Our editors have have compiled a list of the five most creative gadget concepts that we’ve come across in recent time. If we happened to miss any, please leave us a comment. “Continue reading” for the full list.

Honorable Mention – E-Rope Modular Power Strip

Designed by Chul Min Kang and Sung Hun Lim, the “E-Rope Modular Power Strip” is a 2006 Idea Award winning concept. Here’s how it works:

Its blue lights glow to indicate power is flowing, and if you rotate the socket section 90 degrees, it turns off the current, saving you from that power-sucking standby mode that’s so prevalent in many of today’s electronic devices. Plus, its modular design lets you add just the right number of outlets needed

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5. Auto-Filtering Water Bottle

Designed by Nick Poteracki, the “Filtering Water Bottle” concept has a built-in micro-filtration membrane, which purifies water from just about any source — in just seconds. Here’s how it works:

The user simply removes one of the lids by pressing the release buttons then adds water on top of the filter. The lid is replaced and the unit is flipped, beginning the filtration process. The filter sinks to the bottom, purifying as it goes. The user now pushes the inner circle on the top of the lid where there is visual feedback in the form of orange dots. This pivots the disc up on a central axis to reveal a backwash-resistant spout

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4. Dell XCS

Designed by Matthew Ritter, the Dell XCS is a modular desktop concept that encapsulates its hardware components and conceals the circuit boards for a sleek futuristic look.

Each component is a modular and shaped so that it cannot be inserted into the wrong place. A number system was also developed to replace confusing specifications that are present on today’s software

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3. Instant Mobile Phone

“Paper Says” is an eco-friendly (recyclable) instant mobile phone which aims to replace calling cards. It can also be branded with company logos and images.

Due to the paper folding character, you just tear the paper along the dotted line and the paper’s back you tore is the device for dialing. Combined with the character of paper and the image easy-carrying. “Paper says” satisfies the need to communication for travelers around the world and accomplishes the goal to communicate anytime anywhere

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2. Taste DJ Kitchen

Liven up your kitchen with the “Taste DJ”. This high-tech countertop sports “two cooktops, a sink, and a built-in multimedia computer setup.” No word yet on if this concept will go into production.

You can spin rings on the outside of the burners that allow you to select ingredients to spray into whatever you’re cooking, including salt, pepper, and… MSG? Alrighty. The built-in computer is meant to be used for music, surfing the web for recipes, and talking to people via a “visual phone.”

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1. Programmable Soda

Take a soda bottle, add customizable flavor buttons, and what do you get? Ipfini’s “Programmable Liquid Container”. Each bottle is filled with carbonated sugar water and feature additive buttons on its side (aroma, flavor, color), which allow for up to 32 combinations of soda on the fly.

“Providing choice at the point of consumption creates tremendous advantages for the consumers as well as the manufacturer,” noted co-inventor Glenn Wachler.