One of the features of sick buildings is that people have no control over the heating or window opening.

When these controls are available, occupants frequently run the heating with windows ajar. This is bad for fuel economy and probably kicks a carbon footprint-sized hole in the local climate.

Today’s invention is a two-part lock which should help.

One element covers the window lock, the other the radiator thermostat.

These devices talk to each other wirelessly so that the window lock will only be exposed if the radiator is off.

Similarly, the radiator can’t be turned on if the window is open.

Frogmen often swim underwater using a relaxed body undulation technique that resembles the movement of a seal or dolphin.

Today’s invention is a modified set of swimfins designed to help this kind of stroke.

A pair of regular flippers have regions of velcro attached, as shown.

These can be slapped together, one atop the other, so that the fins stick temporarily together and act like a mermaid’s tail…providing greater potential thrust than the two separate fins.

Surprisingly, I can find nothing of this kind in any of the patent databases.

People crazy enough to be drag racing have been injecting nitrous oxide into their engines for decades.

Today’s invention offers a new way to gain extra speed off the line whilst not decreasing the danger.

A two-cylinder version of the engine envisaged is shown. Each cylinder has a tank of nitrous oxide with an electronically controlled outlet valve.

When one of these is opened, a stream of oxide passes into a hybrid rocket motor (orange) where it is ignited. This combustion process drives the conventional engine’s piston.

The gas valve then closes, ignition ceases and the exhaust stroke is shown in the bottom picture.

Safe? No. Fast?…potentially, albeit with an engine change every 200m.

Today’s invention is an improvement on this one.

When a road accident occurs, there is almost always a loud bang.

Streetlights could be fitted with microphones to detect this, so that when there was a loud impact, the nearest few lights would flash on and off, indicating a problem to oncoming drivers.

The flickering of lights on either side of the bang could be timed so as to apparently point to the lamp nearest the accident (as cone lights currently do with eg roadworks).

The lights might also send a message to the police or at least take a photograph of the vicinity (when the lights were in the ‘on’ state).

A more advanced version would have the streetlight flashing be radio-triggered by eg airbag or bumper sensors within vehicles themselves.

Imagine a tape measure which could react to voice commands.

Today’s invention is a measure which has an internal drive motor and a processor capable of interpreting a small number of spoken words.

This allows the user to say “12.3cm” and have the correct length of tape emerge.

You could also say “one third of that” and have the tape length reduce to 4.1cm at once.

It might also be possible to have the device announce the current length of the extended tape (in any units required).

Today’s invention is a bike chain which acts as its own simple gearing mechanism.

Imagine two conventional, fixed-size sprockets, one attached to the pedals and one to the rear wheel hub.

The chain connecting these has links which are sprung so that they would naturally compress together into a shape like vvvvv rather than – – – – – – (Shown at the top in yellow).

As the pedal wheel rotates, two C-shaped diverters are moved in and out independently. Moving in flattens the vvvvv shape into – – – – – – around one or both of the sprockets.

This change in radius provides four gear ratios, as indicated, without needing any kind of derailleur mechanism (beyond the small, sprung tensioner wheel shown).

Today’s invention is a new mirror for motorcycles, or even bicycles.

It’s really essential that vulnerable road users are aware of what is bearing down on them from behind. I myself would be a stain on a Northern road had it not been for remembering to look over my right shoulder.

So, rather than use the standard drag-inducing mirror, located somewhere that requires you to take your eyes off the road, imagine a fish eye camera lens placed at the end of one’s handlebar (red).

The camera is connected, via an optical fibre bundle, running within the handlebar, to a small screen behind the windshield.

This makes any movement behind a two-wheeler immediately apparent -without the usual ‘messerschmitt-twitch’.