mac_shinobi Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) About halfway down the page.. Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology I was thinking something like this : Although it would need suction cups or some way of being attached to the ceiling, that or some way to allow it to move up and down or left and right ? However this would only allow for flat surfaces as far as I know Edited June 9, 2014 by mac_shinobi
sted Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Are they a thing? I did not know they were a thing. (I can't whistle though, so no bloomin' use to me.) how about a keyring that reacts when a mobile phone rings just ring your phone and it should light up as long as its close enough to the phone not sure on range but would probably work within a room
creese Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 I was thinking something like this : [ATTACH=CONFIG]24996[/ATTACH] Although it would need suction cups or some way of being attached to the ceiling However this would only allow for flat surfaces as far as I know I could imagine the damage this would do to some of the plaster on the houses I used to work on. I used to find painting therapeutic, no more though. So I'd go along with something like this.
mac_shinobi Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) My thinking was that she'd have to design a functioning kettle with 3g/wifi capacity and some king of auto control system. The app could be done by anyone If it was accesable on the internet and had logon details to authenticate then only you could access and get it to boil or whatever ? Then it is only a case of getting the mobile device whether a phone / tablet / laptop etc to access it regardless of being on 3G / WiFi etc Edited June 9, 2014 by mac_shinobi
CamelMan Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Bit basic but how about a suction handle for moving PC's around... People buy anything IShiney related - screen magnifier, "Painting Easel" Stand, Underwater case etc Its been done but quite expensive - low cost wireless temp monitor (server rooms, fridges etc). 1
LeMarchand Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 I can see that this topic will turn into "Simpsons did it first"! Proximity sensor / image recognition device for attaching to the sides of lorries to provide a view to the driver of any cyclists around. Probably aim to interface with a tablet in the driver's cab. Something Raspberry Pi based, with a camera, would probably do it, you just need to figure out how to attach it to the lorry (I'm thinking strong magnets), how to power it (might need an attachement to attach to the battery) and how to network it (possibly Bluetooth). Borris Johnson has hinted at mandatory cycle safty devices on lorries in the congestion zone, so there might soon be a market for such a device. @dhicks ... something similar to this has already being tested on buses around Bristol. Not quite a camera, but a warning device. The company are about to take it to haulage companies as well. As a bus/coach driver myself, having another screen to look at would reduce concentration on the road. CycleEye device that alerts drivers to cyclists in blind spots tested on Bristol buses | Bristol Post Whilst this is definitely needed, can I make myself unpopular by suggesting that it's not always the drivers that are at fault? A "you left the fridge door open alarm", some of my family members have alsymers and they leave the door open all the time and then they're food spoils, like a simple magnetic sensor and a voice says you've left your fridge open. The only real solutions out there at the moment all rely on Arduinos, relays and unstable code. Sadly for her - this already exists. You can even build your own here? Fridge Door Detector Alarm Oh god! Not happened with my folks (yet), but perhaps I should get one just in case. Do they have a "battery low, replace now" alarm too? Otherwise I can see a problem... Possibly too complex, and I probably should have patented it... A RFID / GPS wristband for theme parks. Load with a child's identity, food credit, dietary restrictions, ride restrictions, and any other useful info. Set the child loose at the start of the day, and parents relax in the knowledge that the child can't leave the park without them, has no money to loose, and that they can track them at will from kiosks when they need to find them at going home time. The exit gates are programmed only to allow egress of kids if they are with the correct parents. Wrist bands only removable by cutting which disables them. Used bands returned either at the gate, or by post for unused credit to be refunded. Sounds good, but I'm not sure I'd like to trust my child to such a device. I've often thought I should make this and make my millions, but I know I'll never get round to it. A sticky speaker to attach to your TV remote and a sticky button to attach to your telly. Press the button and the remote will whistle/beep/whatever noise helps you locate it. Future development would obviously be to licence to the TV companies to be integrated, which would make the battery situation easier. Could also do it with a simple RFID tag on the remote (so no power needed) and some sort of magic wand that you could wave around, that beeps when it gets close to a tag. No need to limit this to remotes either, of course; just a series of tags, and a magic wand device that is brightly coloured, is wall-mountable and whistles back when you whistle at it - cos of course, you need a way to find the magic wand (this is why a sticky button on the TV is the better option there, cos it's pretty difficult to lose a 42" flatscreen). Pretty sure M&S had something like this a few years ago - though it was far too expensive. I'd like a toy gun that disrupts TV screens in a preset pattern with sound effects. So: Noel Edmonds appears - custard pie in the face; David Cameron - I'm going up to "Magnum .44". Going off on a slight tangent, how to people who come up with simple solutions make their money? For instance, say paper clips didn't exist and someone started manufacture - what's to stop plants in less "stick to the rules" countries starting to churn out "clips for paper fastening"?
