INNOVATIONSDISCOVERIES
�6.
Weightedblankets
Insomesmall-scaletrials,weighted
blanketshavehelpedpeoplestruggling
withanxietydisordersgettosleep.The
ideaisthatapplyinglightpressure,via
a blanketthatweighs 10 percentof
yourbodyweight,cancurbrestlessness
andfeedbacktoyourbrainthatit’s
timetogetsomesleep.We’vetriedone
outand,whilea heavyblanketwon’t
appealtosomesleepers,it didseem
effectiveonstressfulnightswhenit felt
hardtoswitchoff.Simba’sOrbithas
beadssewnintosquarestodistribute
theweightevenly,soyoudon’tget
trappedundera heavycorner.Instead,
you’resandwichedbetweenbreathable
layersthatwillkeep you warm.
SimbaOrbit,£149
Simbasleep.com
�8.
Anelectricdirtbikecrossover
Thisbikeblursthelinebetween
battery-assistedpedallingandfull-on
electricpower.Designedformountain
trails,andnottheroads,thebike
weighs60kg,whichisheavyfora
bicyclebutlightforanelectricbike.
Thebatterygivesit a rangeofupto 62
miles,andcanmanagea maxspeedof
50mph.And,with280Nmoftorque,it
willmovelikea lightningboltfroma
standingstart.Nowwejusthavetofind
a mountaintoblastup.
UBCOFRX1trailbike, €8,999 (£7,527 approx),
ubcobikes.com
- Aspace-savingscreen
A bigmonitorcanhogyourdeskreal
estate,especiallyif,likeme,your
workspaceis somessyit wouldmake
MarieKondoblush.There’snothing
particularlyfancyabouttheSpace
Monitor,otherthanthestandwhich
fastenstotheedgeofyourtable.It bends
rightdowntothesurfaceit’sattachedto,
freeingupspaceandhelpingyoupretend
you’reusinga giantmonitoraboard the
StarshipEnterprise.
SamsungSpaceMonitor, from £449
Samsung.com
�5.
ForceFeedbackHeadphones
Theseheadphonesfromgaming
PCspecialistsRazertranslates
soundinto,well,vibrations– the
kindyoufeel,ratherthanhear.It
soundsbarmybecauseit is,butin
a goodway.Likea forcefeedback
controller,theNariheadsethits
yourearsandfacewithpulses
ofvibrations,creatinga more4D
experience.Thetechispartofa
growingfieldcalledhapticsthat
hasgaineda lotofinvestmentand
attentionascompaniesseekto
createmoreimmersivegamesand
virtualrealityexperiences.And for
themostpart,it works.
RazerNariUltimate, £199.99
Ra zer.com
