There are very smart designers and engineers. Beyond the tech you can buy to enhance your life, there are also plenty of great real-world gadgets that make a big difference in the way you live your life.
We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting designs of everyday gadgets and gizmos that will have you wondering how you ever lived without them.
A repurposed phone booth
This old phone booth has been transformed into a handy place to get some extra juice for your smartphone instead.
With the advent of cell phones, people hardly need phone booths anymore.
This old phone booth has been transformed into a convenient place where you can get extra juice for your smartphone. A rather clever repurposing of an old and obsolete object.
This simple design lets you use your wrist to open the door – for hands-free, germ-free opening.
Public restrooms are potentially full of germs. You may have washed and dried your hands, but what about the hundreds of other people who walked through that door?
If your hands are clean and you touch the same handle, it’s like you haven’t washed them. This simple design leads you to use your wrist instead – for hands-free, germ-free opening.
Shipping Container Homes
Recycling and reusing are great for the environment. One example is homes built from disused shipping containers.
We are certainly a wasteful society, but there are designers and passionate people who strive to make the world a better place by reusing materials and objects in new ways.
Retraining and reassignment. One example is homes built from disused shipping containers.
Dens for dogs
In Denmark there are dog shelters to prevent your dog from being stolen while you are shopping. These refuges are also equipped with an automatic disinfection and cooling system.
If you’ve ever popped into the shops with your favorite four-legged friend, you might have wondered if they were safe (or happy) tied up outside.
In Denmark, an ingenious solution to this problem has been found. These dog dens prevent the theft of your pet and are equipped with an automatic disinfection and cooling system. So you can shop safely, knowing your furry friend is safe outside.
A mirror that can tell you the weather
This hotel mirror is located near the elevators and tells you the weather outside before you leave the building.
This hotel mirror is located near the elevators and tells you the weather outside before you leave the building.
Sure, you could just look out your bedroom window, but where’s the fun?
A modern phone booth
This is a special booth in an American library that allows library patrons to have a private place to take (or make) a phone call without disturbing other library patrons.
Libraries have always been a place of quiet reading and reflection. But in the modern era where smartphones are always connected, it’s hard to avoid interruptions.
This is where the “cone of silence” comes in. This is a special booth in an American library that allows library patrons to have a private place to take (or make) a phone call without disturbing other library patrons.
colorful elevator buttons
With these buttons, children in the hospital will have an easier time remembering which floor they are on.
CHUI’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital elevators feature a bright and colorful design. In addition to numbering each floor (and providing braille), the designers assigned a color and an animal/object to each floor.
In this way, children in the hospital will have an easier time remembering the floor they are on when they have to go to their room from another part of the hospital.
An ice bar to keep drinks cold
This nifty little metal strip is present in some bars to keep your drinks cool when not in use.
This nifty little strip of metal that you can see in some bars keeps drinks cool when not in use.
Apparently, if you look hard enough, you can find pictures of people who played Dumb and Dumber and licked it, before the firefighters came to their rescue.
The umbrella box
This is a special umbrella storage unit that allows members of the public to store their umbrellas and lock them so that no one else can grab them.
This is a special umbrella storage unit that allows members of the public to store their umbrellas and lock them so that no one else can grab them.
A key is required to remove them. Apparently, this kind of device is common in Japan.
Anti-roll colored pencils
These are hexagonal pencils whose unusual shape is designed to prevent them from rolling on the table. Simple but effective.
Perhaps one of the simplest designs on our list, but no less impressive.
These are hexagonal pencils discovered by a Reddit user in a restaurant. The unusual shape is designed to prevent them from rolling off the table. Simple but effective.
Even the floor is educational
London Science Museum flooring is educational. Look closely and you’ll see chromosomes passing the buck back to you.
The floor of the London Science Museum is educational. Look closely and you will see chromosomes passing the ball back to you.
Mini golf fish food
There’s a lot to love about this picture. First, it shows a mini-golf course on a pier, which is pretty impressive on its own. The balls are biodegradable.
There’s a lot to love about this picture. First, it shows a mini-golf course on a pier, which is pretty impressive on its own.
What’s even cooler is that the balls are biodegradable fish food. The final hole in the pier drops directly into the ocean and provides food for local swimmers.
A multipurpose door
This hotel room is designed in such a way that the door can close on either of two different doors. Strange and wonderful architecture.
Here is a door with an interesting design. This hotel room is designed in such a way that the door can close either of two different doors. Strange and wonderful architecture. They say that when one door closes, another opens. Not in this case.
Floor Level Evacuation Plan
In the event of a fire, the best thing to do is to hit the ground and try to find an exit. Placing emergency information at ground level makes sense.
At first glance, you might think that the escape plan for this hotel has come loose from the wall and landed on the carpet, but it’s actually purposely installed there.
Why ? Because in the event of a fire (with lots of smoke), the best thing to do is to hit the ground and try to find an exit. This will keep you below the smoke as the hot air rises, but how will you know where to go? Check out this ground level plan to find the emergency exits!
An interesting solution for storing chairs
This is a space-saving seating storage solution that allows you to recess unused chairs into the wall. It also allows easy access to additional seats should the need arise.
This university has come up with a really cool, space-saving chair storage solution that lets you hang unused chairs on the wall. It also allows easy access to additional seats should the need arise.
Gambling penalty
This is Marty. It is a special safety robot used by Stop&Shop supermarkets to scan the aisles looking for spills, debris or tripping hazards.
This is Marty. It is a special safety robot used by Stop&Shop supermarkets to scan the aisles looking for spills, debris or tripping hazards. Sure, he’s probably a danger himself, but he’s at least cool and useful.
Wake-up call
It’s a great idea if you’re on vacation and want to see what a place has to offer.
In Iceland, a hotel has a special wake-up button on the phone that will call you if the Northern Lights are visible. Ideal if you don’t want to miss that special scene.
