The Giraffenap is a new style of sleeping pod that encourages power naps during the day as a way of improving concentration and work efficiency.

Japan is a notoriously hardworking country that emphasizes extreme dedication to one’s work even at the cost of that person’s health or general wellbeing. Working conditions can get so bad that the Japanese language actually has a term for ‘death by overwork’ (karoshi). In order to put up with this kind of grueling schedule and stress, some Japanese workers turn to short power naps. These are known to boost energy levels and concentration, as long as the person doesn’t go into deep sleep. In order to make it easier for people to get power naps pretty much anywhere, one company has begun installing vertical sleeping pods called ‘Gireaffenap’ in cafes all over the country.

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18Wheels Inc., an aptly-named company in Finland, has developed a strange-looking electric 18-wheel all-terrain vehicle that it claims is vastly superior to the common ATV.

The millipede-inspired design of the 18Wheels Inc. all-terrain vehicle is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Basically, it consists of a snowmobile-like body and a set of 18 small wheels each with its own individual suspension system. One of the core ideas of the project was to make this unusual-looking vehicle soil friendly, so the wheels are specifically small so that they don’t damage the soil by leaving huge tire marks on it. The unique suspension system provides a special trajectory of movement and a much smoother ride over all types of rough terrain, which can’t really be said about traditional ATVs.

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Food scientists have created a machine that uses that uses pressurized carbon dioxide to turn a liquid ice cream mix into a cold, creamy treat in just three seconds.

The new way to create ‘carbonated ice cream’ patented by Syed Rizvi, professor of food science engineering, and Michael E. Wagner, Ph.D., is very different from traditional ice cream. The latter usually involves a dairy-based mix flowing through a heat-exchanging barrel until it starts to freeze, while the newly-patented method has highly pressurized carbon dioxide passing over a nozzle and drawing in the liquid ice-cream mix. When the carbon dioxide goes from extremely high pressure to a lower pressure, it instantly cools the ice cream mix to about minus 70 degrees C, turning it into the frozen treat we all know and love. This is known as the Joule-Thompson Effect.

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Chinese netizens have been reporting the presence of high-tech urinals capable of conducting quick urine sample tests at shopping malls, scenic spots, and other busy urban areas.

Photos of a strange-looking urinal at a mall somewhere in Beijing’s business district have been doing the rounds online and sparking heated debates. Apparently, it features a digital display complete with a built-in payment processing unit that allows users to have their urine tested after relieving themselves. The urinal presumably has hidden sensors that analyze the urine for a bunch of markers, including calcium, glucose, protein, ketone bodies, ascorbate, and others. The information displayed on the screen suggests that the developer has obtained some patents for the urine testing technology, but the accuracy of the results is a matter of contention…

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The Lemon Melon is a newly-developed type of melon that apparently combines the sweetness and aroma of the melon with a slight sourness reminiscent of a lemon.

Japanese horticulture company Suntory Flowers reportedly spent five years developing the lemon melon, breeding it from a type of melon originally imported from overseas. The process involved a lot of trial and error and took about five years. During the development period, horticulturists experimented extensively with a number of factors, including cultivation methods and harvest times. The final product, which is apparently blended with actual lemons, is juicy and sweet like a melon but slightly sour like a lemon, making the perfect fruit to enjoy on a hot summer day.

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The Sol e-book reader is a new and innovative e-book reader that you wear on your face, just like a pair of sunglasses.

If the humble Kindle isn’t just isn’t good enough anymore and you’re looking for the next big thing in the e-book reader space, you may want to check out the Sol e-book reader, an intriguing device shaped like a pair of sunglasses. Somewhat similar to a VR headset, the Sol is a much more simplistic gadget designed solely as a hands-free e-reader. Weighing only around 100 grams and shaped like a pair of black sunglasses, the Sol was created for a more comfortable reading experience, like reading a book while lying down. But, before you ask, no, you will not be able to flip pages with your eyes or the power of your mind…

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American company Throw Flame recently unveiled its latest product, Thermonator, the world’s first flamethrower-wielding robot dog.

Robot dogs have been around for a while now, and in countries like China, they’re actually competing against actual pooches. But it turns out that these four-legged robots can be more than lifeless pets. For example, Throw Flame, a US-based company specializing in flamethrowers, recently showcased the world’s first flamethrower-equipped robot dog. Dubbed “Thermonator”, it comes with a high-performance flamethrower mounted on its back which allows it to shoot flames up to 9 meters in front of it. According to the Throw Flame website, the Thermonator allows users to remotely “shoot flames anywhere you want!”

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The StockCam is an unusual camera cage for photography enthusiasts who need multiple mounting points for various accessories, as well as stability and better camera handling. It’s also shaped like an assault rifle…

If you’re a photographer who’s also into guns, you’ll probably love the design of the StockCam. It combines the functionality and convenience of a high-quality camera cage, with the aesthetics of a modern assault rifle. It even features a trigger to activate the shutter or lock the cage to ensure that the shutter doesn’t accidentally get pressed. You actually use it by pressing the stock against your shoulder and looking into the camera display as you would in a gun scope, and then press the trigger to shoot, as in take a picture. But can you imagine using one of these things around police?

