Things that need to be invented

[Max_Power]

Something like an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) generator? The military has small ones that are powered by high explosives.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

A ecent ellphone eadset hat on't clip yllables.

 

[jamie.91]

I would like a food in powder form that you mix with water and drink that has every protein, vitamin and so on that you need, and it's 100% efficient or usable to the body so you don't need to do number 2's lol

 

[Cataract]

I'd like to see a product that prevents ice from forming on your car so you never need a scraper.

Can a laser reach far enough into the skin to heat up the follicle without causing collateral damage to the skin? The follicles are fairly deep. I've seen ads for laser hair removal salons, but I've always wondered about this. And I'm assuming that it only works on darker hairs that will absorb the laser's energy rather than reflect it back.
:shrug:

I believe they use different lasers (wavelengths) for different color hair. I don't see why they would market the product if it damaged the skin... It supposedly is more efficient and less painful than electrolisys (and that gave good results, trust me...)

 

[Kestrel]

For folks who just want to complain about people, please note the distinction between this thread topic:

I can think of a number of things that the world needs that don't seem to exist yet. How about you?
Right off the bat -
A flash drive that allows the user to snap apart the USB controller from the memory. Thus if the controller blows out, you can resurrect the data by plugging in another one. I've lost two flash drives to controller failures so far.
A shoe sole that can maintain traction on ice and on hard floors. Right now it seems to be one or the other.

and the pet peeve threads.


Edit: And I guess I can add what I'd like to see:

Industrial / shop strength Q-tips:

• #1 would be a swab of coarser cotton securely bonded to a slim but stiff wooden shaft. Much more useful than current Q-tips for cleaning firearm internals / bike parts / etc.
• #2 would be a similar swab but using brass or even steel wool instead, for more recalcitrant applications.

I've went through hundreds of low-strength Q-tips over the years for cleaning various things, however they often just don't hold up for more demanding tasks.

An even nicer version would use a plastic shaft with a wire core. Stiff enough for general use, but also being bendable to get into tighter locations.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

And I guess I can add what I'd like to see:

Industrial / shop strength Q-tips:

• #1 would be a swab of coarser cotton securely bonded to a slim but stiff wooden shaft. Much more useful than current Q-tips for cleaning firearm internals / bike parts / etc.
• #2 would be a similar swab but using brass or even steel wool instead, for more recalcitrant applications.

I've used medical style cotton swabs for cleaning things. They have a wooden stick amd the cotton is tightly wrapped, leaving less fuzz behind after cleaning. The sticks aren't that sturdy but I prefer the tighter cotton on the heads. They come in paper packages of 100 designed for autoclaving. I've used them extensively for cleaning VCR internals where there are lots of sharp metal things that can cause snags.

I agree though, there needs to be a stronger version of these.

 

[TedTheLed]

glasses that focus to various diopter powers, with a soft plastic bladder for a lense that changes when clear fluid is pumped in and out...

oh wait a minute..thank you god!

www.superfocus.com

 

[TEEJ]

A way to load the groceries into the cart with the heavy stuff on the bottom, that also allows the heavy stuff to be unloaded first into the truck to take them home.

 

[Max_Power]

Industrial / shop strength Q-tips:
...
a plastic shaft with a wire core. Stiff enough for general use, but also being bendable to get into tighter locations.

I recently bought a few universal cleaning sticks from countycomm: http://countycomm.com/ucs.html

So far I like 'em. They aren't bendable, but they work better than a Q-tip for a lot of things.

The idea of making the cleaning tool bendable like a pipe cleaner on steroids is a good one - get into those crevices that your fingers cannot.

 

[booky]

A money tree

 

[Monocrom]

Honestly, a new system for dealing with customer service calls instead of just an automated system made up of a pre-recorded voice.

Edit:

Also, a baby monitor that does literally that. I have a niece and nephew. Have no clue how their mom is able to keep a constant eye on them. My niece is very relaxed and not too much trouble. My nephew . . . Well, boys will be boys. Maybe a robot that follows them everywhere.

 

[Flea Bag]

We need an automated lazer/zapper robot which will you can simply place somewhere in an area which will safely and accurately fry mosquitoes, flies and other high-level disease carrying flying insects dead within a certain radius using a very low powered, highly precise lazer, plasma zap or even a super LED flashlight utilising the latest M6000 Malkoff drop-in fitted with Cree XZ-E LED and 0.000000001 degree optic. :naughty: It will use an omni-directional camera and targeting system coupled with sufficiently good artificial intelligence based on advanced insect behaviour/flight algorithms. There will be different sized versions with varying capabilities depending on customer requirements/target market.

Home users and small outdoor/open-air business owners will have a model just effective enough to keep a room/garden/house/premise free from such pests. :tired:

Larger businesses with many staff/people to protect will either have to place a few units strategically or 'upgrade' to a model which is mobile and roams around in patrol rounds. :duh2:

If necessary, the mobile unit will emit hormones and other signals to lure the exact type of insect directly to it before zapping it. If however, the mobile unit determines that the population of target pests is too numerous to handle effectively or that too many pests are drawn into the general area and is putting the surrounding people at risk of being bitten or infected, it will apply the opposite strategy and emit other signals which will drive the pests far away from the vicinity until said unit determines it is able to handle a 'second-wave'. -All that while keeping all workers in the area blissfully unaware of course.

