Category: Feasible inventions

I was thinking today about why tanks aren’t fitted with ejector seats. Aside from all the practicalities of physical shock, space limitations and cost, the obvious problem is that gravity would cause crew members of a stricken vehicle to end up scattered and vulnerable on the battlefield.

Today’s invention is distantly-related to this question.

It’s an armoured personnel carrier with a manhole-size drill fitted to the underside (and driven by the main engine, as required).

To deploy troops, this vehicle drives across the battlefield and drills holes wherever required (even creating joined up trenches, if necessary).

Soldiers can then jump through a hatch in the hull of the vehicle into a properly formed foxhole -without being exposed to enemy fire.

It seems that I have been following the wrong advice about laptop (or cellphone) battery preservation.

It’s better for them to be repeatedly slightly discharged and then recharged.

I tend to a) drain the battery completely before doing a recharge and b) run my laptop plugged in, whenever a power socket is available.

Today’s invention is therefore a timer which can be attached to a laptop (or phone) power cord which can be plugged into a machine all the time it’s available but which only passes current after a 10% discharge has occurred.

When a target pistol of the semi-automatic type is in use, the centre of mass migrates upwards as rounds are fired.

This causes a noticeable change in the recoil rotation which, in a high pressure competition, can mean losing significant points.

Today’s invention is a pistol of this type in which the magazine is driven out of the grip progressively, by a simple cam driven by the slide, as each bullet is fired.

The design maintains a fixed centre of mass, making behaviour of the gun more repeatable (especially in a rapid fire event).

Today’s invention is a modification to the engine of a snowmobile.

Given that the efficiency of any engine is increased by lowering the temperature of its exhaust, a vehicle which travels almost exclusively on snow has the great advantage of access to an effectively infinite heat sink.

The exhaust pipe from a petrol or diesel snowmobile would be redesigned to incorporate a springloaded metal plate protruding downwards from the engine.

This would be free to pivot to accommodate the undulations of the snow surface with which it would be pressed into contact. Its temperature would thus be several degrees below that of the ambient air.

A few extra % in fuel efficiency would be attainable which, in the frozen northlands, could represent a significant saving on operating costs.

It can sometimes happen that, due to driver distraction or inexperience, a car indicates that it is about to move left and then turns right.

This is obviously a dangerous situation.

Today’s invention is therefore an electrical link between angle of the steering wheel and the indicators.

If there were a mismatch between the indicated and actual directions, an alarm would sound so that the driver could become aware of the impending problem and correct it.

An obvious extension to this system would be to have an alarm sound when turning without first indicating.

Facebook profile pictures are so boring. Half the time people use an image of their horse or their favourite footballer. If you post a lot, then the screen fills with multiple copies of the same shot -which seems rudimentary and uninspired.

Today’s invention tries to inject some animation to Facebook.

Everyone would have the option to upload several images of themselves eg a sequence of them turning to the left, or just their eyes moving or pointing…five or six shots should be enough (without greatly increasing the demand on the servers).

Your posts would then be emphasised by having you apparently turn towards the text and point (or wave and beckon, roll your eyes, whatever).

An elaboration of this scheme would be to have a small set of these sequences…eg one you could choose to tag happy, one angry etc. Each of your posts would then offer the option to tick a box corresponding to the relevant mood sequence in your personal set.

This would offer much more involvement, competition for attention and personality.

Today’s invention is a way to provide surface ships with additional protection against incoming ballistics (such as heavy machinegun fire or rocket-propelled grenades from pirate ships).

It’s well known that high energy projectiles destroy themselves on penetrating a relatively small depth of water.

The idea is therefore to attach to surface ships a number of modular, tanks. These would normally be air filled and travel around the waterline, providing some extra stability in choppy weather.

When under attack, the tanks would be dropped into the sea, allowed to fill with water and then hoisted into position as shown. This would provide an effective, shell-proof barrier around the deck, lower the vessel’s profile and allow vital extra time to call in support.

A restaurant manager who’s a friend of a (Facebook) friend, alerted me this week to the fact that public toilets, which are frequently blocked, can be almost always unblocked using a basin of soapy, hot water.

Today’s invention is a public toilet attachment. This has a sensor which detects that the water level is rising too high when flushed -indicating a blockage.

This activates a heater within the cistern which warms a volume of water. To this is added automatically a few squirts of detergent/disinfectant and the warmed liquid is then dropped into the bowl in advance of the next flush.

As well as being activated by management, this function could be made available to customers via a coin-in-the-slot mechanism (and might appeal to some people as an extra hygiene measure, even for unblocked lavatories).