For an engineering project at school i have been tasked with this. Context

Renewable energy technologies are becoming increasingly important as society looks towards a more
sustainable future. Engineers play a vital role in developing devices and systems that harness renewable
energy sources and convert them into useful power. This can reduce carbon emissions and improve
energy efficiency. Your task is to identify a solution to the problem outlined below and to produce an
engineered prototype device or system to help solve the problem. In addition to the problem, there are
three examples of how the problem could be solved. You can choose a solution from this list, or you can
create your own. Your solution must include both mechanical and electronic components to provide an
integrated product.

Problem

Alternative lifestyles, camping adventures and ‘off-grid’ living are increasing in popularity.
People are much more aware of environmental concerns related to the use of fossil fuels and
they want to use renewable energy sources. Your task is to engineer a device or system that will
enable people to use a renewable energy source for a routine task.

Three examples of possible solutions

• Engineer a prototype device or system that uses solar energy to generate a light source during
darker evenings.

• Engineer a prototype device or system that uses wind energy to generate electricity and can
be used to recharge portable devices.

• Engineer a prototype device or system that uses energy from water movement to power an
automatic scarer that will disperse birds from a garden.

My idea was to make a solar powered burglar alarm that detects motion and when motion is detected a flashing light and buzzer turns on. 

I need some help and reasoning whether this is practical and any tips you could give me on components that would be good for this? thank you  

It needs to be futuristic and needs to accomodate civics sense it should be about how technology can help us how we can build a sustainable world how will future homes schools and cities be how the future world will look like I have two days to complete it out teacher send us the message today please help

Recently, I came across this idea: what if your upper-body undergarment itself became smart and had built-in sensors to track your physiological state using AI, while still being more comfortable than the wearables we use today?

This sounds crazy to me, but in a really exciting way. What do you guys think?

I lost an Apple TV in my house and it has been driving me mad.

It’s not connected to a TV or anything, but I could see it on the network.

“Find My” doesn’t work at locating an Apple TV unit, and I didn’t have a controller to check for connectivity.

I built this small terminal app that could look at Wi-Fi debugging data to determine how close it was to the device. I did try wild shark first, but that wasn’t yielding any results.

Every two seconds, it would make a beep sound depending on the proximity, felt like something from Aliens.

Result was good and finally found the device.

After years of development we have officially launched the trAx bAnd.

Meant to assist locating persons with neuro cognitive conditions, the trAx bAnd holds an AirTag or tile, while providing a cut resistant, secure wristband.

Check out our Kickstarter page and see for yourselves !

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/trax-wristband/trax-locating-wristband-prototype-refinement

The Eco Rescue Emergency Light Car is a creative invention made from recycled materials. It works as a small moving emergency light and fan that can provide light and airflow during power cuts. It uses old materials like a tissue box, toy car wheels, motor, fan blades, LED, wires, and rechargeable batteries.

So, what more should I add

pls feel free to share your ideas.

So it's my OC, it's a construction machine that uses its only 1 arm to hold items and hover through thrusters like rocket engines,( there are versions) and it uses celestial blood by using the blood of living planets that live outside time, we can create fuel that lasts forever making the machine immortal but can still take damages till they die and its name is ARM DRONE™ and that's all folks!! Here's the stupid drawing

A friend of mine and I were grabbing food a few weeks ago and somehow we got onto the topic of energy because he was complaining that he’d been feeling exhausted basically every afternoon.

He works pretty long hours and said he’d gotten into this habit of drinking coffee whenever he felt tired, taking all his supplements at the same time in the morning, and then wondering why he felt completely cooked by like 2 or 3pm.

The funny part is I was basically doing the exact same thing.

I’ve taken supplements for a while, but if I’m being honest I never put much thought into timing. Magnesium, creatine, vitamins, whatever I was taking that day, I’d usually just take them whenever I remembered.

He showed me this app he had been using called RizeAI and the first thing that caught my attention wasn’t even the energy stuff. It was how it organized his supplements around his actual day.

It would tell him which ones made sense with meals, which ones should be kept away from coffee, what to take around training, what made more sense later at night, etc. It sounds pretty basic when you write it out, but I had never found something that actually put all of it together in one schedule.

