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Have you ever paid to watch your favourite artist at a gig only to discover that you can't see over the crowd?

Now one inventor has come up with the perfect solution - a pair of periscope glasses that enable perfect vision across the venue with nothing blocking the eye-line.

The "One Foot Taller" glasses were created by UK inventor Dominic Wilcox for Microsoft's Surface Extraordinary Solutions campaign.

The campaign challenged designers to find innovative solutions to the nation's everyday problems through illustration art and design.

"Some people get their thrills from bungee jumping or scoring a winning goal at Wembley but I get mine from coming up with creative ideas," said Wilcox.

"Creativity is just a particular way of thinking that can be learned and practiced like any other skill. The quicker I can go from having an idea to visualising it, the better."

Wilcox's work, which is usually layered with wit, aims to place a spotlight on the banal and offer a new, alternative perspective on things we take for granted.

His work has been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums. He is also the founder of Little Inventors, a worldwide project turning children's ideas into reality.

As well as the periscope glasses, Wilcox has also come up with a solution to another common problem faced by many people on busy UK streets - the awkward dance of trying to navigate past someone walking towards you.

The Directing Jacket has been developed to ensure no more colliding bodies when two pedestrians walk towards each other.

The wearer presses a button on the sleeve to illuminate an arrow that directs the oncoming person to walk past on a particular side.

Other ingenious inventions developed for the campaign include:

A miniature "dog house" for phones, for when you want a digital detox, developed by Hattie Newman;

A sunscreen that changes to a vibrant blue colour on your skin when you're reaching your burning point, developed by Eva and Marta Yarza;

A "walking plant pot" that can run or walk to find water, so you don't have to, developed by Thomas Harnett O'Meara;

A "Mindfulness Pod" that lets you block out surrounding distractions and focus solely on the task in front of you, developed by Gaurab Thakali.

All of the inventions were created with the help of Microsoft Surface devices. There are currently no plans to put any of the inventions into production.