#1920: Wastewheels

Wheelie bins aren’t that easy to move about when full of refuse.

Today’s invention is an extra set of wheels for such bins.

These would be mounted on a common axle and driven by two small independent electric motors, mounted to a frame.

The bin owner would attach two swingarms to the normal bin wheel axles, place the extra wheels at the front and rock the bin back through a few degress so that the front edge was on the frame, slightly clear of the ground.

The motors would be activated remotely so that the bin could be directed across a garden and onto the pavement for collection (a little like the latest golf bag trolleys).

Once out there, the wheel unit would be removed and safely stored until the next bin collection.

#1919: SeatDeal

People on planes get on each other’s nerves in a variety of different ways. Seating is so cramped that many passengers find themselves in discomfort…not a great way to travel.

Today’s invention is to equip each seatback screen with a means of communicating with the screen one seat behind.

When you choose to, you specify on your screen which position you’d like your seat to be slid to and which angle of seatback rake you’d prefer.

A short-legged person, eg, may want to slide forward to give the person behind more legroom, in return for permission to have more recline angle.

This negotiation could be undertaken numerous times on a long flight -and would also depend on requests made from the seat in front.

#1918: Washoops

Today’s invention is another alternative washing line.

This consists of a number of semicircular sections of hoops, attached to each other so that each semicircle can be rotated about the diameter and locked (forming something like a crankshaft).

This allows the line to run over a path, so people can walk underneath. Half-hoops set in the horizontal plane allow Pi/2 times as much washing line length than normal.

A section placed in a U orientation could even allow children to help by hanging up their own clothes.

#1917: FierceFace

I’m always looking for ways to stop soldiers from having to actually fight each other.

One reason for British Guards regiments wearing tall Bearskins in the past was to intimidate the enemy into running away from these apparent giants (with their eyes effectively hidden).

Today’s invention updates this approach by equipping helmets with an e-ink display.

The wearer would have a facemask attached to the helmet, to hide his own (probably fearful) features.

The e-ink display would be capable of switching on suddenly and portraying ghoulish, animated faces at a height in excess of that of normal people.

When well-designed, this would have a suitably disconcerting effect on the opposition.

#1916: Targetoast

Toasters are cheap in the short run but, due to their inefficiency, they must cost a huge amount over their lifetime.

Lots of toasters will activate all the resistance wires in all the slots even when you are making a single slice.

This is good for heating the kitchen but not when you are waiting for breakfast.

Today’s invention is a toaster in which the toast is slid horizontally. The heating units are free to move vertically so that they make individual contact with the bread.

Only when that happens does an individual unit switch on -thus transferring all the heat to the proto-toast.

#1915: Seecurity

When you get equipment (such as a laptop) checked before flying, usually some time-pressured individual has to view the scan image and decide if it is harbouring something illicit.

Today’s invention is aimed at making this task easier and much more accurate.

In future, all complex electronic gear such as computers, cameras, phones etc should have a barcode engraved, somewhere inside the case, which represents an individual product.

This would appear in a scanned image and allow the imaging system itself to access and compare the image with one taken of the gadget interior as it left the factory (or at least a detailed schematic).

If discrepancies are detected, there is some explaining to do.

Terrorists could obviously access and modify the barcode, but to little effect -they would still find it almost impossible to hide any additions or substitutions (eg of explosive material) within a well-known interior layout.

This would allow many more items to be scanned per minute, lessening the frustration which passengers now feel about the whole queueing to fly process.

#1914: Invisivac

I hate things that are made in the shape of other things for absolutely no reason.

Today’s invention is however a vacuum cleaner which can be disguised as a standard lamp.

Why? Well I live in a small house with a necessarily large vacuum cleaner. I have nowhere to store this other than in the living room where I have to look at its red and black ugliness all the time.

I propose a version in neutral matt colouring which would come with the additional components (indicated here in red). These would be a tall neck to hide the hose, a lampshade and a bulb unit, powered via the same cable as the cleaner.

The column of the lamp would be made of the vacuum cleaner tube, so that when you need to clean up, the extra parts are easily slipped off and set to one side.

#1913: CarCart

Today’s invention is a town car especially designed to enable shopping.

This would have a notch-shaped dock built in between the back seats to accommodate a shopping trolley of standard size (but perhaps better engineered to be lighter).

The trolley, which would be supplied with the vehicle, could be detached from the car, via the open tailgate, and used to collect one’s supermarket haul.

On returning, the tailgate would be unlocked and the cart rolled into the notch which would contain a shallow ramp. A motor would automatically drag the shopping up the ramp (so that the trolley wheels would be well clear of the road) and lock it in place within the vehicle.

At home, the trolley could be detached again and conveniently wheeled into a purpose-built cupboard in the kitchen.

#1912: ChewChat

Is the art of conversation dead? Do we get fat because we eat too quickly?

There is always a danger that dinner gets wolfed down, rather than savoured in between exchanges of interesting conversation.

Today’s invention is therefore a tabletop vending machine.

This dispenses a communal meal in sub-portions, but only after a smartphone inserted into it (running language recognition software like Siri) has recorded a certain number of recognisable words between each one.

It might even be possible to insist that each individual utter at least a few bons mots.

This would require some extra interaction between eg family members as well as limiting the speed with which their food gets engulfed.

#1911: Gamesimulator

Ordinary folk find it hard to conceive of the ability it takes to win an olympic medal.

Today’s invention is a robotic exoskeleton mounted on a robot arm which allows anyone to strap themselves in and experience the movement of an athlete in certain sporting events.

This would act as a new form of theme park ride and could be used to allow simulation of the long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault, some gymnastics etc.

This would all occur in slow motion and motion capture techniques applied to the athletes in competition could be used to ensure that each ride was a perfect reproduction of a particular winning performance.