Could the strangest accessory ever built for the Nintendo Game Boy have been unearthed this week? Very possibly, if the nitrous oxide, child-sedating, PediSedate headset has anything to do with it.
Designed to distract children from uncomfortable situations – a trip to the dentist, or doctor, for example – the PediSedate is placed over said child's head, and tranquillises them with glorious N2O while they play.
According to its website, the device doesn't just work with game components like the Game Boy, but with CD players too. Happy days!
Technologizer stumbled across the PediSedate while putting together a list of the weirdest accessories ever invented for the Game Boy.
Self-guiding bullets
In other weird news, a new rifle being developed by the Pentagon could soon enable targets to be hit from far longer distances – using self-guiding bullets. The .50 caliber EXACTO rifle will be able to adjust to weather conditions in mid-air using a variety of "projectile guidance" and clarity technologies to "fly themselves" into a target, Time reports.
Foetus iPod
Meanwhile, a specially designed "baby iPod" could soon allow music-loving mums-to-be to play tunes to their unborns. Consisting of a contoured belt to go around the waist and three inbuilt vibration speakers, the B(I)aby is designed to play tunes straight into the wearer's womb. Canadian student Geof Ramsay invented the gadget to take advantage of the Mozart effect, which claims that babies exposed to classical music during pregnancy are born more intelligent.
Gadget therapy
Nartron Corporation demonstrated its next-gen dashboard in Chrysler's 200C concept car at the 2009 NY Auto Show. Operating entirely without buttons, the iQ power system uses Natron's touch technology to bring a touch of iPhone to your driving.
If that's not cool enough for you, the incredible break-dancing car might just do it instead…
In brief
California could be set to receive some of its electricity from solar panels in space, which could be just as well, if the carbon footprint of spam is indeed the same in the US as 3.1 million passenger cars using two billion gallons of gas, as suggested by ICF.
And park officials in Spokane, America are facing criticism over their decision to eliminate bothersome squirrels by using fuel-air "bunker buster" thermobaric bombs. More usually adopted by US forces, officials have adapted the tech to squirting a mixture of propane and oxygen into the burrows of the park pests, and detonating it. Naturally, there is YouTube footage available.
And finally…
The invention of the Twittering office chair means that now you can tweet about every passing of your very own flatulence, without raising a finger. Randy Sarafan invented the chair, which implements Arduino, XBee and Python, to help "accurately document and share [his] life as it happens".
A fine and worthy cause indeed. The best it is, it's open-source, so why not build your own and incorporate some kind of force-measuring scale, Richter-style, as well. A tutorial can be found on Instructables.
