Curious inventions, found in patents.

Things · Umbrellas

Umbrellas That Read the Weather: Ten Patents for Reinventing Rain Gear

Let a drone carry it overhead. Wear it on the body. Cover a dog. Deploy it from a wheelchair. Measure rain, show a forecast, light up, spray cooling mist, and even harvest wind. Ten US patent drawings show the umbrella becoming much more than a roof held in one hand.

10 FIG. · 10/11/2026

Companies · Snap

How Far Can Snap Turn Reality Into an Interface?

A wristwatch becomes an AR launcher. Fingers replace controllers. Two hands align a shared AR space. A wall gets an x-ray-like overlay, and the display eventually moves into a contact lens. Ten Snap patents that push the interface beyond the phone screen.

10 FIG. · 10/10/2026

Documented 0Related 3Unverified 6

Companies · Canon

In Canon's Patent Drawings, the Camera Keeps Moving Away From the Photographer.

A wearable camera, automatic tracking, a roaming network camera, camera-equipped robot hands, smart glasses, an MR headset, shared mixed reality, and live-video authenticity: nine Canon patents in which the camera stops being something a person simply holds.

9 FIG. · 10/9/2026

Things · Sleep

The Sleeper Stays Still. Everything Around Them Starts Moving: 9 Sleep Patents

A pillow that moves your head when you snore, a light-emitting sleep mask, a two-chamber sleep pod, a rocking bed, a robotic bed maker, a bed that separates into a wheelchair, localized snore cancellation, ceiling projection tied to sleep state, and a sleeping bag connected to its own heat exchanger.

9 FIG. · 10/8/2026

Documented 0Related 1Unverified 8

Things · Parenting

Baby Care, One Task at a Time: 9 Patents That Hand the Work to Machines

A baby carrier built onto a walking-assistance robot, a stroller that brakes when the adult lets go, a responsive sleep aid, automated formula preparation, a bottle that measures its contents, a diaper that distinguishes urine from feces, an automatic washer and diaper changer, camera-based respiration monitoring, and a pacifier that announces when it falls: nine patents that hand small pieces of baby care to machines.

9 FIG. · 10/7/2026

Documented 0Related 1Unverified 8

Companies · Airbus

Repacking the Aircraft Cabin: 8 Airbus Patents That Make Space Do Double Duty

A saddle-like seat, helmet headrest, door-mounted crew seat, stacked sleeping boxes, a stairway deployed only when needed, a seat split between wall and floor, a modular lavatory and a folding flight-deck seat that can take on other jobs: eight Airbus patent drawings that repeatedly repack the same limited cabin volume.

8 FIG. · 10/6/2026

Documented 0Related 2Unverified 6

Companies · LEGO

Building Functions Into Bricks: 10 LEGO Inventions Seen in Patent Drawings

An electronic character that reads markers, a push-button figurine, a 3×3 light-matrix brick, a modular motor, camera/LiDAR sensing, a robotics brain, physical logic bricks, user-designed parts, AR identities built from bricks, and asymmetric play split between the real and virtual worlds.

10 FIG. · 10/5/2026

Things · Travel

How Far Can a Suitcase Transform? 10 Strange Ideas Found in Patents

A suitcase that follows you, becomes a scooter, climbs stairs, unfolds into shelves, changes size, turns into a work table, inflates with air, carries a child, becomes a bed, or weighs itself through the handle.

10 FIG. · 10/4/2026

Documented 0Related 0Unverified 8

Companies · Toyota

Ride It, Wear It, Follow It: 8 Toyota Patents for Mobility That Moves Closer to People

An adjustable-wheelbase personal mobility device, a wearable robot, a wheelchair that follows a companion, a moving display experience, morphing seat bolsters, a hitch-mounted robot, an autonomous trolley drive unit, and a locker that drives to the recipient: eight Toyota patents that shrink mobility down toward the human scale.

8 FIG. · 10/3/2026

Companies · Nike

Shoes That Tighten, Clothes That Teach: 8 Nike Patents for Wearable Machines

Stimulus-responsive garment textiles, gesture-controlled footwear, image-displaying surfaces, haptic apparel, magnetic fasteners, cooling garments, multi-pressure air soles, and heated footwear: eight Nike patents that push clothes and shoes toward becoming machines.

