Set up a classic car museum in which the cars are
owned by private individuals. Owners would
exhibit their cars in return for free storage
and basic upkeep and cleaning. They would agree
with the museum how many weeks in the year they
would be able to remove their car from the museum
and drive it
Design a vending machine that contains items such
as hot drinks, blankets and food and which uses
tokens instead of money. The tokens would be
available from the majority of stores and people
could give the tokens to the homeless safe in the
knowledge that their gift wouldn't be spent on
drugs or alcohol.
Create a preference system for eBay where users can
set up in advance to bid on other items they have
failed to win at an earlier auction, removing
the need to perenantly monitor and bid for items.
Design a Christmas tree ornament that doubles as a
smoke alarm. Instead of an annoying beeping sound,
the ornament would play an intrusive yet joyous
tune alerting the tree owner of the danger.
Create a mini GPS system in shopping malls so that
shoppers can locate a product without having to
ask for directions.
Create a location in busy fast food restaurants -
perhaps called a 'D Point' - for diabetics whose
blood sugar is low and who are in danger of
fainting or fitting. Should the diabetic's blood
sugar reach a dangerous level, they would go to
the D Point, show a photocard identifying them as
diabetic and be served straight away.
Allow bank statements to be used as proof of
purchase, thereby removing the need for receipts.
When debit or credit card transactions are
performed, 'virtual receipt' data could be sent to
the bank providing evidence and further details of
the purchase.
Produce an adapter plug that acts as a centralized
standby button for all electronic equipment
plugged into it. The adapter would come with a
remote control allowing the user to turn
everything on and off at the press of a button.
Add a functionality to all in-car navigation
systems to send a signal that a vehicle (anonymous)
is at a particular location. If enough individuals
did this, and given that sat-nav is only going to
grow, a realtime map could be developed showing
the concentration of cars on the road network at
any given time, giving drivers a bird's eye view
of the traffic currently building up in their area.
Design electronic devices such as televisions and
PCs which switch themselves off completely once
they have been in standby mode for longer than
30 minutes.
Invite current, former and retired business people
to high schools to present a 'What my world has
taught me' class. Back the presentation up with an
experiential activity to gain insight into the
life skills acquired and developed by each presenter.
Set up a hotel called 'The Prison' for people who
haven't committed a crime but who would like a
taste of what it would be like to locked up
behind bars.
Build pyramid structures in cities which would have
trees on every terrace. People would live in
apartments on the terraces but inside the building
there would be an inner pyramid with a huge mall,
bathed in natural light reflected through a system
of mirrors.
Design a popcorn bucket that can clip onto the
drink holder on the arm rest in a movie theater.
The clip would let two people to share popcorn
whilst still allowing the drink holder to carry
out its primary funtion.
Create a Police register of hitch hikers where each
hitcher is given an ID number. Drivers can text the
ID free of charge to the register and would be sent
photo ID of the person wanting the lift along with
information on whether they have a criminal record
or not.
Manufacture a cat food dish that moves on small
roller balls. When the dish hits an upright like a
door or kitchen unit, it will deflect and move in
the opposite direction. Cats will enjoy the thrill
of the chase involved in catching their food. Once
empty, the bowl will cease moving.
Create a cell phone which can play a different
pre-recorded Voicemail message depending on the
incoming call numbers. The phone will also be
able to switch to Voicemail automatically should a
call come from someone that the owner does not wish
to speak to.
Install wireless headphones in music stores so that
customers can listen to CDs while browsing for
other music.
Deploy 'eBay Loans' where an eBay customer who
desperately wants an item but doesn't have enough
money can borrow the money from other members. The
lender can set their won payback terms and
percentage rate and all repayments would be made
through Paypal. If the repayments aren't met,
negative feedback could be applied to the borrowers account.
Equip cell phones to allow personalized vibration
sequences so that the user can identify who is
calling when the phone is in a pocket.
Launch an online street map website that allows
users to view streets at any point in history. The
maps would show shops, bars and other local
features which were in a town or city at a time
selected by the user.
Develop an electric car that uses the momentum of
the wheels when freewheeling or braking to recharge
the battery, allowing the car to travel further
between charges.
