#1744: GlassHopper

Given that no-one likes having to change a tyre on their vehicle, today’s invention is a way to avoid punctures in the first place.

A camera is located under the front wing, which detects objects in the path of the wheel. This sends a signal to the wheel’s supension, saying, in effect “raise the wheel very briefly, to step over this.”

The car therefore runs on ony three wheels for a moment, but the raising and lowering would be done so smoothly, under electronic control and with awareness of the current rotation rate, that the ride would remain smooth (or at least smoother than without this system).

At very low speed, the raising of a wheel might require a sharp expansion then contraction of the local shock absorber to rock the chassis upwards for long enough to clear any debris.

A similar system would apply to all of the wheels. This might require that, if facing say four broken bottles simultaneously, a decision as to which was the highest priority to miss might have to be taken.

#1743: DemoGraphic

Microsoft have recently applied for a patent which could use a TSA-type body scan to determine which content would be appropriate to an individual’s age.

Today’s invention takes this a step further (can’t believe all those Redmond patent attorneys missed this one) by using these scans to decide which adverts should be shown to a given person as he/she is searched/scanned en route to board a plane.

Based on body shape and size, adverts for slimming aids,exercise equipment or dietary supplements could be emphasised.

Similarly, movies or medicines eg, made for a particular section of society, could be specifically targeted at those consumers with a stereotypical body shape.

#1742: RollingBowling

Today’s invention is inspired by my fellow train traveler, and ardent New Scientist reader, Pete.

In discussion with him today, I mentioned that certain commuter trains transport groups of people who form a book group with in-transit literary analysis.

Given my less erudite mindset, I therefore suggest a bowling alley in a train carriage.

Passengers could, with some allowance made for sudden accelerations, set up either a jack or skittles at one end and fling a ball from one end of the carriage to the other.

This relies of course on the availability of coaches where everyone gets a seat. It would also enable the kinds of conversations about relative velocity, so beloved of Physics textbook authors.

#1741: TuringTuning

It’s easy to get bamboozled in a HiFi shop in connection with choosing a new system.

Today’s invention is to create a music recording and reproduction system which can emulate the characteristics of any other such device (at least to the level which can be sensed by the most discerning of audiophiles). This would thus be a cousin to the Universal Turing Machine that gave rise to computer science.

The emulator would be fitted into a very well-sprung van and transported to the homes of exceedingly rich and discriminating purchasers.

In each house, the universal tuning machine would be set up and adjusted, by a travelling expert, to reproduce the sound output of a range of other high-end systems within the specific geometry of the room(s).

After a week or so of evaluation across a range of different music, a choice could be made by the homeowner of the product to be purchased and the UTM taken to its next test site. People could even opt to buy themselves a UTM if they were sufficiently well-heeled.

#1740: Earconditioner

When anyone wears a set of headphones for any length of time, an atmosphere develops inside which can only be described as steamy.

Today’s invention is a set of headphones containing a small airconditioning unit.

This would supply very low-speed, freshly humidified airflow to each of the ‘cans’ so that recording studio engineers and airline pilots etc would not be distracted by having sweaty, itchy ears.

The airflow would be driven around a loop by a very small, low-speed pump, carried on the belt of the user so that no audible noise would be introduced. This unit would also embody an electrically powered chiller/heater.

All of this equipment could be powered by plugging it into a standard jack of the type used to carry the audio signal.

#1739: ModelMould

One of the things holding 3-D printing back in the domestic marketplace is the cost of the material. One of the things holding the famous Sugru substance back is that it’s very hard to make regular shapes that don’t look like an amateur potter’s first attempt to make a garden gnome.

Today’s invention seeks to help out both these great ideas.

A 3-D printer is used to make a thin mould (grey) of some common object which is known to fail (say a plastic switch from a Dyson vacuum cleaner). This single mould can then be reused many times by being press-filled with Sugru (blue).

The result is one way to create repair or enhancement parts which have the same surface and geometrical regularity as mass produced items.

#1738: Flatflex

I saw some elastic bands recently designed to take up the shape of various animals etc in 2-D.

Today’s invention is to apply this idea to power cords for all sorts of electrical equipment.

The cord would be coated in a slightly stiffer than normal rubberised outer layer. It would thus be maintained in a planar layout, making it much more difficult to trip over and almost impossible to form tangles.

An appliance would still have some flexibility to be moved a small distance away from the wall socket, without drastically distorting the 2-D shape.

This could obviously be used to promote some related product by embodying a logo or message.

#1736: JamSpreader

Autonomous vehicles are only just beginning to become a reality. Although there are many potential safety benefits, the general problem of how to avoid motorised mayhem is by no means solved.

Today’s invention is a local application of autonomous vehicle technology.

When a tailback occurs, many vehicles are travelling close together at low speed. There is always a lot of braking and acceleration which is unnecessary -caused by amplification of small overcorrections by distracted or tired human drivers (as well as speculative lane changing).

Today’s invention is an electronic control unit, fitted to vehicles, which senses that the car has been involved for say, 30 seconds, in a regime of slow motion and/or start/stop driving.

On receipt of signals from neighbouring cars that they too have sensed this regime, their electronic boxes would take over throttle and brakes, coordinating them across a whole traffic stream (it would also restrict steering to maintain parallel traffic flow).

This low-speed cruise control would constrain all vehicles to move at a near-uniform, speed without the usual risky and inefficient high levels of acceleration and braking. Just attempting to maintain equal distance from trailing and leading vehicles would probably work at low speeds.

This would then allow speed to build up smoothly, together with separation distance, so that a tailback or jam could disperse with maximal ease.

#1735: HandleBandit

Today’s invention is a generic door handle for use in hotels and casinos throughout towns like Las Vegas.

This would operate as a normal handle, but, if you wanted to, you could put a coin, token or even an access card in an integral slot in the latch mechanism.

This would activate a small fruit machine display, so that even passing through a door would be part of the gambling experience and offer the chance of a payout.