Intelligent toaster and a 'nappy fullness sensor' among UK inventions in 2021

An artificial intelligence-driven toaster that gets the perfect level of brownness each time, a device to humanely remove flying insects from a room, and a sensor that tells you when a nappy needs changing. These were just three of the new things created by UK based inventors last year. A Guardian analysis of patent applications listed by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) found 6,087 patent applications published with at least one UK-based inventor listed in 2021. Cambridge was the most inventive area in the UK with 146 invention applications listed for every 100,000 residents. Those included a coffee making apparatus, invented by resident Willam Playford, which is still yet to be examined by the IPO.