A former welder-turned-inventor has taken Chinese social media by storm with his utterly useless but highly entertaining contraptions, amassing a fervent following in the millions.

Shuai Geng quit his job last year to pursue a life of idle pursuits, producing confusing contraptions that serve no apparent purpose at all other than to entertain. Based in the city of Baoding, approximately 93 miles (150km) southwest of Beijing, Geng produces some truly daft designs.

“What I have invented might be considered meaningless in practice,” the inventor extraordinaire told Ruptly. “However, I think the inventions are helpful because they bring happiness to others. It's also a kind of use."

READ MORE: Urine luck! South Africa turns human pee into construction material

His madcap machinations include a scratching machine for those hard-to-reach itches along with a knife-shaped phone case.

Geng almost crossed the threshold into usefulness with his earthquake-proof noodle bowl.

Then there’s every lazy bachelor’s ‘best idea ever’: a beer pouring machine (that spills half the bottle in the process and leaves more head than beer in the glass).

“My fans of different social media platforms comprise more than 3 million. The amount of times all the videos have been watched is up to 200 million,” Geng said of his popularity.

His subscribers are so passionate they have reportedly threatened to unfollow his accounts if he ever dares to invent something truly useful; apparently necessity is no longer the mother of invention.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!