- [Narrator] The
technology-focused world we live in has been driven by some
truly amazing inventions. But for every incredible idea, there's four more disastrous ones. From a motorized chair, to a... Well, whatever that is. Put on your thinking caps, because we're about to check out some of the most useless
inventions ever made. (upbeat music) The Speech Stopper. Come on, we all know at least someone that talks too much for their own good. Telling them to just shut
up is rude though, isn't it? Well, with the Speech Jammer
Gun, you don't have to. This handheld device
invented by Japanese student, Kazutaka Kurihara is designed to stop that annoying friend in their tracks. So how does it work? Simple, using an inbuilt laser pointer, you aim the speech jammer at
whoever you want to silence and pull the trigger. This activates a microphone
speaker system inside it, which records everything they're saying and throws it back to them a
fraction of a second later. The resulting effect is called
delayed auditory feedback. It disrupts the way the person
processes their own speech so much so that it literally
renders them speechless. They'll stutter, become confused, and eventually stop talking. This is what it sounds like
if you try a tongue twister while experiencing the phenomenon. - Where in the... Where it's the pack of pickled pepper. Where's the pack of pickled pep... Where's the pack of pickled peppers. - [Narrator] So it does work, but is it better than just
asking the person to be quiet? The inventor seems to think so, going as far as to recommend using it on a long-winded university
professor, here it comes. (professor speaking in foreign language) I'm not so convinced. Yeah, the only thing this
invention is stopping is my hand reaching for my wallet. Crazy Cat Ears. I know what you're thinking, wouldn't life be so much better with a pair of animatronic cat
ears strapped to your head? I ask myself the same question every day. Luckily then Japanese gadget company, Neurowear has this covered. The company designed
these furry head pieces with a special sensor device inside called an electroencephalogram,
or EEG for short. EEGs can detect brain activity. And those attached to this headband supposedly allow the ears to react depending on what mood you're in. Supposedly however, is the key word here. In practice, EEGs can only really measure general brain activity
rather than detect emotion. This means rather than moving based off whether you're feeling happy or sad, the ears will just react to your brain, detecting light and sound, which is significantly less impressive. What's more, users have
complained that they're heavy, and make an annoying buzzing sound. Darn it. I was really hoping they'd
gotten robot cat ears right this time. Nah, psych, I'd rather cough up a fur ball than wear these freaky fluffers. Don't Buy-cycle. Bicycles have remained largely unchanged since Englishman John
Kemp Starley invented the Rover safety bicycle
in the late 1800s. And for good reason, the design works. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But budding inventors, Tom
Hambrock and Jerry Spetter thought they could do one better when they came up with the FLIZ Bike. It's a bike without pedals or a seat. Right, so how does it work? Well, you strap yourself into a harness on the bicycle's frame, and then you run until you've
gathered enough momentum to bring your legs up off the ground. This is all well and good when you're on level,
ground or going downhill, but trying to go uphill, it'd be impossible surely or at the very least utterly exhausting. Tom and Jerry claimed their aim was to make an environmentally
friendly mode of transport, but did they forget actual
bikes exist or something? I mean, I can't see any advantage to using this over a normal bicycle aside from maybe avoiding an achy butt. Less a FLIZ and more of a flop. Sorry, guys. Feckless Fingers. Okay, so we've seen some
pretty useless stuff so far. What about these latex
finger gloves though? Surely wearing something
so horrendously ugly must serve a pretty
important purpose, right? Right? Well, it turns out they're designed so you can use your smartphone without leaving any marks on the screen because let's be real here, that's always been such a big problem. (sighs) Did the inventor of these never think to, you
know, wash their hands? And you can also buy
silicone variants too, which the manufacturers say are perfect for avoiding friction-related discomfort while playing sports like basketball. But come on, can you imagine LeBron James walking onto the court with a load of these silicone bad boys on his fingers? (laughs) Who knew there was a
way to make basketball uncool? Robo-Tail. You've heard of Robocop. Now, get ready for Robo-Tail. Yep, that's right. Scientists over in Japan
have invented a robotic tail that you can strap on like you're some kind of
second rate Spider-Man villain. So far so weird, why
exactly would you want to strap a giant robot
tail to yourself though? I hear you ask. Well, sadly, the device doesn't turn you into an unstoppable techno lizard, but it does not a lot. It's actually designed to
improve people's balance and acts like a counterweight. So if you stumble forward,
you won't fall over easily. I know what you're thinking, humans don't need tails to balance. We literally evolved to lose them. However, scientists say the robot tails aren't made for just anybody. They're specifically for the elderly who are more likely to fall over. Which sure is true, but we