Link air passengers' personal baggage weight limits
to the length of their trip. If someone is going
away for a week, they might only get to take 15kg
and 8kg hand baggage, whereas if they are away for
a month they would be allowed to take 30kg and 15kg
of hand baggage.
Manufacture portable, inflatable, battery powered
microwave ovens. The oven would be contained in an
easy to fold synthetic bag and would be ideal for
people on the move.
Place signs in malls and out on the street which
display the calories burned by taking the stairs
rather than the escalator or elevator, how many
calories two hours of shopping burns or how many
calories are burned by walking from point A to
point B rather than driving or taking the bus.
Install devices on public buses which display to
passengers how well the vehicle is being driven. If
it is above average, a green light will show. If
not, the light might be red. The device might also
display the amount of times a certain G-force has
been exceeded. Bad drivers might be shamed into
driving more appropriately.
Manufacture snowball making machines and install
them in supermarkets. The machines will allow year
round snowball fights. A well timed snowball is
always a surprise, and never more so in mid Summer.
Place signs on or next to trees in all cities and
public parks telling people what species it is.
The signs might also contain information about the
tree such as how old it is, where it is from, how
tall it grows and when it was introduced to that
particular country.
Launch an anti call center business. Customers
could hire the service to bombard call centers
with a pre-recorded complaint using a huge bank of
automated phones. The company concerned would then
have plenty of free time to resolve the issue
because nobody else would be able to get through.
Design gloves with plastic or metal strips on the
palms and finkers and which can be worn in winter
by those attending outdoor sports games. The
wearer can keep warm whilst still showing their
approval and support by clapping audibly.
Install a 'ski lift' style system on interstates
and motorways where cars would be attached to
overhead cables instead of driving using their own
engines. Drivers would be able to pay for the
'Car Pull' through tolling gateways at the on and
off ramps.
Launch a free service at airports so that suitcases
belonging to passengers can be left anywhere
without causing a security alert. The service might
involve a team of 'baggage minders' hanging out
near shopping areas or airport toilets.
Attach a glossy chart to supermarket shopping carts
that shows routine products such as milk,
toothpaste and refuse sacks which are easily
overlooked by shoppers. The list will be a memory
jogger to shoppers and the supermarket should
enjoy increased sales.
Launch a premium service at airports such that
suitcases belonging to passengers who have paid for
the service would come out on to the carousel first.
Launch a TV channel that shoes only random short
film clips found on YouTube.
Formulate a house paint which gives off
hallucinogens while drying. Watching paint dry
would quickly become a favorite passtime.
Devise a television series which aims to determine
the nature of evil. The series would spend less
time on the more obvious examples such as murder
and child abuse but would focus on more oblique
areas - is gossip evil? How bad are white lies?
How many people buy cheap goods knowing they might
be stolen? Where is the demarcation line between
good and evil?
Offer supermarket shoppers the choice between the
same products, one sealed with the usual plastics
and card and the other with the bare minimum
packaging. The stores could use this as market
research to find out whether people really want
their goods foil wrapped, air sealed and sterile.
Create a service where, once a sale has been
agreed, users of online auctions can deposit the
goods at the Post Office. The buyer would pay the
seller via a special account at the Post Office.
The Post Office would withdraw the postal costs and
mail the items. Sellers could add on an amount for
postage, handling and insurance should they wish.
Provide a small room on planes that is sound
proofed. The room would be used by people with
noisy or crying children and might also contain
toys and a fold out changing table.
Introduce a service from credit card companies
where customers are provided with a set of
additional credit card numbers which can be used
only for online purchases. These numbers will have
a specified number of times they can be used, so if
a customer should choose a number to be used for
just one online purchase, the number would become
invalid after one use.
Develop a government standard operating system. The
OS would be released to the public and a reward
would be offered to the first hacker who is able to
corrupt it. Whenever the OS is cracked, the
loophole would be fixed and re-released to the
public. The 'cracking' reward would work like the
lotto; increasing over time and would mean that no
single company could dominate the software industry.
Rent small portable electric generators that sell
electricity in thirty minute increments so that
people at airports, convention centers and
amusement parks can charge laptops, cell phones
and cameras.
