Schlagwort-Archive: challenges

From a Terrible Accident to an Inventors Award

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As we know, in most cases inventions result from necessities, problems, challenges or the need for simplicity but they also derive from accidents. Two young engineering students from Canada, Stephen Slen and Aaron Coret, have invented a landing pad for snowboarders and skiers after one of them, Aaron, had a severe accident while snowboarding in Whistler, Canada.

In recent years, snowboarding and skiing have also been accepted as disciplines at Olympic games. Therefore, the young engineers have teamed up to invent a landing pad to save skiers and snowboarders from hitting the ground to hard when landing.

Working from the back of a sail-manufacturing shop, they created a 15-by-20-by-5-foot vinyl-and-nylon landing pad that contained two inflatable chambers. The upper chamber was sealed, while the four-foot-high lower chamber had valves that released a controlled amount of air on impact. Unlike most landing pads, which give so much that they envelop the athlete, the prototype remained firm enough to land on and ride off of, but it had enough give to reduce the risk of injury.

To test the invention, Stephen and Aaron went up a glacier in Canada, but they were still unsure if it was going to work. With Aaron paralyzed from the neck, Stephen had to take the first jump to test the prototype. He took the risk, jumped down…….. and landed perfectly to then ride on. The invention worked and was ready to be patented.

The two of them founded a company, Katal Innovations Inc., and with the help of an expert who in large custom made bouncy castles, they were able to develop the pad further. When Canadian officials asked them to use their pad during the opening ceremony for the Vancouver Olympics, it was a dream come true for the young engineers. Since then it had been installed in different skiing resorts in the U.S. and Canada and is on a straight road to success.

Odd or Useful? But Still Inventions!

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There are different categories when talking about inventions. Previously we have seen the best inventions, the worst inventions and among others inventions we take for granted. But there is another category we cannot miss: the oddest inventions. Usually, the inspiration for inventions derives from problems or challenges crying out for solutions or simplifications. Odd inventions can also tracked back to this inspirational channel however, they are also funny and stylish.


Here are some examples: Fish n’Flush This unusual toilet serves a dual purpose: as a waste receptacle and as an aquarium. Many people have already introduced goldfish to the toilet, but usually that happens when they die. The Fish n‘ Flush is an actual kit that turns your toilet tank into a living space for your pet fish an aquarium. It comes with simulated reef and real fish. Fish n‘ Flush is meant to create a relaxing atmosphere in the bathroom. However, PETA might protest the view to which the poor fish living in the toilet tank will be subjected!


Hello Kitty Key Board Cleaner Every little girl loves Hello Kitty. But grown ups love Hello Kitty, too. There is another gadget in the Hello Kitty world that we can introduce to our offices and which helps us to keep our keyboard clean from dust, food or bread crumps. It is USB driven and comes in a variety of brushes which blow away any sandwich leftovers that might have ended up in between the keys. Most users probably buy it because it also a cute little toy to decorate the desk. But in the world of key board cleaners, it is also recommended as very easy to use. You don’t need to have batteries, just simply attach it to the USB port of your computer and it works. It not only cleans the keyboard, the different brushes also clean the screen and any other devices you have attached to your computer.