to eight minutes, or once an hour on the dot. It's a single-purpose gadget, but a fun take nonetheless on a classic gag. Since there are only so many USB ports in any given place, you might think it would be easier to locate this device compared to traditional battery-operated sound machines. But in many cases, your hapless victim won't think to check USB ports. And because USB ports are a more robust power source than small coin cells, your prank could feasibly go on for a long, long time.

If you're planning on pulling this prank in your office, we suggest leaving the servers alone. Otherwise, you're likely to meet the wrath of IT. Use a USB wall charger or another dedicated outlet, or you might end up with a hilarious anecdote about how you once lost your job to a screaming goat.

We're not just here to inspire you to spend money on useless (yet mildly entertaining) USB gadgets. We've got real cost-saving tips, too! With soaring electricity costs, it's cheaper to keep yourself warm than to keep your whole apartment warm. But even with several layers on, you may still find that your hands get cold easily. These Kbinter USB Heated Gloves, currently $9.99 on Amazon, will ensure you can still feel your keycaps when typing or gaming, all the while emitting a toasty 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike this smart fabric that heats up under the sun, these gloves use removable pads, meaning they're washable.

You can power these heated gloves with a power bank or by plugging them directly into your computer's USB port. They also come with a 1.5-meter cable, so you'll have some range of motion while wearing them. We do question the Amazon listing's suggestion that they can be used while skiing, though. And as with anything heated — even something running off low-voltage USB power —  be sure to unplug the gloves when not in use.

This MunnyGrubbers Dumpster Fire Desk Pencil Holder is a perfect analogy for the climate catastrophe that's now upon us — after all, our coastlines are now in danger no matter what. However, this product is also a functional desktop tidy that includes a cute little articulated raccoon to keep you company. While you could always station this at your home desk while you (or rather, your mouse jiggler) are working, you'll be the talk of the office should you choose to bring this caddy to your work desk.

Since this product is 3D printed, you could feasibly print it yourself, and there are tons of models available for you to do so. But you'd likely be spending more than the asking price of $25.95 on different filament colors, and that's before you even get to the LED flame feature. MunnyGrubbers sells a whole range of affordable 3D printed items, all of which are printed in the USA!

Having got this far, you now have a serious problem on your hands: how will you plug in all your newly acquired USB gadgets if your humble computer only has a handful of ports? Since you can't download more ports like you can with RAM (just kidding —  that's a viral "life hack" that isn't actually true), the only option is to buy more ports. But for your purposes, regular multi-port USB hubs won't cut it. Instead, you'll need 16 ports at minimum. That's where the Ageen 16-Port USB 3.2 Gen 2 Hub comes in. The device offers individual power switches, a total power output of 96 watts, and high-speed USB 3.2 data transfer rates — but at $69.99 (or just over $4 per port), the luxury will cost you!

If 16 ports still aren't enough for all those humping dog cables, you can find hubs that feature up to 40 ports — but those are only for power, not data, so you unfortunately wouldn't be able to use them to set up your functional pillow fort keyboard.

For this list, we selected USB gadgets that lie beyond the realm of simple novelty — they are exceptionally unusual products. All the products listed here are available to buy right now, and all of them have overall Amazon reviews of at least 4 out of 5 stars. We can't confidently claim any of these items are practical, but we can verify that they are at least high-quality, according to consumer reviews of these gadgets.