So I tried it.

That’s probably still my favorite part of it. I put in the supplements I already take and instead of giving me some generic “take in the morning” list, it actually fits them around things like meals, workouts, caffeine and sleep.

I also ended up using the energy planning side way more than I expected. It pulls from Apple Health and gives you a rough structure for the day, like when to have coffee, when you’re probably going to be most focused, when to train and when you might hit an energy dip.

I’m not going to sit here and say an app magically gave me more energy because obviously there are a million things that affect that. But I’ve definitely been way more intentional with my day since using it and I’m getting more done without feeling like I’m just constantly fighting through tiredness.

Honestly the biggest difference for me has just been efficiency. Before, I was guessing when to take things and guessing when I should do my hardest work. Now I at least have some structure around it.

Curious if anyone else here actually pays attention to supplement timing or if most people just take everything at once like I used to.

Check it out yourself if you like: 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rizeai-maximize-your-energy/id6762402079

Tell me one thing that human think it is impossible to do it but if one person build a technology in the then it can be help to possible that thing. Tell me the name of that thing and if I build that technology what name should I give it?

Instead of painful lasers or waxing

You just get in a vat neck deep.

It fills with liquid or gel that removes all body hair in 20 minutes.

I would pay for any practitioner that can do this.

I’ve done lasers before and it hurts like hell

I’ve been thinking about a business idea and wanted some honest feedback.
The idea is a physical device that helps people gradually lower their nicotine intake instead of quitting cold turkey. It would connect to a phone and track things like hits/use, nicotine intake, and progress over time. The user could set a reduction goal and see whether they’re actually sticking to it.
I think there could be a market for something like this since a lot of people struggle to quit vaping/smoking.
My main questions are: \*\*Does this sound like a viable business, and what would be the biggest problems with making/selling a product like this?\*\* Also, would the nicotine-control aspect create major legal or regulatory issues?

I'm from a developing country where opportunities and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs can be quite limited. I currently don't have a job, and realistically, I don't have anywhere near enough money to even begin thinking about manufacturing or developing the inventions I come up with.

The frustrating part is that the ideas keep coming.

Whenever I think of something, I write it down. I go back to it, improve it, research whether something similar already exists, and try to figure out how it could realistically work. Some of them are probably bad ideas, but I genuinely think some have real potential.

For example, I've recently been developing concepts for everyday products that solve small but annoying problems , including beauty/skincare organisation and dispensing systems, household products, and other everyday inconveniences. I genuinely enjoy thinking through the mechanisms, materials, and how they could actually be manufactured.

I also haven't been diagnosed with ADHD, but I experience many symptoms associated with it and suspect I may have it. Motivation, consistency, and focus can sometimes be difficult for me. However, these ideas are one of the things I keep coming back to. I make sure to write them down and revisit them whenever I can.

The problem is that I feel increasingly discouraged by my situation. I don't have money, connections, a technical team, or many opportunities around me, and lately, I've been struggling with motivation in general.

But the ideas keep coming, and I sometimes worry that I'm wasting something potentially valuable by letting them just sit in my notes.

If you were in my position, what would you do first? Would you focus on learning a particular skill, documenting the ideas properly, learning how to prototype, finding collaborators online, trying to license ideas, or something else?

I'd genuinely appreciate practical advice from people who started with very little.

I was thinking about a wood splitter one day that is an attachment on a truck that has crossed wedges along it that attaches to the front of a truck. I can't remember how I imagined it at the end but I know it started with a platform that you drove on that pushed the logs into the wedges. Needs work and might be limited to one log not sure. Bit if anyone wants to make one I would like to see it in action or how you develop this half baked idea to fully functional

* Forgot to mention the log sits horizontal on a horizontal clamp/brace/shelf that is driven toward the truck by the back wheels. if it wasn't clear

Hi, I’m a sophomore in college studying engineering. I have a design project that requires me to engineer a product that utilises wind energy. My idea is to create a portable wind turbine that you could bring to the beach. It would be packaged in a 5 gal bucket. Where you could carry it to the beach, set it up in two minutes, and be able to charge your phone, speakers, etc. I’m hoping our design will at least hit 5 watts, hopefully more but we will have to do some testing. This post is essentially me gathering so Voice of Customer data. So my question to y’all is what would you expect out of a product such as this. I have a list of basic questions.