Produce 'same as' labels for food products to
inform consumers of its nutritional content. For
example, 'eating this pie is the same as eating a
baked potato with cheese followed by a trifle
dessert.'
Include a feature within online music sites such as
iTunes and Napster such that a record is kept of a
customer's purchases so that, should the customer's
PC or MP3 player be lost, stolen or otherwise
rendered unusable, they will be able to re-download
the music free of charge.
Create 'one day' organizations which are
operational for only one day of the week. The
workforce would concentrate all their ideas and
creativity into one highly productive working day.
Include nutritional bar codes on food labels. These
could be read by a hand held scanner then hooked up
to a PC via USB allowing consumers to know the
precise information - calories, sugar, vitamin for
example - of what they are eating each day.
Develop daily contact lenses that dissolve into eye
drops should the wearer forget to take them out
before they go to bed.
Develop a system for cell phones and PDAs such
that, in the event of theft, the owner can destroy
the data on the device remotely, rendering it
useless to hackers.
Introduce an 'ad counter' on TV channels that shows
a number of minutes and seconds remaining until the
next advertisement package. It could even be
enhaced with feature of showing time remaining
until the end of the ad break so the viewer would
know exactly when to return from the kitchen,
bathroom or wherever to resume watching.
Develop an alarm clock that incorporates a pressure
pad under the sheet on the bed. The alarm would
continue to sound until the user gets out of bed.
In the unlikel event that they get up before the
alarm time, it would not sound and annoy their
partner.
Fit irons with a smoke detector which would cut the
power should the iron set anything smoldering
whilst left unattended.
Create a service called 'The Pitch Doctors' where,
for a nominal fee, would be novelists,
screenwriters, game designers and TV show creators
could pitch their idea to a panel of experts. The
panel would assure confidentiality and would tell
people if they are wasting their time or whether
they should pursue the dream.
Provide a searchable global database that lists
every grave in the world and which, for a search
fee, would allow users to print out a map and
cemetery grid plan identifying the grave's exact
location.
Design a home security system that incorporates
cameras and motion detectors. When the alarm goes
off, the cameras will take photos of any movements
in the house and send them via MMS to the owner's
cell phone. If they believe they are being robbed,
the owner can then decide to call the police.
Sell greetings card kits for kids that use edible
paper and flavored ink in the pens so that the
cards they make can be eaten.
Incorporate a button (or code) on a cell phone
which can be enabled by the user when they are in
danger. Once the device is enabled, any caller to
the phone will hear a prerecorded message saying
'If you hear this message, I am in danger, call
the police.'
Manufacture a hollow comb which can be filled with
shampoo. The comb would be squeezed to let the
shampoo out and would ensure that it gets all the
way to the scalp.
Develop a home entertainment system so that sensors
detect the mood of the person entering a room and
play music accordingly.
Create special street maps for cyclists. The maps
would highlight all roads using color coding, for
example flat roads would be white, steep roads red,
fast roads blue and so on.
Print a description of the drug on the label of
prescription medicines so the user can be assured
they have been dispensed correctly, for example:
'Small, round, blue pills, inscription reads Watson 407.'
Open a store that hires out flash drives, each one
loaded with a copy protected movie. The movie can
be played on a TV using a special cable that
connects to a TV's video in - out plug and which
has a USB plug on the other end to accommodate the
flash drive
Establish a Global Space Lottery which would aim
to raise billions of pounds to fund manned space
exploration. Instead of offering cash prizes,
lottery inners would be offered a trip into space
and a two day stay aboard the International Space
Station. Any winner unable to make the trip could
simply give - or sell - their prize to someone
else.
Design a website which shows the Earth planet as
a true thermal image. People would be able to book
last minute holidays to the current hottest - or
coldest - place displayed.
Place removable extend able 'grabbers' at the end
of supermarket aisles so that shorter people are
better able to reach top shelf items.
Create a vibrating under felt for beneath carpets
that can be switched on when vacuum cleaning to
agitate grit and dust particles and making them
easier to clean up.
Incorporate a device into cars which records the
speed at impact in the event of a crash and which
would be invaluable to insurance companies and
the police in determining liability in accidents.
