SMITHERS’ WORKSHOP · SOURCE-CHECKED

The gadget encyclopaedia.

By Does Your Duck Quack

The best devices are jokes with engineering consequences: a school object, piece of jewellery or sports accessory that remains plausible until Alex needs its second purpose.

Official Datafile devices

Transport / escapeCanondale bike

Puncture-resistant tyres, pursuit countermeasures, an emergency ejector and protective riding equipment turn an ordinary-looking bicycle into a full escape system.

Entry / sabotageExploding ear stud

A binary explosive disguised as jewellery, designed for locks and machinery with a ten-second armed countdown.

Climbing / extractionHigh-tensile yo-yo

A powered winch with thirty metres of high-strength line, disguised as—and still usable as—a toy.

Observation / protectionInfrared goggles

Night vision, a projected heads-up display, tough layered lenses and solar-supported charging in a familiar frame.

Tracking / distressRadio mouth brace

A kinetically powered transmitter lets MI6 locate the wearer and supports a distress frequency.

Non-lethal defenceStun-dart book

A compressed-gas launcher hidden in a book spine delivers the fictional RAKO-88 knockout agent.

Smithers’ design rules

Teenage camouflage

The official memorandum says the starting question is what a teenager is likely to carry.

Prefer non-lethal force

The Datafile explicitly notes Alan Blunt’s insistence that Alex’s weapons should be non-lethal.

Dual purpose

A good device passes as an ordinary object and still performs its innocent function.

Escape before combat

Tracking, climbing, sight, entry and evasion dominate the supported roster.

What belongs in this encyclopaedia

Each device below has a dedicated publisher Datafile. Book gadgets, graphic-adaptation devices and television props are treated as separate versions.

Sources

Functions were paraphrased from Walker Books’ official gadget index and six individual blueprints on 20 September 2026.