Sof(a)isticated invention

Couch potatoes could soon turn on their televisions and order a takeaway simply by sitting down on a "smart" sofa.

Computer scientists at Trinity College Dublin have devised intelligent furniture that identifies who is sitting on it by their weight and acts accordingly.

Simon Dobson, who describes himself as a "gentleman, scholar and recidivist Unix hacker", told the BBC that the sofa could be programmed to wake patients lying in particular positions, benefiting the sick and infirm.