A man in China has gained fans all over the country for his "useless", but entertaining inventions, and has also managed to make money from it.

"Useless Edison" & his "useless" inventions

Dubbed the "Useless Edison" by Chinese netizens, 30-year-old Geng Shuai has amassed a hefty 2 million followers on photo and video-sharing app Kuaishou, and more than 640,000 followers on popular micro-blogging site Weibo.

Geng quit a "boring" job as a construction welder to start working on these inventions full-time, reported The Washington Post.

The things he creates are more or less pointless, but his hobby now earns him his keep for himself, his family and his brother, who shoots his videos.

But before we get into that, here's a sampling of what he's made so far:

1) A motorbike with a seat that hides a toilet under its lid.

To flush, simply turn the throttle.

2) A motorised wheelbarrow he could barely control.

3) A watermelon holder that has a nook you can spit the seeds into so you don't need a bin.

4) A "stool" that allows you to rest your butt on one heel of your foot as you squat on the ground.

And...

5) A "sword" that dispenses shampoo and helps you rub your back while taking a shower.

Brilliant.

Earns money through live-streaming

While Geng does not earn money directly from his inventions, fans send him "tips" by buying him virtual gifts while he live-streams himself using his inventions on Kuaishou, also known as Kwai.

He tries to hold a live-streaming session two to three times a week while coming up with a new invention each week.

Each time he live-streams, he makes about US$150 (S$207). That is enough to support his brother, his wife and their two children.

And he's hardly the first or only one to live off live-streaming, by the way — it's a booming industry in China.

It's entirely possible to make money off the internet simply by live-streaming yourself going about your daily life or eating in front of the camera.

According to CNN, China's top live-streamers earn around US$100,000 (S$137,900) per month.

Chinese netizens react

And it's clear that even though Geng takes himself seriously as an "inventor", not as an "entertainer", his followers greatly enjoy his work.

Here's a sampling of comments translated:

"Whatever Brother Geng creates is definitely useless."

Reply: "There are not too many bloggers now like Brother Geng who doesn't forget his initial intention."

"Go Brother Geng! Believe that you are the most useless person ever."

His followers also threaten to unfollow him each time he creates something that is remotely useful:

"This is kind of useful. I've unfollowed you."

"This feels useful. You've changed."

You can watch a video of him with his other inventions here:

Top image adapted via Geng/Weibo