umbrella car charger

Small microusb car charger could be useful for travelers.

To minimize the size to a small pen the connectors 2 located on lamella 3 with similar to umbrella open to expand mechanics.
Inside of the pen small phone like curvy wire 4 tipped with micro usb 5.

Even if this in not very robust connector, it could be small and light enough to carry in your duty journey bag.

V shape washing machine

I am sure there is a market for very compact washing machine location. One of the best locations is under the bathroom sink (for small city flat in Europe, Asia). There are only a few options like this:

Eurosoba 1000 (small washing machine)

or sink like this

or two in one if you like such one

My offer is to have small washing mashing standard where producers allocate top electronic components outside of the sink volume. 

This blue-purple front cover could be dis-attached like the top and adjusted under the sink. Even if the standard is unlikely to accepted, there could be front rubber cover to cut and fit your sink.    

water dispenser / cooler

Office workers would prefer not to lift and change the water bottles. Looking for examples I found the possible solution:


However, even this model can be improved. My proposal

Usually we tend to keep several bottles at a time. Here we have 4 bottles model, like a double door fridge it opens allowing to load all at once (will be done by delivery man), he attaches the yellow plugs which dispense all bottles. Between the round bottles there is a gap where cooler motor and heater located (dark blue and red). The spare water container is between the bottles (purple). The taps are on the door.
The overall design is compact, allow to use top of the cooler, hide spare bottles, uses all of them at once.

I believe there should be one more useful function - WiFi internet connection and order button. Once connected it would be enough to press to order (or the water counter will order the new water itself).

adjustable studded tires

In many countries there is no steady snow season, so it is real necessity to have road adjustable stud winter tires.
Proposal

In the center of the wheel 1 there is a step motor 2 which rotate (push pull) the wire 3 (or thin bendable strap like in plastic window corner fittings). The wire has the shape which push the stud away when the road is icy.
The wire lay inside the rubber layer.

Plane container

It could be much faster to have airport logistics, if not for passengers but for small shipment, if planes have attached containers.
Like this Sikorsky Ch 54b Skycrane

 

The carbon made light container moved in or create one full body with the plane.

Two runways and attaching container will work as conveyor  - fast and constant.

*

Two runways 1 for landing 4 for taking off, unloading machinery 2 (and plane inspection), attaching machinery (and fueling) 3. On the side there are container fulfillment logistic park 5 and the plane maintenance. 

With auto-piloting planes, carbon bodies  and small engines like new LiquidPiston’s X Mini it is perfect for postage of 2-4 people taxi. 

http://www.gizmag.com/liquidpiston-x-mini-engine/34747/ 

* Direction of the plane is not exact, depends on the wind and plane schedule. 

Blind sensor costume

There are several ways to present to blind person the visual information: tongue applicators, sound speakers... However they have their own drawbacks - hygiene,  mixed up with the surrounding sound.

My offer is to use our skin which is idle when we move -  elastic costume with multiple contact sensor points:



Such points may create some heat and electric irritation with different voltage and frequency. Depending on the part of the body there will be more (hands, foot) or less (back) points. Having the large area the overall pixel map could be significant enough to represent the reality. Due to simple technology, I should be affordable for developing countries. It could be used by blind AND death people not only to say what they see but to communicate in "touch" mode.    
Moreover, costume may work as addition to other tongue and sound devices.

Magnetic bicycle wheel

If not for road bicycle than for light EV motorcycle such idea could find some reality:

 The bicycle wheel consist of hard rubber ring 1 connected with light carbon flat rim 2  with inserted permanent magnets 3 (they are drilled in, not disturb the carbon structure). The opposite base 4 contain electric magnets 5 which support and rotate the wheel.
So small magnet levitation reduce the friction, suspend the bike, propel and harvest the motion.  

quadracopter blade

Open quadracopter blades quite dangerous, especially for kids

Some producers solve it by framing the blades:

I have another offer:

The blades 1 have wingtips (like modern airplanes) 2 which blended with circle 3. This circle may carry some extra small blades 4 (could be more than two) which located firther from the center and create relatively better lift.
The blades are safer, the lift force is stronger - slower speed, less turbulence = less noise.

