What’s a forgotten invention that deserves a second chance?

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What’s a forgotten invention that deserves a second chance?

Comments

  1. Long-Tip-5374 Avatar

    Manpons, I used to find them in the aisle where I bought my extra small Trojans at Wal-Mart. They’re out of production now. Posterior perspiration is an embarrassing problem, that can leave you feeling less than fresh. I sweat my ass off when I’m at the gym. Manpons worked great, I just squeezed them discreetly between my cheeks like a hot dog in a bun. Super absorbant manpons wicked away moisture to get my crack back on track.

  2. Geeniuss69 Avatar

    Common decency.

  3. kevanbruce Avatar
  4. theassassintherapist Avatar

    Thermoelectric generator. If they add that to the underside of solar panels, that should be able to squeeze out more power per foot of space used.

  5. SpiderCop_NYPD_ARKND Avatar

    The Time Machine.

    Last time it made it big it led to all kinds of bad ends, so much so the authorities had to go back and erase that entire timeline from existence. But it could be used responsibly.

  6. Life-Bedroom-8886 Avatar

    Rubik’s Magic

    No explanation required…

  7. StarMasterAdmiral Avatar

    Radio. I’m referring to music radio. While not totally forgotten, corporate control has made it all but unlistenable. I would love to see it revived in a manner that makes it enjoyable and popular again.

  8. Nexion0617 Avatar

    Oh, that car that ran on water where the guy mysteriously disappeared.

  9. Exotic_Struggle Avatar

    Does common sense count??

  10. MidniteOG Avatar

    Steam engines

  11. funky_grandma Avatar

    A lot of people don’t know about camera lucidas these days. I want one so bad

  12. [deleted] Avatar

    Thigh Master

  13. Smoolz Avatar

    I really think we need to forget everything we know about VR and try again. Right now it’s an overpriced novelty, when instead it could’ve been an interface for exploring the internet like netrunning in the cyberpunk ttrpg.

  14. Asleep_Loan_3413 Avatar

    Headphones for mobile phones…

  15. knadles Avatar

    The Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster.

  16. Fribbits Avatar

    Teledildonics

  17. ty10131 Avatar

    Slap chop

  18. dayofthedead204 Avatar

    Physical Media. Sure there are still some people that buy DVDS and Blu-Rays, but most just stick to streaming services.

    The audio and visual quality is almost always better and sometimes the extras are worth it. Such as audio commentaries.

  19. Lizzy_Of_Galtar Avatar

    I’d settle for good quality clothes for the common man again.

    Now we just have to look at our clothes funny and they’ll tear up.

  20. HaxtonSale Avatar

    Airships. Especially considering all the press coverage concerning Boeing and the FAA as of late…. plus they are fucking cool 

  21. SabbathBl00dySabbath Avatar

    AUX ports on car stereos and cellphones

  22. rayrayrayray Avatar

    HAM / CB radio – if the world goes to shit, it will be a reliable way to communicate over long distances

  23. giltgitguy Avatar

    I invented a paint tool called the Paintmiser.

    https://youtu.be/_0ytcqv4nQg?si=1HSEU0hP193Pc249

    Hyde tools, the biggest paint sundries distributor in N America signed on as exclusive distributor. Home Depot told us they would order 80,000 per month and made their opening order. We were also in Walmart, Lowe’s, etc. We had patents in Europe and S. America, Australia.

    Because it was a new idea, Hyde designed an extensive launch program and featured it at many trade shows.

    The first container arrived in NY Harbour in fall of 2008, just as the world economy was melting down. Within three months, the entire marketing program was cancelled and Hyde dropped much of their sales staff. The big launch never happened and reorders were nonexistent. I still have a few that I use regularly. The paint departments on movie sets still use theirs daily.

    It took me and my partners years to recover from the financial hit. Damn you Bernie Madoff!

  24. scuzzi4567 Avatar

    Google glass

  25. luciferslandlord Avatar

    The rotary wankel engine.

    Such a cool concept. An engine in perfect balance + it sounds gorgeous.

  26. strange_bike_guy Avatar

    Paired displacement transmissions or ratchet transmissions. They have feasible uses for people in wheelchairs going over rough terrain and for bicyclists who want to down shift under torque. Because of its interrupting motion you can downshift under torque without any sudden jerking or lunging or sticking. I’ve been designing a version for bicycles for the last 2.5 years as time and money allows. They’re difficult to make small which is why they haven’t caught on yet. If you make a small one, they often destroy themselves because the contact pressure is high enough to dent steel. The subject of my work is how to reduce the surface pressure in a small configuration so that it can fit on a bicycle. My own use is that my right thumb has been painful to use since childhood, I can use it but I would rather have a system with feather light shifting action, no indexing, and can be shifted under torque. If that sounds like a CVT it’s actually better than that because there are no friction elements sapping your efficiency. Previous examples include the ZeroMax (still in production for industry purposes) and the RatioZero

  27. rat4204 Avatar

    Zeppelins

  28. dbethel5 Avatar

    Buttons on phones would be dope again.

