# New things You'd Like to see Invented **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2023, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325 "2023-03-18T14:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/1 "2023-03-18T14:05:52Z")
Inspired by this thread [Old-fashioned things you'd like to see revived - #264 by Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-fashioned-things-youd-like-to-see-revived/978167/264) I was discussing some of the points in the above thread with SWMBO (S_he Who Must Be Obeyed_) and we moved on to things we’d like to see. “Teleportation,” she said. What she’d like is the ability to walk into a room somewhere, press some buttons, and materialise somewhere else. It’s worth mentioning that she uses a wheelchair to get around and we are planning a holiday that involves flying. My thought was that, yes it would be great, but there would also be some drawbacks. It would mean that, for example, people could live in a nice part of the world and commute anywhere. That might cause all kinds of pressures on the environment. On the other hand - no more aeroplanes. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/2 "2023-03-18T14:34:42Z")
A miniature explosive device that can be implanted in my head that monitors my pain levels, mobility, and retirement fund. When the pain becomes intolerable, or I can’t get to the toilet by myself, or the money is about to run out it gets triggered. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/3 "2023-03-18T14:36:08Z")
Well as long as we’re stretching the bounds of science… - a pill that makes pets like dogs or cats live decades longer - a device you can wear that gives you a macronutrient readout of all the things you consume that day, as you ingest them - glasses with face recognition software that will identify the people you encounter and give you their information that you’ve preselected, such as name and how you know them. - lightsabers the size of cutlery - Pet elephants the size of house cats - A phone battery that harnesses the kinetic energy of your daily movement to charge your phone - A lab that can grow replacement organs from one’s stem cells, for transplantation into one’s body. Get to about 70? Time, perhaps, to replace your heart and lungs with an exact replica, untarnished by decades of living. - A universal translator, with real-time speech, that fits in your ear like a Bluetooth ear piece. - Functional holodecks, a la Star Trek: The Next Generation - Smart guns, which can only be fired by the person to whom it’s registered. - House Bots: home robots that serve as a combination home security, maid/butler, tech hub/entertainment center, and personal assistant - A holographic clock, which projects in your field of vision, and is activated whenever you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It is a countdown which tells you how long before you are sober. That should do to get started. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/4 "2023-03-18T14:51:26Z")
An instant camera that prints sheet cakes with photos on them. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/5 "2023-03-18T15:27:48Z")
Sign me up, **Fudd**! ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/6 "2023-03-18T15:48:43Z")
Here’s something that could be developed now. I’d love to travel the world, but I don’t like to travel. So: _Totally Immersive VR Tours of the Best Places on Earth_. The Louvre, Natural History Museum-London, The Amazon Rain Forest, Grand Canyon National Park, Costa Rica, Glacier National Park, Newark New Jersey—all the greatest places! These tours would be hosted by real tour guides, in real time, at the real places. We tour customers would see, hear, smell and feel the environment that we are touring via camera, mic, smell-o-vision, and tactile gloves. Everyone can interact with the tour guide, and have the ability to pan and zoom their camera, as well as take snapshots. The tours could make money charging what they normally charge, but we’d save a ton of money on travel expenses. Perhaps upgraded tours could include the delivery of fine food and drink to enjoy during the tour. Example: a 5-course french meal and bottle of wine for the Louvre Tour. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/7 "2023-03-18T16:11:09Z")
I’d like to see something pretty simple: a device that mobility-impaired people can use to go up and down stairs and carry packages up/down stairs, without having to install something permanently. Some kind of assistive device you could strap around your waist or something and/or a basket that goes up the stairs with you. (I’m still in my 60s but live on an upper floor and someday am going to find it difficult.) ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/8 "2023-03-18T16:18:26Z")
I want a walk through machine that sculpts out the fat any time you need an adjustment. Maybe an exit door at the local bakery can be adapted. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/9 "2023-03-18T16:28:24Z")