Produce a range of hair accessories such as bands,
clips, grips and scrunchies which are infused with
a conditioner that would diffuse slowly into the
hair during the time the accessories are worn.
Develop a system that allows emergency services to
influence traffic lights from within the vehicle.
In combination with a GPS navigator this would
ensure a 'green light corridor' thereby enabling
the quickest route to a hospital, fire or accident
spot.
Produce a large size mobile phone with extra large
numbers and display. The phone would simply send
and receive calls and would be marketed to older
people who don't want or understand photo or text
messaging, ring tones or web access but who still
want to have a mobile phone for emergencies.
Launch AnimalLine, a national, memorable free phone
number for people who wish to report instances of
animal abuse. Animal Line callers would be directed
to an animal welfare organization, an appropriate
government office or the Police.
Create a chemical substance that emits a scent
which is particularly abhorrent (though perfectly
harmless) to cats and other small mammals. The
chemical could be mixed into tarmac and applied to
road surfaces to act as a deterrent to animals
which might otherwise become roadkill.
Compile a book of the hundred best pubs and bars.
The bars would not necessarily be ones that are
still open but those which, at their prime, were
the most exciting or fun places in the world. The
book might be compiled by celebrities who would
each recommend a bar.
Devise an internationally recognized scale that
measures comfort in womens' shoes. Shoes would be
rated according to how far they can be walked in
and stood up in thereby giving the wearer an idea
of how long they will be able to wear the shoes
comfortably at any one time.
Create a non-partisan public affairs program
entitled 'Yes or No' in which the guests - elected
officials, politicians and other leaders - are
asked important public interest questions to which
they can only answer 'yes' or 'no'.
Manufacture a wheel locking system for bicycles. This could
be made up of an electro magnet that would lock the wheels
of the bike at the turn of a key.
Sell mini, quarter-size tea bags for those who
prefer small or weak drinks and want to save money
and reduce waste.
Design a refrigerator for workplaces that has small
lockable compartments inside for each employee to
secure their lunch.
Publish tourist maps of foreign cities which are
color coded according to how safe the cities'
districts are. Visitors would be able to check the
maps before stumbling into a no-go area. Districts
that are picked out as dangerous might be
encouraged to clean up their act.
Manufacture a kettle that can be set to stop
heating the water automatically once a temperature
predetermined by the user has been reached.
Fix mini turbines inside household water pipes and
drains. The electricity created could be stored in
a battery or used straight away.
Distribute free, advertiser funded toilet rolls.
Sponsors will pay to have their advertising placed
on the sheets of toilet paper knowing that their
message will have a captive audience.
Add a mirror image of all directional road signs to
the reverse of existing signs so that drivers who
feel they might have missed an exit can check the
sign in their rear view mirror.
Incorporate small 'five minute' batteries in all
desktop computers that would give the user time to
save work in the event of a power outage.
Include a first language preference encoded onto
chips on credit and debit cards allowing ATMs to
switch to the user's language automatically.
Invent a door bell that sounds like a large and
aggressive dog barking. The elderly would not only
be able to hear the 'bell' but would also be
reassured that unwanted visitors might be scared
off.
Launch a real estate agency where people buy raffle
tickets for houses. Each ticket would cost $10 and
when the reserve price has been met the house would
be awarded to the winning ticket holder.
Launch an airline where ticket prices are based on
the combined weight of the passenger and luggage.
This sliding scale of flight prices would encourage
people to carry less which, in turn, would mean the
aircraft would use less fuel.
Offer a web service that provides a master index
for all a user's recipe books and magazines. The
user would provide a list of the recipe books they
own and would then receive an index that catalogues
all the recipes.
Inscribe subtitles in movies that stay invisible
unless the viewer is wearing special glasses.
Those who choose to see subtitles can pick up
their glasses from the ticket office. There might
be multiple subtitles in different languages with
different glasses for each.
Introduce a 'tell me when the price falls below'
function for e-commerce sites. This would send an
email to the customer when the price of something
attractive but overpriced falls below a preset
level, either as a reduction or in a sale.
