Category:
Inventions
Inventions
The Hollister Wind Bag
Patented by Thomas Lloyd Hollister in 1939. He called it a “gas receptor.” Basically, it was a fart collection bag. From the patent:This invention relates to a device for receiving and storing gas formed by the digestion of foods. An object of the invention is the provision of a device for collecting and storing gas formed in the alimentary tract of the body and for absorbing liquids from the gases. Another object of the invention is the provision of a device for collecting and storing gas formed in the digestive tract, said device being removably suspended from the body and provided with a nipple having shielded perforations to permit gases to enter a storage chamber.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 30, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Inventions, Flatulence, 1930s
The Ratapult
Invented circa 1992 by Allen Gross. It was intended to be a more humane rattrap. Instead of killing the rats, it flung them up to 50 feet into a cage or bucket. The dazed, but still living, rodents could then be either turned over to authorities or released into the wild. Noted Gross, “I didn’t want the (rodents) squashed or turned into meatloaf.”
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Feb 14, 1992
Staunton News Leader - Feb 14, 1992
Turns out this wasn't the first rat-flinging trap to be invented. Back in 1912, a similar device debuted, also called the Ratapult. Though it wasn't intended to be in any way humane:
A metal arm, operated by a powerful spiral spring, is released, and, passing through a slot in the cavelike compartment in the manner of a catapult, it strikes the unfortunate rodent with a blow of sufficient force to break every bone in its body and hurl the carcass at least fifteen feet away from the trap, far enough away so other rats will not be warned against the trap.
Vergennes Orwell Citizen - Jan 9, 1913
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 23, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Inventions, Pests, Plagues and Infestations, 1990s
Prayer-Power Batteries
As explained by what-when-how.com:The most distinctive practice of the Aetherius Society is its use of Spiritual Energy Batteries. The prayers and chanting of members are focused through trained leaders, and poured into a battery where they can be stored indefinitely. In times of crisis, such as war, earthquake or famine, thousands of hours of stored prayer energy can be released in one moment.
More info: Aetherius.org, wikipedia
A Prayer Battery being charged. via Aetherius.org.nz
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 03, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Inventions, Religion, Technology
Jelly-Strength Tester
Invented in 1932 by C.R. Fellers and J.A. Clague of Massachusetts State College. It's technical name is the Fellers-Clague Penetrometer.As is explained in The Complete Book on Gums and Stabilizers for Food Industry, there are two ways of testing the strength of jelly: 1) "tests in which the elastic limits (breaking strength) of the jellies are exceeded and the jelly is ruptured", or 2) "tests measuring deformation (sag) of jellies without exceeding the elastic limit."
The Fellers-Clague Penetrometer is of the first type.
Latrobe Bulletin - July 13, 1932
Source: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Analytical Edition
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 02, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Food, Inventions, 1930s
Chester Greenwood, Inventor of Earmuffs
Article source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 06, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Regionalism, Nineteenth Century, Head
Sphoon_Phork
A new device, calling itself the sphoon_phork, promises to transform your iPhone into a spoon or fork, so that you can eat with it as you browse social media.It’s currently seeking funding as a kickstarter project.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 29, 2019 -
Comments (5)
Category: Inventions
The car that’s like a bicycle
Nasser Al Shawaf was frustrated by the fact that he didn't get any exercise when he drove to work. So he teamed up with Dutch firm BPO and together they've created a car that has bicycle pedals instead of a gas pedal. So, you have to pedal to get your car to move. The faster you pedal, the faster it goes. The brake is controlled with a hand lever. The details:The system essentially has three basic settings. In traffic, it has a "Drive Slow" option, while highway use necessitates the "Drive Fast" setting. When the car is stopped, but the driver still wants to exercise, there’s a "No Drive" option, which disengages the pedals from the throttle.
I suppose it would provide a disincentive to speeding if you had to pedal like crazy to keep going fast. So in that sense it's similar to the Deaccelerator that I posted about recently. Though it might make it hard to overtake people. After all, what if you got tired as you were trying to frantically pedal? And what if you were in mixed driving conditions where you had to switch rapidly from slow to fast speeds? How easy would it be to transition from slow to fast mode? Overall, I can only see this having very limited appeal.
More details.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 20, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Inventions, Cars
The Cow Toilet
Developed by the Dutch firm Hanskamp. How it works:The cow enters the gated feeding area. While the cow is eating, a small bucket automatically swings into place at the back of the cow, moving gently upwards and downwards, massaging her escutcheon – a nerve which stretches between the cow’s vulva and udder. This nerve triggers the urine reflex, causing the cow to urinate. The urine is collected in the CowToilet reservoir and is then extracted and stored separately.
(Today I learned that cow's have a urine reflex!) Once the urine has been collected, it can be processed to produce fertilizer, or even be used to generate electricity. Most importantly, it isn't polluting the ground.
The video below (which is in Dutch) shows the device in action. The demonstration begins at about 1:15. Warning: if you're really squeamish it might gross you out because it does show cows peeing.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 19, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Inventions, Body Fluids
Coolmen
A new device that promises to help treat male infertility by keeping your little men cool. From the manufacturer's website:CoolMen is an innovative device that stabilizes the temperature of the testicles in the optimum range. In a short time, CoolMen significantly improves semen parameters, contributing to increased fertility of the pair. CoolMen can record data about temperature and time of use as well as types of activity (sleep, sitting, physical activity) by wirelessly transferring it to the mobile application on the smartphone. These data can then be analyzed by the andrologist to improve the treatment process.
More info: India Times,
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 08, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Inventions, Genitals
The Deaccelerator
Richard Schulman's solution to the problem of speeding: make it harder for motorists to step on the gas pedal. From the Chicago Tribune (Nov 20, 1986):The device attaches to the gas pedal of cars and trucks and is set for a maxiumum speed. Once you reach that speed, the accelerator becomes harder to push down. So if, for instance, your Deaccelerator is set at 55 miles per hour, your gas pedal operates normally until your car reaches that speed. To go faster, you must exert more pressure with your foot.
Schulman invented it in the mid-1980s, and even started a company, the Deaccelerator Corporation, to market it. As of 2005, he was still publishing about it, but evidently the idea met with resistance (pun intended) since I'm not aware of any cars equipped with the device. The people who need it most would be exactly the ones who would refuse to buy a car that had one.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 06, 2019 -
Comments (6)
Category: Inventions, 1980s, Cars
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