  29. CroSoldier01 Avatar

    The Concorde. If that kind of high speed travel could be made accessible to not only the ultra wealthy, my economy flying ass would be so thankful.

  30. LucDoesReddit Avatar

    Blimps man. I wanna coast around the world in a floating glass ballroom

  31. Russkun Avatar

    The general strike.

  32. Nonplussed1 Avatar

    Turn Signals !!!!!

  33. Lrrr81 Avatar

    Impeachment of the US President.

  34. carchmarq Avatar

    the french revolution but in the united states

  35. Shump540 Avatar

    That 5th wheel on the back of cars that’s sideways and lowers with a button to park

  36. Riker_Omega_Three Avatar

    The little wind wing triangle windows that used to be on all cars and trucks back in the day

    Also SUV’s with a rear window that can roll down like on Toyota 4 Runners and 80’s/90’s Era Ford Bronco’s

  37. Howdysf Avatar

    Crystal Pepsi

  38. Dirac_comb Avatar

    The makeup gun. It’s got potential.

  39. PaulieGreen Avatar

    Google stadia.

  40. _Lappelduviide Avatar
  41. ubottles65 Avatar

    A trebuchet. Everyone needs this in their life.

  42. RT4Men Avatar

    The pneumatic tube transport system! Before emails and digital documents, these vacuum-powered tubes whisked messages and small items between offices and buildings in minutes. Efficient, reliable, and oddly satisfying to use. With our renewed interest in sustainable transport and the charm of physical communication, maybe it’s time for these delightful delivery systems to make a comeback in modern offices and communities.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  43. Wolfie_142 Avatar

    Good quality laptops like the older Thinkpads.

  44. echoblushh Avatar

    Oh my gosh, I think the pager deserves a comeback! Like, imagine texting your crush super quick without all the phone drama, vintage vibes with a modern twist! Plus, it’s so cute and retro, I’d totally rock one.

  45. AlmanzoWilder Avatar

    Rollerblades. C’mon people! They’re better!

  46. Superb_Gap_1044 Avatar

    Alternative fuels. Things like water-run and hydro cell engines. Not exactly forgotten but the oil industry keeps buying out patents on anything that threatens their empire.

  47. DayleD Avatar

    Solar water heaters. They’re even more efficient at heating water than solar panels or heat pumps, they’ve been around a lot longer than solar panels, and and after installation they provide a gallon after gallon of super hot water for free.

  48. millerlit Avatar

    Guillotine 

  49. mildly_carcinogenic Avatar

    Olestra.

    I want to see how the influencers handle anal leakage.

  50. Reia621 Avatar

    Philosophy

  51. TooDesensitized Avatar

    Lyme disease vaccine. One came out right around the time the “vaccines cause autism” BS started, and it was just kinda ignored. That one still exists, and a newer one as well. For those of us who live in tick territory it would remove a big source of anxiety about going out for a walk in the woods.

  52. GraftedBranch Avatar

    Lyme disease vaccine for humans. Safe and effective, but not available in the US.

  53. RilonMusk Avatar

    The damn headphone jack. PUT IT BACK

  54. hesutu1989 Avatar

    The option to have a bare bones vehicle. Like I don’t need power windows etc. I don’t care about having a screen or a backup camera.

    just let me choose simple.

  55. squishEarth Avatar

    Cylindrical Fridge – with a metal rotating shelf inside. I’ve only ever seen videos of the same vintage model. Does anyone sell new ones?

    A cylindrical fridge has less surface area and therefore less thermal loss than a rectangular fridge. And most importantly – a rotating shelf means I finally won’t lose stuff in the back of the fridge. Please, I want a cylindrical fridge.

  56. screwedupinaz Avatar

    The glass headlights that could be easily replaced. Now it’s an entire assembly that has to be replaced when one breaks. I can’t say that I blame the automakers, though. They’re corrupt enough to realize that they’ll make much more money if they can force someone to pay $500 (at least!) for an assembly vs. $20 for a bulb.

  57. NobleKorhedron Avatar

    Everything created by Nikolai Tesla…

  58. Biggby72 Avatar
  59. rynslys Avatar

    The left handed screw driver

  60. Colorado_Jay Avatar

    Yard darts. Bring them back, only sharper.

  61. badgrafxghost Avatar

    Mother fucking Choco Taco. Bring it back, you cowards!!!