Home Archive by category "Feasible inventions" (Page 64)

Category: Feasible inventions

#1234: StopWash

Today’s invention is a washing machine which detects things other than clothes before these items get washed (and destroyed).

Each item of clothing has its barcode scanned before being inserted into the washing machine. The machine weighs each item by taking note of the weight on board before and after addition of each.

Later, when say a shirt is inserted, if the weight fails to match the recorded weight for that particular piece of clothing, a small alarm sounds to indicate the presence of your phone, loose change, pen, keys, calculator, passport, etc.

#1232: Minedmilk

Today’s invention is the latest weapon in the communal-fridge wars.

To stop people stealing one’s (personal) milk, insert a plastic device which consists of a number of yellowish globules linked by a few strands of fishing line. The globules float near the surface and the lines are almost invisible.

This gives the impression, when viewed through the bottle wall or neck, of milk substantially past its use-by and thus deters all but the most desperate kleptolactics.

This device is sterilisable between uses and easily placed in a bottle but won’t pour into one’s cup every time the milk is used.

#1231: Incendascent

Glider pilots won’t hear tell of carrying any kind of motor aboard their craft which might be used to save them in an emergency (a parachute is just about acceptable among engineless aviators).

I talked yesterday to a gliding enthusiast and she mentioned that when trying to find a landing site, she will routinely seek out any sources of warmth on the ground, as even the sun-warmed wall of a hut can provide a lifesaving updraught.

Today’s invention is a magazine of high intensity flares which are dropped on the ground when a glider pilot runs out of lift sources and landing sites.

The pilot flies in a circle and and drops the flares at intervals. These have a brightly coloured casing and when returned to the owner, provide the retriever with a payment. They have an insulated base so that heat can escape only upwards.

On a second circuit, this time over the flares, the glider picks up enough altitude to hedgehop home.

#1223: StoreStare

Mobile phones typically have 8+ megapixel cameras built in.

Rather than have to raise these to one’s face, I’d like to be able to just record what I see. Today’s invention therefore is to mount one such camera in the frame of some spectacles.

The rest of the electronics, including power supply, could be held on a pocket unit which would also accommodate a remote shutter release.

When you want a record of whatever you are looking at, simply stare at it and press the button.

#1221: UnSticker

There is an entire industry devoted to helping people get the tops off jars.

Today’s invention is another such kitchen device. It consists of a thin square of recyclable plastic material with a strong sticky pad on one side.

This is perforated along a wiggly line so the user can break it into two pieces. One is pressed and stuck to the jar cap as shown, the other is attached to the jar bottom. The fingers protruding on one side of the jar allow for a massively improved grip -even for those with dexterity or finger strength difficulties.

The pads stay in place and don’t affect the glass recycling process much more than the labels on the jar.

#1216: FeatureFocus

The web is full of sites which provide a shopping function like this, in which a chosen region of a product image can be shown in close-up.

So, the bits people look at can be used as a way to discern what they want to buy. If they pay attention to the fur collar, the zip, the pricetag, that tells you something about their interests. Whether they buy or not, you get a wealth of information about their priorities.

Today’s invention is a tool which simply monitors the close-up window’s placement sequence and spots patterns which enable enhanced product development decisions. If a number of people leave the page without buying, having just seen the details of the leather grain, you know something needs fixing.

The tool would also do some tricks like issuing messages such as ‘was it the [leather]? Maybe look at these items instead…’ It might even be possible to offer realtime, personalised discounts: ‘Maybe it’s not exactly what you were looking for -so how about 5% off?’

#1215: DamnedSpot

Today’s invention is another tool to help improve the handwashing of hospital medics (a New York Times article recently claimed that washing only happens about 1/3 as frequently as training requires).

All medical staff in contact with patients would wear a brightly coloured bracelet. This would contain an aerosol full of harmless, water soluble paint.

The bracelet would also contain a timer which would ensure that a small spot of bright paint was delivered onto the back of a medic’s hand, say every ten minutes throughout the day.

Appearance of the paint would remind wearers to wash their hands at once. Patients could raise an objection if either the bracelet wasn’t worn or there was a spot of paint on the hand of their examiner.

#1212: Pulleyman

Today’s invention attempts to overcome the problem of placing baggage items on an overhead location in public transport.

Often I see people struggling to achieve this, either because the bag is too heavy, or they can’t manage to squat and thrust it into place without endangering people sitting below.

A curved shelf section would be installed at frequent intervals along a carriage/compartment/cabin. A cable would run from a catch attached to the shelf to a pulley in the ceiling.

Attaching bags to a hook on the upper end of the cable would allow them to be hoisted aloft and secured there, without causing a safety issue for those seated below. Use of extra pulleys would increase the mechanical advantage available. The slight slope of the shelf would allow the baggage items to descend later under control.

#1211: CrashCall

Today’s invention is a GPS-equipped phone device which is linked to the airbags in one’s car.

In the event that a bag is deployed, a message detailing the location is automatically sent to a preselected list of contacts (including eg the ambulance service, police, next of kin, Twitter, etc).

#1209: Coughvac

I’m perpetually irritated by our vacuum cleaner hose blocking up. Today’s invention is a response.

Just as when someone develops a restriction in their airway, this vacuum cleaner would have a sensor fitted to the motor which could detect the rise in current drawn when the hose began to block.

Quickly, it would change the motor direction, causing a sudden reversal of flow or ‘cough’.

This would last for only a fraction of a second, so that there would be no danger that a blockage could emerge from the hose inlet at any speed.

The cough could be repeated several times in succession if the motor load was not rapidly reduced.