Bizarre Tech: Amagami Ham Ham, Avokadio and Move+

Amagami Ham Ham

Ya want a little nibble?

Japan’s Yukai Engineering Inc has come up with something else questionable.

If you ever came across the ‘popular’ Qoobo, the cushion with a wagging tail, these are the guys who masterminded that.

This cute, kawaii robot has a special ability, to nibble on your finger.

That’s it.

They justify this invention: ‘Replicating the cute habits of babies, kittens, and puppies, it nibbles on your finger. While you stopped that behaviour in the past – as sharp little teeth can hurt – this adorable robot lets you enjoy the same comfort.’

Comfort? Eh?

With Amagami Ham Ham, you can keep ‘this sweet, gentle biting sensation nearby at all times’.

Apparently, being gnawed on is a stress reliever, and it’s suggested you use it at work. By hiding Amagami Ham Ham in your desk drawer, you can whap it out when you’ve had a barney with your manager. Just stick your finger in its mouth.

That won’t raise any eyebrows.

You probably won’t be invited to work social events anymore but you’ll be less stressed, so that’s something.

‘Amagami’ means ‘nibbling’ in Japanese, and ‘ham’ means ‘nom nom’. Ahahahaha. No.

The wee nibbler has a sensor in its jaw area – aka the ‘HAMling system’ – that recognises when a finger is in its mouth and starts to chow down.

Thankfully, each time you stick your finger in, Amagami Ham Ham delivers a different nibble.

‘Conveying a variety of emotions in a nonverbal way, this robot gives you comfort.’ So no weird noises? Like it’s enjoying itself? That’s good news, I suppose. Saves your colleagues being uncomfortable around your presence.

Oh no, wait. The Amagami Ham Ham’s lower jaw moves – made of soft resin that flexes –and you’ll ‘enjoy’ sensations like mumble, reflex and massage.

Mumble? Erm.

I really don’t know the selling point for this. Unless, you know, you’re into this kind of thing...

You can choose from Yuzu, the Tricolor Cat, and Kotaro, the Shiba Inu, and it requires three AA batteries.

The idea for Amagami Ham Ham was apparently conceived during Yukai Engineering’s in-house ‘Makeathon 2020’. AKA: ‘We have no clue what will follow the unexpected success of the wagging cushion, so why not make a biting bot, and justify it via fond childhood memories of mouthing baby animals?’

Yep, good idea!

Avokadio

Just breathe into the fruit.

Why the avocado design? Did the person who developed it really, really like the fruit?

Telling you to ‘breathe into wellness’, Avokadio gives you AI-based nutritional advice based on breath analysis.

You can apparently track your metabolism and get nutrition advice by blowing into the avocado. Don’t do it in public, though. Because you’ll look like an absolute plonker.

Professor Gokcen Garipoglu combined her years of clinical and scientific experience of nutrition with technology “to make wellness and nutrition more accessible and affordable”.

She believes “getting insights from the body leads to healthy eating and optimising health”.

Well, no s**t, Sherlock.

Apparently, Avokadio’s breath analysis technology is scientifically validated based on clinical trials.

So, how does it work?

According to the website, you breathe into the device for a few seconds, and the nano-sensor technology measures ketones in your breath (ketones indicate fat-burning metabolism).

The data is analysed by the Avokadio’s algorithm, which lets you know how your body processes the food you eat.

Your ketone value is converted to a score and you get an instant record of your fat-burning metabolism. You can then track your improvement – the higher the score, the higher the fat burn.

The AI then suggests meal plans, and the algorithm learns about your personal food choices to cater for your tastes.

The more you use the fruity gadget, the better your results – the AI model will learn more about you, how you handle the food you eat, and what your body needs. Creepy.

The company’s goal is to provide healthy eating habits and sustainable weight loss. 

BLOW INTO THE FRUIT, GET SKINNY.

Move+

You got bad knees?? Strap this on!

The Move+ from Kineon is designed to help chronic knee pain with LED and laser therapy.

If you’re like me, you often wonder why the human body is so amazingly capable, yet the knees, the things that you need to move, are fickle creatures.

Creaky, flaky things, knees.

So, you strap on the Move+ device and LED lights aim to provide surface-level therapy, while medical-grade lasers help penetrate joints and tissue.

This could be a good idea, as lots of medical trials prove that laser therapy is a beneficial treatment on pain, osteoarthritis and cartilage damage. If you get the correct dose, Move+ can allegedly help reduce joint degradation and give more functionality.

The Move+ can be used on any joint or muscle tissue, can reduce inflammation, and ease aches and pain.

According to Kineon, with regular treatments ‘you’ll experience a rapid improvement in your recovery through a reduction in inflammation and stimulation in collagen production’. SCIENCE.

Move+ gives you whole-joint coverage, high-intensity LED and laser light, and exact targeting. The red-light therapy works by stimulating blood flow and energy production in the cells of the targeted area. This triggers the healing process to help damaged tissues repair themselves. Sweet.

The MOVE+ can treat loads of body problems, like medial collateral ligament tear, anterior cruciate ligament pain, meniscus tear, muscle tear or sprain, and inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Gout. What a Henry VIII affliction to have.