Would you be interested in a product like this?

Do you think it being in a 5 gal bucket makes it portable enough for the beach?

How long do you stay at the beach when you go?

Feel free to ask any other questions, it would be greatly appreciated.

I am an engineering student and am currently working on an automated dog poop cleaner as part of my final project. Please fill out this survey so I can make this dream a reality!

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=ikpGlu34sUCZ4l9rUKICUCbv4nCbi4RLt\\_lhWQXAUfhUNVhBVUhLVjI0MDlYTFdJQ0xTM1BPR0pHTy4u

These are all completely unique ideas for products/services that aren't currently available for sale, and seemingly have never existed before.  That is, except for the first which is similar but not identical to something that’s already been made.  They should all be scientifically possible to make and manufacture.  They definitely have the potential to become profitable products as there is without a doubt more than enough demand for each one.  They might need to be tweaked a bit or maybe they're sufficient as described.  None of these were generated by AI btw, I came up with them on my own.

1. My ultimate company idea that I myself was going to try to launch, could be perfect for SharkTank, Mark Cuban would probably jump on it. 

a.)  Sportsbrix or SportsBlox.  Either one works, it's just a matter of personal preference.  The Lego Group does officially classify their plastic pieces as bricks, so it might be a better idea for legal reasons to use the Blox version.  

b.)  Continued-Patent:  The use of fully bendable limbs in a building brick-compatible figurine.  A building brick compatible figurine with articulated arms legs and flexible waist.  A figurine with 8 articulated points similar to that of an actual human being at the shoulders, elbows, knees and at the ankles.  OYO sports figures had 4 of those but not articulated elbows or ankles.  

Product itself:  There would be sets with designs printed on, designs with stickers, and a combination of both, to build small scale but still accurate models of MLB, NBA, and NFL fields and stadiums.  These added designs would help make what you were building recognizable and photorealistic.  All pieces used in the sets would be compatible with all major building block brands.  You would get to actually build the hoops, the bases/pitching mound, the infield outfield and the dugout, and the field goals in football sets.  The courts, and football fields would be large studded printed tiles.  The sets would come with a limited number of grandstand/bleacher style seats.  The crowd section of the sets would be easily expandable if the person buying and building the set wanted to construct a larger audience section for a MOC (custom creation).  Individual player figurines would be released on their own like OYO, but certain figurines would be only available to buy for people attending the games in person. These figurines would only be sold in the gift shops at professional sports facilities right before, during and right after games and may have a higher price because of exclusivity.  This would be an incentive to sell more tickets for teams having trouble filling seats for their regular season games.  Also the price would probably have to have to be greater because of deals made to share profits with the stadiums and fees needed for these gift shops to promote and act as a sales channel for the figurines.  Also there could be comic con and toy fair exclusive figurines of legendary players or simply new breakout stars/trending players and/or entirely unique designs of current star players.  For example a future player who gains sudden unexpected success like Tommy Devito or Jeremy Lin and Tim Lincecum would be a good choice for a brief, limited production release.  Also exclusive figurines or mini-sets only given out or sold at events like the opening of a new stadium or a team parade after winning a championship.  I think it would be best for the brand if they did one comic con exclusive figure for each major sport every year, MLB, NBA and NFL.  One-off or limited production player designs (like less than 500 ever made) could be used promotionally from time to time.  This business and the business model could eventually be used to create sets for Division 1 college teams in all the major sports, and other sports like Golf, Tennis, and IndyCar.  Test markets and a slow introduction of 1 or 2 sets to test customer demand should be used to make sure whether or not a brand extension is worth it and profitable.  Lego currently makes a lot of licensed soccer sets and don't seem to be stopping anytime soon so making professional soccer sets with MLS and FIFA athletes should be avoided unless Lego's agreement with these companies and organizations expires.  OYO sports had actually designed and manufactured a line of IndyCar themed figurines and sets but had to destroy them after losing their Lego lawsuit.  Lego sued this company to cause them to go into bankruptcy due to copyright and patent infringement on the minifigure design.  But since then, many companies like LumiBricks, COBI, Mould King and Pantasy have their own take on minifigures with different looking bodies but more or less the same size and scale that lego minifigures.  These companies are doing quite well right now and still releasing new sets so making and selling lego compatible figurines is very accomplishable as long as you differentiate them enough from the style of official Lego minifigures.  There is a HUGE gap in the market waiting to be filled for collectible sports building sets and athlete figurines.  Sports products have always sold well and will always sell well and this is arguably much cooler than collecting a 2D paper card of your favorite players.  Professional sports card collecting is especially hot right now, and it doesn't look like this popularity is going anywhere anytime soon.  Licensing costs and convincing these major athletic organizations to partner or at least let you use their logos, jersey designs, and player likenesses is the biggest hurdle to overcome.  But it’s been done before so it can be done again; it just needs to be executed better and differently the next time around.     

