InventorSpot

Trying to choose between performance and economy is often times a very hard decision and usually there has to be a compromise between the two. Volkswagen, however, has given us a solution to this dilemma in the form of a performance sedan that has 3 driving modes depending on your preferences.

Designing a vehicle, whether it is for land, air or sea, comes with many challenges. Thankfully, many wonderful ideas are born from these challenges and can be applied to other fields. A perfect example of this is the new 40 "Signature Series" Super Yacht.

I don't really know what pet fish think of the new aquariums. You fish people will have to let us know how they react to their homes being in the belly of a robot or hanging from a lamp hook. Maybe I'm a purist, but I would never put my birds in those situations... So, for those of us who remain ignorant about fish preferences, here are five (really 6) neat-looking aquariums.

The Lightning Rod Stun Pen, shooting 800,000 volts of electricity at its target, is Streetwise's highest packing power in a pen. It's so powerful, it can seriously disable your target, enabling at least, a very good chance for you to get away. It's so small, it can fit in your pocket or even a small purse.

If beauty fades but stupid is forever, what can anyone say about US patent # 4202456? Toy building blocks made from bottle caps might seem thrifty and practical, but how could they be so when it cost thousands of dollars to patent such an idea? A bit contradictory, no? Read on for some details and a bit more ambivalence.

If anyone could make a work of art out of a measuring spoon, it would be industrial design master Guilio Iachetti... and he has! Iachetti creates art out of the ordinary tools we use every day. Best known for his ultra-modern table and kitchen ware, Iachetti's designs are captivating and practical. And so is his new departure into fashion eyeglass frames: 4Occhi!

Okay, so maybe you don't have any dumb friends. Maybe the only dumb people you know are relatives or people at work. Either way, dumb is dumb, and sometimes you just can't believe you are giving them gifts at all. But it's a family Christmas party or one of those office parties where you pick a name and the one you got is the biggest jerk in the whole place.... You can probably find just the right gift for her or him pretty cheaply right here.

Who out there does not remember those old light-bulb jokes? You, know, the ones that went, ‘how many whatevers does it take to change a light bulb?’ Answers were precursors to Polish and other bad ethnic jokes, but the patent for the light bulb changer, (#6826983 to be exact) is neither. It is, however, quite ridiculous, and as such, belongs here now. Read on and realize you simply haven’t seen it all.

Guess what? We don't have to worry about growing old alone. We will have robots to take care of us... the kind that can become any person you authorize it to be, kind of like a medium to communicate with the living.

Cold Hands? Warm Heart! This reusable, environmentally friendly, heart-shaped portable heating pad puts out heat to the beat, again and again!

If there were two favorite gadgets loved by product designers this past two years, it was the USB port and the iPod. Don't get me wrong, I love my port (preferably not too sweet) and don't remember life without my iPod, but jeez, do I really need a farting plastic dog or a bookcase holder for my iPod?

Some people like to have the "tough guy" image in every aspect in their life. Usually the people that do try to make everything appear tough, it's not. But in this case the hand grenade does, at first, promotes hostility when a person first sees it.

When I was little and had a cold, my mother would always take my temperature by putting a glass stick thermometer in my mouth. I never understood these, because not only did I have to close my mouth to get a reading on it, my nose was stuffed up so I couldn’t breathe out of that either! Well, now there is a simpler solution.

Many of us had our hopes that one day we'd be able to buy a fast, sleek sports car, one that would make every guy, chick, and child's jaw drop. We'd be sooo cool.

Several years ago, Juan Pineda found himself waiting for his wife's paycheck. And waiting. And waiting.

"Chew your food!!"... How many times have busy kids heard that exasperated command from overly concerned mothers? Now the Kami Kami Sensor from Japan's Nitto Kagaku will keep kids biting their food - and Moms biting their tongues.

When I saw the Lift Assist seat cushion, I immediately thought, not of seniors, or disabled persons, or people with arm or leg injuries; I thought about boomers I know, people in their fifties, even forties, who struggle to get off their asses, excuse the expression, because their asses weigh them down like steel anchors!

Since Hydrogen power is becoming more widely accepted, more and more people are looking toward the future and seeing racing events, even Formula 1, using the clean burning fuel. At the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), they have already developed a Hydrogen powered race car, and they are hoping to make it into the record books.

The gears in your transmission serve as more than a means of getting power to the pavement. Depending on which gear you are using, they can work to multiply the amount of torque available or they can greatly reduce the workload on your engine and reduce the amount of fuel used over a certain period. Using this knowledge, Hyundai is working on a more efficient transmission with some extra gears for when you really need them.

The world’s first integrated GSM/WiMAX handset, the HTC MAX 4G is here. It is the result of a partnership between HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, and Russian carrier, Scartel (Yota brand). Designed and optimized for the Russian market, the HTC MAX 4G will be available in Russia on November 26th. Read on for details.