39 results found displaying 37-39
   
nine81
 Australia
Star-wars style mosquito zapper Printer Friendly Version
General Description:
I really dislike being woken by mosquitos during the night buzzing around my ears or biting me. The basic idea I have is to create a star-wars style laser based mozzie zapper that will work most effectively during the sleeping hours of the night. The zapper will be chemical free, which will make it safe to use in a babies room or for people with allergies.
To understand the method of implementation, a number of facts are required to be understood...
* The audio frequency created by the beating of a mosquitos wings is within a particular range of frequencies - This allows us to target that specific frequency range.

* An accurate point in space can be pin-pointed using triangulation.

* A laser can have it's output wavelength adjusted to effect objects of particular thicknesses (this works using resonant theory) and can have it's pulse adjusted allowing it to be most effective at a specific focal point.
Method of implimentation:
* Set up a room with four or more sensitive microphones - three of them must be evenly spaced around the upper circumference of the room and the fourth (and others added for accuracy to get around obsticles such as furniture etc) will need to be added to the lowest point of the room - at least four listening points are required to triangulate in three dimensions.

* The audio signal collected by the microphones is filtered to "listen" to only the frequency range that is emitted by mosquito wings.

* When the microphones detect a point source emitting audio within this frequency (ie - they "hear" a mozzie) the exact location in the room can be identified using triangulation.

* The correct pulse rate can then be calculated by the main system and the laser can be focused to the exact location in the room.

* At this point the laser is pulsed - which basically burns the wings off the mozzie. The mozzie will then die relatively quickly after the wings have been cooked off if not from trauma, then from starvation... Regardless, the mozzie will not be flying around any more.

* The mozzies can then simply be swept or vacuumed up in the morning.
Advantages:

* Due to the fact that the laser will be focussed to that point and the pulse width can be adjusted to suite, there is no chance of cooking your curtains or anything silly like that.

* No chemicals

* Safe
Disadvantages:

* Cost of manufactrue, and therefore cost to consumer.
Reward: free lifetime personal use of the finished product
 

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24°

   
mtd28student
 New Zealand
Sun Glare Printer Friendly Version
I have been sitting on this idea for a while now. I emailed the below letter to BMW’s online innovation website, but unfortunately they responded many months later with: “We have evaluated your proposal and unfortunately have to inform you that we do not see any possibility of implementing your idea.” Oh well. So here I give my idea to you. Any advancements or improvements let me know.
It seems no matter what a driver does, sun glare continues to make driving difficult. At one time or another we’ve all gone through the routine of trying to avoid the sun’s glare while driving, and we know that driving and sun glare can be a deadly mixture. Poor visibility due to sun glare is the suspected cause of many motor vehicle accidents. Of those surveyed, 97 percent said that they had experienced sun strike during driving. Several ways to reduce the affects of sun glare are listed below.
• Make sure your windshield is free of pits and is clean, not only on the outside but also free of any inside film.

• Be sure to carry a good pair of sunglasses to provide some shade.

• Anticipate slowing traffic ahead of you. Adjust your speed so that you're not suddenly reacting to a slowdown.

• If you do suddenly become blinded by sun, don't slam on your breaks. Instead, let off the accelerator and slow down gradually.

• If at all possible, try to avoid the sunrise or sunset time frame. Leave early or later.
These methods help reduce the sun strike, but are not always convenient for the driver. One new innovative way to reduce the effects of glare is the tint the windscreen using LCD (or similar) technology. The windscreen could be made up many pixels which will only darken in the areas necessary. In other words the darkened pixels will cast a shadow of the drivers and passengers faces, thus blocking the sun and allowing them to still see the road.

