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A new sticker for fruit turns into 'fruit wash' when it's put under water and rubbed with a finger. Soon you may be able to clean the gunk off your fruit with . . . the other gunk on your fruit. More »
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Yesterday, inventor Ignacio Marc Asperas of Melville, NY was granted the US patent for an "apparatus for facilitating the construction of a snow man/woman," a.k.a. a snowman-shaped shell with which to cover with snow. That's a bizarre idea, but what truly makes this patent required reading is its totally non-technical language. Here are Asperas' thoughts on... More »
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There are ethical guidelines that have to be followed when conducting experiments. They keep experimenters from committing acts of pointless waste or extreme destruction. That's fair. But if those ethical limitations were ever swept aside, I know what unholy acts of scientific mayhem I'd like to see. More »
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We recently featured a gallery of horrifying electrical inventions designed to keep human and horse libidos in check. John Ptak, the curator of that previous gallery of terrors, has shown us more ridiculous electrical devices from the late 1800s-early 1900s. More »
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In the August 1929 issue of Modern Mechanics John Demenjoz of Bridgeport, Connecticut regaled reader with plans for his incredible flying sailplane. More »
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Measuring a shark out of water can be a risky, time-consuming effort, so shark researchers from Australian universities have come up with a novel approach to safely measuring these fish underwater. More »
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Researchers at Ochanomizu University have built the EaTheremin, a fork that uses electricity to make a bleep-bloop racket. Is there any practical use for it? Not particularly. Does it turn dinnertime into a symphony of R2-D2's death knells? Oh yes. More »
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An inventor in Japan is betting that you will. Akinori Ito has made the world's first home plastic recycling contraption. It takes commercial plastics, like bags and bottles, and burns them to generate oil. More work is needed to turn the oil into gasoline for a car, but it can be burned in heating systems or on stoves. More »
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Or so said Dr. Lucien Bull of the Marie Institute at Paris, as cited in this 1929 issue of Modern Mechanics. And you know what? I'm with him. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind living in Hawkworld. [Spotted on Modern Mechanix] More »
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Thomas Edison had a reputation as a no-nonsense rationalist, but the inventor once pretended he wished to build a device that would allow him to contact the great beyond. John Ptak of Ptak Science Books notes: More »
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Looking for a way to spruce up your neighborhood and/or spread the word that you're a member of a revolutionary cabal devoted to getting a certain LeVar Burton-hosted pro-literacy show back on the air? Akay's Robo-Rainbow lets you create polychromatic street art in a jiff. Now everyone will know that your turf belongs to Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids. More »
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Last week, drunk scientists discovered how to make superconductors run faster when they accidentally spilled wine on an experiment. Often science and serendipity often go hand in hand. Here are more accidental discoveries that changed the world. More »
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Yes, this is a 1929 aircraft propelled by 86 gun barrels. It's certainly not the most efficient aircraft ever invented, but it definitely makes some sort of statement. You can find similarly trigger-happy aircrafts here and here. [Via Modern Mechanix] More »
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It's not certain whether this invention is cool or sad, but Instructables has directions on how to build a machine that lets you record your own point of view as you go through the world, and watch that POV simultaneously. More »
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No, it's not a way to encourage population growth. Shame on you for thinking that. Archimedes' Screw is a way to draw up water for drinking or irrigating fields. More »
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In 1931, inventor Wycliffe Hill unveiled his fantastic plot-writing robot in Modern Mechanics magazine. I'm of the mind that this thing became sentient and just kept recycling the same index cards once his master passed away. [Modern Mechanix] More »
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Hedy Lamarr paved the way for the working mom, the nude scene, and the cell phone. That's right — the cell phone. Take a look at how an Austrian starlet invented the modern world. More »
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Inventor Nikola Tesla invented the radio, experimented with wireless electricity, and designed a death ray. In science fiction, his work goes even further. We list Tesla's greatest fictional inventions and the facts behind the fiction. More »
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This invention is such a unabashedly terrible idea, but if I were a criminal, its sheer awesomeness would cow me into surrendering. Witness the apocryphal adventures of the Dieselpunk Deputies and their patented Anti-Gangster Gondola™ (by Hugo Gernsback)! This article by the godfather of science fiction comes courtesy of the February 1936 issue of Science and Mechanics. More »
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This hopeful illustration from the December 1930 issue of Modern Mechanics predicted that future fellows and flappers would fly around in this highfalutin flivver. Look out your window. I see no half-crop-duster-half-jalopies whizzing around. Sorry, readers of 1930. More »
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Have you ever wished you had a mechanical hand solely designed for eating potato chips? Never fear — the good folks at Takara Tomy have you covered. It's only ¥699! Buy now! [Spotted on Tokyo Mango] More »
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Back in the day, fraternal organizations like the Freemasons and Woodmen of the World would haze new members in bizarre rituals using electric carpets and exploding furniture. Fantagraphics' upcoming book, Burlesque Paraphernalia, reprints a catalog of these sadistic inventions. More »
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While I'll quibble with their inclusion of the Segway — Gob Bluth rocked it on Arrested Development — Time magazine's survey of the worst tech ideas ever is a damning look at decades of failed innovation. More »
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This article from a 1931 issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions introduces an electrifying new way to catch fish...cooking them before they're caught! Luckily for clumsy sportsmen (and finned beings) everywhere, this trend failed to catch on. More »
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The September 1, 1896 San Francisco Call ran this image of inventor Dr. C. A. Smith's flying machine. Apparently Smith had a model of his airship propped up on two stools in a shop on Market Street in San Francisco. More »
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Do you have an empty beer can, a roll of black tape, some photographic paper, and six months? Then you, too, can take some impressively unique pictures. More »
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Have you ever been chatting online and gotten all sad and distant and wish your chat buddy could hug you? Or wanted to feel someone's heart race with rage via the internet? Well, intrepid science guinea pigs, wish no further. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5510862&view=rss&microfeed=true Milan Karki, an 18 year-old from a rural village in Nepal, has invented a type of solar panel that replaces expensive silicon with cheap, easily replenished human hair. Melanin, the pigment in human hair acts as a conductor for solar energy, and hair, unlike silicon, can be easily replaced, giving the panels a longer lifespan. The devices are also considerably cheaper than commercially available solar panels, costing £23 to make (and considerably less if mass-produced). Karki hopes his hairy invention will help bring electricity to remote populations. [Times Online via Slashdot] More »
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In America, we like to celebrate Labor Day by ditching work. But one day you may never have to labor again. Here are four inventions that will eliminate working-class and professional jobs in the next 50 years. More »
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Inventor Nikola Tesla invented the radio, experimented with wireless electricity, and designed a death ray. In science fiction, his work goes even further. We list Tesla's greatest fictional inventions and the facts behind the fiction. More »
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It's the day after Thanksgiving - and according to myth, legend and credit history, the day when America goes crazy with the bargain shoppin' and credit card usin'. Yes, Black Friday is here once more, with its siren song of $4.99 DVDs and Hannah Montana Guitar giveaways... No wonder it's usually one of the top five busiest shopping days of the year. But in this current economic climate, can you really afford to spend the day shopping? We think not... And that's why we've come up with five cheaper ways to spend Black Friday. More »
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Scientists like Jared Diamond argue that human history is essentially the story of technology. Our technological advancements are what propelled us from caves to cities, from gaslight to nuclear reactors, and from horseback to orbit. But with each advance comes a potential dark side: deadlier warfare, toxic pollution, or social alienation. Taking into account the good and the bad, which of humanity's technological inventions do you think has had the most profound influence on the world? More »
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