Home Posts tagged "fabby" (Page 20)

Tag: fabby

#1864: Equalisear

There is concern that people who listen to personal stereos are doing danage to their hearing.

Today’s invention is a set of earphones which periodically require the user to undertake a hearing test.

A range of tones would be played to the wearer and they would record hearing each by tapping on the outer of one earpiece.

This response would be recorded, allowing a personal profile of hearing sensitivity to be created.

This would then be used to modify the earpiece outputs so that hard to hear elements for each ear would be boosted (whilst always keeping the volume below a damaging level for the individual).

#1863: Envelock

Rapid prototyping or additive manufacture might, in future, be used not just for products but for innovative packaging.

Today’s invention is an example of this approach: a tamper-evident display container for eg an expensive chronometer.

The box would be built up of multiple layers of transparent goop, with the watch on the inside.

On completion, it would consist of two nested components: an inner with a wrist-like support for the watch strap and an outer wall.

The inner and outer would be prevented from rotating by two small cylindrical lock features.

On purchasing the watch, the outer wall would be rotated about the inner, snapping off the lock features and allowing the valuable contents to be extracted through the resulting gap.

#1855: SpinSign

Astronauts on the space station have to live with no real definition of ‘up‘.

Today’s invention is to replace each of the many signs on board by a small, square electronic display. These displays would have a camera on board with face detection capability.

On spotting the face of an astronaut, a sign would be able to orientate its text and graphical message to match the crew member’s current alignment.

#1840: StopScreen

Given the frequency of traffic jams, today’s invention is a way to render them less excruciatingly boring.

Cars would be equipped with a screen embedded within their boot lids.

When a car became motionless, its screen would automatically start to show a brief movie to the vehicle stopped immediately behind.

The length of the movie chosen by the system would be appropriate to a prediction made of the jam duration by communicating with traffic cameras.

This channel would inevitably include adverts and local driving information as well.

#1837: Wingtipped

Today’s invention provides a way for carrier based jets to avoid the need for folding wings (which add complexity and weight to already complicated systems).

Instead, jets’ undercarriages would be arranged so that they could all adopt the same angle of tilt and thus crowd closely together on the deck.

These machines could even be equipped with parking sensors that cars commonly have, in order to minimise contact between closely parked planes.

#1831: CopterDrop

An unplanned descent in a helicopter is obviously highly dangerous.

Today’s invention offers a way to lessen that danger when flying over water.

The fuselage of the machine contains flotation bags and is shaped in such a way as to minimise the initial impact with the water surface.

The accelerations are thus smoothed out over time, as the knifelike profile penetrates the water, resulting in much less severe injuries to occupants.

This profile could be made thin enough in cross-section that the day-to-day drag would not be greater than that for a normal airframe shape.

Once the machine has submerged and the buoyancy force exceeds the weight, it would return to the surface and remain there until rescued.

Fixed wing aircraft could emulate this approach too, so that when about to crash in the sea, a plane could rotate through 90 degrees (one wing at six and the other at 12 o’clock).

#1829: Carcophony

Today’s invention is a toy car set which is equipped with a pair of wireless headphones.

As the cars are moved by a child, the wheel rotation rates result in an appropriate-speed engine noise being generated (which would also mimic the correct engine note for each make of car, as well as gear changing and tyre squealing ).

Cars which collided with each other at a given relative speed would create a realistic crash noise level.

Other noises would include the closing of the toy’s doors…

…and all of this without disturbing neighbouring adults with incessant brrrming noises.

#1827: Windwardrier

I was always under the false impression that rotary washing lines were supposed to spin like windmills in the wind.

In fact, the rotation is provided only to allow loading and unloading the line without having to walk about too much whilst carrying a basket of wet washing.

Today’s invention is a version of this device which is free to rotate, when hanging or removing items. The turning part has a weather vane attached (yellow), which orientates it towards the wind, once the washing is aboard.

This vane gradually changes rotational position relative to the turning washing line, under the action of a clockwork motor (blue).

In this way, each face of the triangle lies on the windward side for approximately equal time intervals.

#1823: Taciturnpike

Today’s invention is a way to determine and plan scenic travel routes.

By analysing Google StreetView imagery on possible journeys between A and B using software such as SceneReader it’s possible to find the candidate route with the lowest amount of readable street signage.

This could be assumed to correspond to a less-travelled and perhaps better preserved path -thus being more suitable for tourist drives.