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Innovator makes bicycle bumps a bonus

Aug-21-08 By Peter
I'm tempted to make this post one of those "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade" lessons. But I won't, because there's so much more to the story. It begins this way: a poor, yong man in India realizes that the bumps on the rugged, rural roads he travels might be converted--literally--into foward motion.

So Kanak Das retrofitted his bicycle. Now the shock absorbers convert the energy they absorb, when the moving bike hits bumps in the road, into force that assists the pedals.

Old invention deserves a new life

Aug-20-08 By Peter
In 1858 Ferdinand Carré invented a cooling device, based on the work of Michael Faraday, that can work without electricity.

More recently an enterprising Adam Grosser proposed re-introducing his redesigned version Carré's invention to parts of the world where refrigeraion is not available and where it could save lives.

Added-Function Funnels

Aug-19-08 By Peter
Have you ever wondered why it takes so long to come up with some inventions? The kind that make you go, "Duh! Why didn't I think of that?"

Why did it take so long to put wheels on luggage? Why did we have to go through so many seat-belt contraptions before we settled on the current, easy-pull, easy-stow version? Remember passive restraints?

Photography for the Blind

Aug-19-08 By Paul Wagorn
Sometimes the ideas that initially sound the most absurd are the most brilliant ones. Suppose for a moment that someone told you that they were going design a camera for blind people. Well, a design team at Samsung has done just that.

My first thought was "Why?" ... My second thought was "ok, but...How?"

Innovation Strikes Like Lightning

Aug-18-08 By Peter
Courtesy Wikimedia

When the unexpected jumps out and smacks you in the face, it usually means, "Pay attention! A great innovation waits to be found." So we just might look for a connection between Usain Bolt's record-smashing 100-meter, gold-medal dash and the fact that he could be called a 200-meter specialist.

New Conrete Clears the Air

Aug-17-08 By Peter
In the Dutch province of Overijssel, a stretch of road has been paved with a surface of air-purifying concrete. Meant to fight pollution, the road consists of concrete paving stones spiked with a titanium dioxide-based additive. In sunlight, this additive should bind to nitrogen oxide particles spewed from car exhausts and converts them into friendly nitrates.

Robot Skin

Aug-14-08 By Peter
In less than a decade, robots and other electronic appliances may wear skin. Japanese researchers have developed a rubber-like material that stretches over surfaces and conducts electricity. That means the wearer can be made sensitive to temperature, moisture, and pressure.

Look Ma, No Hands!

Aug-14-08 By Wendy
Students at the Drexel University have developed a game controller that uses only your mind to execute actions.

The Invention Olympics

Aug-14-08 By Peter
The original Greek Olympic Games were "invented" around -776. (See AD BC vs. CE BCE) They died and were revived in Athens, Greece, just before the turn of the 20th century.

While the world celebrates the glory of brawn, shouldn't we do something similar or better for brains?

AD BC vs. CE BCE

Aug-13-08 By Peter
Lately, you might haved noticed a new way of distinguishing AD and BC dates. A so-called innovation now separates years before and after the zero mark with CE and BCE. Another one of those innovations for innovation's sake. Or a good reason to call out, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."