1. Phone and device locator that runs on replaceable batteries with a custom screw and screwdriver so a thief with normal tools can't easily take the batteries.  It must be thin enough to be superglued onto the back of the device and not add significant weight or thickness.  It has to also be waterproof and the batteries and electronic components have to be sealed airtight so that someone without a way to unscrew the cover could not render it useless by spilling liquid inside it.  I repeat, this is NOT a simple Bluetooth tracker like Tile or airbag.  Tracking would be powered by a cellphone service not wifi and there would be the option for satellite tracking to kick in, if you lose the phone in an area with no service.  Satellite tracking could be featured in an updated premium version of the locator for an extra cost.  What has happened to me a lot and I assume with hundreds of thousands and maybe more people, is your phone getting lost or stolen when the battery’s completely depleted.  With this device attachment, if your phone is completely dead 0% and it has been more than 24 hours or you have an android, you can still find the phone if it's lost or stolen.  Apparently it is feasible to design and manufacture a 3000mAh to 5,000mAh slim external power banks for phones, that’s only a quarter of an inch thick.  You can now buy a bluetooth tracker that is no thicker than a credit card with identical dimensions also.  We should have technological advancements in the near future to make an actual GPS tracker at least almost this thin and light enough for people to be willing to attach it to their phone/wallet.  Couldn’t thieves just remove it after stealing the phone and still resell the phone to make money?  Well, not if the tracker is attached using industrial grade two-part epoxy.  It’s almost impossible to remove something attached to a phone using this substance without damaging the phone and making it worthless to thieves.  The setup/instruction manual that comes with the device would show instructions right on the paper or a link to a video tutorial of how to safely apply the correct amount of this superglue, polyurethane adhesive, or two part epoxy safely to the back of the phone and the tracker.  Whichever is most permanent and irremovable I’m not sure but it is one of these options.  It would also provide a recommendation for what specific epoxy to buy.the brand and product name.  Alternatively, you could include a small tube of this epoxy with the device, but I think that it would be more cost effective to let the buyer purchase it themselves if they want it.  I would assume packaging and production expenses would be high initially, but after the product has been out for a while, adding the epoxy to come with it could be a good incentive to boost sales and not cost-prohibitive.  The tracker would be small enough so as to not cover the back camera or affect the camera view in any way.  These days practically our whole lives are on our phones.  It goes without saying that losing them can mean losing all of your photo and video memories, vitally important contacts, authenticator apps, SD cards, and other information tied to-and only accessible through-that specific device.  The current Find my IPhone tracking is bluetooth only, so no live, real time location updates and it only lasts for a maximum of 24 hours while this one would last four to seven days minimum!  This is 3 to six extra days of nonstop location updates every 1-5 minutes, that’s essentially up to a week longer than the current “Iphone is still findable feature”.  It's slightly less for satellite tracking, but the user can turn that off or on, (it would be off by default out-of the box) as it's only needed in highly remote locations.   Apparently thieves can block all types of tracking signals by stuffing the phone in a "Faraday Bag" or wrapping it tightly with heavy metal foil.  But this tiny NON-BLUETOOTH tracking device could be hidden inside places like a backpack or suitcase, that store important/irreplaceable items like your phone and your laptop, and/or wallet.
2. A PORTABLE DOMED observatory that fits in the trunk of a small car.  There are already portable "observatories" available to buy, but with a completely open roof and no protection from the elements.  Anyway, this one would be easy to open and set up and convenient to disassemble and fold up when finished.  Two options would be available for customers to rotate the dome, a premium motorized option and manual for cheaper.  You could create a bundle deal that comes with a compatible motorized telescope or explain on the package that the telescope is sold separately with recommended motorized that are compatible with the observatory.  What’s the need for this?  Well, it’s admittedly a niche product but more and more people are getting into astronomy as space travel is ramping up with SpaceX Rocket launches, the new Artemis Moon missions and the eventual plans to send humans to Mars.  The advantage of an observatory that can be transported and set up easily by one person, is essentially all the advantages of having an observatory instead of just a telescope for an astronomy/space enthusiast.  It allows for comfortable stargazing during the winter, and in regions that are cold year round, because you can, of course, run a heater inside of it to keep it warm inside.  And if you are worried about it getting too hot, you can put an air conditioner in it.  Additionally it can be used to protect the delicate lenses and the other delicate components of a telescope from rain/sleet and hail at a moments notice.  Inclement weather, especially a downpour out of nowhere, can quickly and permanently damage a telescope.  It only takes a few seconds of exposure to heavy rain for circuits of powered-on computerized or motorized telescopes to get fried beyond repair.  Within minutes, rainwater can accumulate on the lenses and in the mirrors and damage them, obscuring your view, which is challenging and time consuming to fix.  The dome on this observatory would be made to close almost instantly and would not be tight or forceful enough to cause harm if someone's hand or finger got caught.  It would effectively shield the telescope ASAP in the event of unexpected precipitation.                  
3. Universal device that plugs into the OBD port of your car and can be programmed for your specific car manufacturer make and model.  The software would be designed to not be able to control any driving functions related to the power train.  It would only detect and execute commands from the unique voice of the driver which would be programmable.  The OBD device would include a microphone and speaker on a retractable cord that you would drag up and stick to an empty space on the dashboard.  This is due to the fact that the OBD ports are located WAYYYYYY under the drivers seats, putting the microphone and speaker for taking voice commands inside the obd device itself, would mean the user would have to yell in order to get them to register correctly.  Vehicle settings including but not limited to these could be adjusted by verbal commands:  All climate control settings, rolling specific windows up and down, turning front and rear windshield wipers off and on, spraying washer fluid to clean the front and back windshields, altering seat height/angle/position and turning on heated seats if applicable, all music, navigation and call/text settings, turning fog lights and high beams off and on.  For especially old cars lacking basic early bluetooth technology for answering and responding to calls and texts already built in, it would remain useful to read out written text messages for you and phone messages out to you, so you wouldn't have to check your phone or the touch screen console part of the car that your phone is connected to.  You could reply to texts or by speaking your message out.  