University life brings about many firsts and lasts. It may be the first time that you actually use a washing machine, or the last time that you fit into your fave pair of jeans. Sergul Toh dreams up some sci-fi gadgets to fix these teething issues
Illustration and animation by Vivian Lim
TIME TURNER
With campus life a constant juggling act between academics, co-curricular activities and friends, you will most definitely be strapped for time. Never ever turn in an assignment late again with the Time Turner, akin to the one used by Hermione Granger in the third book of the Harry Potter series. The hourglass pendant allows you to jump back a few hours in time so you have more than 24 hours a day to fully enjoy every aspect of university life. A massive upgrade from its less sophisticated cousin, Time Management.
TRANSPORTER
When you live on a sprawling campus in the wild, wild west, there is great inertia to step out of school. Avoid the wait for the shuttle bus with the latest version of the Transporter, the teleportation device first seen in Star Trek. Simply step up onto a platform and be beamed to your destination without having to sit in traffic or shove through crowds. Not that you would need to leave this mini city much, though. Feeling under the weather? See a doctor at the university’s health centre. Need some grooming? Get your hair and nails done at the North Spine. Snack shelf looking empty? Stock up at Prime or Giant around the corner.
ROBOT BUTLER
If you stay in hall, you will soon realise that your room does not clean itself, your dirty clothes won’t magically reappear in the cupboard washed and ironed, and your empty fridge doesn’t restock with a finger snap. On days when we are too bogged down by school activities, having a robot friend around would be helpful. The robot’s experience in performing household chores makes him an ideal candidate to spruce up your hall room. For the ladies, perhaps he could blow dry your hair before you sleep. Much like NTU’s own social robot Nadine, who can hold a decent conversation, the chatty robot butler could also make a good companion when your roomie is not around. I just pray the hall office will not evict him for illegal squatting…
FAT ERASER
Your eating habits (and waistline) could change drastically once you enter NTU, (no) thanks to the deluge of food options on and around campus, and helpful friends who sabotage your diet by asking innocently: “I am buying BBT (bubble tea). Anyone else?” Fret not, the Fat Eraser is here to take the weight off your guilt from all that bubble tea, Starbucks Frappuccinos, Boost juices and suppers you are about to have in the next few years. With a deceptively simple exterior (like your Staedtler eraser), the sophisticated Fat Eraser whittles down your waist without so much as a wince, melting all the sinful calories into mere eraser dust. Piece of cake, really.
THE MAP
Let’s face it – whether you are a freshman or a final-year student, going for classes in tutorial rooms scattered all over NTU’s 200-hectare campus means you often end up lost in a labyrinth of corridors that Google Maps can’t help you out of. The next time you end up in a corridor with a dead end, consult The Map – much like the one Dora the Explorer uses – to decipher your destination and plot out an idiot-proof route. Coming soon: a special COVID-19 edition Map with inbuilt SafeEntry check-in capabilities.
This story was published in the Jan-Mar 2021 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