Life extension at least good enough to give me a few more decades while better life extension is invented. A life cam that I can rewind to see where the heck I last left something. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/10 "2023-03-18T16:41:58Z")
I want one of these whole mouth toothbrushes – brushes all your teeth simultaneously, takes 10 seconds. Whee! > **[Y-Brush - Electric Toothbrush - Y-Shaped Brush - 3 Months of Battery Life -...](https://www.amazon.com/Y-Brush-Electric-Toothbrush-Y-Shaped-NylonStart/dp/B0BDZP82QF)** > > Buy Y-Brush - Electric Toothbrush - Y-Shaped Brush - 3 Months of Battery Life - NylonStart Adult Pack at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/11 "2023-03-18T17:31:59Z")
Improved electric battery. One that, pound-for-pound, is more efficient than gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/12 "2023-03-18T17:39:08Z")
Oops… ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/13 "2023-03-18T17:42:50Z")
Like this? > **[21 BEST STAIR CLIMBING WHEELCHAIRS In March 2023 | From £199](https://ukcareguide.co.uk/stair-climbing-wheelchair/)** > > STAIR CLIMBING WHEELCHAIR - We've done the hard work for you & found the cheapest and best wheelchair stair climber for sale. Have a look. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/14 "2023-03-18T19:57:02Z")
Well I think that these are to be used by the occupant of the chair plus a helper who guides the chair around? I’m thinking of something totally under the control of the elderly person, without assistance. And small enough so that it’s not unwieldy. eta: I watched some videos and those chairs are great! And they do not need an assistant. Nevertheless, what about something that would assist someone who doesn’t use a wheelchair to more easily navigate the stairs? Something portable? Or maybe something that’s just designed for carrying stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/15 "2023-03-18T20:21:21Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > A miniature explosive device that can be implanted in my head that monitors my pain levels, mobility, and retirement fund. When the pain becomes intolerable, or I can’t get to the toilet by myself, or the money is about to run out it gets triggered. This sounds like the backstory to _Logan’s Run_. > [@ratatoskK](#): > > Some kind of assistive device you could strap around your waist or something and/or a basket that goes up the stairs with you. Only if you [join the Army](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWnXOh4r6Dw). > [@Lumpy](#): > > Life extension at least good enough to give me a few more decades while better life extension is invented. > [_GRAMPS FORD, his chin resting on his hands, his hands on the crook of his cane, was staring irascibly at the five-foot television screen that dominated the room. On the screen, a news commentator was summarizing the day’s happenings. Every thirty seconds or so, Gramps would jab the floor with his cane-tip and shout, “Hell, we did that a hundred years ago!”_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_and_Tomorrow_and_Tomorrow_(short_story)) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/16 "2023-03-18T20:27:44Z")
Hey they do make consumer exoskeletons! See examples [here](https://exoskeletonreport.com/product-category/exoskeleton-catalog/consumer/) and [here](https://www.xenhanced.com/) and [here](https://medicalfuturist.com/the-state-of-exoskeletons-in-2022/). I remember looking for something like this a few years ago and and they did not exist. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/17 "2023-03-18T20:57:10Z")
They also make consumer-level powered handtrucks, like [this](https://www.walmart.com/ip/XClimber-Stair-Climbing-Electric-Hand-Truck-Dolly-375-lbs-Lifting-Capacity-Quiet-Operation-Non-Marking-Anti-Slip-Pneumatic-Wheels-Moving-Heavy-Applia/2393084119) and [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2z7TfPFlo4). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/18 "2023-03-18T21:37:31Z")
Happy, friendly yellowjackets. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/19 "2023-03-18T22:19:10Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Nevertheless, what about something that would assist someone who doesn’t use a wheelchair to more easily navigate the stairs? Something portable? Or maybe something that’s just designed for carrying stuff. Jet packs, man. Everything’s solved with a jet pack. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325/20 "2023-03-18T23:22:01Z")
Yes, @Elmer_J.Fudd and @Moriarty have clearly given this more thought than I! I have tried and failed to invent: Something that keeps my hair out of the hinge of my eyeglasses (must be invisible); And a public bathroom for women as quick and convenient as the giant vats I saw guys pissing in during a festival in Amsterdam. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325.md?page=2)