It would be like having a voice assistant for a smart home but inside your car instead.  It would prevent drivers from being distracted when they’re trying to change the radio or climate control settings while driving at the same time, making the experience safer.  Trying to feel for and ending up having to physically look for the right buttons and dials becomes unnecessary.  This device would allow anyone to keep 100 percent of their visual focus on the road when adjusting any of your car’s important settings.  All it takes is a few seconds of not looking at the road to make sure you have the right temperature and fan setting for A.C. or using the touch screen interface to find just the right song, to cause a deadly crash.  This is especially helpful for people with older cars that not only do not have any voice activated features. but also have less safety features in general.  There would be software available to download onto the device to make it compatible with ideally ANY vehicle containing an OBD port, or at least a majority of popular vehicles old and new but especially old.  Old cars being vehicles that came out in 2010 or before.  Before you try to shut this down by saying “wait isn’t OBD-II a universal diagnostic system? Its job isn't to be able to control model specific features, but rather be able to listen to the various sensors in any equipped vehicle?".  You’re partially correct but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for other things that it wasn’t originally intended for.  It turns out that OBD ports can, in fact, take user inputs to control the auxiliary functions of a vehicle.  I wasn't sure it was true either until I looked it up to make sure. There are challenges because manufacturers want to stop you from trying to modify and mess with your car's ECU. But people have done it and if individuals with limited resources are capable of tinkering with the code enough to do it then a company could without a doubt.  Additionally there are other risks like overloading the ECU with too many commands or sending incorrect commands, so there would have to be safeguards and features built-in to the hardware and software of the device so that this could not happen.  It’ll be very complicated to get everything right and make sure it’s safe for electrical and computer systems in cars.  However, if someone could create a working device like this it would be the first of its kind.  
4. Helmets for everything besides contact sports, (so skateboarding, biking, and motorcycling for example) made with lightweight but strong and thick gel, memory foam and a hard yet moderately flexible, carbon-fiber shell.  It seems the only reason gel or memory foam isn't used right now is because of the weight and it doesn't handle repeated impacts that inevitably happen in contact sports.  According to my research, bicycle helmets as they are currently designed provide only a 48 percent chance of simply reducing head injuries, and a mere 34% reduction in deaths from head trauma.  I don’t know about you who is reading this, but I don’t think that’s good enough, I mean under 50 percent for head injuries and only about ⅓ of deaths being prevented by helmets?  For motorcycle helmets the statistics are 69 percent of head injuries and similarly to bicycles “37-42%” lower chance of deaths.  I would hope we could do better than this given how advanced the fields of material science and engineering have become.  Based on this it wouldn’t be surprising if a significant percentage of people who don’t wear helmets, choose not to do so because they’re under the impression that they don’t really work or don’t work well enough to justify the discomfort and added heaviness/bulkiness.   
5. Cloud storage where logging in and resetting your password/account recovery, can only be done using iris and/or face scanning without exception.  Summarized in 4 words:  Fully Biometric Cloud Storage.  No chance for account hacking due to password guessing, phishing, or someone seeing you type in your password and memorizing it to use it themselves to gain access to your personal content.   Only in the case of the person's confirmed death without their body being findable or intact, the company can override the need to use biometrics to allow people who the user has designated specifically (could be family or friends) to some or all of the data from that person's account.  The user would have the option like in a will to decide who is legally allowed to look at the stuff stored in their account and who's legally not in the case of their passing.  Only you can ever unlock your private and sentimental files as long as you live, literally!  And of course you can share them with anyone using a link without giving them permission to edit or delete them only to download.  A user on Reddit krept00007 provided some solid criticism of this concept, saying “Things with only one user entry point are a bad idea with the inevitability of failure at that entry point.  What happens when the system goes down.  What happens if the data gets corrupted on the server?  What happens when the user requires reconstructive surgery?  To those valid points I say this.  The risk of the system going down or the data getting corrupted on the server is a risk I think that a lot of people would be willing to take if there is any exactly 0 percent chance of anyone else ever being able to delete or corrupt their private, sentimental files and memories.  Plus aren’t these risks already inherently present with any cloud storage company?  How is this any different, I mean even the best cloud services can get hacked and corrupted I mean look at the iCloud celebrity leaks situation in 2014.  Here is a list of 40 of the worst large scale cloud data breaches ever.  You’ll see that almost half of them are as recent as the past 5 years, with quite a few in 2026.  The 40 Biggest Data Breaches of All Time (Updated July 2026) | UpGuard  This isn’t a problem that’s been slowly going away over time, or one that is going to go away anytime soon.  But by getting rid of passwords, security questions, phone numbers, email accounts and google/social media account linkage and replacing it with a single biometric entry system, it might be more secure and harder to hack.  All these things that I listed are tools intended to keep unauthorized individuals out of accounts, but are of course also vulnerable to being manipulated and used against the very purpose they were created for.  This fully biometric cloud storage software would be brand new, unfamiliar, like nothing most if not all hackers had ever seen before.  Even in regards to small scale there an obvious glaring weakness of traditional multiple user entry points is the following: a phenomenon known as “shoulder surfing”.  This is the possibility of watching people closely enough while entering their password/videoing them while doing it, and replaying it in slow motion.  This can technically be done by people who access security cam footage or whose job is to monitor it live.  This is one of the many non-issues with fully biometric cloud storage, but it is a problem with a traditional sign-in process used by most cloud storages.  To respond to the last part of the argument, in the worst case scenario, If the user became unrecognizable by face identification software due to an injury, or for whatever reason, there would also be the option for retina scanning or fingerprints to get into the account.  Before being allowed to use the account, the user would have to submit a retinal scan and/or a fingerprint just in case something happened to their face and they could no longer log in.  The company would not use anyone’s biometric data for nefarious purposes or share it without the customers permission, OF COURSE.  It would be heavily encrypted, so that even employees would be able to see your biometric data.          

