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Quirky ideas rule at Eco-Products 2011 (photos)

From rickshaws to OLED lights, Eco-Products 2011 in Tokyo was full of bright, unusual ideas.

Tim Hornyak
Crave freelancer Tim Hornyak is the author of "Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots." He has been writing about Japanese culture and technology for a decade. E-mail Tim.
Tim Hornyak
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Aside from Sony's battery powered by shredded paper, there were plenty of quirky products and ideas on display at the recent Eco-Products 2011 in Tokyo.

Fumitate Matsuoka from Tokyo-based Kurumaya, one of the few rickshaw makers left in Japan, poses with the latest model. It has a lightweight aluminum frame and a design featuring the new Tokyo Sky Tree, a tower that opens in 2012. It seats three and carries a price tag of 2,100,000 yen ($26,900). 

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A view of Unicharm's electronic diaper for men, showing off the penis pocket.
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Bridgestone was showing off its new airless tires on this electric cart. The company says it's studying using them on cars.
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Konica Minolta's next-generation Symfos OLED lights, unveiled earlier this year, include flexible wall-mounted panels that act like ordinary blinds.
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Toto's infamous Toilet Bike Neo, which has a throne on the saddle, never fails to turn heads. Toto has pooh-poohed media reports, however, by saying the bike does not run on human feces. It works with livestock waste and household waste water, and does not, in fact, function as a toilet.
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These traditional Japanese charms, a manekineko cat and a Daruma doll, are meant to bring good fortune and prosperity. But Kawasaki-based Sumikoh has fashioned them out of charcoal and thus they act as powerful deodorizers.
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Taiwan's Wellypower Optronics was showing off its Princess Series cold-cathode-fluorescent lamp bulbs, which promise a more natural lighting color. The company is pitching them as essential cosmetics accessories during makeup application.

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