Japan has always been pretty ahead of the game when it comes to groundbreaking new technology. It’s gifted us with karaoke, robot hotels, the digital camera – and is even rumoured to be working on the world’s first underwater city. So, in an age where so many of our needs are already catered for, how does it manage to stay ahead of the curve?

Introducing the ‘robot tongue’. In a bid to target a more niche audience, one Japanese inventor – known only as Mansun – has created an automated licking device. The ‘realistic’ tongue, which was made using a servomotor and some Arduino circuitry, is apparently the perfect tool for fetishists who enjoy getting up close and personal with their computer screens. Particularly, in Mansun’s case, those who like licking ‘cute’ anime characters – as you can see:

Creeped out? You probably should be. The complicated creation was unveiled on Japanese blog Omocoro, which seems to be a breeding ground for other equally terrifying (and hopefully jokey) inventions. For example, this soothing ‘massage machine’ – from a user only known as ARuFa – which offers eerie echoes of those full body ‘dakimamura’ love pillows that have become so popular: 

Sadly, neither of these products are available to purchase (yet), but you can browse a selection of other tech wonders on the Omocoro website here.