4 of the Weirdest Internet of Things Devices Out There

4 of the Weirdest Internet of Things Devices Out There

Internet of Things designers have good intentions. They want to improve the world around us by connecting it to the Internet, making everything measurable so that it can be made more efficient. And when they say “everything,” they mean “everything,” even some things you never would have thought needed to be connected to the Internet.

College Dorm Laundry Rooms. As fun as college is, there’s a lot of crumby parts, too, like hauling copious amounts of laundry down or up stairs only to find that every single washer and dryer is in use by just a couple people. Luckily, some physical and digital designers have designed washing and drying machines that are connected to the Internet, allowing students to see what’s free, what’s broken, and what is almost done with its load.

Cows. A Dutch Internet of Things agency called Sparked has put wireless Internet-connected sensors into the ears of cows. Why, you many wonder? To help farmers keep track of their livestocks’ health. That way, they can keep them as healthy as possible, and prevent diseases from spreading through contaminated meat or milk.

Slippers. Physical and digital designers at 24eight have connected slippers to the Internet to help out the elderly. Similar to the way that smartphones recognize when they’re tilted, these IoT slippers monitor their owner’s footsteps to see if there are any warning signs of problems, so that they can warn potential family members if something goes wrong.

Breathalyzers. There is a prototype for a breathalyzer that’s been connected to the Internet. When used, it tweets the person’s blood alcohol content level to their Twitter account. Although some college students would love to have it to brag about how drunk they got, most other people wouldn’t want their drunkenness put out in public, which is exactly the point. It’s meant to deter people from drunk driving.

These are just some of the odd things being cooked up by physical and digital designers out there. If you know of any other neat projects, feel free to share them in the comments.