gadgets
Voice-Absorbing Facemask Yes, you are probably sick and tired of face masks by now but this one is very different. The Skyted Mask “absorbs” your voice, so no-one nearby can listen in on your phone calls, or hear you swearing as you play Fortnite online. Its maker suggests one of these masks is perfect for those on flights holding business calls. Not our bag, but you can see the mask in action on YouTube. It features some of the same materials used for sound isolation on airplanes.
The Laptop-Charging Bike Desk Working from home can mean your steps go way down and your energy bills go way up. But this could be a solution, if a slightly strange one. The eKinekt BD 3 from Acer is an exercise bike that is also a desk. We’ve seen those before, but this one converts your mid-meeting workouts into electricity that can be used to charge your phone, your laptop — whatever you like — through its three USB ports. With an expected price of £999, the costs might take a while to balance out, mind.
AI Baby Monitor Detects Your Baby’s Cry There are four reasons babies cry. Well, that’s according to this “AI” baby monitor and night light, called Q-Bear. It uses software trained through 10,000 baby wails and will get to know your own child’s cries as it is used over the days and weeks. What are those four reasons? Hunger, soiled nappy, being tired, or wanting to be comforted.
Smart Wee-Testing Toilet Vivoo’s toilet may not be what comes to mind when the term “smart toilet” is used. It’s not one of those Japanese wonders with a heated seat and massaging waterspouts. This is a clip-on urinalysis device that places a test strip in the path of your wee stream. It then tests for “four wellness” parameters and delivers your results to the app within 90 seconds. We might not want to use this every time we head to the loo, but aren’t you a little curious about the magnesium, pH, protein, and sodium content of your urine and — more to the point — what they might mean about your health?
Yukai Engineering’s Robot Pillow The Japanese robotics firm Yukai Engineering has invented an incredible pillow that feels like it’s breathing when you hold it. It does this by expanding and contracting slowly and subtly as you’re holding it, which helps train your body to do the same. It is meant to help those with anxiety and high-stress levels calm and feel at ease when needed. It sounds like the perfect addition to our self-care arsenal.
www.cioafrica.co | FEBRUARY 2023 | CIO Africa Magazine | by dx⁵
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