Stuff you didn't know
you wanted.

The DJI Neo 2 is our Hero today because it finally acknowledges that most of us have the flight coordination of a dizzy wasp. It's a drone for people who want the "cool aerial shot" without the inevitable "climbing a tree in your underwear to retrieve a bit of plastic" moment.

With its omnidirectional obstacle sensing, it's basically toddler-proof, which is great because I am essentially a toddler with a credit card when it comes to gadgets. It's the Hero because it turns the terrifying ordeal of flying into a simple palm-launch that makes you look like a futuristic sorcerer.

It's the ultimate "social media companion" for those of us who want to be the main character but are far too lazy to actually learn how to pilot a quadcopter.

The Ninja SLUSHi is the Supporting act that proves our collective adulthood is just a thin veil over a deep-seated desire for sugary blue ice. It's a high-end compressor in a kitchen-top frame that turns ordinary squash into the stuff of childhood dreams-or high-ABV nightmares.

Unlike the rubbish "ice-shaving" machines of old, this actually freezes the liquid directly, meaning your drink isn't watered down by the time you've finished the first glass. It's for the person who wants a frozen Margarita at 3 PM on a Tuesday because "the sun is technically over the yardarm."

It's a bulky, loud, and utterly brilliant bit of engineering that makes you the most popular person on your street during a heatwave. Essential for anyone who treats "hydration" as a creative endeavour.

The Insta360 Flow 2 Pro is the Supporting tool for the person who wants their holiday videos to look like a cinematic masterpiece rather than a Blair Witch Project outtake. It's a gimbal that's been hit with an "AI stick," featuring tracking so persistent it's actually a bit unnerving.

With Apple DockKit integration, it works natively with your iPhone's camera app, which saves us from the usual "downloading another bloated app" faff. It's for the solo creator who needs a cameraman but doesn't have the budget or the friends to hire one.

It folds down small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, ready to be whipped out whenever you see something slightly more interesting than a grey sky. It's the gold standard for "Main Character Energy" on the move.

The Therabody SmartGoggles 2.0 is the Supporting act for the chronically stressed, the screen-addicted, and anyone who's ever had a "tension headache" that felt like a tiny construction crew was working behind their eyeballs. It's a high-tech blindfold that massages your temples while measuring your heart rate to prove you're actually relaxing.

It's peak "self-care" for people who find traditional meditation too difficult and would rather just have a machine vibrate the stress out of their forehead. I've spent many a 15-minute session wearing these, looking like a budget Cyclops from X-Men while my pulse slowly returns to "not-panicked" levels.

It's the Hero of the nightstand, designed to shut out the world and force your brain to stop thinking about that awkward thing you said in a meeting in 2014.