It is interesting as what other application this would have?
If I could replace my mouth (the source of the wind) with an electric fan, what else can I do with this?
New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
21–30 of 127 posts
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#22These guys have taken the same physical phenomena used in the newish Dyson fans and hand dryers and found a radically different way to use it. This looks as simple as a paper clip and I think in years to come many people will wonder why they didn't think of it first. True genius EDIT: I stand corrected by HN. There are number of bags that use similar techniques and apparently airplane evacuation slides inflate using…
Speaking of which, I wonder if they'll need to deal with patents. From what I understand Dyson has that technology wrapped up tight.
PS - Dyson's fans are also terrible. Great concept, poorly executed. They wanted them to be sleek, so they used tiny motors which are LOUD making Dyson's Air Multiplier far louder than other fans WITH blades.
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#23These guys have taken the same physical phenomena used in the newish Dyson fans and hand dryers and found a radically different way to use it. This looks as simple as a paper clip and I think in years to come many people will wonder why they didn't think of it first. True genius EDIT: I stand corrected by HN. There are number of bags that use similar techniques and apparently airplane evacuation slides inflate using…
What's the name of the phenomena?
ot: I find Dyson's bladeless fans way too weak (and loud)
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#24The valve is based on the Venturi effect. The fluid flow through a constriction lowers the pressure at the constriction point. An inlet at the low pressure point will allow addition fluid at atmospheric pressure to enter through the inlet in the constriction thus adding to the total fluid through the outlet. Pretty clever use of fluid dynamics!
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#25In one of my first year physics course they showed a great demo based on this principle. A student was challenged to inflate a huge bag as much as possible. They always did miserably, only filling the bag to about 1/8th. The lecturer then used this technique to fill the entire bag in one hit. A great demo that I'll never forget.
This is a great demo - it's often done at kids' science museums as well, if they have an instructional area. Particularly with kids' tiny lungs, they can only fill a fraction of the bag, then when they do it this way, they fill a bag bigger than themselves. It's definitely memorable.
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#26Ok, i'll play devil's advocate : Windcatcher works as same principle as evacuation slides on planes and even if it's about physics i think it's somehow ( design ? ) patented. So, what about patents ? Is there any patent that product violate and may cause later any problem ?
I'm willing to bet they began the process of patenting the design prior to putting videos of it on the internet.
Even if they did, applying for a patent doesn't indicate that you have a valid patent, nor does it provide any protection whatsoever for patents that came before.
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#27I love software innovation, but somehow it always impresses me more to see real world mechanical innovation like this, true old-school inventor entrepreneurship. Seems like a legitimately great idea.
It should impress you more!
For all the talk of "changing the world" that comes in the software start-up scene, it's the physical inventions[1] that have more obvious & immediate impact on the world - and by "world", I really mean developing countries instead of our first-world problems(annoyances really). These fast-inflating/deflating mattresses would be very helpful in those countries.
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#28These guys have taken the same physical phenomena used in the newish Dyson fans and hand dryers and found a radically different way to use it. This looks as simple as a paper clip and I think in years to come many people will wonder why they didn't think of it first. True genius EDIT: I stand corrected by HN. There are number of bags that use similar techniques and apparently airplane evacuation slides inflate using…
What exactly is the phenomenon they're taking advantage of?
Technically the pressure gradient force, but also gravity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure-gradient_force
"A difference in pressure across a surface then implies a difference in force, which can result in an acceleration" [..] "The resulting force is always directed from the region of higher-pressure to the region of lower-pressure"
The lower pressure is the fast-moving hot wind from your mouth. The higher pressure is all the air around it. So it's like a reverse vacuum. Kinda.
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#29Ok, i'll play devil's advocate : Windcatcher works as same principle as evacuation slides on planes and even if it's about physics i think it's somehow ( design ? ) patented. So, what about patents ? Is there any patent that product violate and may cause later any problem ?
Say it's the exact same mechanism as evacuation slides. Patents in the U.S. since 1995 have had a term of 20 years, prior to 1995 it was a term of 17 years. The slides were initially patented in 1956. In 1956 the U.S. patent term was 17 years; those patents expired in 1973. But, let's suppose some advances were made and the specific valving mechanism was patented later. It would have had to have been invented and pat…
Thanks for the clarification.
They should really add some info about patents and prior art on kickstarter page. And i hope , just to be sure , they applied for a patent their design.
Re: New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds
#30Nice concept, but I'm wondering how inflating a mattress in this manner will allow you to achieve the pressure needed to support your weight.
By laying on it, you're compressing what's in there, and it pushes back on you. There's no need to ever inflate a mattress like a bicycle tire.