Adaptive swarm suspension

With active magnetic suspension we can build predictive behavior wheelbase.

The car 1 has scanning road radar 4. The active suspension 3 allow to have the set of small wheels 2. 

If there is a asphalt hole the front wheel move down then up (with hump opposite).  So the car will slide on surface like a snail. The middle wheel 2 (they are much smaller) can prevent even big gaps like a hatchway.

Magnetic active suspension

There is already semi active suspension system on the market (adapts the damping by changing viscosity)

http://www.gizmag.com/go/5752/

And the active one - linear electromagnetic motor is installed at each wheel of a vehicle equipped with a Bose system. The control algorithms operate by observing sensor measurements taken from around the car and sending commands to the motors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ1eKddstxM
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/automotive/bose_suspension/the_system.jsp
http://www.tue.nl/en/research/strategic-area-smart-mobility/projects/bmw/

My offer probably not better, however may inspire something more:

The idea is similar to Bose system, but instead of circle magnets (linear motor magnets) here are the narrow coils (or coil in coil for stronger power). I assume that such direction can be more efficient (not sure). The
internal part 1 has channel for liquid to work as basic mechanical in emergency. The first layer of coils 2 work as stator or base for internal one. The second circle of coils form another base - now for the first one, creating folding cup like model saving the vertical space.
The number of coils in a circle may be more than 4. They not only support the vertical movement, but rotate the axle - that could be useful for cars with minimum curve radius (bus, forklift...)

 

Service priced software

It is probably not a new idea, but worth mentioning.

Like trains and planes it is better to have different customer classes but travel with the same speed. With software it could  paid support service (home to pro versions  can be as addition).

Skype and web calls are quite normal nowadays, so we may optimize the audience by the help support. To make it work we just need to add make online call button to our software. When the full service customer press it, he is redirected to web call page with fulfilled product licence information. It is automatically checked for cracked versions and deliver to support center fast starting conditions.

With such approach it is also possible to split clients by country - making Undeveloped countries with cheaper price...

E-link like antennas

E-link screen digital reader use energy only to switch black babels to the top or bottom of the screen.



If we use the same idea for with conductive metallic partials we could create adjustable microcircuit
key (full conductivity compare to transistors - if not mistaken)

Metallic wires-antennas 2 located inside the microcircuit 1. The key gaps connect or disconnect wires 2 with metallic babels 3 which could be pop up or down depending on catod anode 3 charge.

The wires-antenas creates circles which crossed by keys. By turning on and off the keys we create the right direction for the radio signal. 

Side head-phone handset

Reading about this device


http://www.gizmag.com/ashkelon-visor-heads-up-display/34705/

 could not resist to add such a subversion:

Phone 1 one the side (current models big enough), mirror 2 create the screen and tube-periscope mirror allow the camera to shoot in front.  

Preferences - use your camera, can listen and speak.  

Text in time sms chips for internet of things

When the cost of phone like chips will be cheap enough for every detector or button it will dramatically change our life. Imagine volume sensor with phone like connections in a garbage bin    = collectors tracks only when they needed.


Even though it will happen sooner than we think, meanwhile we can use timing principal to make the tech cheaper. We produce thousands of phone sim cards with the same number, however, each phone can connect the base tower only in specific time frame.

Alternatively some general radio waves could be used, like this
http://www.gizmag.com/gotenna-radio-network/33039/  

tag patent funding

1 240 000 people die on the road in the world every year. Let's take this issue to show the efficiency of current R&D models. 

Every car company does its own small research restricted by budget and competition potential success (if your product not as good you loose the market = afraid to invest in R&D). Plus the government of reach countries allocate some budget to grants - relatively small university teams not too much connected with the rest of the world. 

That scheme is working however the vast scale of some issues demonstrate the ability to pay off much larger investment if research could be facilitated. To make it happen I offer to create similar to intellectual property tag patenting:     

1 We (governments of main countries and main car producers) accept that the topic is important and every country will impose the tax on specific industry or sub industry (or IP payments to the super fund with  tag "car") for future cars. 

