The latest inventions from more than 700 of the most creative minds come in all shapes and sizes, writes FRANCES WILLIAMSin Geneva for the world's largest inventions fair
IF YOU are allergic to pollen, too lazy to make your bed or annoyed to discover that the pretty woman in the web chatroom is really a man, a solution might be at hand from the world's largest inventions fair.
More than 700 of the most creative minds have set up stands at the International Exhibition of Inventions to show off their ideas ranging from heavy-duty engineering feats to little gadgets like the running alarm clock that will make sure you get out of bed in the morning.
The fair in Geneva features 1,000 new inventions of all kinds by companies, independent researchers, universities and just people with a good idea to remedy smelly feet or prevent hotel staff from stealing money out of room safes.
Labour-saving devices for people averse to exercise are a recurring theme at this year's 36th edition.
One notable invention is the self-making bed which spreads the linen at the push of a button. The bed sheet is rolled out by two fasteners moving along metal bars on each side of the bed. Once the sheet is spread over the bed, the two bars are automatically lowered.
"I was thinking of people with diseases when inventing the bed," said the Italian inventor, Enrico Berruti, "but also because I'm a little bit lazy myself". After the contraption works, the bed looks neat no matter how messy it was before or how thick the bed sheet is, he said.
Numerous medical inventions range from an injection-performing robot to a tool for diagnosing stomach ulcers with ultrasound. Among the simplest is artificial nose hair.
Two little nubs of coiled pipe cleaner connected by a U-shaped wire block pollen and dust when placed in the nostrils.
The medical device reinforces natural nose hair to protect people from inhaling polluting and allergy-causing particles in the air, said Gengsheng Sun, a physician living in the United States.
"Most people do not have enough nose hair," he said.
He said he got the idea because his wife was suffering from heavy allergies and didn't want to take antihistamine.
"It's comfortable to wear and cheap," he added.
The artificial nose hair can also be impregnated with medicine so that it can be absorbed gradually through the mucous membrane, Sun said. Insulin for people suffering from diabetes, for example, could be administered through the artificial nose hair, instead of injecting it, he said.
The hair can be washed and reused.
Other health products on show range from a Romanian eyeball gymnastics device to a "special Chinese herbal formulation to suppress all forms of flu".
From Saudi Arabia comes a pressurised air system for making gas flares smokeless, from Russia the ultrasonic purification of wastewater and from Malaysia industrial chemicals derived from commodities such as palm, rubber and coconut.
Meanwhile, a candidate for the best "better mousetrap" invention could be a Swiss design for a new type of coat hanger that allows different hanging combinations. And in the category of gadgets you never thought you needed, a Taiwanese inventor must take the prize for a jelly container with squeezable built-in cutter so children and old people "can swallow jelly pieces safely".
Other ideas from members of the Taiwan Inventors Association include a super bug-swatter with inclinable head, an electric nail grinder ("You'll enjoy the happiness of grinding the nails of your pets") and that vibrating condom, made by a company that also manufactures industrial hydraulic systems. Inventions can be entered only once at the show and must be patented. However, entries are not necessarily tested or screened by national authorities.
Three-quarters of the exhibitors, mostly from Europe and Asia, are existing enterprises or research institutes looking to catch the eye of potential investors, producers and distributors, but the remainder are individuals hoping to strike it lucky with their big idea.
These include a "skin-disease resistant intelligent mattress" from Iran, an earthquake alarm clock from Taiwan and a paper-based voting machine from Mali. Health and the environment are big themes this year. Many inventions at this year's exhibit feature environment-protecting devices.
One machine dries kitchen waste, eliminating food bacteria and odour. Air circulating in the little oven reduces the waste to dried solid cubes. A filter at the back absorbs odours. It uses the same amount of electricity as a 100-watt light bulb.
"The process turns the food waste into a solid fuel," said Heeja Lee, chief executive of the South Korean company which sells the machine in Asia.
"Governments pay billions of dollars to treat food waste every year, but you can do it at home," she said. The oven takes between two and eight hours to treat 400 grammes of waste, much faster than composting your garbage in the garden, she said.
Other items at this year's show include an alarm clock on small wheels that forces sleepyheads to get out of bed because they have to chase the device around the room to turn off the alarm.
Those who want to be cosy can try on a new blanket with sleeves and gloves. The fleece cover is shaped to make sure all parts of the body are warm when you sit reading a book on a chilly winter day. Freedom of movement is guaranteed.
There is also an e-mail analyser to determine whether the person you meet in the chatroom is not a man pretending to be a woman or the other way around.
The computer program developed by a Malaysian university professor analyses e-mails according to the number of words, exclamation marks, emotions and compliments to determine if the sender is male or female.
Women tend to be more expressive than men, said Dianne Cheong Lee Mei, but she refused to go into detail about how the program unveils the gender of the unseen internet partner.