crt404 Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 A device which stops my kids leaving the tap dribbling as they haven't turned it off fully. 1
MrEprise Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 How about something on a variation to the Fridge door alarm, a device which retro-fits to a kitchen mixer tap (or any style if possible I guess) and whistles (much like stove kettle) to let a person know the water is still running when they've walked away from a washing up bowl still filling up 2 hours later. I've found attachments which light up but are unsuitable as it needs to be audible so that forgetful people like my Dad can hear when he's left the tap on! EDIT: Funny, just noticed the post above mine! 1
featured_spectre Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 An automatic thermometer for the bath which cuts off or restricts water flow when the bath reaches appropriate temperature and completely cuts off when its reached the appropriate depth of water. I have an exceedingly arthritic grandmother in Germany who struggles to run her own bath, and can never get the temperature right, often having to leave it too cool down for a while before she gets in. Something like that would help her immeasurably. 2
Mcshammer_dj Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 How about something on a variation to the Fridge door alarm, a device which retro-fits to a kitchen mixer tap (or any style if possible I guess) and whistles (much like stove kettle) to let a person know the water is still running when they've walked away from a washing up bowl still filling up 2 hours later. I've found attachments which light up but are unsuitable as it needs to be audible so that forgetful people like my Dad can hear when he's left the tap on! EDIT: Funny, just noticed the post above mine! you can get float alarms that sound a high pitched scream at a set depth. Advanced Care Technologies - Bath & Sink Water Level Alarm
mac_shinobi Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 I could imagine the damage this would do to some of the plaster on the houses I used to work on. I used to find painting therapeutic, no more though. So I'd go along with something like this. ok scratch my idea then - Don't want to damage any properties whilst doing a paint job
Andrew_C Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Are they a thing? I did not know they were a thing. Oh yes.... Some time ago I used to moonlight at a local venue doing lights, stage management etc. Just casual "local crew" stuff, but i'd often be the only, or one of a small handful of casuals who would be left to run the boring (read, "not rock and roll") events. One of the regulars were the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. One night, with a fiery Dutch conductor doing a quiet opening piece, I heard an alarm going off. Not the fire alarm, and I'd not heard it before, so I left the side of the stage to investigate. This venue is built into the city council offices, so there are lots of corridors and rooms around it. I searched, the duty manager searched, but we couldn't hear it away from the stage. Well, the first piece finished, and I went back to the stage to do the change-over, and get duffed up with "Wvat is dis beeping!? It is ruinink the concert!" I say"Sorry, no idea, but were still looking, just go and do the next piece". Once they were under-way again, I went back to the dressing room corridor to find the brass section wetting themselves laughing. One of them had dropped his keys into his instrument case beside him... and one of the notes the oboes were playing set the bleeping thing off! He couldn't stop playing to deal with it.
creese Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 ok scratch my idea then - Don't want to damage any properties whilst doing a paint job The German company I worked for simply sprayed the walls, airless, so pretty clean and a nice finish. It takes a while to mask out. This is where I first came across a wall paper pasting machine, in 1980. 1
Jon Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 How about some kind of device to prevent people from spilling beer into laptops whilst sitting in the garden on sunny Sunday afternoons. This would be really useful!
witch Posted June 9, 2014 Author Posted June 9, 2014 Thanks guys - keep the ideas coming but please stay on topic You are finding, as I did, that most of the things have already been done but variations are OK as long as they make a pretty substantial difference to the bit of kit.
