#1664: RemoteReadings

When a spacecraft takes off, the instruments can shake so violently that they become unreadable by crew members -even if they are experienced test pilots and know what to expect.

Today’s invention is therefore to create a secondary set of instruments which would be electrically connected to the normal displays, but which can be placed on the laps of Pilot and Copilot during high vibration conditions (thus isolating the displays from the vehicle oscillation).

These would indicate their readings as a dynamic, tactile pattern. This might be achieved most easily as a bank of barcodes -one each for airspeed, fuel flowrate, altitude etc.

If critical readings were exceeded, crew could have switches embedded in the remote display, enabling them eg to fire the escape rocket motor or blow the hatches.

#1663: SleepSwap

It makes me mad that I have to hibernate my laptop (which is slow and often fails to work), just so as to swap in a new battery.

Today’s invention is a new system designed to help with a rapid hotswap…at least until battery technology makes its long-promised leap forward.

Laptops would be wired to take on board power for a short time when placed in sleep mode.

A portable USB mouse would incorporate a rechargeable AA battery (perhaps recharged continuously, using the mousewheel as a dynamo).

When your laptop charge is running out, you can activate sleep mode and just quickly swap out the main battery in the knowledge that your internal state will be preserved, using power automatically fed to it from the mouse.

#1662: FrothDown

Thinking about the next era of spaceflight has made me wonder about the logic of the ‘splashdown.’

Even with the Right Stuff, astronauts and instruments aboard must take an extra beating when the capsule hits the sea (especially if one of the chutes is malfunctioning).

Today’s invention is based on the training pools provided for ski jumpers in which bubbles are injected into the water, to help lessen the shock of diving in.

It takes the form of a cannister of highly-compressed air which is automatically jettisoned moments before a returning command module splashes down. This sinks and fires several jets of air outwards radially, to form a large bubble-filled volume.

This would allow the craft to penetrate somewhat more deeply, but decrease the resulting bang to less bonecrushing levels.

#1661: NeedlePoints

Some trains are constantly being delayed by having to wait for higher priority ones to pass.

Today’s invention is a way to democratise the interaction between such trains.

Just as with eg two crossing streams of formation motorcyclists, the idea is that these trains would space out before a crossing and then pass through it, one carriage from each train in turn.

To maintain control, the trains shown as red are mechanically linked by a high tensile rod running beside the track and passing through the small gaps in the points.

The blue carriages are linked by overhead mechanical rods.

In this way, it would be possible to arrange all trains to have (—overhead—tracklevel—overhead—) connections between carriages and thus any train could pass through any other without significant delay to either*.

#1660: Repelmet

The secret of reducing the peak force between objects during any collision is to arrange for the impact to be somehow smeared in time.

People who play American Football sustain frequent head-to-head collisions which may prove to have been bad for their brains.

Today’s invention is a modification to the football helmet. These already incorporate air dampers to prolong any contact force which the wearer’s head feels.

An additional measure would be to embed some neodymium magnets under the helmet surface -all with like poles pointing outwards.

When two helmets are about to collide, the enormous repulsive force between magnets would gradually reduce their relative speed so that the peak impact force would be greatly reduced….thus saving them from potential concussions.

(Helmets left by the side of the field would need special consideration, given that the poles inside one would attract those outside another, so that adjacent helmets would leap together).

#1659: Cradlenses

When we have space colonies, in the distant future, on planets with low gravitational acceleration, there will surely still be traffic to keep under control.

Today’s invention is a set of low-g traffic lights which operate without electronic controls.

Two pendula swing side-by-side. One has a green lens as a bob, the other red.

The red lens is stationary in front of a sealed lamp unit and behind an aperture, as shown on the left of the diagram.

The green lens swings (slowly) inwards and gradually creates the appearance of an amber light. A bar on the green lens impacts the red lens and, just as in a Newton’s cradle, exchanges momentum with it elastically, so the green lens stays put and the red lens begins to move away.

Eventually, the amber is replaced entirely by the green so that any waiting skycars can proceed.

The absence of air resistance on the space highway of the future, allows this cyclic process to proceed -effectively forever.

#1658: LampLighter

Today’s invention is a torch which has the usual battery-powered bulb, but which also accommodates a number of disposable lighters (now that these are no longer needed for smoking purposes).

Each lighter is enclosed by a Davy-lamp mesh.

Tightening the battery slot hatch, makes the lamp’s battery circuit and also forces the lighter switch up against a wedge which ignites it.

The lighters provide a cheap additional source of illumination, which is potentially longer-lasting than regular battery duration.

#1657: HertzHorn

Today’s invention is a way to encourage cars to move out of the way of an ambulance approaching from behind.

Everyone knows the Doppler effect causes the ambulance siren to appear to increase in frequency as it approaches.

It’s therefore a relatively simple matter to take a normal siren and electronically process it so as to raise all its frequency components in proportion to the distance between ambulance and car.

This would give the nearest car driver ahead the auditory impression that the emergency vehicle was approaching much faster than in reality -and thus cause him to pull out of the way more urgently.

#1656: RollerRacer

Today’s invention is an attempt to boost the excitement of car racing for spectators. It consists of a rollercoaster track which runs above sections of a motorracing track.

People board carts on the rollercoaster and their descent is timed to allow them to ‘fly’ just above a car or a pack of competing cars.

The carts might need to be powered by motors, in addition to gravity, so that they are capable of matching the cars’ speeds (albeit for only short periods).

This would add to the drama of such an event, without significantly obscuring the TV cameras’ view of the race. Indeed, extra cameras could be mounted on the rollercoaster carts (which would, themselves, carry sponsors’ branding).

#1655: LubriLacing

Today’s invention is for wearers of shoelaces.

Laces have a tendency to be made of material which forms good knots.

Their frictional surface is a disadvantage, however, when trying to feed aglets through eyelets.

It’s especially problematic when the laces bind against one another -either when opening the lacing to put the shoes on or when your feet swell and the laces lock locally against one another (causing circulation problems and pain).

The proposed solution is to create laces with a low-friction coating everywhere except for the end-sections involved in bows etc. This could be achieved by coating the central section of laces in a layer of ptfe-type material.