Obscure Inventions

8 inventions that were ahead of their time. The jetpack, the flying car, free electricity for the world – all these ideas are way ahead of our time in the practical sense.

Human ingenuity is limitless. The list of creative and brilliant inventors throughout human history is long and each story is fascinating. Some have achieved legendary status. People like Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell helped shape our world through inventiveness.

There are other stories about inventors who, working independently, created inventions nearly identical to one another at around the same time. Did Philo Farnsworth or Vladimir Zworykin invent the first electronic? Legally, the honor goes to Farnsworth but the debate continues to this day.But there are other inventions that don't have quite the same impact on our way of life. Some of these inventions may seem unusual or even ridiculous. Many fade into obscurity almost immediately after they appear. A few have lasting power and succeed despite - or perhaps even because of - the ridicule they receive from the public.

With their visionary thinking and innovative approach to solving problems, inventors have the power to save lives, increase productivity, and change the course of history. But most inventors don't achieve success with every creation they devise. For every telephone, Miracle Mop, or automobile, there’s an induction balance device or a car made out of soybeans. Take a look at these 11 lesser-known inventions by famous inventors.

SCUBA SUIT // LEONARDO DA VINCISometime around 1500, Leonardo da Vinci invented an unusual solution to a military problem. The Ottoman Empire’s naval attacks of Venice were decimating the republic, so Leonardo designed a special scuba suit that would allow members of the Venetian navy to swim underwater and the Ottoman Empire’s ships. Made of leather, the 'scuba' suit (although technically more like a ) had a mask, goggles, and even a pouch to pee in. Two tubes connected to the suit allowed the diver to breathe air from above the water’s surface or from a small container of air. The Venetian navy opted against adopting the suit (seen here in all its glory), and modern scuba diving didn’t become possible until the mid-20th century.

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GLASS ARMONICA // BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. Most people remember actress Hedy Lamarr for her beauty and brains.

She co-invented a device that manipulated radio frequencies, making it harder for wartime enemies to jam radio-controlled torpedoes. Although she the device in August of 1942, hoping that the U.S. Would use it to fight the Nazis, it was never used. Decades later, people realized that modern wireless technology relied on the ideas in her patent.

But besides inventing an antecedent to Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth, Lamarr also invented an effervescent tablet that transformed flat water into a carbonated drink. Although the tablet worked—dissolving the tablet in the water did create fizz—the product didn’t taste good and was too similar to Alka-Seltzer. Not every invention can pave the way for Wi-Fi. TALKING DOLL // THOMAS EDISON.

After Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, he tackled his next big project: the talking doll. Patented in 1890, Edison’s talking dolls were almost 2 feet tall, had, and contained mini phonographs stuffed inside the children’s toys.

Although not the first talking doll, Edison realized that by using the he could produce far more complicated words and phrases than the competition. Because of the technological limitations of the time, each sound recording was one-of-a-kind and featured women speaking the words to lullabies and nursery rhymes such as 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' and 'Jack and Jill.' To Edison’s disappointment, kids and their parents didn’t like the dolls because they were expensive, fragile, creepy, and had. The talking doll turned out to be one of Edison’s many failures—or, as he would phrase it, just another one of his 10,000 things that didn’t work.

HARPOON GUN // CLARENCE BIRDSEYE. GettyIn the 1920s, entrepreneur Clarence Birdseye invented a method of flash freezing, packaging, and distributing seafood and other products. Although he’s known as the father of the frozen foods industry (his company Birds Eye still sells frozen veggies today), Birdseye also invented a harpoon gun to tag whales. Interested in learning more about fish and marine mammals, he built and patented a contraption to mark whales. Made of aluminum and rubber, the handheld harpoon didn’t recoil after shooting, providing a more pleasant tagging experience.

Although Birdseye used his harpoon to tag dozens of finback whales, his invention was more for enjoyment than commercial use—or at least that's the official story. Some have accused Birdseye of using his device for whaling. WOODEN SWIMMING PADDLES // BENJAMIN FRANKLINAs an 11-year-old, Franklin loved swimming and wanted to swim faster. To increase his aquatic speed, he decided to wear a pair of wooden paddles around his wrists. Using round of wood, Franklin drilled holes to fit his thumbs through and grip the planks. Although the paddles helped him swim faster, the extra weight made his wrists tired. Franklin obviously moved on to bigger and better things, but his lifelong support of swimming as a healthy activity earned him an honorary spot in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

TONING PLATFORM SHOES // JOY MANGANO. GettyBest known for inventing the Miracle Mop (Jennifer Lawrence portrayed her in the 2015 movie Joy), Joy Mangano also invented a type of elevated shoe. Called Performance Platforms, the sneakers have a rubber platform heel with Get Fit (TM) technology that can a wearer's hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves.

Launched in 2010, the platform shoes claim to help users multitask by firming their muscles while they go about their daily business. Not bad for a sneaker. VACUUM-SEALED PACKAGING // THOMAS EDISONAlthough most famous for producing a better light bulb, Edison also invented an early form of vacuum-sealed packaging.

But rather than focus on preserving meat, Edison and the inventors he worked with concentrated on fruit. In October 1881, he patented his method to preserve fruit, which involved putting a fruit or vegetable into a glass vessel, pumping the air out, and sealing the vessel with heat. To read Edison’s own words about the science behind the process (and check out his elaborate diagram of the contraption), take a look at his patent. SOYBEAN CAR // HENRY FORD. George Washington Carver and Henry Ford.

//In 1934, the inventors George Washington Carver and Henry Ford became pen pals, exchanging information and sharing their knowledge about agriculture and automobiles, respectively. Hoping to discover an alternative source of fuel to replace gasoline, Ford investigated the properties of peanuts and other crops with which Carver worked. In 1937, Carver visited Ford in Michigan so the two inventors could with crops together. Ford's interest in chemurgy (making industrial products from agricultural products) culminated in a soybean car, a lightweight automobile made with plastic derived from a (and possibly other plants like hemp, flax and wheat—the formula was lost). In 1941, Ford debuted the soybean car at a summer festival in Michigan, but the vehicle never caught on. EARLY ROBOT // LEONARDO DA VINCILeonardo’s artistic skills came in handy when he sketched intricate diagrams of his ideas for inventions, which ranged from a more accurate clock to a flying machine. But he also sketched an invention for a and a suit of armor that could sit down and wave its arms.

Although Leonardo may have never built his robotic knight suit, his drawings of it indicate that a system of gears, wheels, and cables would allow the coat of arms to open its mouth, wave its arms, sit down, and stand up on its own. Scholars speculate that he devised the robotic knight as a way for monarchs to and impress guests in their royal courts.