Some ideas, such as Leonardo da Vinci's helicopter, are ahead of their time in that it would not be possible for da Vinci to construct a functional model. But what ideas are behind their time? This is to ask: which techn...

Most of us, I expect, have used electric irons. I've seen in antiques displays "sad irons", which are slabs of metal that are heated in fireplaces and stoves. There were, though, many alternative designs between these tw...

Or, if you're a bit older, think of the Mikiphone as the world's first Walkman. This invention by Miklós and Étienne Vadász manufactured in Switzerland in 1924 was one of the first means of providing...

This photo dating from 1955 shows special slip-on sandals that loggers wore to protect mess hall floors during meal breaks. Lumberjack boots had spikes on the bottom, thus imperiling indoor surfaces.-via Things from the...

In 1892, Arthur Hotchkiss patented what he called the "elevated railway." Hotchkiss and other innovators imaged rail travel for individuals by pedal-powered machines that rolled over specially-built rail networks. The fi...

The Boston-based company Frigid Dynamics is the developer of the E-XC, which consists of a pair of motorized skis. These electric-powered machines have treads in the back that push the skier along the powder at high spee...

YouTuber Builda Dad Garage builds extraordinary ve...  ...barrels, and amphibious trikes.One of his recent inventions is a mechanized ladder that can push through snow...

Neuropathy in the extremities--a loss of sensation--is an effect of diabetes. When a person with this condition loses sensation in the soles of their feet, they experience increased falling risks. Design Boom reports tha...

Design Boom reports that engineers at Northwestern University have developed a haptic feedback device that allows users to interact with digital environments with high resolution. The VoxeLite functions like a bandage th...

Weird Universe tells us that Joseph Pilates (1883-1967), the developer of the popular exercise program that bears his name, invented numerous pieces of exercise equipment. He had a holistic approach to fitness, which pru...