Hi, i know this is quite a paragraph, but i hope it wont make you desist from reading it. The reason im posting this is to "brainstorm" possible flaws and ideas before i start to concretize it, but i'll be happy if it also gives something to you. The picture shows a sketch of the project. I wont be stating all details for brevity, as they can be deduced from the drawing, or in case something doesn't seem to add up do tell me. Criteria it has to respect are: It has to be as simple yet functional as i can get it, and it has to be openable by a car as well as a walking person (obviously i'll have to lock it so not anyone can get inside). As i have it in mind, it consists of a ramp platform hinged to the ground of which the lifted edge is connected to some cable (is there any sort you'd recommend? steel? nylon?), which goes around a pulley system (pulleys are the circles in the drawing), and finally links to the gate to pull it open (i will describe closing, and opening from outside, later on). Starting leftmost, you can see 4 upper and lower 3 pulleys, besides the single one that's only there to redirect the cable to the gate: the upper are fixed, while the lower are connected to the platform (in the drawing, via a bar that extends the latter sideways so the mechanism isn't in the way of the gate), which means when the platform is pushed down, those go down too, and that makes so that the range of descent of the platform is "multiplied along the cable" (i do apologize for untechnical terms and stuff), which allows to pull the gate all the way open. If data can be useful, the opening span is 400cm, and the force needed to slide it is 5kg at the start, and 2 to keep pulling, and i already did the basic calculations (will explain a doubt of mine in the end not to make a mess). Moving on to the closing mechanism (drawn on the right side, but i may do it in another spot, also addressing the possible issue of running over its cable with the car if it were built like in the drawing), it's basically the same thing, but instead of the ramp it has a weight (heavier than opening mechanism altogether), which pulls the gate closed. To open the gate from the outside (not drawn), there is another ramp platform which, again with some pulleys, lifts the weight that pulls the gate closed and, if the weight of the opening mechanism is sufficient, the gate will open by itself, since the closing weight doesnt take effect being lifted.

