Real or Fake? Test your knowledge and bamboozle your friends!

[svetz]

Invent fake ideas or post real and let's see who has the best track record of figuring out if it's real or fake....

if you think an idea in the list is real
if you think it's a fake
if you think it's a fake, but wish it was real

Be sure to place the emoji before peeking at the spoiler! ; -)

 

[svetz]

Mosquito Vacuum​ Camping and left the car door open to long? Fear not, the Mosquito Vac plugs into a cigarette lighter and uses special scents to suck them in and chop them up. Works in any small enclosed space (e.g., tent, car).

Spoiler

I had just finished up some work at my mother-in-laws, but I had left the car doors open while loading it up - and several mosquitoes flew in to join the party home. The last thing I'd loaded was the vacuum cleaner and I found myself wishing to be able to suck them up and thought, what a silly device ... I should post it as a joke on the forums. Just before I went to hit the save button I thought I'd double check it really was a joke. But no, turns out it is a real thing! So good job @Sky-HHI !

 

[svetz]

Spoiler

Fake... sort of... it's actually a gag gift box, search amazon for it

 

[svetz]

Ostrich Pillow​ Dream in style! Use it for a power nap, lounging at home, or wherever you may be, without moving an inch. Just slip it on and you're off to dreamland. Spoiler Real! No I don't have one, was just looking for unbelievable things.

 

[svetz]

Solar Panel Tester​ State of the art tester allows you to test solar panel output in the convenience of your home, works with most panels up to 380W. Can simulate any angle from sunup to sundown and supports variable cloud formations and types. Uses LED arrays to duplicate exact solar frequencies.

Spoiler

Fake! Well, panel testers are real in labs I'm sure, but this is a tanning bed.

 

[svetz]

The Edge of Space Tickets for the low low price of $125k. Spoiler Yup, it's real, and includes returning to Earth (unlike Mars 1). Google Space Perspective.

 

[svetz]

Solar-Powered Bike Locks​ One of the most futuristic-looking bike locks out there. It has a built-in solar panel that will provide enough power for a week after just one hour of charging. The Skylock uses Bluetooth technology so owners can unlock their bikes using a smartphone; it also has a whole bunch of security features that can alert people if their bike is being tampered with or alert the authorities if you get into an accident.

Spoiler

It's real, see Skylock.

 

[svetz]

World's first Solar Powered car - Only $25,900​ 1,000-mile range Built-in solar panels provide enough charging for most daily use Aerodynamic Design, .13 drag coefficient Efficient Drivetrain, In-Wheel Motors 25 Cubic Feet of Storage Lighter, stronger, safer Spoiler Who gives a car for Christmas? But, it's Real! Or at least they say it is. See https://aptera.us/. William Cobb demonstrated the first solar car, but the Aptera is designed for the masses.

 

[svetz]

Gauss Pistol For when your rounds need to break the sound barrier, twice. May only be legal in Texas & Wyoming, check all applicable state laws. Spoiler Fake, it's the gauss pistol from the game Fallout.

 

[svetz]

Spoiler

It's another prank giftbox, so the box is real, but not the shower-head/coffee maker.

 

[svetz]

It pretty hard to stump you all... let's see how you do with this:

Universal Kayak Hydrofoil Kit​ Experience the thrilling speed of your kayak on hydrofoils and reach destinations farther and quicker than ever before. Spoiler Hydrofoils on Kayaks are indeed a real thing, but there are no universal kits I know of.

Does this look photoshopped?

 

[svetz]

Solar Fabrics​ Straight from the physicists at Aalto University, ultrathin solar panels are incorporated into virtually any textile, from cotton to linen to viscose to polyester. “These solar panels would work in clothes, but they would also work in home textiles (e.g., curtains)”. Spoiler Not on the market AFAIK, but they were demonstrated in Helsinki late last year, no word on if they're dry-clean only see https://www.fastcompany.com/90690254/these-sleek-clothes-are-embedded-with-invisible-solar-panels

 

[svetz]

Unlimited Range eBike Solar Trailer​ Take off in style on your eBike, as long as the sun is shining your range is unlimited! Easy to attach to bike! Empty weight: 18.8kg possible loading: up to 25kg Volume: approx. 150 litres Lock: 2x hook lock and gas damper Spoiler If you remember this, it's probably no surprise there's a commercial product out there now, although they don't advertise an unlimited range, you'd probably need at least 300W of panels for that. So this is a real thing more or less, but pricey! Hope someone starts a DIY thread on one to see how it works.

