Every year, new and unusual patent applications emerge around the world. Here are some innovative inventions that are considered highly practical and are likely to become commonplace in the near future.
Accident Alert Whistle
We were once promised smart cars that would automatically place emergency calls when an accident occurs. Now, American chip manufacturer Texas Instruments has created a corresponding personal device – which could be a mobile phone or PDA – that serves a similar purpose regardless of the vehicle you are in.
An accelerometer attached to the device will detect any jolts and compare them with existing data. This will enable the device to differentiate between a safe event, such as an object falling, and a real traffic accident.
If the situation is indeed serious, the device will automatically dial emergency numbers and send a pre-recorded message. The GPS system will transmit its location.
In the future, the device could sense heat, smoke, and water to alert the owner about potential troubles.
Smoke Screen Computer
It is very easy to peek at someone’s computer screen in a public place. Side shields may prevent the person sitting next to you from seeing, but they do not stop someone from looking from behind. Peter Hoe-Richardson from Massachusetts has come up with a simple way to ensure that all screens remain discreet, no matter the angle of view.
A software will reduce the contrast in a selected window and overlay the content with a different color layer. For example, a black text window on a white background will be covered with a red layer, making the white background appear bright red and the black text look dark red.
While still readable at close range, the text will become more difficult to read from a distance. Adding a striped effect will make it even harder to read secretly. The strength of the overlay and the size of the stripes will be automatically adjusted to fit the window size and font style.
Writing on the Sleeve
In the near future, when you see someone hurriedly typing on their sleeve while waiting for a flight, they might be writing a feedback letter to the airline.
German electronics company Infineon Technologies believes the main reason wearable computers are not user-friendly is that there is no way to use a keyboard. Infineon has come up with a solution by integrating a keyboard into the sleeve.
The fabric can be made from regular fibers. The sleeve will be woven with thin insulating threads and pads corresponding to the keys. When a low-current electricity flows through the fibers, the sleeve transforms into a keyboard. To protect the keyboard from damage during washing, the entire area will be covered with an insulating polymer layer.
M.T. (according to IOL)
