It's incredible what people can imagine. This October brought the 2011 Nobel Prize winners. Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer pursued excellence in literature. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work". Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess discovered the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. Dan Shechtman won the award for chemistry for the discovery of quasicrystals. And the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to both Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity, as well as Ralph M. Steinman for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity.

Other inventions are different. They might not be moving along the human condition as much as offering entertainment, time savers, or just succeed in being truly bizarre. These inventions may offer insight into the diverse values different cultures hold and the unique way we all see the world.

Behold! Some of the world's oddest inventions.

Japan

Japan is the king of inventions other countries may find odd.

The Personal Rain Saver does what is says; it collects rain in something that looks just like an upturned umbrella in a tank. Abracadabra - your personal supply of water if the world does come crashing down.

Bowlingual Voice allows your dog to expresses their emotions. The gadget analyses a dog's voice through a wireless microphone attached to its collar and then displays its emotions.

The Subway-Sleeper allows commuters to catch some valuable sleep on the train as the cap suction cups to the window, holding you sitting up straight as you sleep.

Japanese Bikini Jeans is part jeans and part above-the-pant thong. The attached bikini bottom is also in denim, and mostly exposed for a "sexy" look.

Duster Slippers take that useless cat you have been feeding and make it into a dusting machine! This attachments fit easily onto the cats paws and cleans as it walks.

However, the greatest invention of all has got to be the Poop-Powered Toilet Bike. The bike is able to use human poop and turn it into bio-gas. Truly, one man's waste is another man's fuel.

USA

Japan is not the only country with some unique inventions. The Americans have their own fair share of wacky design ideas.

Windy Wheels takes advantage of biking and natural wind energy. That's right, with windy wheels you can simply attach a sail to the back of your bike and cruise around town...til the wind dies.

PawSense offers the specialized software of detecting when a cat walks across your keyboard. It constantly monitors keyboard activity by analyzing keypress timings and combinations to distinguish cat typing from human typing and quickly detects and blocks cat typing. Beware the day cats develop opposable thumbs!

Anti-Flatulence Underwear operates under the slogan "Wear them for the ones you love". The airtight underwear works with a replaceable charcoal filter that removes bad-smelling gases before they escape.

Want to combine walking and treasure finding? The metal detecting sandals make that happen! The sandals have an inbuilt copper coil and attach to a small black box which can be strapped around one of your legs. Once the sandals approach within 2' inches of a metal object, you will be alerted with a flashing light is flashed and vibration. Before you know it - you'll be rich!

Valentino LoSauro has a unique method of cutting hair with his invention, Clawz. Attached to the fingers of teh hairdresser like Edward Scissorhands, he claims they cut hair twice as fast as normal shears.

Wales

The Electromechanical Teenager Repellent is a truly novel invention that makes an annoying high-pitched noise that's audible only to teenagers. This invention is to prevent unwanted gatherings that might cause trouble. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Korea

The Self-perfuming business suit is impregnated with substances which contain scented micro-capsules which break when pressed. Had a long day at work but still want to go out for an after dinner drink? Hey presto! Sit in a chair, cross your arms, or just bump into somebody and you are smelling sweet once again.

Israel

The Gravity-Powered Shoe Air Conditioner helps those people that suffer from sweaty feet. Incorporated inside the heel is a compressor-expander, powered by the pressures exerted when walking. As you walk, your feet are cooled.

South Africa

You know car jackings are bad when an automobile burglar alarm consists of a detection circuit and a flamethrower. As an extreme deterrent to car-jacking, the invention of the South African Car Alarm is operated by the driver. Triggered by stepping on an additional pedal next to the accelerator, the flames erupt from the outer sides of both front doors. Before you ask - yes, in South Africa the use of flamethrowers is unrestricted.

Finland

A man who lost his finger in an accident figured out a better use for his limb. He built a special prosthetic finger which he can peel back from the "nail" and plug into a USB.

UK

British firm Cremation Solutions created a specialized series of personalised urns that look just like the dearly departed. The firm uses facial reconstruction and 3D mapping software to recreate the face of the person who passed away.

Netherlands

The first Fish Hotel, Goudvissen Hotel, in Amsterdam. The hotel offers care for your favorite fish friends. Fish may be dropped off and enjoy the facilities of tennis court and swimming pool.

Hungary

See-through concrete may seem like a peculiar invention, but it does look pretty cool. Filled with optical fibers that run from one end to the other, the prefabricated blocks transmit light all the way through.

Canada

Need a fancy ride real fast? Inventor Michael Pettipas has the invention for you! A Formula One limo which seats six passengers, has an eight-litre engine and can reach speeds of up to 140 mph.

What fabulously weird inventions have you come across? Add new inventions in the comments section below.

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