Object: Like-a-hug jacket

This week's item may be delving slightly into the realm of the ridiculous, but we secretly quite like the idea and we think you will too! Students at MIT in the USA have created the new Like-A-Hug jacket, which connects wirelessly via your phone to your Facebook account to give you a hug-like sensation every time someone likes a status, photo or comment. It does this by inflating itself using a wireless fan, designed to squeeze you as if someone was giving you a hug. And you can even send a hug back to someone by deflating the jacket again.

Designer Melissa Kit Chow said that the concept was thought up during a conversation about long distance relationships and the limits of the technology already available to deliver the genuine sensations of having someone we love close by. "The concept of telepresence arose," she explained, "and we toyed with the idea of receiving hugs via wireless technology. The result was Like-A-Hug. Connecting it to Facebook conceptually was simply a way to explore how social media might push past the traditional graphic user interface (GUI)."

All a bit technical for our simple minds but the basic concept and the feelings it should stimulate of "warmth, encouragement, support, or love" are a great aim however you want to word it. It may be a little out there, but we certainly don't see anything wrong with sharing the love, wherever you may be in the world.

Price : £0.10