Ways to Improve Cars - Ideas from the Random Word Contest (Part 2)

Wine - Jacqueline Wolven

A nice bottle of wine is a good gift to bring to a party, but getting it there can be a problem.  There's nothing worse than a warm bottle of wine, after all!  When Jacqueline drew "wine" as her Random Word, she thought of the transportation issue.  Her idea, therefore, was a way to customize a car so that bottles can be kept at the optimal temperature en route.

As Jacqueline points out, this would be great for wine enthusiasts who love to buy their wine at wineries and also like to bring wine to events, parties, and restaurants.

As I'd like to point out, this leads to thinking about more personalized add-ons for cars.  A wine enthusiast could get their special trunk wine rack, or the golf-enthusiast could perhaps have a build-in ball storage.  Why shouldn't people be able to customize their cars to suit their hobbies?

Sail - Kes Sampanthar

Kes came up with a lot of ideas based on his Random Word.  (He has a lot of practice with creativity, he's the inventor of the ThinkCube!)  So, here goes. 

1. There is a lot of research into using renewable energy to power cars and reduce our dependency on gas. Designing cars with sails is an interesting way of using another renewable energy, the wind.
2. Solar sails are used for powering spacecrafts. This could create ‘sails’ for cars with a dual power source, both capturing wind and/or sun.  Normal fuel would only have to be used as a supplement, or on cloudy days.
3. Taking a slightly different angle by using ‘sail’ as a verb, Kes thought about smooth sailing. Cars could be put into a ‘sail mode’ where they use less fuel and move at a constant speed. This makes him think of creating lanes where cars go into auto-pilot and are guided by a rail. This would use far less fuel and stops a lot of traffic congestion. Less stressful and saves the environment.

Kes' ideas definitely bring a new meaning to the phrase "I sailed through traffic today!"

Tree - Michael Meyers-Jouan

Michael's word reminded him of a time in high school when he and his friends planted a tree in an old car.  (They were allegedly protesting the removal of trees for a new wing on the high school).

His idea is to put plant trees in cars.  Sound a little crazy? That's why I like it.  Think about it.

• It provides shade, so you don't need air conditioning.

• It also personalizes your car -- if you use a rare species of tree, you can spot your car ANYWHERE in the parking lot.

• If your car stalls in high water (we get a lot of flooded roads in New Jersey), you can climb the tree to stay above the water.

• If you choose a species that bears fruits or edible nuts, your car can supplement your food supply.

• If you take good care of the tree, your car's value goes up instead of down as it gets older (have you checked the prices for large trees at a nursery lately?).

Ok, ok.  It's not "practical" and would be a bit of a problem with low bridges... but still a fun idea.  So, how else could we get those same benefits?

Beer - Carolynn

Carolynn must have read the same old NY Times article about a beer spa in Southern Germany as I did, because when she drew "beer" she thought "bath!"

It's an interesting thought.  Would beer have any benefits in washing a car? I know Coca Cola is good for getting rid of rust.  What are the hidden benefits of beer?

And, if nothing else, it could be a unique fund-raiser for a college group, or a promotional event for a beer company!

Ravioli - Utkarsh

Utkarsh definitely came up with an idea I can relate to in the mornings! He suggested having a microwave in the car to heat up food en route.

I say, "why stop there?" Why not come up with an in-car food heater to be able to warm up a variety of food. 

That would be great for people who rush out of the house in the mornings, would keep take-out warm on the ride home, could be a way to start heating up dinner on the way home for busy parents, or it could be a big money-saver on a long car-trip.

Yes, there are a lot of reasons this might now work, but try thinking about how it could work.  Perhaps a warming holder for coffee, or a plug-in for the cigarette lighter that could warm up small things. 

Beer - Mary Stewart McGovern

Mary was also a little surprised to get "Beer" because it isn't usually something think of when the topic of conversation is cars.  However, it made her thinking of ways to combat drunk driving.

"Why not take the technology used for the alcohol monitoring bracelets and use it to recreate the steering wheel?" she asked. These bracelets can detect when alcohol is in the wearer's body via ethanol that is emitted from the wearer's skin.  So, why not make steering wheels out of this material?  The monitoring system could block the ignition from starting using the same technology developed for the "breathalizer" ignition block currently being used for repeat DUI offenders.

