Remember those cult keep-watching-the-sky alien flicks sci-fi where Interlopers From Beyond use devilish technology to instantly translate earth talk into something comprehensible to their Big Space Brains? Well, as it happens, such sci-fi chicanery is no longer all that far-fetched – at least not according to team behind Pilot, a smart earpiece that automatically translates anyone speaking foreign into a more comprehensible tongue

This system can actually identify the language your would-be conversation partner is rattling on in and then translate it into any language you specify. Thus, you can listen to someone spouting French – if you really have to – and the earpiece will render it in perfect Stephen Hawking’s style English.

Each Pilot earpiece works comes with an accompanying app – the bit that actually does all the hard the work. As long as you keep the two paired, anything that is said within listening distance will be swiftly deciphered.

Reassuringly, there is no need for an internet connection – meaning you can pretty much use it anywhere, anytime. You could use it, for instance, for chit-chat with a Chilean, for romancing a Romanian or for gossiping with a Galopian. At least, eventually.

At present, its inventors – Waverly Labs – admit the system can only handle English and a number of other European languages. The company, however, is planning to introduce additional language modules after the initial rollout. The product is scheduled to be formally launched before the end of the year, making it the ideal gift if you have several Belgians and a German coming over for Christmas dinner. Just don’t forget the batteries.

The systems can also double as a music system – meaning you can pretend to listen to a Frenchman while actually enjoying the new Paul Simon album.

Those who love to entertain on the waves, but prefer to avoid mooring fees and maritime maintenance, need look no further. While boats are handy for water-boarding and skiing, they don’t necessarily make for the ideal wining and dining companions, with many a skipper scuppered by an extra scoop or two of overly-strong brew.

For those that love to dine alfresco and have access to a lakeside or beachfront with a view even approaching stunning, Hammacher Schlemmer has the perfect solution for curbing those maritime munchies.

Available in its newest collection, this 24-inch floating food station can seat up to 10 adults comfortably, all spaced around a built-in charcoal grill. The unit comes complete with highly convenient recessed drink, plate and silverware spaces, ideal for storage. There are also six spacious compartments set below the seating where all the pantry items can be stowed.

This rafterteria is also equipped with a small 30-watt electric motor, allowing the craft to be steered around at a suitably leisurely two to three miles an hour, ideal for nice relaxed aquatic amble around the local marina until it’s canapé time.

Be warned, though, while this vehicle is clearly calm water-friendly, it’s not quite so adept should the weather a little choppier. Keeping the shoreline within lunging distance is probably best recommended.

Its little engine is powered by rechargeable batteries and these can take up to 10 hours to charge. This will then give you around hours of cruising time for you to enjoy your tidal tapas extravaganza.

Boating of any sort tends to be expensive and this sailable smorgasbord is no exception. If you want to splash out, though, you couldn’t make a better buy.

Have you ever had a clogged pipe or suddenly needed to look into a space that’s as tiny as it is inaccessible? While you can whip out a flashlight and try to form a clearish picture of what’s going on but, if it’s out of immediate sight or simply too wee to see, taking properly corrective measures is clearly off the agenda. Perhaps surprisingly, such a scenario is more common than you might think, with instances all too frequently arising with regards to pipes, vents, cars, home care and spontaneous intimate surgery on a loved one – though we may have made that last one up.

While there does come a time where you need to call in a professional, it’s reassuring to know just what you’re dealing with beforehand. If it’s something you can fix on your own, it’s better to spend a little money and save a lot by investing in the BlueFire Endoscope. In all honesty, this is not – beyond getting intimate with the inner recesses of your automobile – suitable for personal diagnostics. There’s a reason why doctors get paid the big bucks when it comes to intimate scopery.

That being said, this tube is perfect for home issues, working on delicate problems on your computer or detailed art projects. It features support for Android devices, and boasts an IP67 waterproof 7-mm camera head and an adjustable LED light. It has a focal length of three to eight centimetres, but you’ll need to download the corresponding app to get the maximum benefit. This will cost you $20.99-30.99 depending on the length of your particular cable requirements.

While people make all sorts of plans for their final goodbyes, they seldom think about investing in the off chance of saying hello again. Pretentious caskets, being shot into orbit or having your ashes compressed into an artificial diamond are all very well, but they don’t really compare to hedging your bets that science might one day be able to bring you back.

Remedying this obvious oversight, this new DNA time capsule allows you to store and preserve your genetic building blocks for a 100 years or more courtesy of Hammacher Schlemmer, the renowned US catalogue company. This means that future generations will have all they need to build another you, should they see fit. While the remains of others are doing their third lap around Saturn, you could be popping back to keep an eye on the great-great- grandchildren.

