Among the latest phones and networks, Mobile World Congress is also a great place to discover some more unconventional uses of technology. Here, we round up 7 of the strangest inventions on display at this year’s event.
Mobile attachments: Lenovo clip-on Polaroid and health scanner for smartphones
Who needs Instagram filters when you can have the real thing? Lenovo showcased off a series of snap-on gadgets for Motorola’s newest smartphones.Lenovo acquired Moto from Google and has been releasing ‘Moto Mods’ for the last year. The Polaroid printer attaches to the back of the Moto Z family of phones and prints out a 2 x 3-inch picture instantly from the smartphone. It costs £119 and features a physical shutter button for old-school authenticity. In addition, an all-in-one health sensor uses the phone to power a multi-vital sign monitoring platform that’ll allow an individual to get their 5 vital signs via the app. Slide your index finger into the mini cuff and it will measure things like blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature.
3D-printed ‘Steak’: All the texture, none of the meat
Nova Meat showcased a plant-based steak that’s made from pea and algae, but has the same fibrous texture as real beef. The basic mixture is made from rice, peas and algae, and is fed into a 3D printer. During the printing process, the microfilaments within the paste align just like muscle fibres do in real beef. This alignment gives the steaks a beef-like texture, despite the fact that they contain no meat. The printing process takes around 3 minutes, during which time layers of the paste of carefully printed into the shape of a steak.
Anti-constipation belt
A novel alternative to laxatives, this belt, called Mowoot 1, is worn around the waist, and massages your stomach to get your bowels moving. Despite strongly resembling a Slendertone, the Mowoot 1 has a much heftier price tag than the ab-training device, retailing at €649.
Smart shin-guards for football training
Oliver has designed a smart shin guard, which provides feedback to amateur footballers. The shin guards collect real-time data from amateur football players, and process it through an AI algorithm to deliver football-focused insights to players. It currently costs $199- a hefty price-tag, but the insights might be worth it for budding football stars.
Straight-line pen
Rulers RIP? Lainova has designed a pen that allows you to draw perfectly straight lines. The pen, dubbed the ‘Jet Ride’, features a normal biro nib at one end, and a nib accompanied by two small rollers at the other. While it may seem excessive, the price tag, at just €3, might make it appealing to designers and doodlers alike.
Anti-snoring device
This ‘Nasal Breathing Maker’ is created by an award-winning dentist Godsumm helps with snoring, sore throat and cervical pain. It is strapped between your chin and philtrum (the area between your nose and mouth), essentially strapping your mouth shut. By keeping your lips pressed together, the device opens your airways, stopping you from snoring .