already invented something to help with that thousands
of years ago, walking sticks. And I guarantee a walking stick is a lot cheaper than a mechanical tail without the strain of having a huge lump of metal attached to your back. Having said that, I would
absolutely love to see my grandpa wandering around with one of these on just as long as it didn't
take control of him and go on a rampant
killing spree, of course. Shocking Mask. Every kid wants to be an adult until they actually become one. And then they just wanna be a kid again. Of course, you can't
literally get younger, but people will try pretty
much anything to look it, including wearing a
creepy electrified mask that's bound to terrify
anyone unfortunate enough to walk into the living room. This monstrosity is the
Rejuvenique Face Mask released back in 1999. It claimed to work by
electrocuting your face, causing your muscles to
tense and tighten the skin around them. Thus, reducing wrinkles. Apparently by dawning this
mask for just 15 minutes, three to four times a week,
it would work wonders. However, there was never
actually any evidence to support this claim. The product wasn't even
approved by the FDA and insanely never underwent
any clinical trials either. What's more, some of the people
that bought the morbid mask complained of painful red
marks appearing on their face after using it. Ouch, pretty useless as
an anti-aging device then, but I might see if I can find one for my next Halloween costume. Air-Conned. Okay, we've all suffered from smelly feet at some point or another. The solution, you wash them. However, Japanese company, Hydro-Tech have come out with a product they say avoids the issue all together. So what is it exactly? Why, air conditioned shoes, of course. This wacky footwear is designed with the vaguely named
New Filter Technology installed in them to remove heat and humidity, keeping your
tootsies fresh and clean. Okay, sounds strange, but
potentially quite comfy, right? Well, it turns out that
new filter technology is just a jargonistic way of saying the shoes have holes in them. Yep, those spiderweb looking things on the soles are little
more than fancy holes, which renders these shoes utterly useless. Sure, they'll let a bit of
air in on the rare occasion you don't have your feet on the ground, but on a rainy day, they're probably gonna let a
whole load of water in too. And we all know that water plus socks doesn't equal fresh whiff-free feet, rendering these shoes a
$78 waste of materials. I bet anyone that made the mistake of buying them wishes
they could filter it out of their memory. Invisi-Phone. The idea of taking an ordinary object and making it see through has been oddly alluring
to us for a long time. So it's no surprise that many companies are
working on transparent phones. When Samsung announced the development of theirs back in 2020, some people got pretty excited at the idea of holding something
like this in their hands. The reality, however, is
that it'll probably look more like this. This Samsung concept uses an OLED display on a transparent display panel, surrounded by a black border. Now, don't get me wrong,
it's kind of cool, I guess, in a really gimmicky way, but
seriously, what's the point? If my phone's in the way of something, it's not exactly difficult to move it, to see what's behind it. And I'm bad enough with
losing things as it is. If I had to try and find something literally designed not to be
seen, I'd be hunting forever. I mean, there's no doubt
it's impressive tech, but I can't help thinking it'd be much better used elsewhere like on capes. Purely so I can live out my
ultimate Harry Potter fantasy Smart Litter. We live in an age where
everything from lights to mirrors are getting so-called smart versions with voice recognition and other technological wizardry built in. But did you think you'd ever hear of a smart cat litter tray? Well, you have now. This outrageously
over-engineered puss potty was made by American company, Lulu Pet and comes with kitty recognition. So if you have multiple cats, it knows which one is using it. A camera with an infrared
sensor and onboard AI, profiles each cat and
adds it to a database. Then after your flatulent
feline goes for a poop, the camera scans and analyzes the feces to check for signs of illness before sending the results
to your smartphone. Sure, this is a valiant cause, but most pet owners don't
need a high-tech poop scanner to tell when something's wrong
with their furry companion. And although the creators
of the litter tray boast it can keep up to 15 cat profiles at once, would anyone really want 15
cats, all pooping in one tray? Here's a hint, they wouldn't. Especially not when the
litter tray sends a video to your phone every time it's used. Ugh, I can't think of a worse notification to open on your phone than another video of
little Mittens taking a dump Fancy Fork. Some things have been around
for thousands of years and have barely changed in design. The fork is one of them
and there's a good reason. It doesn't need to. Ask researchers at Japan's
Ochanomizu University, however, and they'll disagree. And that's because they've
invented a, get this, a battery powered fork that makes various noises depending on the food you're eating. (fork squeaking) Okay, what? It works by passing an
electric current up the fork and through the food. When you touch your mouth
