Flatpack coffins and robot dogs: patents applications show UK inventions of 2023

A robot dog that does the vacuuming, a flatpack coffin and a cross between a cookie and a cake were among the things that UK-based inventors thought up last year. A Guardian analysis of patent applications listed by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) found 5,955 involving at least one UK-based inventor had been published in 2023. They included a lying-down computer table, invented by Alex May, 31, from London. The device involves a downwards-facing computer monitor that can be viewed from under a desk that can also operate as a sitting or standing desk if needed. May, who has had chronic back issues since his teenage years, came up with the desk after searching for a more comfortable way to use his computer.