2 By calculating the potential benefit we set up the maximum budget, create the international non profit project company with leading field R&D engineers as stakeholders (they may not perform the work itself but qualify the investment). 

3 The project is split up by dozens of small topics where there could be several open competing and collaborating teams (explain below). If one approach is weak another could succeed covering lost of the first one.
4 Tackling the problem with different angles society get the solution quicker.
In case all the attempts are weak the spent money will be paid by future citizens as additional tax - however, since it is done evenly the load will not be essential compare to potential benefits. 

With car safety - if all agreed, the future tax could supply several international teams to solve it quicker.
The same with cancer research, Battery for EV cars...
It is easier for an inventors to put effort if they see allocated money - hence much more competitive atmosphere.

The principle of minimum to average salary before the real evidence and essential bonuses to successful teams minimize the number the budget hunters.  All the participants have to share their results - shared recording collaboration with stakeholders judgments.

roller blades

Roller blades used by skying - which is not very natural for human being: long training, troubles with braking, you have to wear hard shoes, they are bulky to keep them all the time, not universal in size and so on.

My offer is to use natural step movement instead of the side sliding one.    On the picture below the bigger than usual roller blades wheels1 (not necessary but it makes ride smoother) geared up to expandable base 2 (it allow wheels tray further apart for stability) and step pedals 3. The rider just slip his shue 5 into small boot clasp 4. Since the the roller moves only forward the stiff plastic shoe in not necessary

When the man makes a step, the pedals bend and propel the wheels

For brakes the foot in angle starting braking process  which is asymmetric to increase the space between  legs and stabilize  the riders posture.

waving catamaran

There is a new experimental catamaran with active suspension. It allows it to be more stable on curves and reduce the sea sickness.
http://www.gizmag.com/nauti-craft-marine-suspension-2play-catamaran/31860/

Once I though about such thing, I am sure we will see them more. The next logical vision is this:

The catamaran with active modular suspension. The wave radar 1 scan the short distance wave front and predictably order the electromagnet suspension to lift up and down.   With 3 or more brackets it is possible not only to repeat the wave eliminating leaning, but to surf the wave, take its energy not to cut the wave. The bracket 3 is not touching water, but the 4 one sliding down pushing the ship forward. 

Table Saw finger saver

To make the table saw safer there is a great invention already on the market (sawstop):

The only problem with this - it destroys the sawing disk, the device itself and probably the motor since the shock wave may crash the rollings.

My suggestion is to have not as fast but some finger saver.

To save finger 7 which could be cut with the wood 6 the blade 5 with all the motor and the base 2 pushed down (diagonally since the disk is circle) by very stressed springs. The same detector as in existing saw saver tell when release the trigger.  Ratchet 1 prevent the saw to go back.
There will be a lot of noise but the motor could be saved.  

Pixel e-rail Switch (maglev)

Existing magnetic systems in Transrapid and Japanese one have big coils, need for helium cooling. Their switches consists of concrete blocks with magnets - so heavy, slow and not reliable.
SkyTran has more agile rails as linear electric motor (I didn't see the detail explanation so could be wrong), however, their switches could have weak point (claim to have not mechanical switch) since there is a gap for the suspended cabin.


In my pixel maglev rail system where each coil create it's own field, it is possible to have variety of patterns.
For instance, if we have 4 coils in the row side coils work as stabilizers (red), some for movements (blue), some iddle (white, autoinduction work),  or first part work as stabilizer, middle as mover. If we have strong wing or need control turn in switch 3 to 4 rows could perform the action.

 When the number of coil pixels is essential the gap for the car safety will remove only small portion of the pixels, not essentially reducing control and levitation power.  

 In automatic mass production the cost between one big linear motor coil (like SkyTran) and many small one will mainly depend on the overall copper mass, so with pixelisation you may gain more control for the same price.

PRT Personal rapid transit

Car take parking space, but 80% of the time is not in use. Of cause EVs and autonomous driving cars resolve it, however, lets think what could be done today.
Affordable (Shanghai Maglev is too expensive and too rigid for cities), comfortable, reliable and agile (most of us prefer not to have any exchange stations and travel from home)  carrying transport system could benefit all the city citizens.

