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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 19.1% of adults in the United States have had an anxiety disorder in the past year. Moreover, 31.1% of them will experience one during some stage of their lives. These are sobering statistics, but the silver lining is that there are a wealth of people, from medical professionals to therapists and supportive friends and family members, who are there as part of a support network for those who are going through these challenging situations. Another excellent tip for gadget-lovers is to consider a cool fidget gadget.

The trouble is, though, it’s a saturated market, as the enormous recent popularity of fidget spinners demonstrated. Sometimes, a fidget gadget, with all its noise-making, light-flashing distractions, can be incredibly stimulating, which can be the very last thing needed when you’re anxious or overstimulated. 

Instead, there are some products that could be valuable for those struggling with anxiety, or simply if you appreciate a unique handheld piece of tech without busy screens to fiddle with. They’re more low-key, portable, and unobtrusive, meaning that you’ll be able to get your busy hands on them whenever you feel the need. Whether you’re more artistically inclined, or you’d prefer something that gives you a lot of satisfyingly clicky tactile input, there’ll be something that suits you here, and there’s some rather impressive technology behind them too. There are a lot of fun Amazon gadgets you can get for under $20, but they may not land quite like these. 

The Shashibo Shape Shifting Box

The standard Shashibo is a puzzle box that comes in a wide range of different designs, from a “SpongeBob Squarepants” design, to a water-themed one created by the artist Laurence Gartel. Whichever look you choose, though, has no bearing on how it works. The concept is simple: Just slide the components around each other, in a similar fashion to a Rubik’s cube, and with a wonderfully satisfying click and slide, it’ll adopt different shapes. 

Fun In Motion Toys reports that the key to the ever-changing and fiddle-friendly nature of the cube is that there are 36 rare earth magnets, a unique piece of tech made from rare-earth alloy like Samarium Cobalt that’s stronger than regular magnets, in its segments, which allow its sections to connect together in all kinds of ways. One, the company notes, can take 70 different shapes, some of which it can hold through magnetism alone. 

On Amazon, a selection of different designs are available at a list price of $27.99, and they have garnered just over 77,800 reviews, of which 79% scored the highest rating, and just 4% awarded it less than three stars. Shashibo was designed in Japan and first released in 2008, evolving into todays forms, including Shashibo Squared, a more recent version of the gadgets in which multiple smaller cubes slot together. The designers describe the broader concept not only as an educational tool for learning geometric ideas, but a blend of origami and Rubik’s Cube concepts that The Shashibo claims serves as “a therapeutic tool for individuals with attention disorders, autism, or those seeking a mindful activity to promote relaxation and mindfulness.”

Luma³

Luma³ (Luma Cube) doesn’t look like a fidget gadget at first, but that’s one of the device’s functions. It is not a toy, but a device described by the brand as a “breathing companion.” The idea is not to overwhelm the anxious or overstimulated with flashing lights, but rather to provide a calming glow that Luma calls SteadyGlow. 

Through the glow of its lights or the buttons at the base of the device, the user can follow or set a routine that’s intended to promote mindful breathing. The concept revolves partially around the fact that any breaks from work will typically involve a few stolen moments scrolling on a phone, or hurriedly eating, none of which is very conducive to actually giving the mind a break. 

On a desk, where so many spend so much of their time, it can be set to illuminate on an hourly basis, to draw the eyes away from the screen and to lead the body for a few moments of a calming breathing exercise, guided by the lights. Sleep Ritual mode, alternatively, allows the user to perform the three in-built breathing exercises as they wish in order to promote a restful state. TrustPilot reviews of the Luma Cube have been positive, with an average of 4.8 stars from 44 different reviews, with 98% of the reviews giving a perfect rating.

The Premium model of Luma features a mode called Light Sand, in which the light within the device will flow as though it’s sand when the device is cradled in the user’s hands. Unlike the Luma Essential, the Premium model boasts a rechargable battery that means it doesn’t have to be plugged into power to function. The price difference is signficant, though: Luma Essential is around $78.00, while the Premium costs around $115.00.

MetMo Piston

MetMo (or Metal in Motion) is a team of self-proclaimed “designers, engineers, and general metal nerds” in Yorkshire, England, which has created a wide range of tools and fidgets from precision-engineered metals such as bronze and stainless steel. They include the Helico, a fidget toy made from helical gears of high tensile brass, which you manipulate with your hands via neodymium magnets. Another popular product from the brand is the MetMo Piston, a mechanical design available in either High Tensile Brass or 316 grade stainless steel. 

Lifestyle magazine The Coolector declaring the MetMo Piston to be “not merely a desk accessory, but an investment in considered design, tactile satisfaction, and a unique engagement with the principles of precision pneumatics.”

Piston is precisely engineered to provide a fiddler with a range of options with it in hand. with a spin of the outside of the object, a pocket of air forms in the interior, allowing for a protracted spin that’s mesmerizing to watch. It consists of a cylinder block and a piston pin, and MetMo reports that “the cylinder block is machined and bored on a precision CNC machine, and the Piston pin is precision ground to create a perfect pneumatic fit.” This allows it to be bounced, spun, and even launch the piston, its design working so simply with that air that YouTube creator Puzzle guy stated that it “works on magic.”

The model is available in two different versions, directly from MetMo: The MetMo Stainless Steel Fidget Piston is priced at $144.99, while the brass counterpart costs $89.99. This device further proves that eye-catching tech doesn’t have to be all flashing screens and electronic functionality.

How we selected these items

Everybody’s use case for a cool, futuristic gadget such as these will be different. For instance, you might be looking for something to help ease your anxiety, while for tech heads, it’s also vital to consider that there’s simply a huge appeal to the latest popular gadget. It was important, then, not to simply embrace another fidget spinner, but something that truly offers something new and interesting. 

Another vital element to add was user reviewing and verified purchaser’s opinions. This is why all the products mentioned have been heavily praised by owners, as demonstrated by Amazon purchasers’ reviews in the case of the Shashibo Puzzle Box, or TrustPilot-gathered opinions of the Luma³. However, we’ve also pointed out some of the negative aspects of the reviews, in terms of the ratio, because no product’s going to be universally popular. 

Another huge element of the appeal of these choices was that they should be appropriate for a wide age range. The Shashibo Shape Shifting Box, as noted, has a wide appeal in that anyone can quickly grasp how it works, but becoming accomplished at making different shapes and potentially using additional cubes to make them even more complex gives some lasting, share-it-around appeal. We also selected items that have a neat technological element, but which don’t have busy screens. We all already have so many screens in our lives, after all.