An Eye On... innovation

California: A slimming pill for cats and dogs has been launched by Petkin Pet Care Systems that promises to help them lose about three per cent of their body weight in two weeks. "I live by the beach and I constantly see people jogging with their dogs, and their dogs are falling behind them, dragging and overweight," said Petkin President David Goldberg. The company also includes shampoo for teddy bears in its product range.

Brussels: A Belgian company has produced the world's first Islamic alarm clock that calls its users to prayer wherever they may be in the world. The clock emits, at the right times, a voice calling the faithful to prayer for 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

Tokyo: Students at the Waseda University in Tokyo have developed a robot that changes colour to show emotion and gets sleepy as its battery runs low. It says "delicious" when given a new battery and will say "ouch" if you hit its pressure pad.

India: The Indian Health Organisation is promoting the Kama Sutra as a means of encouraging sexual fidelity and combating AIDS. "Kama Sutra came from India, but people are not following it. We have to reinvent the wheel," said I S Gilada, the head of the IHO.