As well as surprising future generations with your return to sprightliness, there are other – arguably more practical – reasons for preserving your DNA. Having a sample on tap may allow your descendants to screen for the various genetic markers 0f a number of inherited conditions, ensuring your lineages lives longer and healthier. That’s certainly a better bequeathment than an untended urn in a concrete columbarium.

Ah, such altruism, though, is not really what it’s all about. This truly is the ideal corporeal container for those affluent Hong Kongers who believe, if they can’t take it with them, they don’t really want to go. Well, not for too long anyway.

The Vuzix Corporation is the latest company to introduce GoPro-compatible technology, with the New York-based developer of video eye wear products said to be offering hands-free viewfinder and control capability. Vuzix has followed a number of other high-tech companies – including Polar, the New York digital health monitoring specialist – in linking up with GoPro.

GoPro is now well-established as the “go to” provider of wearable action video and still cameras, particularly in the field of extreme sports activities. Since the Californian company was launched in 2002, it has become renowned for the immersive and daredevil footage shot by its vast global user base.

Vuzix’s link-up with the company has enabled it to wirelessly connect its smart glasses to GoPro’s line of cameras, allowing users to shoot omni-directional, hands-free footage, regardless of their environment or immediate physical challenges. In the case of the M300, the latest addition to Vuzix’s range, highly flexible camera control can be facilitated via advanced speech-recognition technology. This allows line-rich, high-definition content to be captured through an entirely intuitive interface.

As well as being easy to use by even amateur photographers, the company also sees a ready market for the M300 among professional cameramen and high-end videographers. Its facility to remotely control multiple cameras and suitability for accessing otherwise inaccessible locations makes it ideal for such applications.

Overall, the link-up of the two companies has been welcomed as a step forward for the greater integration of digital photography and wearable devices. It is now expected to usher in a new generation of video capture.

Who hasn’t dreamt of owning a cute little submersible, one that can descend to 1,000 feet, giving its passengers access to the seabed, the coral reefs, shipwrecks and deep water fish, otherwise inaccessible? Now, through Hammacher Schlemmer, that dream can easily become a reality.

Aspiring aquanauts can explore the briny depths in a completely transparent, climate-controlled, thick acrylic pressure sphere. It’s robust enough for the mesopelagic zone – an area some 200 to 1,000 metres below the surface. As the light starts to fade, there is the chance to view many of the more exotic bio-luminescent species.

With a maximum speed of some three knots, the sub is powered by a 24-volt battery bank, providing up to six hours of continuous undersea adventure. Propulsion comes courtesy of two three-horsepower main thrusters, together offering fore, aft and directional push. An additional three horsepower comes from two vertical-translational thrusters, providing up, down, and lateral control. Ergonomically placed in the centre of the sphere, the joystick makes guiding the craft relatively simple, while the independent main and vertical-translational thruster controls allow for precise positioning.

While submerged, four external 150-watt quart-halogen lamps effectively illuminate the surroundings, while a xenon strobe light and RF beacon alert other seafarers to the craft’s location. Surface contact, while on-board, is maintained via a VHF radio and an underwater telephone system. Reassuringly, the craft is fully classified and certified as a +A1 passenger-carrying manned submersible by the American Bureau of Shipping. However, it weighs in at a hefty three tons.

The appropriately named Smartbe stroller is one of those products that appear severy so often and seems to do just about everything for you, even to the point of taking away much of the enjoyment. To be fair, this particular system makes no bones about the fact it has been designed to allow users to multi-task just that little bit better. Controllable via an Android or iOS smart phone – or even a smartwatch – it functions include a rocking mode, automatic power folding and adjustable seat configurations.

In fact, it doesn’t just rely on its engine and sensors to chug along in front of you, but also boasts a baby cam, a temperature controller, a bottle warmer, lullaby-friendly wireless speakers and even an anti-theft alarm. In a thoughtful nod to saving you from accusations of unwarranted fecklessness while using it in the hands-free mode, it also features an assist-propelled setting, as well as a wholly manual option, should you fancy doing some, or all, of the work yourself.

Boasting a distinctly cool sci-fi aesthetic, this notably smart gadget was designed for those athletic parents with a hankering to jog along or run while taking the wee one for an airing. With the hands-free mode activated, its sensor array acts to maintain a set distance between you and the buggy, ensuring that wherever you go, the stroller goes too. Thankfully, its motor is easily powerful enough to drive the buggy up steep hills without any likelihood of it rolling backwards.

Should you opt to push yourself, simply engage the manual mode, while assisted propulsion option is best for those high gradients. Should it exceed a certain distance from the user, it will simply grind to a halt, ensuring few of those frantic silent movie-style pram chases.