Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#1

Post by hadeon » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 4:23 AM UTC

If you could work on absolutely any problem in tech / science, what would it be?

Rules:

- assume you have access to capital - assume you don't have to move - assume you can work on it full time - it has to be plausible, but doesn't have to currently be possible (time travel is out, large scale human cloning is in)

I'm interested in people's seemingly crazy ideas.

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#2

Post by throwaway_009 » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 4:36 AM UTC

Large scale cheap desalination. I was born in a dry area which had so less water that no crops would grow and the water was rationed. It absolutely sickens me that our "blue" planet has so less drinking water. I am still thinking about solutions but unfortunately that isn't my main focus right now until I can sustain myself.

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#3

Post by nunobrito » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 5:46 AM UTC

Mosquito laser hunter

Inside a room: a device identifies a flying insect, tracks its movements and beams a high-powered laser to bring it down.

The benefit is an automated perimeter protection at locations plagued by mosquitoes that bring malaria, health issues and suck the blood out of humans.

There is the risk of inadvertently shooting humans or animals.

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#4

Post by andrewstuart » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 5:52 AM UTC

nunobrito wrote: post #3

Mosquito laser hunter Inside a room: a device identifies a flying insect, tracks its movements and beams a high-powered laser to bring it down. The benefit is an automated perimeter protection at locations plagued by mosquitoes that bring malaria, health issues and suck the blood out of humans. There is the risk of inadvertently shooting humans or animals.

How about a wheeled robot cockroach catcher that patrols kitchens at night?

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#5

Post by hadeon » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 5:57 AM UTC

nunobrito wrote: post #3

Mosquito laser hunter Inside a room: a device identifies a flying insect, tracks its movements and beams a high-powered laser to bring it down. The benefit is an automated perimeter protection at locations plagued by mosquitoes that bring malaria, health issues and suck the blood out of humans. There is the risk of inadvertently shooting humans or animals.

Ha I love this!

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#6

Post by nunobrito » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 8:32 AM UTC

andrewstuart wrote: post #4

nunobrito wrote: post #3

Mosquito laser hunter Inside a room: a device identifies a flying insect, tracks its movements and beams a high-powered laser to bring it down. The benefit is an automated perimeter protection at locations plagued by mosquitoes that bring malaria, health issues and suck the blood out of humans. There is the risk of inadvertently shooting humans or animals.

How about a wheeled robot cockroach catcher that patrols kitchens at night?

I respect cockroaches after finding they can survive nuclear radiation.

You might need a Terminator unit from the future to effectively hunt those peskers.

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#7

Post by sloppycee » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 7:21 PM UTC

nunobrito wrote: post #3

Mosquito laser hunter Inside a room: a device identifies a flying insect, tracks its movements and beams a high-powered laser to bring it down. The benefit is an automated perimeter protection at locations plagued by mosquitoes that bring malaria, health issues and suck the blood out of humans. There is the risk of inadvertently shooting humans or animals.

I remember seeing this years ago, it's a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_laser

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#8

Post by slimshady94 » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 8:59 PM UTC

Some kind of generic IoT sensor that you could attach/integrate with almost any physical object, that could open up that object for digital communication. And the sensor would have no/very long lasting batteries.

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#9

Post by segmondy » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 12:22 AM UTC

Artificial general intelligence

Re: Ask HN: What are your crazy tech ideas?

#10

Post by Regardsyjc » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 4:39 AM UTC

A decentralized marketplace that's like Amazon.com but without Amazon. Creating an easy software solution to bring the inventory of every brick and mortar store online for cheap quick delivery or pick up. The ability to track/authorize orders so if someone bought an iPhone and they wanted to resell it, they could relist it on the marketplace as a used item with one click.

Some state of the art trust system between manufacturers, sellers, service providers, and customers. The ability to police counterfeiters and scalpers. Manufacturer says they created 10,000 and they sold to these parties and you can trace the supply chain from manufacturer to customer.