And here we thought remote-control technology had reached its pinnacle with the invention of a brain-tumor-removing robot arm. But my, how The Santa Claw has proved us wrong. Instead of tumors, it grabs prizes!



Billed as "the biggest, most awesome claw game ever," The Santa Claw was created by Real Art Design Group, a design firm based in Dayton, Ohio. The claw resides in the agency's office, visible to passersby through the large storefront windows. Although the machine's size is impressive (it's as big as a Hummer and weighs one ton), the real beauty is that you can play it from the comfort of your ergonomically designed office chair, controlling the game on your computer.

Two cameras provide angles to help you maneuver the claw into a pool of "Santa's leftover gifts" -- from crossbows to wolf dream catchers to fruitcake. Plus a whole lotta big balls. If you're able to successfully grab a prize, it will be mailed to you. (Provided you live within the continental U.S. Suck on that, Hawaii.)

Users sign in to play, pick a character (boy, girl, yeti, etc.) and then wait in line, which can take up to eight hours. But it's free to play, and if you're doing it during work hours, it's kind of like you're getting paid to play. It beats getting your claw-machine fix at Chuck E. Cheese, where children are always ruining the fun.