The Bell Rocket Belt was first introduced by the American army sometime between the 1950s and 60s, and had set promising goals. It was invented by Wendall Moore, Using which, one could leap for a short distance. President Kennedy had provided personal demonstration and it allowed an individual to stay up to 21 seconds in air and could cover up to 120 meters. The belt had two tanks of hydrogen peroxide and nitrogen that would facilitate flight for short period.
Bell Textron Rocket Belt was invented by Wendell Moore, an Aerospace engineer for Bell inspired by the Bell X-1 airplane. The belt designed by Moore was similar to an enormous backpack carrying two tanks of hydrogen peroxide and nitrogen that weighed around 120 pounds. The average weight of the creation allowed people to glide in air for 21 seconds.
A 19-year old boy, Bill Suitor was taught to use the belt and he took 1200 flights in 35 years. For several years, the rocket belt remained the primary focus of Bell aircraft design. However, with time, the creation lost its momentum and was donated to the Smithsonian in 1973.
Even though President Kennedy had provided personal demonstration of the invention, it did not last for too long in the market. It allowed the wearer to stay in air for 21 seconds and to cover 120 meters. Thus, its use was discontinued. (1, 2)
7 The electric pen
Sir Thomas Edison, the renowned scientist, created a pen which would enable people to make copies of the documents. The motor attached to the pen drew the needle up and down the shaft and created stencil. The stencil was put on the press and a roller was used to apply ink to the stencil, thus, making copies of the document.
The electric pen, invented by Sir Thomas Edison of New Jersey in 1875, is one of the most well thought of inventions that failed to gain popularity due to several factors. It is considered as the predecessor of the mimeograph. Edison received the US patent 1876 for autographic printing.
Edison created the electric pen using commendable technology used for making the stencil for duplication of written texts. In 1880, he received another patent from the US that involved creation of stencil using a metal file plate.
In the 1870s, the electric pen was in high demand, not only in the US but also on a global platform. However, the electric pen industry suffered heavy loss in 1880 due to competing mechanical pens that did not require batteries. The tattoo needle works on a similar mechanism as the electric pen. (1, 2, 3)
Advertisements
8 The wearable parachute
Franz Reichelt invented a wearable parachute in the 1900s that could turn from a suit to parachute during plummet. The original design weighed approximately 70kgs and used 8 square meters of material that could transform into a parachute if one jumps from a relevant height with the suit draped around his body.
Franz Reichelt was a Paris based designer who came up with the innovative idea of a parachute suit that would help the pilots could wear, around 1910. The purpose behind a wearable parachute was to prevent the pilots from encountering crashes or get out from there uninjured.
The initial design of the suit had a number of drawbacks. It weighed around 70 kilograms and was made from 6 square meters of material that made the invention too bulky for run tests. The aeronauts’ clubs even asked Reichelt to give up on the idea.
Improvements were made in the design and in 1912, February, he managed to get a permit to test the wearable parachute from a higher elevation, Eiffel Tower. He jumped from the Eiffel Tower but tragically, his invention turned him down and was not effective. He crashed on the ground and took his last breath. (1, 2)
9 The Virtual boy
The Virtual boy, developed by Nintendo in 1995, is a portable 3D console that involves one cramming his face in order to play. The system involved a monochromatic visor, usually red and black, that offered a three dimensional view. The console had an EXT port to enable multiplayer mode.
Nintendo’s The Virtual Boy was introduced in 1995. It was a video game console that was designed to provide 3D graphics in order to enhance the gaming experience of the player in the form of a virtual reality.
It was designed in a way that would enable the players immerse in their own private universe while playing this 3D game with the help of stereophonic sounds and double grip controller, that allows multidirectional movement.
Around 7 million products were sold yet the Virtual Boy was considered to be a failure in the market since the graphics and the design were not up to the mark and even posed a threat to one’s well being. It was said to be too straining for the eyes and Nintendo soon withdrew it from the market. (1, 2, 3)
Advertisements
10The flying tank
The Antonov A-40 was a Soviet attempt to allow a tank to glide onto a battlefield after being towed aloft by an airplane, to support airborne forces or partisans. A prototype was built and tested in 1942, but was found to be unworkable.
In the 1930s, the Soviet Union experimented with the deployment of armored cars and tanks from the air and developed a flying tank called Antonov A-40 in order to increase mobility and maneuverability.
Flying tanks were developed in the 1930s and TB-3 bomber was the aircraft that carried them and deployed them into the water directly. In 1941, during WWII, T-37A tanks were flown by air to stop German landings in the Vyazma region. Designed by Aram Rafaelyants in 1933, BT-2, a light tank, was equipped with special gliders and propellers.
Designer Aram Rafaelyants and his associates started working on an alternative idea of attaching wings to the tanks. BT-2, a light tank was chosen for the purpose.
In 1941, Oleg Antonov, an aircraft designer was asked to design a glider for the flying tanks. It was designed in such a way that it could drop its wings and be ready for the battle in a short span of time.
Finally, Sergey Anokhin, managed to successfully land the tank but he was detained by the opponent army. Upon the arrival of the flight test institute’s rescue team, Anokhin was released and the tank was returned
The flying tanks were withdrawn from warfare due to several factors like unavailability of materials, and the unsuccessful test runs. (1, 2)
11 Antarctica snow cruiser
Designed between 1937 to 1939 under the supervision of Thomas Poulter, the Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a vehicle that intended to facilitate transportation in Antarctica during the period of US Antarctic Service expedition. The vehicle could accommodate 5 people at a time and could travel at the speed of 48 km/h.
Dr. Thomas Poulter, the second-in-command to explorer Richard Byrd, returned from the Antarctic expedition of 1934, with the motive to build a vehicle that would provide transportation facilities in the dense snow of Antarctica. The design of the snow cruiser was approved by the officials in Washington DC.
It had long overhangs in both the ends and retractable wheels to accelerate the process. The retractable wheels were installed to prevent the tires from getting caught in the hard and dense snow. The upper area between the 20 ft. wheelbase was designed to hold a small plane, which could capture the view from an aerial angle. It had four motors installed for better mobility.
The vehicle got hit by a truck in Indiana and suffered a fuel pump issue. Six miles away from Lima, Ohio, the snow cruiser hit a corner of the bridge and fell into a creek. However, the Antarctica expedition was successful, the vehicle was unloaded onto the shore of Antarctica at the Little America III base. Soon, its tires spun before it sank in the icy water. (1,2)
