Every day, inventor Simone Giertz is making the world a better place. She's finding ways to automate the tedious tasks that distract us from more important domains of life, such as watching cat videos.
In the past, she's automated brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, slapping yourself awake, chopping vegetables, and putting on lipstick.
Now Giertz is addressing another pressing need: for mysterious reasons, you have been invited to a social function. You daringly leave your home to experience the company of other human beings. During this ordeal, other people periodically clap their hands, cuing you that it's time to put down your smartphone and do likewise.
It's very annoying. And, if you have soft hands from your indoor labors, then it's also painful after a while.
For her Applause Machine, Giertz took salad tongs from her kitchen and placed two plastic right hands (sorry, southpaws) over them. With a spring and an oval gear between them, the machine claps when she flips a switch. Thanks to her Arduino controller, she can adjust the clapping speed to express variously sarcasm or vigorous approval.