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The ‘Chicken Orb” is a sphere made of metallic wire that allows chickens to move around and forage freely while preventing them from jumping onto flower beds and other places they’re not supposed to go into.

The Chicken Orb has been around for at least a couple of years, but it only recently started getting attention after photos and videos of it in action started going viral online. It all started from the misconception that the metallic wire orb was actually a sort of chicken armor designed to provide protection from predators while still allowing the domestic bird the freedom to forage and move around in peace. That got the debate going among chicken owners, many of whom criticized the device as useless, as it only acted as “to-go food packaging” for birds of prey, and did nothing to stop cunning predators like foxes or ferrets.

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Created by Brazilian flip-flop brand Brizza, in collaboration with Pedigree and advertising agency Mirum Brazil, the world’s first unchewable flip-flops are made with the most bitter substance known to man.

Dogs’ love for chewing footwear is well documented. Pups do it to release pain as their teeth grow, other dogs do it out of boredom or some form of stress, and some just like chewing stuff. While most times we see humorous depictions of pooches ruining their owners’ shoes, the reality is that this habit puts them at risk of very serious gastrointestinal problems. Data shows that in a third of gastrointestinal surgery procedures to foreign objects from the intestines of dogs, the ingested substance is footwear rubber, mostly from flip-flops. Seeing as this can cause life-threatening problems for the poor animals., flip-flop brand Brizza decided to create the world’s first unchewable flip-flops.

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Japanese gadget manufacturer Thanko recently unveiled a portable wash basin that can be assembled anywhere in less than a minute to ensure your hands are squeaky clean at all times.

The Covid-19 pandemic may be on its last legs, but that’s no reason to neglect your body hygiene. Alcohol-based gel products do a good job at disinfecting your hands on the go, but they don’t work against all viruses and bacteria and are no match for good old soap and water. Unfortunately, finding somewhere to use this tried and true combination can be an issue, as one sometimes doesn’t have access to running water. That’s where the new Thanko portable wash basin comes in. Made of lightweight materials that can easily be carried around and featuring a simple modular design that makes it easy to assemble and take apart, it’s any germophobe’s wet dream.

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Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industries recently unveiled a miniature version of the Phalanx CIWS automatic gun system which fires thousands of plastic BB pellets instead of metal bullets.

Featuring a radar-guided 20 mm Vulcan cannon mounted on a swiveling base, the Phalanx CIWS is one of the U.S. Navy’s most reliable weapon systems, finding itself in use on almost every class of surface combat ship. It’s also the inspiration for what many are calling the coolest BB gun ever made. Kogoro Kurata, the creative genius behind Suidobashi Heavy Industries, the Japanese company that brought us the awesome KURATAS mecha (boardable robot) over a decade ago, recently unveiled the Phalanx BB gun on his Twitter page.

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The Ottomeyer Mammut is the largest plow ever made. It was created for the specific purpose of converting bogs into agricultural land and could cut channels in the ground to a depth of over 2 meters.

The bog areas of the Emsland district in Northern Germany, on the border with the Netherlands, had been determined uninhabitable since the 1700s, but in the early 20th century, the government of Western Germany decided that the region had fallen behind the rest of the country economically and needed to be converted into arable land. That was easier said than done, however, as the bogs had kept farmers away for hundreds of years, but the Germans had an ace up their sleeve – Otto Meyer, a brilliant engineer and inventor who specialized in steam tractors and difficult soil cultivation.

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As the name suggests, anti-climbing paint is a special type of security paint designed to deter criminals from trying to access a property. However, one can’t simply smear a fence with this stuff without legal consequences.

Anti-climbing paint is a non-drying coating that, once applied onto a surface, makes it virtually impossible for someone to climb that said surface. Once coated in anti-climbing paint, a surface remains slippery for a minimum of three years, retaining its protective properties in both hot and cold weather conditions. Anti-climbing paint is usually applied in thick 3mm layers and develops a glossy skin similar to that of regular paint, only beneath this skin, the paint is still wet, so once an intruder tries to climb a surface covered in it, the skin is breached and the wet coating makes scaling virtually any surface impossible.

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Popular Youtuber and DIY master ‘The Q’ recently unveiled the world’s smallest functional bicycle, which, despite its deceptive size, can support up to 100 kilograms of weight.

Named Big Boy, the world’s smallest rideable bicycle was made from scratch, using rollerblade wheels and a strong iron frame. The Q goes into great detail about the build in his impressive YouTube video, which has over 1.4 million views at the time of this writing, but it’s obviously not something that anyone can make at home. Building a tiny bike is one thing, but making sure that an adult can actually ride it is something else entirely. Obviously, Big Boy isn’t the most comfortable bicycle to ride, even for small children, but at The Q demonstrates in his viral DIY video, it can definitely be done.

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