

hide cookie message
73,733 News Articles

10 product patents we want to see made

Why can't we buy products based on these patents yet?

They're clever. They're creative. And some of them are just plain bizarre. How come we can't yet buy products based on these patents?

Well armed

Check out this robot patented by Panasonic.

It's in essence an arm on wheels - and if you owned one, you could put it to work scooting around your house, picking up stuff, and putting it where it belongs.

Afraid that a robot helper would be a clumsy recipe for disaster? The patent explains that the arm is smart enough to treat each object appropriately. It whisks away empty glasses at high speed; but presented with a glass containing liquid, it handles the receptacle slowly and gingerly.

A hamster wheel for humans

You're wearing electronic goggles. You've donned a suit covered in sensors. But your virtual reality world still doesn't feel all that real, because you can't roam freely.

This solution comes from a Russian inventor. Explore the world inside a giant, Wiffle Ball-like globe mounted on rollers, so you can walk, run, or even zip along behind the steering wheel of a fake car.

The patent drawings seem to depict a truly mammoth sphere; even if you could afford it, you probably couldn't squeeze it through your front door.

But if there were any way to build a junior version - say as a Wii Fit accessory - we'd be all over it.

NEXT PAGE: Personal zipper network

  1. Clever and creative, why can't we buy the products based on these patents yet?
  2. Heckler's delight
  3. Getting all emotional
  4. Well armed
  5. Personal zipper network

IDG UK Sites

What is Amazon Prime Instant Video? What happened to LoveFilm?

IDG UK Sites


IDG UK Sites

The future of wearable tech - where is this bandwagon headed?

IDG UK Sites

How MPC created Three's singing cat