The world of invention is famous for its patent disputes. But what happens when your dispute wasn’t with another inventor but whether the Patent Office saw you as a person at all? In 1864, a black man named Benjamin T. Montgomery tried to patent his new propeller for steamboats. The Patent Office said that he wasn’t…
Never say never. Thomas Edison was both a great inventor and an amusing prognosticator. But nobody, no matter how smart, knows the future. And that goes for Edison as well. Back in 1894, Edison predicted that transatlantic phone calls would be impossible. But his doubts would prove silly roughly 30 years later when…
“If I had to tell you, what invention I don’t like I would say that I don’t like the phone,” wrote a second grader in Louisiana in response to a school writing prompt. “I don’t like the phone because my panert are on their phone every day. A phone is sometimes a really bad habet. I hate my mom’s phone and I wish she…
On its quest to free the world from the burden of fossil fuels, Tesla has unfortunately hit some speed bumps with the production of its Model 3. So instead of relying on batteries and electricity for power, perhaps the company should consider this four-wheeled contraption which runs on a gigantic spring-powered mouse…
If you don’t feel like spending $150+ on a steering wheel controller after already dropping $80 on a video game, you can always improvise like YouTuber chobiglass did. Using a pair of salad tongs, a computer mouse, and a spinning bar stool, they hacked together a pretty serviceable steering wheel accessory for the…
I am, admittedly, a very weak swimmer, and at this point in my life I don’t see myself signing up for Summer swim lessons. So I completely endorse this alternative approach to getting comfortable in the water: building a jet-powered wet suit that lets you cruise faster than Michael Phelps.
Colin Furze is back with another bizarre invention that will make you wonder why more mad scientists haven’t embraced YouTube yet. This time he’s turned a BMW E30 into a drivable hot tub, complete with a pair of leaf blowers used to generate bubbles, and a barbecue grill in the trunk.
Thanks to crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, the internet is flooded with ridiculous gadgets, devices that over-promise and under-deliver, and straight-up scams, all vying for your cash. Maybe that’s why this Stupid Hackathon, which encourages people to invent stupid things, is so refreshing—no one is…
Are you a soda fountain owner? Did you just time travel from the year 1919? Then have I got an invention for you!
Like most of Colin Furze’s creations, the Stomp O Matic trash compactor almost ends up self-destructing in a ball of flames. But not before it successfully takes care of one of the grossest chores on anyone’s to-do list: stomping down the garbage in your trashcan can so you can squeeze even more garbage into it.
This “electric carriage,” which appeared in the July 27, 1889 issue of Scientific American was way ahead of its time. How ahead of its time was it? South Dakota wasn’t even a state yet. The article that went along with it noted that the patent for this ingenious contraption was granted to one Mr. Harvey D. Dibble of…
Life is all about compromises and trade-offs. The Useless Duck Company is back with a new and improved version of its automatic Toilet Paper Machine that’s sure to save you a few precious seconds while in the bathroom, but the trade-off is there’s a very real chance you’ll lose a finger or hand with this installed. No…
Being able to play music is a gift, but learning to play an instrument is morass of frustration—especially teaching yourself the guitar. Hands have to be bent in uncomfortable positions, uncalloused fingers get sore, and it becomes clear that human extremities innately possess the coordination of a newborn deer that’s…
The Simpsons have been around for so long (since 1989!) that it’s no surprise that they’ve influenced our culture so much. And though obviously it’s much easier to make a cartoon joke about fake inventions than to actually invent them in the real world (and they’re not always the first TV show to predict them), some…
Without the pendulum clock, the Industrial Revolution doesn’t happen. Without the quartz clock, the technology in the digital revolution doesn’t happen. It’s time, weirdly enough, that advanced our world. How?
It’s widely accepted that the United States patent system is broken. Alexander Reben agrees, and his response has been to create a website that aims to make it harder for people to patent new ideas.
In his spare time—which was presumably limited—Leonardo da Vinci was fond of drawing plans for contraptions and weaponry, most of which were never actually built. But with a few common items, it’s easy to bring his double-armed catapult to life.
The maniac inventor Colin Furze cooked up a truly spectacular thing this time around: he made a giant firework wheel. As in, fireworks are attached to a wheel (not unlike a windmill) which is attached to a truck which is then all lit at once which is then spun around in circles which then explodes beautifully,…
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