Chindōgu is the Japanese artform of inventing and constructing consumer products that are functional, yet completely useless. Examples include the solar-powered flashlight, a flashlight that only works when outside on a sunny day, and the zen garden litter box. In this activity students have the opportunity to work on an engineering design team to develop a Chindōgu inspired solution to a problem of their choosing. Activity instructions include an introduction, problem/criteria/constraints, proc