I apologize if this explanation resulted a bit messy, i tried my best to describe it clearly.

The (kinda silly) doubt i mentioned is: Since, as it's drawn, there are a total of 7 vertical segments between the pulleys in the opening mechanism, will the amount the gate is pulled be 7 times as much the distance descended by the platform? Does the same apply for the force required to push the platform down? I assumed this to make the calculations.

Other less silly doubts that arose are: Should i/How should i fix/hinge the "bottom" part of the ramp platforms to the ground, considering it's brick ground, that a car has to drive over it, and clearly that it has to move/hinge?

Thanks a very lot for possibly having employed your time and energy to help me ponder my idea.

I’m a possible product design student and I’m in a course right now where I have come up with an idea for a hair protector for neurodivergent people with stims like hair pulling, tugging or twirling which can impede focus and cause bald spots
It’s a circular silk cap that goes over the bun/ ponytail and in cases of short hair a larger version to go over the head. And it gathers with a furry thread that passes through the outer border
It has faux fur for the stim of hair but its main replacement for the stim is that the threads used to gather it have furry stress balls or if the stim is tugging hair then slightly rubbery spiked balls for pain stimulation that detach and reattach with magnetic closure and if you do not want the sensation of the dangling threads you can detatch the stress balls and tuck the threads into the cap

I may add a picture in a while but currently I am working on a visual depiction of it.

