UPDATED 14:16 EDT / MARCH 06 2015

NEWS

The quirkiest gadgets from #MWC2015

Trade shows aren’t complete if a few products don’t warrant a second look. This year, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) not only catered to the launch of flagship smartphones and smartwatches, but we also saw some quirky products that caught our undivided attention.

Some of these unusual devices are actually quite ingenious, while others are just plain weird. And while some of these devices may be useful in certain situations, at other times, they could be a life saver.

Let’s take a look at the quirky technology we came across at MWC2015.

ClicknPizza

 

Runcible

 

If you want to stay connected but be free from all the noise and distractions that come with using a smartphone, Monohm Inc. offers Runcible, an anti-smartphone smartwatch. Unlike most smartwatches, Runcible cannot be worn on your wrist, as it is designed as a pocket smartwatch. And it is not a smartphone companion, as it offers connectivity like a smartphone does, allowing you to send and receive text and email and update social media.

But for calling features, you need a Bluetooth headset because the Runcible doesn’t have a built-in mic or speaker. The reason behind this is that Monohm wants people to get back in touch with the real world. As such, no beeps or noises will be coming from Runcible to distract you. But it is still there when you need to get back in touch with the virtual world. The Runcible is slated to be released by the end of 2015 with a $600 price tag.

AVG Invisibility Glasses

 

AVG Technologies, a company that specializes in anti-virus software, brought a different technology that also protects a person online at the event. Developed by AVG Innovations Lab, the AVG Invisibility Glasses use two types of technology to prevent facial recognition. Though the glasses are still in prototype stage, the device uses infrared LEDs embedded around the glasses. And the glass construction itself is made up of retro-reflective material. The Infrared lights are invisible to the human eye but can be detected by digital cameras. This prevents digital cameras from capturing photos of your face that can be recognizable. As for the retro-reflective material, it is designed to reflect light back at the same angle it arrived. When flash photography is used, the person would appear to have glowing spectacles, which makes the face slightly unrecognizable.

The technology is not flawless, and it obviously needs more tweaking as it only disrupts the person’s face in the eye-nose area. For it to be useful for celebrities avoiding paparazzi or people who don’t want to be tagged on social media, it needs to be able to distort the entire face of the wearer.

IKEA’s Home Smart furniture

 

Furniture retailer Inter IKEA Systems B.V. brought its technologically enhanced furniture to MWC2015. Called the Home Smart, the range features furniture with built-in wireless charging standard QI. This allows the owner of the smart furniture to charge their devices wirelessly, provided that the device supports such technology. If your device doesn’t support wireless charging, don’t worry. IKEA will also be selling covers for mobile devices to enable wireless charging.

The furniture range includes a lamp and a desk with a huge X mark that tells you where to put your device to initiate wireless charging. The Home Smart range will be available for purchase in IKEA stores in the U.K. and North America starting April 2015.

Babybe

 

Preterm babies need to be put in an incubator to ensure his or her survival. The problem with this scenario is that it hinders the physical bond between mother and child. Babybe consists of three components that allow mothers to be in contact with their preterm baby without having to remove the baby from the incubator.

The Turtle, Cradle and Bionic Mattress are what make Babybe work. The Turtle is a soft device that emulates the main features of a baby’s body and collects the mother’s breathing and heartbeat from her chest. The Cradle is a hub that is placed near the incubator and receives data wirelessly from the Turtle to be transmitted to the Bionic Mattress. The Bionic Mattress is the active surface placed inside the incubator, under the baby, to make it seem like the baby is lying on top of his or her mother’s chest.

The baby will be able to hear his or her mother’s heartbeat, as well as feel the rise and fall of the mother’s chest when breathing. Babybe was showcased at an Intel booth at MWC 2015 and was successfully funded on Indiegogo.

Click’N’Pizza

 

Italian inventor La Comanda SRL has created a fridge magnet that will allow you to order a pizza from Pizza Hut with just a push of a button. The gadget, called Click’N’Pizza, will go on sale this summer in Canada. To order your favorite pan pizza or any of Pizza Hut’s products, you no longer have to go online or dial their number. Just go to the fridge, hold down the round button for a few seconds and wait for your order to arrive.

No information was given as to how Pizza Hut will know what you ordered when you press the button, but I’m assuming this either works for customers who frequently order the same thing or, somehow, the magnet will allow you to choose from a menu.

Image source: http://www.lacomanda.it/


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