Incorporate a 'time till change' signal into
traffic lights. An on board computer in the car
will detect the signal and inform the driver what
speed they need to change to in order to avoid
being stopped by the lights.
Launch a package delivery business that has access
to customers' cell phones or which has the capacity
to locate customers using GPS. This way, the
company would know exactly where the recipient is
or where they wish their package to be delivered.
Invent a burglar alarm in which, ten seconds after
entering a residence, the burglar would hear a
recording of the distinctive sound of shells being
chambered in a shotgun and a male voice whispering
'stay down, I've got him.'
Provide a service where older people with no
children of their own or whose children are
childless can 'adopt' grandchildren. The
grandchildren would be kids with no living
grandparents to dote on and spoil them.
Design a cheap, robust, colorful, rubber coated
digital camera for children to use.
Design an 'add on' device that could attach to a
camera and which operates in such a way as to
catch the attention of small infants - a flashing
ball, for example. The device would grab the
child's attention and ensure that it is still
looking at the camera when the picture is taken.
Establish a 'Collectors' Museum' where members
of the public who collect antique, interesting,
artistic or otherwise unusual objects could
display their collections to a paying public.
Devise an override system for high-rise elevators
that would work with a weight sensor. When the
elevator is filled to capacity it would only stop
at floors where pasengers are exiting, bypassing
any floors where new passengers are waiting to
board.
Include more detailed information about the holder
in the microchips in credit and debit cards, such
as date of birth, blood group, next of kin,
allergies and doctor's details. The information
could be life saving in the event of the holder
being involved in an accident.
Manufacture earplugs with tiny built-in speakers
designed to help insomniacs sleep. The plugs
might be loaded with relaxation music or sound
beds in the same way music is downloaded to an
iPod or MP3 player. Sophisticated sensors in the
plugs would detect when the user is asleep and
would turn to 'sleep' mode.
Manufacture double decker microwave ovens which
would allow the user to cook two different things
at different temperatures at the same time.
Manufacture purses, wallets and handbags with
serial numbers sewn, engraved or embedded into
them. The serial numbers would be recorded onto
a database with the owner's details. Should the
item be lost or stolen and retrieved by a third
party or police, it could be returned to its
rightful owner.
Build a gigantic grand piano with keys so large it
would take one person to operate each key. To play
the piano would require eighty eight musicans
plus a few more to operate the pedals.
Produce a TV show called 'Fact Police'. The show
would research a particular piece of fact based
reportage or other informative television or
journalism. The producers would then establish
exactly how much that was passed off as fact was,
when investigated, inaccurate, exaggerated or
fabricated.
Incorporate voice chips into new tombstones which
can be played at the graveside by simply pressing
a button on the stone. People can record their own
messages, have messages recorded by loved ones
after their death or even use the chip to play
their favourite piece of music or joke. The
sound chip might also be applied to urns.
Set up a graveyard for people who wish to have
unusual or humourous gravestones which would
not be permitted in normal graveyards. Examples
might be a headstone which resembles a manhole
cover or one that reads
'please keep off the grass'
Provide public benches with rotating seats. After
it has been raining, the wet seat can be flipped
over to provide a dry sitting surface.
Design a key chain with a small LCD which
displays the current state of the user's car
- locked or unlocked.
Launch a fleet of Therapy Taxis. Fully qualified
divers would pick up passengers and take them to
their destination whilst listening to any of their
problems. The drivers would offer professional
advice and perhaps even refer the passengers on
to specialists.
Provide shopping carts with a headphone port so
that shoppers can plug into preset radio stations
or even an in-store station which provides
infomation about the items and any special
promotions.
Add a button to word processing programs which
toggles between US and UK English. The simple
version would change z's to s's, add an '-me' to
program and so on. The expensive version might
replace baseball and American football metaphors
to cricket and soccer.
Introduce 'car bidets' in cold-winter areas where
salt and other chemicals are used on roads to melt
ice. The bidets would take the form of a perforated
hose and would flush corrosive substances from the
underside of automobiles. The bidets might be at
the entrance to a domestic garage or publically
accessible on the street.