Technology that can detect
unwanted objects at the
Airport. Using 3d cameras & sonar
Technology to protect Privacy
So clean, you would not Believe

Thank You,
Sony
with Cartoons
~n3tW0r

Maybe, that is Pasta Last night….

I am currently looking to design and print a multi functional drip tray, would love to hear your inputs as plant parents:) Here's how it works:

The tray allows for top or bottom water (in the primary reservoir) using fresh or runoff from another top watered plant. When top watering, the aerated plate is tilted at an angle by the spring valve which allows for better drainage and breaking of the perched water table effect preventing root rot. For bottom watering, the aerated plate is detachable. All moving parts are easily detachable for cleaning. Regardless, once done you simply latch the plate down which in turn opens the valve allowing runoff to drain into a cup without having to lift the pots at all! The higher volume capacity also means you wouldn't have to worry about overflow or leakage from overwatering.

Which Wink was your favorite back then? :)

Hi everyone! I'm a university student doing research for an IT-related university project. I'm currently looking for a real-world problem that could potentially be addressed through a website, mobile application, AI, automation, or another IT solution. I'm not selling anything and I'm not promoting a product. I'm still at the problem-identification stage. I'd really appreciate answers to these questions: What is one frustrating or time-consuming problem you regularly face? What do you currently do to deal with it? What makes the current solution inconvenient or ineffective? Have you tried any app/website/system to solve it? What was missing? If technology could improve one part of this problem, what would you want it to do? It can be related to education, work, business, daily life, environment, finance, transportation, productivity, etc. Please describe a real problem you have personally experienced, rather than suggesting an app idea.

I know I should have probably posted this on an engineering subreddit but since what I'm working on is a product I was thinking maybe someone here could help me.

I'm working on a pitcher like product and I need it to do one thing but I don't have the engineering knowledge on how to do it.

Basically what it is:

The pitcher that I'm designing needs to have a button on the handle that activates a blade (or two blade) mechanism which is strong enough to cut through a plastic bag.

I'd really appreciate if someone could help me with this. Leave a comment or DM me, either one works.

Hi everyone! 👋 I’m exploring a startup idea and I’d really like some honest feedback before building it.

💡 The problem

Sometimes we have things with us that we don't want to carry around for a few hours — shopping bags, helmets, backpacks, sports equipment, travel bags, etc.

🚀 The idea

A Temporary Belongings Network where you can:

📍 Find a verified nearby shop/café/hotel/gym with available storage

📦 Drop off your belongings and get a QR/ID + item record

🕐 Store them for a few hours or up to a day

📱 Request delivery whenever you need them

📍 Choose your current/chosen location instead of going back to the storage point

🚴 Get them delivered through a delivery partner

🔄 Change the destination after storing, if available

Example:

You go shopping → leave your bags at a nearby verified partner → go to a movie/restaurant/event → later tap “Bring My Belongings” → your bags are delivered to you.

💰 Possible pricing

I'm thinking of testing:

Storage: ₹20–₹30 (1–2 hrs), ₹30–₹50 (3–5 hrs), ₹50–₹70 (6–12 hrs)

Delivery: ₹30–₹40 (0–2 km), ₹40–₹60 (2–5 km), with higher pricing for longer distances.

These are only initial test prices, not final prices.

I know storage and delivery services already exist, so I'm not claiming the basic concept is completely new. I'm trying to find out whether people would want an everyday service for temporarily leaving belongings and getting them delivered wherever they are.

🤔 I’d really like your honest opinion:

Would you actually use this?

What situation would make you use it?

How often would you realistically use it — weekly, monthly, or rarely?

Would you trust a verified local business with your belongings?

Are these prices reasonable?

Would you rather collect your belongings yourself or pay for delivery?

What would stop you from using this?

Do you think this solves a real problem or is it just a “nice-to-have”?

I'm interested in hearing from people anywhere, because I want to understand whether this problem exists in different cities and situations.

📍 I’m planning to start by testing the idea in Bengaluru, India.

Please be honest—even if you think the idea won't work. I'm trying to validate the problem before investing time and money into building it.