10 Insanely Crazy Gadgets We Loved From 2017: From Smart Underwear To Microscopic Toys

2017 has been as crazy a year as it gets. We've seen the "land of the free" lose its freedom, we've seen AI become smart enough to replicate itself, not to mention all the fancy devices that have come in.

So here's our list of some of the craziest products, both useful and wtf, that we've seen this year.

1. Raspberry Pi Zero W

Another in the line of Raspberry Pi modular computers, the Pi Zero W basically a smartphone-sized motherboard with a 1GHz single-core processor, 512MB RAM, and ports for USB, Mini-HDMI, Micro-USB, as well as WiFi and bluetooth support. It¡¯s all you¡¯d need for any DIY internet of things project, and it justs costs $10 (Rs 640)

2. eSight 3

The eSight 3 is somewhat like an augmented reality headset; instead of placing virtual objects in your field of view, it instead helps you see the real things around you better. With a high speed HD camera and dual OLED displays embedded inside, the glasses process the video it gets to enhance quality and quality, in order to help users with vision issues. It¡¯s also fully portably with roughly six hours of battery life.

3. Snapchat Spectacles

Though an ill-advised move to make, considering how the Google Glass fared in the public eye, Snapchat went ahead and released its ¡°Spectacles¡±. Basically, they¡¯re a pair of retro-styled sunglasses that can record up to 10 seconds of POV video using lenses that resemble the human eye's natural field of view. Needless to say, priced at $129 (Rs 8270) this product failed miserably.

4. Always-on PC

Thanks to innovation by Qualcomm, both Asus and HP announced new hybrid laptops in December. These are based not on the usual laptop processors we¡¯ve come to expect, but instead on the currently leading smartphone processor, the Snapdragon 835. This way, instead of a laptop that struggles to say on past four or five hours, Qualcomm claims these new optimised devices can let you work for 20 to 25 hours on a single charge

5. Amabrush

Called the ¡°world¡¯s first automatic toothbrush¡±, it¡¯s a vibrating toothbrush capable of vigorously and efficiently cleaning your teeth in just 10 seconds with its automated system. By our estimates, even using the Amabrush twice a day instead of a regular toothbrush can cut the time spent brushing your teeth by a factor of three. That¡¯s a lot of time saved for a relaxed morning chai or coffee.

6. Smart underwear to ease your back pain

A research team at the Vanderbilt University combined biomechanics with wearable technology to create a smart, mechanized undergarment that can alleviate your back pain. It¡¯s basically two fabric sections (one for the chest and one for the legs) fastened together by tough straps. A double tap on the chest¡¯s sensor tightens everything so you can lift a heavy weight without stressing your back, while double tapping again lets it behave like regular comfortable clothing once more. Most importantly, it¡¯s also designed to be unobtrusive under your clothes.

7. Glow-in-the-dark plants

MIT researchers embedded specialized nanoparticles into the leaves of a watercress plant, make it naturally glow for four hours. After more research they believe they can tweak the method to have a plant always be glowing. Who needs a bedside lamp when you can read via plant?

8. Light Phone

Developed by Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang, the Light Phone is a credit card-sized ¡°bare necessities¡± phone, designed to help you detox from your smartphone addiction. It has a SIM that links to the ne in your primary device, and you can turn on and off the call redirect function as needed. And with a simple LED display to show you only missed calls, received calls, and dialled numbers, you won¡¯t be missing the scenery around you.

9. World¡¯s tiniest fidget spinner

Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory were experimenting with a new photon-based 3D-printing technique, and figured the best way to demonstrate their machine was to make the world¡¯s smallest fidget spinner. Despite being just 1000 microns wide, as thin as a human hair strand, the crafting is so precise it actually does spin. Not that you can see it of course.

10. Licki brush

This product is basically a synthetic cat tongue for the perfectly normal human being that wants to brush their cat like their mother would. Just stick it in your mouth like a baby's pacifier and use the extended ¡°tongue¡± to simulate grooming your confused feline. All the love, none of the cat fur in your mouth. Win-win.