Carnivorous house bots
New Scientist brings us the work of UK-based designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau. They believe that “if robots are ever to be welcomed into people’s homes, they’ll need to fit in with the rest of the furniture, and earn their keep”.
This lampshade is just one of their designs.
Insects are lured into the shade by ultraviolet lights - which are lit only at night - and become trapped.
Trapped insects eventually fall into the fuel cell below.
This generates electricity to power the ultraviolet LEDs, which can then switch on to trap more flies when the house lights are off.
Keep reading for more such interesting designs.