 

[svetz]

Personal Jet Pack​ Fly around the sky in style! 1,050-hp, 5 turbines 50 mph (80 km/h), altitudes of up to 12,000 ft Customizable Mind blowing Live Training / Books Spoiler Real. Of course, it costs about 1/2 million, but they do provide training. See https://gravity.co/ or if you just want to view some videos https://www.youtube.com/c/GravityIndustries/videos

 

[svetz]

TP-Link AX1800 WiFi 6 Router​ Time to upgrade to Wifi 6: faster performance better battery life less bandwidth congestion Safer networking Certified for Humans Backwards Compatible sexier WiFi. Spoiler If you're like me you'll get a good laugh out of WiFi 6, whoever heard of such of thing? Turns out it's all real though and Wifi 6E is even newer. Ran across it just this morning and figured I couldn't be the last person on Earth to hear about it and didn't want you to be the last either. The image is a hyperlink to an actual product and here's an article on it: Should You Upgrade Now?

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[svetz]

Lithium Battery Fire Extinguishers​ Available in many sizes and capable of extinguishing both lithium battery and fuel fires. It not only encapsulates but cools so rapidly that you can put your hand on metals previously burning just moments ago! Designed especially for use on lithium battery fires Comes with CE certification Passes BS EN 3-7:2008 Non-toxic and environmentally friendly Helps to eliminate smoke and increase visibility for added fire safety Biodegradeable and EPA Safe! 5-year Warranty Can be DIYed Spoiler Seems Real. It's been around for over a decade too. Knocked my socks off. Here's the thread if you're not already following it. The image is also a link to FireChief's website. Next time someone is whining about EV fires, tell them about F-500.

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[svetz]

Big to all those that have been playing along with the silliness by posting emojis for the It's real, fake , fake-but-I-Want-it!

Really been enjoying the emojis on the posts to see what folks think... it's a hoot. Things like the Gauss Pistol fooled no one, whereas the solar-powered bike lock seems to have fooled almost everyone. I still think the hydrofoil kayak image looks photoshopped, but if it was, it wasn't by me! Also learned new stuff like WiFi6, sad that perhaps I am the last to hear about it.

 

[svetz]

Rechargeable Finger Lights​ Light, right at your fingertips! Spoiler Real, probably too easy but I'd never seen them before today. The image is an amazon hyperlink.

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[svetz]

Pix2Pix-CJ AR HUD Glasses​ Combines available standard AR HUD glasses with the input sensors from a self-driving ready car to "see" through fog, snow, rain and darkness. AR, so you can still see the actual world, images are augmented overlays Can use visible, lidar, IR, & ultrasonic sensors Can be set to display any dashboad data (e.g., speed) Can control entertainment systems (e.g., GPS, radio, cellphone) Works with most newer Ford, BMW, Honda, & Toyota vehicles (not compatible with Tesla). Can be set to highlight with a red square box targets of system inspection Android based voice control Bone Conduction audio for navigation instructions Wide variety of frame colors Open SDK Spoiler Fake dag nab it. Mostly Fake anyway. AR HUD glasses are real, Pix2Pix-CJ is real, car sensors are real. But, I couldn't actually find anyone that put it all together which is disappointing considering this was supposed to be "close" a decade ago. Here are some videoes: Update: LG is working it... https://www.lgnewsroom.com/2021/11/enhancing-the-driving-experience-with-augmented-reality/

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[svetz]

Alexa Skill to Integrate with Fronius​ Alexa, what is the current battery state of charge? Alexa, how much energy did my system produced this month? Alexa, how big was my surplus yesterday? Alexa, does my system currently have an error? Spoiler Fronius is the only vendor that supports Alexa skills to my knowledge, available with their Premium account. Sense has a skill, but it's energy rather than PV. SolarEdge has one for home automation, but it doesn't include PV. If you have Enphase, Apple & Homebridge there's a github project. Seems odd, you'd think there be more of these.