Genius or Useless?

By Jeremy Caplan

At the 33rd International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, Switzerland, at which 1,000 new products from 42 countries vied for attention, creative innovations stood side by side with wacky eccentricities. The grand prize was awarded, boringly, to a device that cleans boat hulls, while the audience prize went to the inventor of a motorcycle air bag. But what other gadgeteers attracted stares (and maybe a few snickers)? A quick peek.

CLIP STICK Saturnino Munoz - Carriqui, Spain

o For the obese, toenail cutting can be tricky. This new tool aims to make it easier to snip from a distance

FOLD-OUT BIKE HELMET Eugen Fleisch, Germany

o Suffer a spill, and this protective gear pops out of your backpack to cushion the fall

PRIVATE EARTHQUAKE SHELTER Mircea Manolescu, Romania

o For those who fear being buried amid a quaking mass of rubble, this boxy device promises personal protection. It also can signal rescuers

MAGIC EYES - K.N. Tsang, Hong Kong

o This digital pair of glasses, worn here by the inventor, uses audio input to provide navigational assistance to the blind or visually impaired