on the food to eat it, the current passes to you
and forms a closed circuit. This generates power, which makes sounds emit from a speaker,
built into the device. The noise differs depending
on the food on the fork, because all foods conduct
electricity to different degrees. Foods with high water content and acidity level like potatoes, tomatoes, and onions conduct electricity quite well. Whereas, high fat and
oily foods like chocolate aren't conductive. Now, this is all very
clever and everything, but why would you wanna fork
that makes weird noises? (fork rumbling) (fork squeaking) You know, the good folk
at Ochanomizu University say it encourages kids to try different things they
wouldn't have had before. I'm not so sure though. I can see this easily becoming
the most annoying thing you could give to a child. Sit-Fit. If you've ever wished you
could get rock solid abs just by sitting in your chair all day, well, join the club. Don't expect your wish
to come true though, which is what the now discontinued
Hawaii chair promised. Essentially, an office chair
with a wiggling motorized seat, it was marketed as a game-changing hack in the world of fitness. - Oh my gosh. This is amazing. - Feels great on my abs. - I can really feel this working. - [Narrator] Spoiler alert, she couldn't. As well as looking absolutely ridiculous, there's no evidence whatsoever to support the wild claim that it actually helps
strengthen your core. And considering this was an office chair, do you think you'd get more or less work done while
being jostled around like you're on the worst
theme park ride of all time? Yeah, exactly. It's no surprise then that this
travesty was only available between 2007 and 2010
before failing miserably. But even though the
jingle is entirely untrue, there's no denying it's catchiness. ♪ If you can sit, you can get fit ♪ ♪ The Hawaii Chair ♪ Crap Trap. When you're taking your
dog out for a walk, picking up its poop is
undoubtedly the worst part of the experience. However, American pet company
PooTrap came up with something that's arguably far worse. Despite referring to this
grotesque contraption as a magic poop collector, I can assure you there's
nothing magic about it. Simply put, it's a harness
you strap around your dog that has a attachment near the mutt's butt where you fasten a poo bag. There's also a separate version without the harness. So when it's time to go poopy, your dog will deliver its brown load directly into the bag
rather than on the floor. This theoretically means
you're spared the grim task of picking the ominous butt
truffle up off the ground. You still have to bend down and pluck the bag from your
pooch's posterior though. So there really isn't much difference, aside from the fact of course, that everyone's going to be staring at you and wondering why the
heck you're walking a dog with a plastic bag attached to its butt like it's some sort of
super strange doggy diaper. What a disaster. Too Useless to Handle. You know, when your phone starts ringing and you just think, "Damn, not again. Now, I'm going to have to bring my hand all the way up to my head." No, I don't think I
know the feeling either, but Israeli entrepreneur,
Yonatan Assouline obviously thought this
was a very real issue when he tried to crowdfund
the Fonhandle back in 2014. The $13 device, and I use the word device extremely liberally,
attached to your smartphone like a handle. And that's it. It lets you hold your
phone slightly differently at the cost of carrying it around and becoming its own cumbersome chore. Yonatan disagrees of course, arguing that the carefully curated device went through over 32 prototypes and countless redesigns to
become the perfect product. Really? 32 prototypes led to this plastic stick? Hmm, if you're still somehow unconvinced about the uselessness of this thing, one of the main selling
points of the Fonhandle is that it lets you discover the web without staring at your fingers. Ah, yes, another big problem for phone users everywhere solved. Not. If you hadn't guessed, the product failed its Kickstarter goal. So I'm afraid you can't snag yourself one. Why don't you go spend the $13
on something more worthwhile instead like, well
literally anything else? Marty McWhy. Back in 2019 people started spotting strange googly-eyed robots,
roaming supermarkets around the USA. These mysterious robots were
made even odder by the fact that they seem to do well, nothing. Which is unfortunate,
because they cost the stores they're in a whopping $35,000 each. But why would anyone want
to spend so much money on something that does so little? Well, they're not
supposed to be so useless. The robots named Marty
are actually designed to patrol the aisles, checking for spills and other hazards that might slip you up. The thing is, they don't clean them, they just stand beside them, making a lot of annoying noises, trying to signal someone who can. And by the time an
assistant actually arrives, there's a good chance someone would've found
the spillage anyway. What's more, Marty doesn't differentiate between so-called hazards and hilariously will treat
everything he comes across as one, no matter how small. - Caution hazard detected. (Marty speaking in foreign language) - [Narrator] Ah, good job, Marty, that's a real dangerous
looking bottle cap, hmm. The only slip up here
was buying this thing in the first place. Absolutely Juiceless. Everybody loves fresh
squeezed fruit juice. Doug Evans, the inventor of the Juicero home juicing machine
