Firebox Inventor – the good, the better and the downright inexplicable

The competition has generated loads of interest from bedroom boffins, shed tinkerers and mad inventors from all over the UK – and it’s no wonder since the winner will see their product go into production next year and share 50% of the profits.

Here’s some of our favourites so far:

1) Real Thinking Putty by 12-year-old toy designer Tom: “it slithers, blinks and squeaks” apparently. It certainly unnerves, we’ll give it that.

2) The Milk Safe by Oly Scott – a lockable top for those who live with lactose thieves:

3) The Ear Cap by Hattie Davies – like a shower cap, but for your ear. We’ll take two please…

Some other noteworthy entries include the clockwork tumbleweed for when your colleagues say something deeply unfunny, a dual-tog duvet for those with partners with differing internal temperatures and a loo seat with iPod controls called the iPood. Ahem.

Think you can do better? Then get your invention off to Firebox Inventor now…

Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home