The Toyota violin robot is performing daily at the Japanese Pavilion, at the The Shanghai World Expo. Here’s a short video of the robot performing a distinctly Chinese tune at the Expo:

While I don’t think that the robot will be putting orchestra players out of work anytime soon, the technology involved in manipulating the violin bow and fretting the strings is quite amazing.

The Nubrella is the first hands-free umbrella and sits on shoulder straps to keep the top from pressing onto your head, and a strap in front that keeps it from blowing off. It is totally windproof and looks a bit like your own personal space bubble. People may laugh at first, but this invention may actually take off.

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Take for example the internal combustion engine; sure cars go almost anywhere faster than their predecessors, the horse and carriage. And they do so in quiet comfort. But cars pollute, consume a dwindling resource and put us at deadly odds with others who want to control the same finite resource.

Read more Right Brain Workouts by Peter Lloyd

I really hate having to get the very last remaining bit of toothpaste that collects up at the bottom of the tube.

Well, this new toothpaste tube (designed by Dominic Wilcox and illustrated by Clare Mallison) solves this problem by putting a cap at both ends.

Now when you (or your partner) keep squeezing from the front or middle of the tube, no need to get angry - you can simply open up the other end to get the rest out! It also does the double duty of fixing the problem of your partner gumming up one side of the tube because you can each have your own end cap.

Ingenious.

Designer Hanna Sandström teamed up with Whirlpool and Green Fortune to come up with a fridge that will help you grow your own garden greens. Lettuce and herbs purchased from the supermarket can be automatically fed with light and water to prolong life and growth. The Kitchen Garden system can also nurture a seed to a plant ripe for eating. For those of you without a green thumb, or dwelling without space for a garden, this concept refrigerator may be the perfect new kitchen appliance.

World renowned designer Philippe Starck has just revealed two wind turbine designs for domestic use by homeowners. Ordinary individuals can put them in their yards, gardens or on roofs to generate power for their households. The “Revolutionair” 400W WT model will output 400W and the helicoidal 1KW WT will produce 1KW of power. The sleek turbines were officially debuted after a lengthy two years of research and work. The helix shaped designer turbines will be produced by Italy’s Pramac and will sell for around 2,500 euros and 3,500 euros.

Color Picker is an innovative concept design of a pen that scans colors and instantly uses the color for drawing. Simply point the pen at an object to scan its color, then use the ink end to write with the color you just scanned. The color is detected by the color sensor and the RGB cartridge of the pen mixes the required inks to create the target color. With color picker, the possibilities are endless.

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Korean designers, Ji-in Byun, Cho Jung Seok & Oh Seul Ki, designed portable and innovative trash bins to curb waste issues on the beach as every hour, 700 tonnes of waste are thrown into the sea. Stationary bins are placed few and far between, but Dustbin 4 Beach is a streamlined bin that can be pitched into the sand and is portable. The tapered base digs deep into the sand for stability. A cut-out niche at the base allows the user to stamp the bin down with the foot, and a cut-out handle at the top facilitates easy removal and shifting. Very cool.

One of the most unconventional designs to hit the market comes in the form of air, yes an air umbrella offers protection from rain by shooting a steady sheet of air to create an invisible canopy. Designed and engineered by Je Sung Park and Woo Jung Kwon, the air umbrella works by sucking air through the bottom intake and blowing it out the upper outlet to form an air curtain. The size of the air umbrella air curtain can be adjusted to accompany multiple users at once. Amazing!

The company, Spot Appliance Design for All, has come out with a brilliant and sleek new set of appliances for people confined to a wheelchair. The fridge, oven, and dishwasher feature digital touch screen controls and while slight but significant differences in the mobility and ease of the dishwasher and oven may be hard to see, their functionality goes along way. The fridge is vastly different and more advanced than the common household kitchen appliance and includes sliding trays and bins, an electric-magnetic door latch system, motion activated LED night lights, and of course, a control panel choc-full of options like time, date, temp, music control, LED control, security lock, and other general preferences.

Check out Spot’s Appliances for Disabled and other Interesting New Products and Inventions.