Many inventions changed the face of our world, shaping our practices, customs and the way we live.
But what about those genius gadgets that never became mainstream? We want to take a look
at some crazy devices that never made it. Let's shake some dust.
Cars brought progress, but also road casualties. To prevent this, several pedestrian safety
scoops were designed during the 1920s. Often attached to the radiator or the bumpers of
the vehicle, when the scoop or the net touched an obstacle, it would automatically drop to
the ground and push it away.
"It could be fitted to bumpers or take the place of them. And it falls neatly away when
it isn't eating pedestrians. A flick of a lever and the scoop has another mouthful.
When the scoop is open the jaywalker simply can't get run over."
"Baby follows ball out of window and mother just looks on."
Believe or not, this article was distributed among the members of the Chelsea Baby Club
in London in 1937, as a solution for families without a garden. Patented in 1922 as a healthy
antidote to growing children in crowded cities, it could also double up as a bed, incorporating
removable curtains! You might be surprised, but this invention never quite took off...
thanks to those very grounded mothers!
"From now on it's high society and life in a penthouse for her."
In the early 1930s, when fascist Italy was suffering from financial sanctions, the country's
propaganda publicised its self-sufficiency, using their own resources. An Italian chemist,
Antonio Ferretti, developed a successful method to make regenerated protein fibers.
Lanital was a fabric made from casein, a major component in the making of cheese, for instance.
Casein was processed with formaldehyde and metal salts and then pressed through spinnerets
to form long, silk-like fibers.
"Very much like milk. So in future, you'll be able to choose between drinking a glass
of milk or wearing one."
During WWI, horses were used extensively for tasks like pulling ambulances or moving heavy
artillery. Both sides started using gas as a warfare weapon and protective equipment
was gradually developed both for men and horses.
It didn't go mainstream for long, no, because
luckily, horses are no longer used in military conflicts.
"Don't look now ladies, but these girls are trying to get their fat down, to put it plainly.
"And this is how they do it in the States."
For some reason, this one doesn't sound so outdated, does it? That's right, fitness vibrating
belts stayed around til the mid-1970s, providing no scientifically-proven weight loss to the
millions who used it. The principle is quite a logical one. Instead of exercising the muscle
yourself, you let the belt vibrate and exercise it for you. Perhaps that's why it's commonly
known as “the lazy option” of fitness. However, several studies show that body vibration
does not reduce weight or any type of body fat, unless one reduces the ingestion of calories.
So, the miracle of “loose it by shaking it” vanished, as well as the presence of
these belts around gyms.
In the early 30s, there was a boom in the exploration of wireless radios. Long before the transistor
offered such options, this Radio Hat was seen in the streets of Paris in 1931. Following
today's notion of “don't use it, wear it” applied to technology, the radio hat offered
the groundbreaking possibility of carrying music with you when walkmans were not even
a dream.
"For the benefit of motorists who haven't got a garage at home, we pay a visit to the home,
in Hampstead, of Colonel Westmond Wright, for a really original and down-to-earth idea of
housing a car. A garage in the front garden that disappears when it is not wanted."
Those lucky enough to have space in front of their house had to choose between having
a garden or a garage. But not with these inventions. During the 50s, several solutions tried to
break the frustration of having to choose between the two. From foldable instant garages
to sophisticated platforms that could hide underground. Unfortunately, in our days, only
Batman and 007 can enjoy the privilege of a hidden garage.
The things we do to keep young! The relationship between science and beauty treatments has
always been a strange one. Since Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898,
it started being used for medical and commercial applications. This radioactive mask is a good
example of why applications should never run faster than research. Thankfully, nowadays,
beauty treatments look at science more and more to check and control the “purity”
of natural products, rather than to create health-damaging scary gizmos.
"It's a delicate treatment that calls for very exact timing. She mustn't be overcooked."
And these were just a few inventions that never made it to our days. Bold, ingenious, ridiculous...
you name it. But, remember, most useful devices were initially taken for a loony idea.