1 | The Tattoo To Unlock Your Smartphone
Do you have a hard time remembering those four numbers you use to access all the wonders of your phone? Us too. So we're very happy to see that the guys over at Motorola have devised this temporary, stick-on tattoo that'll do the hard work for you. The thin film contains electronic sensors that can hook up your wrist with your gadget and bust that bad boy right open. They're available in the US at a cost of $9.99 for 10, and apparently last around five days each.
2 | The Fitness Band That Shocks You When You Slack
If you're enough of a health enthusiast/ masochist to sport a fitness band, then this is going to step it up a notch. Maneesh Seth, a Stanford graduate who hired a woman to slap him in the face whenever he prorastinated from work, has come up with Pavlock – a device to force you to get stuff done.
You set yourself an aim (like going to bed at 11pm, or going for a run every morning) and, if you don't do it, you get a shock. Apparently it doesn't hurt, but is enough to make your brain associate not completing the task with something negative. On the flip side, if you do complete your task for an extended period, you get rewarded with a something like a gift card. Carrot and stick for the digital age.
3 | The Robot That's Hitchhiking Across Canada
We all know that picking up some guy standing with his thumb out at the side of the dual carriageway is probably a bad idea. But now there's a safe way to get a hitchhiker to make a long journey go faster – in the shape of this little robot. Hitchbot is the invention of Professor David Harris Smith of the Canadian McMaster University, and he's been created to amass a 'cultural snapshot' of his homeland, by travelling around with strangers, taking photos and making recordings as he goes. You can follow this guy's journey via his website.
4 | The Rollerskates With Inbuilt Motors