There are plenty of city small car grid connected concepts -  Most of them work on mechanical bases:
MISTER, skycabs, bmdesign, CyberTran, ecoprt.com, ruf.dk, .swedetrack.com, JPods, tts-21.com, Cabintaxi, Beamways AB

Some on maglev (magnet levitation) -  Interstatetraveler, SkyTran

Most of them are restricted in their own grid (rails) and only few provide ability to go  beyond: TriTrack, ModuTram


I personally think the SkyTran has all the chances to spread out from its test loop, but I propose that out of the grid system is the right one to flourish.

Here is my offer

The special car which can drive on the road 1 and slide on electric magnetic rails 6 (the previous post). Due to electromagnetic suspension 7 the wheels 2 lift up and the electromagnet ski 4 pop down from the bottom of the car on the wishbone levels (the mechanics shown is wrong, however keep the ski under car  and the smooth transition possible). The hook 5 works only as safety stop in electricity shut of emergency.

Although this vehicles should have a lot of restrictions on weight, size, speed (again to be light), plus some maintenance responsibility doubts, I believe such system has more chances to succeed because of franchise like agile model.  Door to door factor is crucial - you may own such boggy, drive in the rail grid, will be lifted up and driven by computers, than drive out in your neighborhood destination. Such system is not compete but facilitate the era of the self driving cars.


 

Maglev for city mechanism

As always all thoughts just thoughts...

There are several magnet levitation technologies: 

EDS Electrodynamic Suspension - repelling force of magnets located on the side of the train. Japan. Super-cooled, superconducting electromagnets. Levitate 10cm. Roll on rubber tires until 100 kph.

EMS electromagnetic suspension, Germany - Transrapid, (and Shanghai, with some extent swissMetro as well), Controlled attraction to the T shape base lift the train, side magnets central the path. levitation 1cm, Train levitated even when it's not moving.

Inductrack - a passive, fail-safe electrodynamic magnetic levitation system, using only un-powered loops of wire in the track and permanent magnets on the vehicle arranged in Halbach arrays

And SkyTran - some mix of Inductrack and EMS. They don't enplane, but I guess the boggy float over copper coils which could be active and passive. They claim to have no mechanical switch, low investment cost and low electricity consumption.

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Although I agree SkyTran has all the chances to succeed, I have some doubts about their switch and horizontal stability (with strong side wind the cabin could swing like pendulum destroying the magnets).
The EMS, EDS are too expensive, too balky, too rigid with R of the curve is too big, and too much of investments - good only for long distance travel (like SwissMetro).

My own hypotheses is to have pixels like array of copper coils lying inside of the rail.

Some of them could work as passive Inductrack like some active for propulsion and some for stabilization.  It is not necessary to be one row one function, depending on the size of the coil they could have chess like or other pattern (could be more than 3 rows as well).
The coils itself could be complex with two and more coils inside another - it significantly increase the power and reduce the amount of copper. Here are example of such matrioshka (Russian dolls).
 http://youtu.be/QGytW_C6hR8?list=LL6vO3rWSmIXWXmuLc871HQw

The second track needed to create second support, it should be wide enough to prevent side cabin lean or to say ahead - as wide a car wheels.

Arc welding gun

To start welding is quite tricky, especially with hand arc welding machine. You need to connect the electrode with the grounded metal and when the spark ignited quickly take it away for a millimeter, but not too far to stop the flame.

Possible solutions:
1 Create some dip paste / gel which can start the current flame and vaporize to open the way for welding metal itself.  It is similar to flux but with more metal powder, enough to run the current and burn out it.  If such paste will work, it would be enough just to dip the electrode and put it on the welling distance.


2 Create the gun which supply the electrode similar to TIG welding (lazy to draw in details).
The electrode 7 connected to wire 1. when you press the trigger 5, the motor 3 start to rotate the belt 2 and push forward the electrode. The nozzle 6 dissipate the heat and could be used as temporal base (I used the angle starting in TIG welding). The handle 4 located closer to the end with constant distance, which help to remember the space and make the welding more easy.