Dolmio Pepper Hacker
This little gizmo lets you reclaim quality time at family meals by disabling all electronic devices in range. It masquerades as a pepper grinder, but it is wired with the power to turn off Wi-Fi routers, mobile phones and even televisions for up to 30 minutes – all with one twist. The Pepper Hacker is still in development, but a prototype tested by “frustrated mums” through the brand’s creative campaign is garnering enthusiastic interest.
I may be wrong on this but who would not want a desk clock that resembles an ever-morphing Rorschach test? Created by Zelf Koelman from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Ferrolic uses ferrofluid, a magnetised liquid developed in 1963 by NASA engineer Steve Papel originally intended to be liquid rocket fuel in zero-gravity conditions, to tell the time. The liquid moves gracefully around the inside of the clock as the minutes tick by, and works due to a powerful set of electromagnets to manipulate the liquid to form numbers. Available only in limited quantities, it does not come cheap but then again, it sure is cool.
Wave
Do you have that friend who is always boasting about his latest interactive gadgets? Put him in his place with Touchjet’s Wave. This snap-on tool brings your television into the interactive future by turning it into a fully functional touch screen. It works via an attachment mountable on any television up to 80 inches and calibrates by simply plugging into any HDMI port. You can connect it through the iOS or Android app and it comes equipped with a stylus and remote, because the makers know that half the time, you’ll be navigating Netflix from the touch-inaccessible distance of your couch.
Lexus Hoverboard
Since watching Marty McFly in Back to the Future II escape his nemesis on a hoverboard, I’d always dreamt of having one. Fast forward to the present and that is almost within reach because Lexus has released a hoverboard prototype. It relies on superconductors and magnets, which work against gravity to lift the rider above the ground. Although it’s not easy to manoeuvre around and still not available to the masses, it’s the ultimate boy dream come true. Hurry up, Lexus.
Datamancer Keyboards
Liven things up at work with Datamancer’s range of keyboards. The company wants to usher us into a world of custom Steampunk keyboard fetishism with its mechanical keyboards. Starting from humble beginnings, Datamancer Enterprises’s Richard R Nagy began combining his interests in art, antique restoration, electronics and computers by fabricating retro-Victorian themed products. Available in a range of materials and themes, from brass to wood, these keyboards breathe new life into everyday typing.