The unit is particularly relevant in areas where disaster has struck and unsanitary conditions can give rise to malaria and dengue fever, especially aided by the presence of such pests.

However, to fund R&D, the US military (largest single employer of engineers in the US) will have to get involved and persuaded to see the benefits of such equipment. For example, if Special forces are operating within humid swamps and rainforests of South America, a mobile zapping unit can eliminate the cost, weight and hassle of carrying around mosquito cream. Best of all, soldiers can spend time dodging bullets when under enemy fire instead of burning mosquito coils or frantically spraying Baygon. :tinfoil: Special Forces soldiers need only construct basic shelters to sleep in the jungle instead of having to bring along mosquito nets or hundreds of hungry and well-trained frogs and dragonflies.

They will see that mobile zapping units can even roam in front of them during a mission, zapping insects before they even have a chance to smell the sweaty soldiers. With a few minor 'tweaks', mobile units can be upgraded to zap rats, poisonous snakes, hostile and nearly extinct jungle tigers, elephants or even terrorists. :shakehead

To be a commercial success, domestic units for the home or small business will therefore be priced to sell -about $10. Commercial grade mobile zappers will be $10.30 and military mobile units will cost up to $20.


I don't really like mosquitoes.


Okay seriously, you'd think that by now, technology and advancements would have taken much better steps forward with dealing with mosquitoes without having to resort to mass application of harsh chemicals whose effects are only temporary anyway. My government spends millions almost annually on educating the public and advertising on the importance of unclogging drains, gutters, checking flower pots, positioning outdoor furniture, surfaces or equipment so they don't form stagnant water and so on... But there'll always be lapses and human errors. Today's chemical or physical solutions just aren't effective enough. There are special canisters which emit smells or carbon dioxide and gases to mimic a sweaty animal's odor which will trap or kill mosquitoes by the hundreds or thousands every day but I'm not convinced that such solutions will work quite as intended because many of them either attract even more mosquitoes to the area or are placed too far away to be effective for your house unless you get the distance just right.

I actually do hope that automatic lasers can take care of mosquitoes in future without running the risk of blinding or burning us accidentally. This method uses no chemicals and some may say that it's unwize to rid of mosquitoes entirely from Earth even if we could because they could have quite some biological/environmental purpose. So the most natural way is to kill them only when they get near people. The only way to do that is to 'zap' them.

Some of the points I put above are actually quite relevant. Some of todays lenses and optical sensors should be sharp enough to spot mosquitoes in a room or out in the open for example. Software and AI needs to be worked on though. Mosquitoes kill so many people every year, even in well developed countries.

Hmm... I've stayed up all night and now my post is too long.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

A CF card reader that has tight enough tolerances on the slot rails to prevent someone from inserting a card upside down and bending the pins that are way in the back of the slot.

A cruise control that, when 'resume' is pressed, will gradually ramp back up to the intended speed rather than gunning the engine to get to the target speed as fast as possible.

 

[Max_Power]

A cruise control that, when 'resume' is pressed, will gradually ramp back up to the intended speed rather than gunning the engine to get to the target speed as fast as possible.

But that would take all the fun out of using the "resume" feature!

 

[DM51]

I've stayed up all night and now my post is too long.

Great post, Flea Bag!

... mobile units can be upgraded to zap rats, poisonous snakes, hostile and nearly extinct jungle tigers, elephants or even terrorists.

LOL - love the idea of a small mobile device zapping everything from a rat to an elephant.

 

[Monocrom]

Genetically breeding some sort of pet that eats cockroaches and one other less disgusting food.

Make it small and cute.

Would really benefit the world.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

A foil coffee package that can be opened with a tiny ripcord similar to band-aid packages.

 

[Burgess]

This is a GREAT thread ! ! !

:twothumbs



I live in a very rural area, and have a BIG problem
with MICE chewing on the wiring in my automobile.

:hairpull::hairpull::hairpull:


The engineers at Ford Motor Company can produce a car which can


PARALLEL PARK ITSELF


but yet they are unable to keep out a pesky Mouse ! ! !






_

 

[PhotonWrangler]

A high temperature spray-on alum powder for people who live in rural areas with mice chewing on their automobile wiring. One taste of that stuff and they'll change their mind!

 

[Gregozedobe]

I live in a very rural area, and have a BIG problem
with MICE chewing on the wiring in my automobile.

Just get one of the small models of Flea Bag's patented "zapper-robot" (see post #55), program it for mice (and keeping out of the way of the various moving/hot parts), put it under the hood of your car, and problem solved. :thumbsup:

I'd actually pay $1,000+ for something effective and non-poisonous that would give me good protection me from mozzies (I only get really itchy lumps from their bites, but in some locations they spread quite nasty diseases).