knew this all too well when he put his product on
the market back in 2016. Apparently, he didn't know how to make something useful though. With its huge $700 price tag, you'd expect this thing
to be able to magic juice out of thin air or something. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In fact, after first breaking
the bank, buying the machine, you then had to fork out on special Juicero brand fruit bags. And for all this money, the juicer wouldn't even work unless it was connected to the internet. But ultimately, none of
this was why Juicero failed. Oh no, it failed because you
didn't even need the machine to get the juice. After people found out, you could just squeeze the bags by hand, the entire product
became the laughing stock of the internet. Though, I wouldn't be laughing
if I bought this $700 brick. Unsurprisingly, the company went bust and Juicero became nothing
more than a bad memory. As for Doug Evans, his dreams were crushed harder
than any fruit could ever be. Pee 'N' Play. Personally, I don't like golf. Crazy golf, sure, but actual golf seems
like a lot of walking and not much playing. If I did play though, I definitely wouldn't buy the Uro Club. This golf club invented in 2008 by urologist and avid golfer Floyd Seskin, seeks to remedy a common
issue amongst golfers, needing to pee halfway through a game. Generally, golf courses don't
have toilets at every hole and relieving yourself in a bush is apparently out of the question. So Seskin made his club with
a very special alteration. It's hollow, so you can... Well, you've probably guessed. - [Narrator] It contains
a special reservoir built into the grip to relieve yourself. The Uro Club comes with a special towel to keep your privacy. - [Narrator] Oh yes, because
nobody's gonna suspect a thing if you're stood there
with a towel like that. - [Narrator] And it appears to everyone that you're just checking out your club. - [Narrator] Yeah, sure it does. The weirdly thick top section that literally no normal club has wouldn't possibly give anything away. This super embarrassing piece of kit originally went on sale for a pricey $50. But unfortunately for no
one, it's since been taken off the market. Mm, I can't think why. Too stylish maybe? Well, there's nothing more stylish than being armed with an almighty arsenal of mind blowing facts though. So hit those like and subscribe buttons and prepare to never be bored again. Right, back to business. Honorable Mentions. And before we take a look at one of the most ridiculously
useless inventions ever, I've got some gold for you that didn't quite make the cut. First up, see if you can guess what this is used for. Confused? Okay, it's a hood with an elasticated tube where your eyes are. So that when you're on
your computer or phone, nobody else can see what you're up to. Ah, yes, because nothing
says inconspicuous like covering your face and phone with a giant featureless tube. And for all the budding
photographers out there, what do you think of
this crazy contraption? A hat with a full 360 degree camera setup makes the GoPro look like a children's toy or at least it would, if they weren't low
quality disposable cameras and you didn't have to control them with that weird metal harmonica. One thing we can agree,
definitely isn't useless though, is water. However, I can't say
the same for Diet Water. This ludicrous fad spearheaded by drinks
manufacturer, Sapporo claims that peptides in the
water actively target fat cells and help you lose weight. Of course, there's no evidence
to actually support this. And it's really nothing
more than a marketing ploy to prey on the body conscious. Luckily, I prefer Water
Zero over Diet Water anyway, but that's enough of honorable mentions. So without further ado, Man Milk. After years of living in
near constant amazement, you might think I'd be
tired by now, right? But then along comes something like the Father's Nursing Assistant and it becomes clear that
I'll never stop being amazed. This wearable device
resembles a woman's chest and is made to strap onto
the father of a baby. Milk sits in one bosom and
passes through a rubber nipple on the other. With fake booby equipped, ol'
daddio doesn't have to feel left out over his lack of mammary glands and can feed the baby too. If that sounds ridiculous to you, it's because it is. Breastfeeding openly is
still bizarrely taboo in many countries. Although, this gadget seems
pretty counterintuitive in changing that opinion. I mean, the idea that a man wearing this out in public is more acceptable than a woman using her breasts
for their intended purpose is in a word insane. Of course, some mothers can't or simply don't want to breastfeed, but I bet they'd rather
bottle feed their babies than have their husband's don an ugly set of fake boobs and walk around like the Terminator's embarrassing mom. To make the whole thing worse, the device syncs up to dad's smartphone and sends data about
feeding sessions to it. What? As well as being pointless, I don't think many parents would be happy about their newborn baby's data being uploaded to the internet. Yeah, this really wasn't
the breast idea, was it? Ooh, I think I've lost enough
brain cells for one day. That's all the useless
inventions you're getting. Have you come across anything so useless, it could be featured in the next video? Hey, let me know down
in the comments below and thanks for watching. (upbeat music)