Develop a pocket device which communicates with
another device mounted on doors to lock and unlock
them automatically. If the user approaches the
door, the door will sense the approach of the
device and will unlock . The device could be
customized to unlock a car, switch off an alarm
or turn on a computer.
Place windmill mechanisms at the top and bottom
of elevator shafts, so that they can generate
electricity each time the elevator goes up and
down.
Enable elevator buttons to be reset. If the user
presses the wrong button, it can be pressed again
to cancel the choice. This way, a mistake no
longer means a journey to an unwanted floor.
Provide a 'quiet room' in discotheques and other
party places. These rooms could be used to make
urgent phone calls or to have longer or important
conversations and would offer a level of privacy
not available in the bathrooms.
Develop a car alarm where the noise originates
from the driver's key chain and not somewhere
inside the engine compartment.
Place downloadable audio walking tours of cities
on the web. A map printable from the site could
accompany the recording. Users could download
the tour using an MP3 player and choose from
various topics - history, food, architecture,
literary, scenes of notorious crimes, for
example.
Design an air compressor that is built into cars
that runs off the car engine to inflate the
tires when required.
Manufacture an alarm clock which generates a ten
digit number displayed on an LCD screen. To stop
the alarm, the numbers must be typed into a
keypad, forcing the user to wake up at least
enough start the day.
Install a device which detects when a car is
driving too close to the vehicle in front. The
detector would work in a similar way to a
reversing/parking sensor and would sound an
alarm if the distance is too small to avert an
accident should the vehicle ahead brake suddenly.
Incorporate an emergency 'Blue Wave' function
to public street lighting. Should the emergency
services need to clear a path for their vehicles,
the street lamps would flash blue, alerting road
users in advance to move to the side of the
streets.
Place flat screens on the ceilings of dentists
surgeries for patients to watch while the
dentist is working on their teeth. The screens
would play videos of soothing or distracting
images and relaxing music along with dental
health information. The screens might be funded
by advertising - though presumably not for fizzy
drinks or sweets.
Manufacture reverse stink bombs. The bombs would
be 'broken' into a dustbin to infuse it with a
sweet aroma.
Allow shoppers to download a shopping list from
a PC to a smartcard. When the card is swiped in
a device on the cart, the list will sort the
items in the order in which they are to be
found on the shelves. If items are out of stock
the device might suggest alternatives. The card
might also remember frequent purchases and flag
up a reminder should something be omitted from
the list.
Customize car ignitions and door locks so that
owners can use just one key for all the cars they
own.
Install sensors or alarms which would be about
a meter away from ATMs. The alarms would emit
a signal which would alert anyone using the ATM
that someone behind them is too close. People
waiting to use the ATM would queue behind the
sensors so as not to set off the alarm.
Create a website where cell phone users can
upload those sms/mms messages which, for privacy
reasons, they do not want to leave in their phones.
Introduce onboard 'duty free' vouchers to be sold
by airlines. Instead of selling bottles of
alcoholic drink, perfume and other items onboard,
the vouchers would be exchanged at the destination
airport for the appropriate purchase.
Sell 'send home' packaging with pre-paid postage
outside airport security gates so that penknives,
scissors, picnic knives and other 'terrorist'
weapons that people forget to check-in or leave
behind can be posted back to them and not
confiscated.
Number car park spaces so that on entry, the
driver's ticket would allocate a space number
and floor, in the case of multi-storey, and
will register that space empty on departing.
Produce a reality TV show where twelve prisoners
who are eligible for parole spend several weeks
together in a secure house. The prisoners will
be filmed twenty four hours a day and the
highlights broadcast to the public. Each week
viewers nominate who returns to prison. The last
remaining prisoner will be granted parole,
having been judged the most suitable to return to
society.
Open the Museum of One Thousand Dollars. Each
exhibit would be an example of what one thousand
dollars can buy. Items on display might include
a used car, a heap of chocolate bars or a Cartier
cigarette lighter. The exhibits would change
regularly to reflect current trends and prices.
Issue people with a number instead of a postal
address. The number would be registered with the
Post Office. The envelopes bearing the number
would be read at mail sorting offices and printed
with the addressee's current address. Subsequent
changes of address could be updated simply by
keying in the new information at the Post Office.
