#1774: Levelens

Today’s invention is simply to reuse contact lens containers as 2-dimensional spirit levels.

These are often hemisperical and with a central mould flashing so that the position of the water level inside relative to this can be judged by the human eye very accurately.

Such a system would make it possible for all sorts of products to incorporate a number of integrated levels…at very little cost.

Once the device or system (think picture frame or washing machine) had been correctly orientated, the cases could be removed and thrown away.

#1773: TwoTallows

Today’s invention is a metal collar, forming part of a candelabrum and which allows for less wasteful use of candles.

A candle (yellow) is fitted into an insulated base (grey).

Once lit, the candle heats an overhanging metal plate which is bonded to the candelabrum base (white).

The base contains a candle-shaped mould with a wick inserted (orange). This is heated by the action of the candle so that the run-off wax gradually fills the mould and creates a new, albeit smaller, candle (which itself can then be placed in the base and reused, etc).

#1772: DeckPods

Aircraft carriers are huge, expensive targets.

Today’s invention is to replace them with small submersibles which can be air-dropped into an ocean.

Each of these would be uncrewed and equipped with a quiet motor so that they could navigate autonomously but very accurately, sub-surface if necessary, to rendez-vous with any helicopters or VTOL aircraft. They would then surface briefly to provide a landable platform.

Offering a mobile source of stores and fuel, these pods would also act as stepping stones and thus allow such aircraft to cover huge ranges -whilst themselves being extremely hard to find and attack.

#1771: OrientatiON

I really like the Petzl headlamps, which now have a natty push button switch on the top.

They used to have a tiny, stiff sliding switch which made it really difficult to turn one on in the dark. You could spend quite a while forcing the slider in the wrong direction (because it was stiff even in the right direction).

Today’s invention is a simple way for lamps like this to preserve the old switch design but to ensure no more delays when the light needs to be lit.

It consists of a foolproof way to orientate the lamp, even in the dark and when working with one hand. A pair of closed-ended tubes would be moulded into the body of the lamp (or retrofitted in the form of a collar). These would be simple to locate by touch alone and correctly orientate the device for either left or right handers.

The user would know that these should accommodate index and second fingers, allowing the thumb infallibly to push the switch on, opposed by the fingers gripping the tubes’ interiors.

#1770: EscalAidor

Large transport planes fly fast with huge loads but are currently incapable of vertical take off and landing.

Today’s invention is to equip a large transporter plane with a set of strong hooks on its upper fuselage surface.

This would enable a handful of heavy-lift helicopters, flying temporarily from a remote mountainside, to take off, attach to the plane and fly with it until the airspeed was sufficiently low for them to land the transporter vertically.

The reverse process for subsequent takeoff of the empty plane would certainly require no additional helicopters.

In this way, remote regions could be serviced, with eg repeated emergency aid supplies, very rapidly and from very far away.

#1769: Cinemaximised

Film is still not interactive enough. Today’s invention attempts to make watching a movie more of a game-like activity.

Movies would be shot in high resolution, so that it would be possible to zoom in closely on certain parts of a scene.

An audience could decide, using standard clickers, to pause the action and zoom in on a region on the screen, in order to get an explanation of the plot or more information about the back story.

Only by extracting this information could a viewer expect get to the end and understand the whole thing.

This would allow movies to be made simply, without needing multiple parallel plot branches.

It would mean that each movie would probably require a few viewings for an audience to feel that it had got to the bottom of all the storylines. This additional business would be welcomed by the movie studios.

#1768: Adjustand

Over the weekend, I must have seen half a dozen performers come on stage and mess about with poorly adjusted music and microphone stands.

This breaks their concentration and disrupts the audience’s sense of anticipation.

Today’s invention is a tripod stand which can accommodate a smartphone. This runs an application which allows the playbill to be entered, so that each performer can specify in advance their preferred height for the mic or music stand.

The phone would then talk to a small motor and screw drive in the stand itself, so that as each player appears on stage, and touches their name on the list, the equipment adjusts itself smoothly.

An extra clever version would listen to each performance and work out when it was over, so that the next act’s height could be selected.

#1767: RopeRecord

I came across an article talking about how best to maximise the speed of a record-breaking skipping rope.

Today’s invention contributes to this specialist arena by making the rope out of very thin wire.

Onto this are strung small flat ‘beads’, each with an aerofoil section and the ability to rotate about the wire.

Each bead could also be individually weighted to ensure that, at speed, the catenary shape taken up by the rope would be the one with lowest overall drag.

#1766: StarPower

If old stars are actually molecular factories, pumping out complex organic molecules (like petroleum) into space, then that’s exciting for finding extraterrestrial life.

Today’s invention, however, ignores that prospect and uses the star effluent as fuel.

Since we know how to locate the kinds of old stars which seem to generate the hydrocarbons, a very long range robot explorer space craft, once launched, could target a bank of these stars and steer towards them using only inertia.

On arrival, eventually, it would fly through clouds of the free fuel, storing it in enormous tanks before deciding where next to explore.

#1765: GumAimer

I was surprised not to be able to find this already patented.

Today’s invention is dental tape which comes in short lengths, each of which has tapering dental brush bristles woven into it.

In this way the tape, once inserted between teeth in the usual way, allows the brush to be pulled between the teeth, until the correct size for brushing is found.

No more poking the wires of oversized brushes into one’s gums or having to guess which combination of floss brushes to buy.