The USB-powered chameleon is a fun little device that you can attach to your PC screen to add a little color to your environment. It’ll also provide entertainment from time to time with its spinning eyes and tongue darting in and out.

USB Chameleon is available at Compact-Impact.com

The president of CUBE CO. LTD., Toshio Sakai, dreamed up the concept for the chameleon. He wanted something which would cross cultural boundaries, and most important of all, bring a smile to people’s faces.

Sakai also decided that it should be something powered through a USB port, giving the gadget the power to move and entertain its owner while they worked at their PC.

After much consideration, he came up with the idea of a chameleon. “This creature is well known throughout the world, and they move in a humorous way too,” Sakai says with a smile.

“I imagine the main market for the chameleon being guys aged 20 up,” says Sakai. “I think it’ll prove popular for people who love their PCs, and I’m looking at the global market too – not just the United States.”

Sakai hopes that people’s penchant for gadgets and gizmos will result in the chameleon being a big hit.

Once they’d decided on the concept, Shiho Miura, a designer at CUBE CO. LTD., set to work on the prototype. During her research, Miura decided to get up close (but not too close!) and personal with some real life chameleons.

“I went to a reptile store and had a look around,” explains Miura. “I don’t mind chameleons but what really spooked me were all the crickets jumping about the place – they’re fed to the chameleons!”

Miura took her ideas to a development company and asked them to work on the prototype. Initial results proved disappointing. “It looked a plump mouse,” says Miura. “So it was back to the drawing board.”

Miura tweaked her plans and approached a different development company. At first, the device didn’t move much so they changed the settings to make it more active. After painting the chameleon in realistic and eye-catching colors, they eventually came up with the chameleon we see today. 

Sakai speaks highly of his tongue-darting, eye-spinning reptile: “It’s not only outstanding in terms of quality, but it’s also sophisticated in its own unique way.”

And who knows, soon the USB-chameleon could be entertaining millions of PC users across the world.