sonofsanta Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Possibly already done, but I don't cycle so I don't know: a dynamo attached to a bike wheel to power a heated bike seat. (or, of course, a micro-USB plug so you can charge your phone while you cycle. That may work better in this modern age, particularly for people who use cycling apps to track route/distance/calories/etc.) 2
mac_shinobi Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Possibly already done, but I don't cycle so I don't know: a dynamo attached to a bike wheel to power a heated bike seat. (or, of course, a micro-USB plug so you can charge your phone while you cycle. That may work better in this modern age, particularly for people who use cycling apps to track route/distance/calories/etc.) Maybe a usb chargeable battery like an anker battery so you could charge said battery up when ever you cycle and then use this to charge other devices when not cycling so phones etc 1
AMLinington Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 There are tons of toys out there for Cats and Dogs that you put food in and it's supposed to 'make the animal work for their food' and be a boredom buster. My cat took one look at the one I bought him, looked at me as if to say 'work? for my treats? I'd rather go without' then went out. Needless to say I attempted to repurpose it for the Rabbits and didn't have much joy there either. So my idea: A Cat toy/treat dispenser that dispenses treats based on 'success criteria' of the animals play. For example. My cat LOVES 'fishing rod' toys. I'd like to have a toy that dangles and jingles automatically (I had one of those wind up ones but he broke it almost immediately). When the cat gets hold of the 'lure' and perhaps applies pressure (either by grabbing or biting), this 'success criteria' causes the unit to output a treat. I'd buy it. 1
Miscbrah Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Might be a little up the complexity ladder, but an Arduino should be up to the task maybe. There's no 'cool' looking single-din boost gauge and turbo timer unit available. Turbo timer I'd say cannibalise a £12 one or piggyback somehow with the Arduino, boost gauge go stock sender then Arduino and output LCD. Custom startup message, wide range of colours and types of LCD display - all your turbo management (however unnecessary that might be) in a single-din package! The Halfords style crew would be QUEUEING up in their Corsas/Novas for that.
mac_shinobi Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) Might be a little up the complexity ladder, but an Arduino should be up to the task maybe. There's no 'cool' looking single-din boost gauge and turbo timer unit available. Turbo timer I'd say cannibalise a £12 one or piggyback somehow with the Arduino, boost gauge go stock sender then Arduino and output LCD. Custom startup message, wide range of colours and types of LCD display - all your turbo management (however unnecessary that might be) in a single-din package! The Halfords style crew would be QUEUEING up in their Corsas/Novas for that. I wouldn't mind something that was universal as far as connecting to the car with an LCD Screen so it would show similar info to what newer cars have ref how many more miles you can drive, typical miles per gallon that you would get depending on how you are driving ie how fast etc, outside temp, date / time and any other useful info I've got a 2001 car and it doesnt show me this, also maybe could link it into the cars ECU to show any errors ie engine errors etc Edited June 9, 2014 by mac_shinobi
creese Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 I wouldn't mind something that was universal as far as connecting to the car with an LCD Screen so it would show similar info to what newer cars have ref how many more miles you can drive, typical miles per gallon that you would get depending on how you are driving ie how fast etc, outside temp, date / time and any other useful info One of these and a smartphone/tablet app. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner-Engine-READER/dp/B004KL0I9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402312430&sr=8-1&keywords=odbii 1
creese Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 A thing I thought of once was a manual whisk that you push down to whisk, similar to a
pcstru Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 A small hand held seeder thingy-ma-whatsit ("Seed Saver"). I should be able to drop some (say) lettuce seeds into a hopper and then I should be able to dispense seeds in a controlled manner directly where I want them planted, either one at a time as I dip the device into the soil (a kind of syringe) or as I roll it across the soil like a pizza/pastry cutter and it controls the spacing.
witch Posted June 9, 2014 Author Posted June 9, 2014 A thing I thought of once was a manual whisk that you push down to whisk, similar to a [ATTACH=CONFIG]24999[/ATTACH] It's been done, sadly http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DAHZ65O/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2/279-7683317-1705864?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_r=0BVXMZSZM6325522C6FB&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=479289247&pf_rd_i=B00C226F9E But that is just the sort of thing that she wants to hear about
witch Posted June 9, 2014 Author Posted June 9, 2014 A small hand held seeder thingy-ma-whatsit ("Seed Saver"). I should be able to drop some (say) lettuce seeds into a hopper and then I should be able to dispense seeds in a controlled manner directly where I want them planted, either one at a time as I dip the device into the soil (a kind of syringe) or as I roll it across the soil like a pizza/pastry cutter and it controls the spacing. Like this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garden-Dispenser-Planter-Different-Settings/dp/B00CS0X9GW There are lots of others too
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