Inventors are always at work, dreaming up new technologies. Some inventions help us solve problems. Others make life easier, or more fun. Here, TFK(Time for Kids) presents 3 of our favorite inventions. See how they make us live a better life.

Stopping Sickness

Christine Schindler is an engineer. She wanted to help stop the spread of foodborne illnesses. So she created PATHSPOT. It uses light to scan a person’s hands for harmful germs. Restaurant employees hold their hands beneath the scanner. Then the scanner judges whether they must be rewashed. About 100 locations have started using the product since it launched in May.

Talking Eyes

For people who are blind or have other visual problems, the ORCAM MYEYE 2 could be a game changer. It might also prove useful for people with reading difficulties. Described as “talking glasses,” this AI device can be attached to any eyeglass frame. It can identify faces. It can also read text aloud. Fitting all this power into such a small device is like “putting an elephant in a small closet,” says Amnon Shashua, the inventor of the technology. Now the device can be bought online.

Sport-safe

Research shows that playing football increases the risk of brain injury. Still, about a million kids under the age of 13 play football, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. That’s where the VICIS ZERO1 YOUTH football helmet comes in. It has thick, force-absorbing support on the front and sides, where kids are likely to take the hardest hits on the field. Players on 1,500 youth teams have worn the helmet.

"Robots help people by making their lives easier, safer, and more fun," says engineer Omar Abdelwahed. Lately, engineers have been developing new kinds of humanoid robots. These high-tech machines are designed to lend a hand everywhere from hotels to disaster areas.

A robot named Petter has been on the job at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. When guests have questions or need directions, they can ask Petter. They can also use the robot's touch screen to find the information they need. Petter is able to talk with guests and entertain them with stories too. It can even tell what kind of mood they are in. "Petter provides our guests with information in an exciting and new way," says the hotel manager Donald Bowman.

For a kid, being in the hospital can be boring and even scary. But a small robot called NAO is helping to make hospital stays easier. It was designed to keep people company.

A Tennessee doctor named Phil Parker bought a NAO robot three years ago. He programmed it to talk to and play with young patients. He brought it to hospitals to help sick kids. When kids get medical tests, NAO explains what is going on. The robot also reads to kids and plays games with them like rock, paper, scissors. "The robot has got many kids to smile since they were in the hospital," Parker says.

Other robots are being developed to help in places where it's hard or risky for people to go. Engineers in Japan are building a robot called E2-DR to go into those dangerous areas, searching for and rescuing the people who are trapped or injured.