Strange gadgets

Essentially a toy demonstrating a magnet slowing as it falls through an aluminium tube.

Better quality than expected, but the magnets are too strong to build anything useful.

Low quality for the price as expected, but the illusion works at the right angle.

Colour-sensor rings trigger sounds on a mat, a modern take on playing drums.

Gold chocolate wasn't appetising to look at, but it was tasty and a fun, personalised Etsy find.

Fun, creative Etsy bath bombs; the iPhone ones were the perfect Etsy product.

Spy-like headset with phenomenal focusing distance and built-in lights, probably designed for inspecting jewellery.

Cleans the whole mouth in 10 seconds; he likes the concept but execution is not there yet, rated 6 out of 10.

Clever idea for private conversations, but he scores it only 2 out of 10 on the heat scale.

Toe-controlled extra thumb that comes to feel natural, slightly terrifying but incredibly cool, rated 9 out of 10.

Watercress injected with luciferase to glow, a sustainable light source, rated 9 out of 10.

Motorised skates that fit over shoes; old tech but the coolest looking, rated 7 out of 10.

Versatile modular robot that teaches kids to code, rated 7 out of 10.

A childhood-dream product for a former chess player: a robotic board that moves pieces for online games, rated 7 out of 10.

It worked technically, but nobody needed computer smells, so 3 out of 10 fail.

A working Bluetooth speaker with a hidden live-stream camera, switched on using a mode switch marked V.

A voice-activated teddy bear with a microphone stitched into its neck, which looks completely innocent.

Glasses that record 1080p first-person video with the camera tinted to blend into the frame.

An air freshener that still works as one but hides a pinhole camera triggered by motion or a magnet.

Shows how a tiny keylogger between keyboard and computer can silently capture passwords and bank details.

A basic radio wave detector that spikes as you approach a hidden camera, useful for being sure.

A car key lookalike that records audio within a seven metre radius, with its controls hidden under a sticker.

Another product from the scam range, claimed to be 100% effective against 5G with nothing to back it up.

Calls it a scam: a block of resin with a plug and nothing inside, sold for $180 on fake science.