A Turnstile That Sprays You With Water

Posted by John Farrier in Gadget on August 10, 2009 at 2:54 pm

Still in the concept stage, the Watergate is an alternative to the turnstile. If you’re disabled, getting through a turnstile can be a challenge. That’s why designers Michael Tatschl, Sascha Mikel and Martin Schnabl came up with this solution. It would allow disabled people to get through, and spray everyone else with water.

Link via DVICE

 
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Neatorama Shop » Food & Drink » Offbeat Mints & Candies

Paragolfer Machine Lets Paralyzed People Golf

Posted by Alex in Gadget, Sports on June 27, 2009 at 1:24 pm


[Skip the intro to mark 1:00 for the good stuff!]

Being paralyzed shouldn’t stop someone from engaging in a sport lovingly described by Mark Twain as "a good walk, ruined," thanks to the Paragolfer machine by Parabasetec.

Check out the paragolfer in action (yes, it’s a promo video, but it’s amazing nonetheless): Hit play or go to Link [YouTube]. If you want one, be prepared to shell out upwards of $26K.

 
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Comfort Wipe: Extension Arm to Wipe Your Behind

Posted by Alex in Gadget, Video Clips on June 13, 2009 at 2:48 am

If you consider that the modern toilet paper was first introduced in 1857, the whole butt wipe thing is waaay due for a major advance.

Ancient Romans used to wipe their butts after going to the bathroom with a sponge on a stick (which they put in a bucket of saltwater after they’re done for reuse – Eew!) – so, in a nod to history, here’s Comfort Wipe: a stick that lets you wipe your behind without ever coming close to touching it with your bare hands.

Now, before you recoil in horror, consider that this invention is actually quite useful for people with limited range of motion due to disability. Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] – via AdFreak

 
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60 Years in an Iron Lung

Posted by Miss Cellania in Odd News on May 11, 2009 at 8:10 am

Martha Mason of Lattimore, North Carolina was a victim of polio that left her paralyzed from the neck down when she was a child. She breathed with the help of an iron lung which encased her body, leaving only her head free. Ms. Mason died last week at age 71, having spent over 60 years living inside the apparatus. There are no documented cases of anyone living as long in an iron lung.

From her horizontal world — a 7-foot-long, 800-pound iron cylinder that encased all but her head — Ms. Mason lived a life that was by her own account fine and full, reading voraciously, graduating with highest honors from high school and college, entertaining and eventually writing.

She chose to remain in an iron lung, she often said, for the freedom it gave her. It let her breathe without tubes in her throat, incisions or hospital stays, as newer, smaller ventilators might require. It took no professional training to operate, letting her remain mistress of her own house, with just two aides assisting her.

“I’m happy with who I am, where I am,” Ms. Mason told The Charlotte Observer in 2003. “I wouldn’t have chosen this life, certainly. But given this life, I’ve probably had the best situation anyone could ask for.”

Ms. Mason wrote a book about her life entitled Breathe and starred in the documentary Martha in Lattimore. Link -via Fark

(image credit: Wake Forest University)

 
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