Six Christmas gifts from Imperial's entrepreneurs

A new kind of Christmas jumper from Unmade by Knyttan

Imperial is home to some of the world's best science and innovation, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit amongst its staff and student communities.

Below we take a look at products and gadgets developed by people in Imperial’s community that may be coming to a stocking or tree near you – this Christmas or Christmas yet to come.

1. Snact

Looking for that ethical stocking filler this year? Made from surplus produce that would otherwise have gone to waste, Snact is the ideal gift for that environmentally aware seasonal snacker.

Making the most of food that’s too big, too small, too ugly or not needed, Snact turns that surplus food into healthy treats that contribute to one of your five-a-day.

2. Doppel

Doppel is the latest in a new breed of performance-enhancing wearable technology. By rhythmically pulsing on the inside of your wrist, doppel harnesses our innate response to rhythm and means you can naturally control your pace to help stay focussed or relax.

With all the chaos of the Christmas season, doppel might be the perfect gift to give yourself to help you wind down and beat the seasonal stress.

The team – Fotini Markopoulou, Jack Hooper, Neil Bennett and Andreas Bilicki – met while studying at Imperial, and raised over £111,000 via Kickstarter earlier this year to fund the product.

3. Geneu

Geneu is the world’s first in-store DNA test for personalised skincare. Using award-winning technology developed by Imperial’s Professor Christofer Toumazou, GENEU’s innovative skincare technology enables users to understand their skin’s needs according to their genomic profile.

The technology then allows users to create personalised products to match the genomic profile making sure they’re using the right ingredients for their skin.

4. BLOCKS

BLOCKS – the world’s first modular smart watch – is an ideal gift for a gadget lover this Christmas.

Using BLOCKS’ modular structure, users can build a smartwatch that suits their lifestyle by combining modules for different purposes, such as GPS or heart rate monitoring. These modules sit around the wrist, instead of a standard watch strap.

BLOCKS is built on an open platform, meaning that any company or individual can develop modules. The team anticipate there will be modules for gaming, sports, healthcare, the workplace, or even experimental ones for academic research – the uses of the watch will increase as time goes on.

After raising over $1.6million on Kickstarter, the team – who met while studying at the College – plan to ship their product later this year.

5. Unmade by Knyttan

Unmade uses state-of-the-art technology to create on-demand knitwear using Knyttan’s revolutionary knitwear printing technology.

Founded in April 2013 by Ben Alun-Jones, Kirsty Emery and Hal Watts, who all met while studying at Imperial’s School of Design Engineering, Knyttan’s technology turns industrial knitting machines into a form of 3D printer, unlocking the ability to ‘print’ knitwear on-demand.

The way the 3D printer-styled garments are produced allows for co-creation of products meaning customers can change patterns and designs to create more individual pieces.

The team came in first place at the Duke of York’s Pitch@Palace competition in November.

6. Synthetic alcohol

Whilst it won’t be ready to hold off this year’s festive hangover, research is underway at the College to develop a synthetic alcohol substitute which mimics the effect of your Christmas tipple without the health risks or hangovers.

Imperial’s Professor David Nutt, the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology, has identified candidate molecules that reproduce the pleasurable effects of alcohol but are much less toxic. He is looking for investors to help develop the product and bring it to the market.