Bizarre Innovations Spotlighted At “Oscars Of Invention” Show

What will they think of next?

You may have asked that question without knowing there’s a place where you can actually discover the answer.

It’s called the International Exhibition of Inventions and it’s running in Geneva, Switzerland.

At least 700 inventors from 42 countries are taking part, all hoping to catch the eye of judges and investors who may want to help market their products.

Some of them are innovative. Some of them solve problems. And some of are just downright bizarre.

Take the spring loaded fish hook, a kind of easy cheat for lazy anglers.

It works like a spring loaded mouse trap, causing a fish to be caught by the lips when it simply nibbles on the bait.

“It’s a lazy man’s way of fishing,” explains creator Michael Adcock. “That way you can drink more beer. That’s what more fishermen are really out there for anyway … With this, you can look away, take a sip, do whatever.”

Then there’s body shaping underwear, a full length corset-like device that changed its 47-year-old Taiwanese inventor from a 29-inch waist to a svelte 23.

The potential pain to your body will be more than overcome by the pain in your wallet. The entire outfit, which encases your legs and your torso, costs around $800.

But if you want to save money and help the environment, look no further than Karl Dorn’s Standby Plug.

It’s designed to turn off machines – like computers and TVs – when they go into standby mode, a practice the practical creator claims can cost homeowners money on their power bills.

An Austrian inventor named Gernot Augustin is hoping to attract interest in something he calls the PAP Ion Magnetic Inductor. It supposedly uses electromagnetic pulses to relieve pain and increase your body’s cellular efficiency.

His main selling point: a still unproven claim that the device cured his mother of breast cancer.

And you’ll certainly want to try on those scented socks or look out for a pet food distribution system that’s supposed to check on your four-legged friend’s health at the same time as it’s feeding the beast.

There’s one other invention on the market that won’t be at the show, but wouldn’t be out of place there. A company called thinkgeek.com is marketing a product designed to alleviate your problems waking up in the morning while you take that shower.

It’s called Shower Shock (top left) and it’s a caffeine-laden soap that supposedly delivers the jolt of two cups of coffee. The makers say it gets absorbed through your skin and makes you feel alert within five minutes of lathering up.

But most of the exhibitors at the Geneva show will get a different kind of wake-up call. Inventors whose items don’t spark any corporate interest may find it hard to get their product to market.

For every one that succeeds, dozens fail.

And so far, no one’s come up with an invention to change that ratio.

Photo courtesy thinkgeek.com