Last week I attended a “New Product Expo” that was co-sponsored by the television station that I used to work for. (Translation: I got in for free and the convention center that it was held in was blissfully air-conditioned.) I found some great new gadgets that may one day find their way into my home. The ones that I found myself drawn to had a central theme–they cater to lazy people. Well, that’s my take anyway. Take a look and judge for yourself:
MOPPING SHOES
Definitely a gadget designed to allow you to use as little energy as possible. They are shoes that mop while you walk… really. They shoe is shaped like a bedroom slipper but instead of a rubberized sole the bottom of the mopping shoe is covered with soft shaggy cotton strips (basically it looks like a pair of bedroom slippers attached to a traditional mop head—only not as thick). I tried them on and made roller skate-like motions across the demonstration floor. It picked up the dust and other particles much like a mop would, only there was no water involved. I like the concept, but I don’t know if I am ready to toss my Swiffer just yet.
MOTORIZED POOL LOUNGER
The motorized pool lounger has two built in propellers, which you control via a joystick, similar to the ones found on video games. Forget about having to paddle or float across the pool—the lounger takes care of everything. If you angle the lounger just right it is possible to navigate around the pool without ever having to touch the water. How’s that for conserving energy? Perhaps it was designed for people who love to tan, but don’t like to get wet?
MOTOR CONE
If keeping ahead of the drips with your favorite ice cream is simply too much stress, you can prevent messy meltdowns with a motorized cone. That’s right a battery-powered motorized ice cream cone shaped and sized just like a regular sugar (not waffle) cone. Just fill it with ice cream and it spins around and around—all you have to do is stick out your tongue while it constantly rotates and viola—instant gratification.
THE AMAZING HOUSEHOLD BUG ZAPPER
Sick of wasting energy fending off annoying bugs? There’s a battery operated bug zapper that promises to kill on contact, using an electric current to “take the sweat out of swatting.” It looks like a miniature tennis racket, but remember you aren’t using it to swing at pesky bugs. Instead you simply place it up to, say, a fly on a windowsill and the electricity takes care of it. It does its job by zapping not splat-ting.
The bug zapper and the motorized ice cream cone were priced at around $10. The motorized pool float runs about $150.