8 FIG. · 10/2/2026

Documented 0Related 0Unverified 8

Things · Bathrooms

The Toilet Seat as a Measuring Instrument, and Eight Other Patent Ideas

A toilet that personalizes light and sound, sensors that hunt for a urine stream, a urine analyzer built into the seat, camera-based health monitoring, a sealed analytical bowl, weight estimation from the seat, a cleaner that travels around the ring, a folding toilet-table, and a toilet that changes height for the user.

9 FIG. · 10/2/2026

Documented 0Related 1Unverified 8

Companies · Ford

Inside Ford’s Vehicle Patents: Sliding Desks, Folding Steering Wheels and Drones

Seats that face each other, an autonomous-mode theater, a dashboard desk, a tailgate sawhorse, a vehicle-launched drone, delivery-robot assistance, pet mode, outward HUD projection, self-moving repossession, and a tilting steering wheel: ten Ford patent drawings that rethink what a car can become.

10 FIG. · 10/1/2026

Companies · Walmart

Carts Assist, Robots Scan, Drones Deliver: Walmart Patents for a Store That Moves Itself

A cart handle that reads biometrics, a power-assisted cart, an aisle-following unmanned vehicle, shelf-scanning robots, a fully automated store, modular drones, mobile lockers and drone delivery: ten Walmart patent drawings in which retail work starts moving on its own.

10 FIG. · 9/30/2026

Things · Pets

Read the Bark, Take the Walk: 10 Patents Automating Pet Care

From bark-based emotion analysis and smart collars to remote video calls, a dog-scratching robot arm, self-play ball launchers, an autonomous dog-walking vehicle, automatic washing, and a rotating litter box: ten patents that move pieces of pet care from people to machines.

10 FIG. · 9/28/2026

Documented 0Related 6Unverified 4

Companies · Panasonic

Wash, Cook, Support, Deliver: Panasonic Patents for Machines That Help

From a hair-washing robot to a bed that separates into a wheelchair, walking assistance, a spherical social robot, and autonomous delivery: ten Panasonic patent drawings trace machines moving closer to everyday human work.

10 FIG. · 9/27/2026

Companies · Honda

Walk, Grasp, Support, Ride, Fly: Honda Patents That Expand Mobility

A hand-holding biped robot, five-finger robot hand, sign-language robot, bodyweight support assist, upper-body assist frame, omnidirectional personal mobility, an automated wheelchair-to-vehicle interface, telepresence robot, a self-moving shopping cart and eVTOL: ten Honda patent drawings that push mobility beyond the car.

10 FIG. · 9/26/2026

Documented 0Related 6Unverified 4

Things · Clothing

When Clothing Becomes the Interface: Patents for the Future of What We Wear

Self-lacing shoes, touch-sensitive fabric, wearable airbags, heating and cooling garments, ECG shirts, haptic VR vests, inflatable jackets, OLED clothing, cable-adjusted support wear and shoes with tunable stiffness. Ten patents that turn clothing into an active interface around the body.

10 FIG. · 9/25/2026

Documented 0Related 4Unverified 6

Companies · Dyson

What Else Can Air Do? A Tour of Dyson Patents

Air-purifying headphones, a stair-friendly vacuum, an asymmetric robot hand, a bladeless fan, air-knife hand dryers, airflow-based hair curling, green dust illumination and cleaner-maintaining docks: ten Dyson patent drawings.

10 FIG. · 9/24/2026

Documented 0Related 7Unverified 3

Companies · Meta

When the Body Becomes the Interface: 10 Meta Patents

A VR headset that reconstructs your face for people outside, virtual objects you can feel, an EMG wristband, ultrasound face tracking, predicted avatar legs, physical keyboard tracking and electrodes in the ear. Ten Meta patents that turn the body and the physical world into the computer interface.

10 FIG. · 9/23/2026

Documented 0Related 5Unverified 5

Things · Food

Electric Taste and Sensor Plates: 10 Patents Rethinking Meals

A burger-flipping robot, a 3D food printer, personalized nutrition from diagnostic samples, AR menus, electrically simulated taste, cartridge-based scent, utensils and plates that measure eating, serving robots and a robotic bartender. Ten patents that make the meal programmable one step at a time.

