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Mechanized Cephalopod Transport - or Animal Transport for any animal capable of manipulating a simple control system. It consists of a power cart of some kind, carrying an energy storage device (e.g., a battery), a device supplying motive power (e.g., an electric motor), a transmission to bring this power to wheels of some sort, and a method of steering the cart.
To this, add: a miniature vivarium, restrained and tethered securely to the cart, wherein an animal of one's choice (say, an octopus) can be sustained for several hours. An octopus would need a salt-water tank, with devices for aerating and cleaning the water, maintaining water chemistry and feeding the octopus.
Within the vivarium, there must be a control system, such as a simple joystick. The animal's manipulation of the joystick would be the instructions to the power cart on how to move - tilting the stick forward or back would cause acceleration in either direction, for example, while tilting it to the sides would cause the cart to turn to either side.
To this, add: a miniature vivarium, restrained and tethered securely to the cart, wherein an animal of one's choice (say, an octopus) can be sustained for several hours. An octopus would need a salt-water tank, with devices for aerating and cleaning the water, maintaining water chemistry and feeding the octopus.
Within the vivarium, there must be a control system, such as a simple joystick. The animal's manipulation of the joystick would be the instructions to the power cart on how to move - tilting the stick forward or back would cause acceleration in either direction, for example, while tilting it to the sides would cause the cart to turn to either side.
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Bicycle with hybrid drive and regenerative braking system: quite simply, this is a bicycle with a battery pack and a motor. When the bicycle is moving quite fast, or when the cyclist pulls the brake handles on the handlebars, the motor will be used as a generator to charge the battery, transferring energy from the moving wheel to the battery. (Standard mechanical or hydraulic brakes may also be used, because let's face it, they work a lot faster and sometimes you need to stop RIGHT HERE and RIGHT NOW.)
When the cyclist desires additional power, he can flip a switch on the handlebars, transferring power from the battery to the wheels.
The battery pack should be able to draw current from a plug-in charger, as well, so that it will be ready to function from the start rather than needing extensive pedaling down hills and such to be prepared.
When the cyclist desires additional power, he can flip a switch on the handlebars, transferring power from the battery to the wheels.
The battery pack should be able to draw current from a plug-in charger, as well, so that it will be ready to function from the start rather than needing extensive pedaling down hills and such to be prepared.
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Device for silencing car alarms: this is a simple electromechanical relay with a manual override, placed underneath the hood of a car, that acts to break the siren circuit of car alarms. The alarm's sensor circuits still work, but it doesn't make any noise. The relay consists of an activating circuit and a switch, somewhat similar to a standard domestic power-box circuit breaker, except that the two run on different voltages and currents. When the activating circuit is energized, it magnetizes an iron bar that pulls one of the contacts in the switch away from the other. The device is spring-loaded, so that this "off" position is the standard position, and can only be turned on when operated manually. If the activating circuit is wired into the car's starting circuit - so that turning the ignition key not only activates the starter motor, but also this device - then every time the engine is started, the alarm system will be silenced. The only way to re-enable to audible alarm will be to stop the car, open the hood, throw the switch (to manually override the action), and set the alarm.