To achieve this two main pieces of information are needed. These are the position of the sun in the sky relative to the car as well as the position of the people heads inside the car. These are both quite simple to do.
Some modern airbag designs get input from ultrasonic sensors around in the cars cabin as to location of the occupants. This gives the airbag the information needed on how much to deploy. This same technology could be used for finding the position of the occupant’s heads.
Finding the position of the sun could be achieved with a small, inexpensive black and white camera. The camera could be positioned out of the way, in one of the head lights. With the aid of software the position of the bright object (in this case the sun) could be located. The camera could also detect the intensity of the light and adjust the contrast of the pixels accordingly.
Software would then put all the information together and tint the windscreen in the appropriate places.
Having this technology in a car would give rise to several advantages.
• You could do away with the sun visor, making the inside of the car smoother.

• The whole windscreen could tint slightly when driving in snow to help reduce the overall brightness.

• When the car is parked up, the windscreen could darken, which would protect the interior from the sun as well making the inside of the car cooler.

• Increased safety because of information the airbags receive.
This is a basic overview of this concept. If you have any further questions please to not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your time.


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69°

   
 USA
PatchWatch Printer Friendly Version
Yesterday while sitting in school trying to see how much time we had left in class, I scanned the room for the clock and realized that it was too far away for me to read. I realized that it would be much easier to have a simple watch on my wrist to tell the time rather than squint at the clock (I usually would have had my contacts in but woke up late and had to rush to school). About a year ago I received a moderately nice watch as a Christmas present, which would have been perfect to have in such a scenario, but I had rarely worn the watch in the past due mainly because I did not like feeling of it always being there, the cold metal, the tight fit, and the unnecessary weight all added to the uncomfortable feeling that having a watch gave me. I am sure many people would disagree that a watch is uncomfortable, and it really is a help and a normal part of their every lives, yet still, I believe there is a much more affordable, convenient, and practical way to be always be able to tell the time.
The PatchWatch is just a name for the product that I created writing this, but in truth it describes it very well. It is just speculation and imagination at work, but I envision a nicotine "patch" or band-aid like looking thing that would have the same adhesive principle which would stick to your body. The difference from the similar adhesive products is that when tapped once, the patch will illuminate the time immediately. This may sound rudimentary, because it is. Many things about such a product are undecided, like how it would stick, how it would know the time, and how expensive and light it would be. One of the main ideas behind the product that it would most likely be undetectable when off, making it much more convenient to have on during work or just in everyday lives. One major concept of the PatchWatch would be its adhesive side and how it would interact with the skin. I envision that after a set number of hours the adhesive will dissolve and it will easily remove, as it could be marketed as having a range of 6, 8, 10, or 12 hours depending on what the customer would require (it could also be possible someday that when a button is pressed it releases a chemical that counteracts the adhesive properties). As it would preferably be clear, there would certainly have to be wires and/or batteries (unless we made it solar) and we would try to keep it as thin and light as possible. One way of doing that is concealing the wires underneath the blurred area where the numbers would appear, which will hopefully keep the Patch/Sticker smooth and "clear". One of the pros of the PatchWatch would be its accessibility, it wouldn't be limited to only the wrist like a watch is, it could be placed almost anywhere like inside a book or in the car, which adds to the convenience of owning something.
Another aspect of the watch that is up for question would be weather it would be disposable like band aids, or rechargeable (possibly solar) which would last much longer. It would also be difficult to keep such a thing at a low and affordable price, but I believe it can be done. The Patch would also be helpful because of the lack of the chance of losing it like a watch has, and hopefully the lightweight and bendable technology it contains (bendy is almost required for such a patch) will add to the durability and convenience. The idea of a time telling band-aid may seem laughable at first, but I truly believe it would be much more convenient to just tap a small, painless, and almost undetectable patch on your arm, and have the time. It would be easier than a watch, and hopefully would be unnoticed during the day unless you are looking for the time. I understand that everything about this product is just in theory, but I firmly believe that the technology needed for such a product exists today. As of now I am still in high school for three more years, so I won't have access to a laboratory to make something like this, but I hope to someday. There are so many more aspects and ideas of this I have not discussed, but I don't want to take up your whole day, so thank you so much for reading this.
Reward: All I can ask for is official credit for the idea so at least I can get into a top engineering college, thanks!
 

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135°

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