Category: Possible inventions

One of the many things about bicycle design which frustrates me is the steering-by-turning-the-front-wheel approach -so 18th Century. It really messes with both the aerodynamics and stability to have a great slab of wheel grinding backwards and forwards under the handlebars.

Instead, imagine if one’s bicycle could be made with spokes with aerofoil sections and variable pitch.

A single spoke is shown on a cycle’s front wheel (which doesn’t turn relative to the frame).

Each spoke, however, can be turned about its leading-edge axis (shown in red) using a set of gears in the hub. This means that a spoke can thus be rotated to an angle of attack independent of the others.

Spokes moving forward on the top half of the wheel could be programmed to eg rotate to the five o’clock position (when viewed from above). This would happen when sensors in the static handlebar detected a pressure increase on the right from the rider’s hands.

In this way, when travelling through the air, the pattern of axial spoke rotation can be used to set up a net sideways force -so that the machine will tilt slightly to one side and change the direction of motion of the entire machine.

There are always moves in the fashion industry to introduce new patterns and textures.

Today’s invention enables eg jeans to be branded with a personalised pattern.

A normal electric iron would be fitted with a secondary unit. This would consist of a plate containing slidable squares of asbestos on a grid (in the form of one of these ’15’-type puzzles, but with many more empty spaces). This would allow the user to create a pixellated image of sorts.

Gaps in the grid would cause the hot, stationary iron surface to scorch the material locally, leavng a permanent pattern behind.

A refinement of this might be to use a ‘pin screen‘ device so that pins could make contact (or not) with the hot surface and thus achieve a more detailed brand.

Today’s invention is a pair of glasses with an extra lens in each leg.

These could be folded over to provide the wearer with a pince-nez offering increased magnification, coloured lenses to help with dyslexia, sunglasses or a set of red and green ones to view 3D imagery.

The secondary lenses would be replaceable, so that many combinations could be used in different applications.

Aircraft carriers are regarded as vulnerable targets in an era of smart missile technology.

Today’s invention is a submarine aircraft carrier, which would significantly lessen this weakness.

In the upper part of the image a water-level view of this vessel is shown.

A submarine, shaped like a banana, would open bow and stern doors to allow a telescoping set of circular arcs to emerge.

As the vessel heeled over a bit, These would form a conical-section runway, supported on the distal side by a small surface vessel (circular section).

Aircraft could then taxi out of the sub and undertake a circuit or two whilst gathering enough speed on the banking to achieve takeoff.

To land again, planes would fly in a circular arc, using autopilot if necessary.

(The view from above is shown in the lower part of the diagram).

Today’s invention is a technique for making a tubular frame structure.

Instead of welding, brazing, bolting or gluing…why not try knotting?

When making eg a bicycle frame, one tube would be filled with water under pressure.

The second tube would be similarly pressurised to maintain a mostly circular cross section and then bent, coarsely, into a knot shape around the first.

Both tubes would be subject to varying internal water pressure and tension applied to all four ends.

This would eventually allow a very tight knot to form so that both tubes would be pressed into each other, joining them tightly.

The tension and pressure would then be removed.

Nail polish doesn’t appeal much to me. It works for Eddie Izzard but he has genuine class.

Today’s invention is intended to appeal to people who want to wear such varnish but who can’t resist picking it off in unsightly flakes.

One would insert one’s hand into the slot of a varnish machine.

This would spray a code or symbol on your nail in a very tough varnish.

It would then apply a self-adhesive stick-on nail film in an opaque, contrasting colour to each of your fingers.

When you were later tempted to pick off the outer layer, the code would be revealed, potentially winning a big lottery prize by placing a call to the number shown.

Flags are a bit boring on a windless day.

I have proposed before various approaches to blowing air across them but today’s invention is a different approach.

A motor unit could be raised or lowered on a conventional flagpole.

On the top of this, a crank (grey) would be rotated. Attached to this is a shaft composed of many hinges, each free to rotate only a few degrees about a vertical axis.

The hinges would be embedded within the upper edge of the flag.

In this way, the motor could be slowly rotated, allowing the hinges to support the flag whilst also simulating the effect of wind-driven flapping.