From the plain old useful to the adrenaline-inducing, plenty of awesome gadgets have been released in the past 12 months. We’ve showcased dozens of them on our website – and here are ten of the best we’ve seen this year:
10. OM/ONE Floating Bluetooth Speaker
The OM/ONE Bluetooth Speaker, developed by California-based audio equipment manufacturer OM Audio, not only delivers high-quality sound, but also boasts the really cool superpower of levitation.
The device connect wirelessly to smartphones, computers, or tablets, allowing the user to interact with it from a distance of up to 33 feet, and also has an integrated battery which can support up to 15 hours of play at 70% volume. It’s most eye-catching feature, however, is the fact that it floats above its base thanks to the magic of magnets. This isn’t entirely for show, either – due to the fact that it isn’t physically connected to anything, the speaker delivers sound of excellent quality, without any distortion.
9. Dyson 360 Eye
Technology should be there to entertain, but also to make our lives easier, and one of the ways of doing that is by taking care of our chores. And while vacuum cleaners are already helpful enough, one which actually does all the work itself would be extremely useful – and that’s exactly what British company Dyson has created in the form of the 360 Eye.
This isn’t just some machine which walks across the room aimlessly, bumping into furniture all along the way. It uses a panoramic 360 degree lens to observe its surroundings, and then uses geometry, trigonometry, and probability theory to map the room and compute the optimal route through it. Cleaning your room has never been easier (and never sounder so complicated!).
8. Barisieur Alarm Clock
We all hate hearing the sound of the alarm clock in the morning. For many people, the one moment the day starts to feel a little bit better is when they finally get a sip of from their coffee. British designer Joshua Renouf has figured out a way to bring these two moments together by creating a coffee-making alarm clock dubbed the Barisieur. All you have to do is prepare the beans, sugar, and milk the evening before – and in the following morning you wake up and can instantly have your energizing cup of joe.
7. Quadrofoil
Hydrofoil watercraft are a great choice for those who want to get around the surface of the sea or lake and feel the adrenaline rushing through their veins. An awesome example of this is the Quadrofoil, which offers the thrill of a speedy ride, but is also designed to have a minimal impact on the environment as well.
This lightweight and aerodynamic machine can reach a cruising speed of 20 knots and runs on batteries, which have enough energy for up to 62 miles (100 km) on a single charge. This means the Quadrofoil can be used anywhere and not spoil the beauty of the natural surroundings for the rider or anyone else.
6. U-Boat Worx
Dutch company U-Boat Worx has created a miniature submarine called the HP Sports Sub 2, an underwater vehicle which (as its name suggests,) is intended to accompany a superyacht on its journeys at sea.
Designed with safety and functionality in mind, this vessel is quite agile underwater, where it reaches speeds of up to 2 knots and can go down to about 100 meters (300 feet). The HP Sport Sub 2 also features an eye-catching bright red acrylic-steel pressure hull which can comfortably hold two passengers.
5. Bebop Drone
As sort of a 21st century kite with no cord and the ability to take pictures from high above, the drones is becoming an increasingly popular distraction. One of the best drones we’ve seen so far is Bebop, created by French company Parrot.
Bebop comes is a range of excellent features such as hi-definition 1080p video recording, 14-megapixel “fisheye” camera, 8GB of flash storage, 3-axes accelerometer, and even a built-in hotspot. It can be controlled via a flight simulator-style Skycontroller and it’s even compatible with first person goggles, offering the user a truly awesome experience.
4. Starfleet Machine Clock by L’Epée 1839 and MB&F
The Starfleet Machine is what happens when people who run companies that create high-end, highly complex products find out they some really geeky in common. The people in question are MB&F’s founder, Maximilian Büsser (who developed the concept) and Arnaud Nicolas, CEO of L’Epée (the company which actually crafted the piece).
The result is this cool Star Trek-inspired starship/table clock, an eye-catching limited edition of amazing complexity. Fully wound it has enough power for 40 days and tells the time via two hand-polished hands that follow the central dome’s curved contours. There’s also a mechanism comprising two retrograde seconds in the form of turret-mounted laser cannons, which cross over one another and then quickly fly out again every 20 seconds – making up one of the clock’s more spectacular features.
3. Jaquet Droz Signing Machine
Jaquet Droz is a prestigious Swiss watch manufacturer, but like its founder centuries ago, the company still sometimes creates really amazing automata from time to time. One of their releases this year was the Signing Machine, a gadget the size of a smartphone which performs one seemingly simple task: reproducing the owner’s signature. What makes the piece is so impressive is that it does that without any sensors or electronic components, just through a clever and intricate handmade mechanism.
2. Blackphone
The security of one’s communications has become an important concern in the past year or so, ever since the activities of various surveillance agencies have been revealed. To meet the demand for privacy, products like Blackphone have been created.
The result of a collaboration between Spanish telephone manufacturer GeeksPhone and American security company Silent Circle, Blackphone uses a secure version of the Android operating system called PrivatOS in order to ensure the user’s communications, web browsing activities, and whereabouts stay private. The device is quite respectable when it comes its day-to-day capabilities, its features including a 4.7-inch HD screen, a 2 GHz quad-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and 16 GB of storage.
1. JIBO Family Robot
JIBO has truly been one of this year’s greatest releases in the area of household technology. This endearing machine was designed to be the world’s first truly helpful and intelligent family robot, which is achieves through the excellent synergy between its many high-end features and capabilities.
The robot two high-resolution cameras which can recognize and track faces, take photographs and utilize video calling; it can learn the user’s preferences and adapt to their lifestyle, and can also be helpful by playing back messages and reminders; finally, JIBO can respond to the users wherever they are in the room, using its 360degree° microphones and natural language processing capabilities to detect speech. Truly a technical marvel, JIBO is a glimpse into the future of domestic robotics.