10 FIG. · 9/23/2026

Companies · LG

Rollable Screens, Transparent Doors and Following Robots: LG Patents

A television that rolls out of sight, a refrigerator door that turns transparent, a robot that finds a wall or floor for projection, a phone that grows sideways, and a vehicle display that changes shape. Ten LG Electronics US patent publications where the boundaries of screens and appliances start to move.

10 FIG. · 9/22/2026

Companies · Samsung

Where Does the Screen Go? 10 Samsung Patents

A display inside a contact lens, a keypad projected onto the hand, a walking-assist wearable robot, a screen that turns into a mirror, rollable displays, and a virtual keyboard pinned to the palm. Ten Samsung Electronics US patent publications reveal devices whose shape and location keep moving.

10 FIG. · 9/22/2026

Companies · Microsoft

Microsoft Patents Put Interfaces on the Body and Around the Room

A ring that reads finger bends, forearm EMG as an input device, a fluid-stiffening haptic glove, a holographic keyboard, tiny robots that let you touch virtual objects, and a folding display. Ten Microsoft US patent publications in which the boundary of input and output keeps moving.

10 FIG. · 9/21/2026

Companies · Sony

Wigs, Bananas and New Controllers: 10 Sony Patents

A computer hidden in a wig, a banana turned into a game controller, a camera contact lens, hot-and-cold controls, giant spheres under both feet and a robot rebuilt as a giraffe. Ten US Sony patent publications in which the interface takes many different forms.

10 FIG. · 9/21/2026

Documented 0Related 5Unverified 5

Companies · Disney

Walking Characters and Flying Ships: 10 Disney Theme-Park Patents

Walking robot actors, huggable soft robots, pirate ships hiding drones, flying pixels, a blade that extends from a lightsaber hilt, moving floors and images suspended in fog. Ten Disney patents that turn the park itself into part of the show.

10 FIG. · 9/20/2026

Things · Wearables

Adding to the Human Body: 10 Patents for Extra Limbs, Senses and Support

A chair you wear on your legs, extra arms on your back, a sixth finger, ultrasound-evoked body sensations, self-lacing shoes, haptic gloves, smart contact lenses, skin-mounted chemical sensors and a wearable airbag. Ten public patents that try to redraw the boundary of the human body.

10 FIG. · 9/20/2026

Things · Aviation

Ten Flight Patents That Break the Airplane Mold

Jet suits, flapping wings, detachable pods, wing-tip docking and cocoon VTOLs: ten patents that stretch the idea of how people and machines might fly.

10 FIG. · 9/20/2026

Companies · Amazon

A Shipping Label That Becomes a Parachute: 10 Amazon Delivery Patents

Airborne warehouses, drone towers, underground conveyors, parachute labels and package handoffs: ten Amazon patents that imagine delivery without today’s familiar infrastructure.

10 FIG. · 9/19/2026

Companies · Google

When Computers Leave the Screen: 10 Google Patents

Sticky car hoods, VR shoes, robot personalities, flying telepresence screens and balloon networks: ten Google patents that sketch some unexpected futures.

10 FIG. · 9/19/2026

Things · Mobility

Walking Cars and Laser Wipers: 10 Unusual Automotive Patents

Walking cars, laser-cleaned windshields, removable controls, AR glass and rotating cabins: ten patents that rethink what a car has to be.

10 FIG. · 9/18/2026

Things · Smart Home

Beds That Disappear and Homes That Unfold: 10 Housing Patents

Beds that disappear into ceilings, robot kitchens, projected bathroom controls and a house that unfolds outward and upward: ten patents that make the fixed parts of a home surprisingly movable.

10 FIG. · 9/18/2026

Documented 4Related 5Unverified 1

Companies · Nintendo

How Do You Turn Movement Into Play? Nintendo Patents

Light guns, balance boards, ring controllers, dual-mouse steering and ceiling projection: ten Nintendo patents that show how broadly the company has imagined play.

10 FIG. · 9/17/2026

Companies · Apple

The Shape-Shifting Devices in 10 Apple Patents

A phone that becomes a laptop brain, a keyboard key that turns into a mouse, self-protecting displays and more: ten Apple patents with unusual designs for future devices.

10 FIG. · 9/15/2026