Mint - Faisca

First thing that came to Faisca's mind was... breath mints.  And then he started thinking about how frustrating it can be to desperately need a way to fresh-up when a toothbrush is far away.  After all, "how many times have people gone on a first date and said 'holy crap, my breath smells like feet'?" he asks!

Plus, there are tons of other situations when a breath mint in the car could come in very handy.  As a result, Faisca suggested a mint dispenser would be a good addition.

I say, why stop there?  Why not create a "freshing-up" slot for people to store a couple quick essentials to make sure they're looking their best when they arrive to pick up a date, or have a job interview, etc?

Nose - Marilyn Wulfekuhler

Marilyn's Random Word "Nose" made her long for an improved way of scenting a car.  Forget the little hanging figures, she says, "how about a timed release of different scents every 30 minutes or so?"

This is actually an idea that is lifted from another area in a good example of "cross-pollination".  Marilyn loves how her air fresheners at home switch scents to keep the smell noticable, and wishes that the same options were available for her car.   

Then she goes a step beyond and suggest that the scents could be used to create moods--a whiff of fresh-cut grass or coffee to keep drivers alert, or a burst of air scented like spaghetti sauce when it's time to eat.

I like her idea, as long as there's an emergency cover-up smell to rescue everyone after driving past a skunk on the highway! (That happened a lot when my family went on road trips when I was younger.)

Alarm Clock - Annie Hall

As a mother, and "taxi driver" for two boys who are in multiple activities, Annie spends a lot of time waiting in parking lots for her kids.  For that reason, she thinks that adding an alarm clock function to the clock that is already installed in cars would be a great idea. 

There are many times when she's waiting for an activity to finish, or going over material before an interview, and needs a reminder that it's time to get going.  "The alarm clock would be great for saying "settle down and get in there on time for that interview or to pick up my kids!"

She notes that this would also be great on long trips when a stop at one of those roadside rest areas is necessary (especially when it's important to wake up at a certain time to start driving again.)  Just think of the use for long-haul truckers!

But, she reminds us not to forget that the common buzzer on the alarm clock is old news.  This is the age of customization!

Bubble - RennyBA

RennyBA choose to take a lighthearted approach to his Random  Word when he suggested installing a soap bubble blower on the car with a fluid injection remote control. He asks "Don't you think it would be fun for the kids to see colorful bubbles flying from your car while cruising around in the streets."

I agree.  So many people get caught up in thinking cars are only for adults, and that they're serious driving machines.  Why can't cars be fun and silly sometimes?

I read about a pizza delivery place in the UK that uses Smart cars for delivery... they painted the cars to look like giant wedges of cheese! They're getting fabulous responses: everyone wants to know about their company, and so many people want to get their pizza delivered in a cheese car.

Bubbles would definitely make me smile!

Mosquito - Edgar Valdmanis

As a native Minnesotan, I would do anything to avoid mosquitos, and I think Edgar agrees!  After drawing the Random Word "mosquito", he focused on ways to keep them away.

He suggests that a mosquito net could be included with the car for use when picnicking, or camping out.  Another idea was to come up with some 'non-stick'-substance so that dead mosquitoes and other insects don't get stuck on the cars. (Always fun to wash off.)

OR - best of all - to create a 'Mosquito-account', where drivers pay a small amount extra when they buy gas--which would then go to fight diseases spread by mosquitoes in poorer countries.  Then when drivers fill up with gas, they know they're helping others and fighting the evil mosquitoes at the same time.

Trapeze - Bill Austin

Bill initially came up with all kinds of circus and carnival references and thoughts (lots of clowns crowding into a tiny little car, etc.), then he went to Wikipedia and discovered that the trapeze was invented by the same guy who invented Léotards!

This got him thinking about creating a whole new line of colors for cars.  No more blue, red, black, brown, silver, etc.... why not paint cars in all the fun and wild colors Léotards come in?

Of course, that begs the question: Will cars be available in Fishnet? And is Nude for a car the human flesh color, or more of a bare metal look? ;-)

And, can these cars also fly through the air with the greatest of ease?

And, that's all folks!  Tomorrow we're back to our regularly-scheduled programming!

Comments

[RennyBA]

This was great fun and also a very good proof of the power in sharing knowledge and ideas in blogsphere. Look what your inspirational initiative course a great deal of 'out of the box' ideas!
Maybe you have a new business concept here: 'getFreshMinds Blogsphere Co.'!
I'll give this as an example when I'm lecturing my students in eBusiness at Norwegian School of Management :-)