Wine aging machine

So much for the saying that all good things come to those who wait. In the spirit of innovation, bioengineer Hiroshi Tanaka spent--get this--15 years to uncork the secrets of aging and prove that he could have his cake and eat it. Or, in this case, his sake and drink it. Tucked away in his rural Shizuoka lab is a gizmo that's said to age wine to a "drink now" stage by softening and adding complexity to young and even cheap spirits. At its heart lies an electrolyser which can convert about 4 liters of wine per minute. The device can be installed in wineries, while a small-scale version is being developed for restaurants and home cellars. Before you think this bizarre and far-fetched, wineries in California, South America and other parts of the world are taking a close interest in Tanaka's time machine. And after all that, the Japanese admitted he doesn't fancy the stuff.

(Unfortunately, no image was available at press time.)

Price: N.A.
Availability: Innovative Design and Technology
Device: Wine aging device
Basic specs: N.A.

Minus Ion Dryer for dogs

If you love your pooch, chant the mantra: Negative ions good, positive ions bad. Because now you can get hold of a minus ion dryer for your mutt which is supposed to bathe it with positive feelings of well-being while reducing stress. The product also apparently smoothes and conditions hair by pushing minus ion micro particles directly into the hair cuticle. For the clueless, negative ions occur naturally in forests and streams and promote tranquility. Heck, if this works, we won't mind trying it on ourselves. Ommmm.

Price: 9,800 yen (US$85.80)
Availability: Pet's Treasure
Device: Pet dryer
Basic specs: 100V 50/60Hz 12,000W, ABS material, 73 – 91 degrees Celsius, 700,000 pieces/cc of minus ion, 16.5 × 19.5 × 48cm, 0.9kg

Rainbow Book Stand

Here's the ultimate reading gig for the lazybone couch potato. You don't even have to lift a finger… except maybe to turn a page. This gear lets you read or study in your favorite prone position, while an attached reading lamp means you can peruse your book anytime of the day or night without having to get up for the light switch. Better yet, since you're already flat out, you can always catch 40 winks in between chapters. That's the life!

Goes perfectly with the Internet urinal

Price: 19,950 yen (US$175.75)
Availability: osamanoidea.com
Device: Book stand
Basic specs: 82 × 43 × 2cm base, arm at 66cm when in use, 53cm when not in use, eyesight distance of 30-40cm, 4.5kg

Titleist Golf Cam

This is one golf ball you don't want to lose or drop into the nearest water hazard. Designer Zach Webb, likely a golfer, dreamt up the Titleist Cam, a golf ball which hides a camera that can record every move you make on the fairway. At a press of the lens, this device can apparently store an entire 18-hole gameplay with up to four players caught on camera. It will then note where mistakes were made and offer recommendations for correcting the problem, though how it aims to do this isn't clear since the idea's still residing in the mind of Mr Webb.

Click for bigger images here | See Nanotech golf ball

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Golf training tool
Basic specs: N.A.

Soy sauce dish with wasabi grater

The Nanny's Fran Drescher may have cleared her sinus when she unwittingly swallowed the nostril-searing green condiment in the 1990s sitcom. But barring the head-clearing potency of this pungent horseradish, sushi gourmets will swear by the real deal. Which is fresh grated wasabi vs the imitation tubed paste. So yay to this two-in-one dish with raised grater which not only allows you to grate the root, it also serves to separate your garnish from the sauce as per sushi etiquette. Of course, being Singaporean, we make no apologies for liking our wasabi and soy sauce stirred into a gooey glob.

See closeup | grating it

See also Katsutare Zara Soy Sauce Plate and Desktop Sushi Robot

Price: 1,050 yen (US$9.20) for set of four
Availability: osamanoidea.com
Device: Condiment dish
Basic specs: Made of earthenware, 10.2 × 10.2cm, 140g

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