Be like Daniel Gyro Gearloose for once: When children become inventive
School buildings are a hotbed of ideas. In the corridors, the children visualise what lies dormant in their heads. If tomorrow's world is only half as colourful, then the future will be great - and surprisingly tidy!
Some places get better the less often you're there. That's how I feel about school buildings. Whereas they used to be everyday places that smelled of forgotten gym bags, I can see completely different aspects on the parent side of life. I no longer have to go there every day, but every now and then they open their doors for events and present themselves as real art galleries. No matter how drab the building is, the concrete walls are always full of colourful works.
The other day I stopped in front of a special exhibition. Along the stairs, it showed the posters of a third or fourth grade class presenting their newly invented products. Even though they only existed on paper so far, I was fascinated by the children's wishes and their different talents and approaches. Daniel Gyro Gearloose sends his regards.
From 99 per cent discount to 100,000,000 francs
There were detailed drawings that were almost blueprints, marketing talents who ignored all the details in their discount campaigns, "enschinjörinnen" who had big things in mind and pragmatists who wanted to tackle obvious everyday problems. Amongst the slash-and-burn prices, made-up CVs and IQ figures that would make Albert Einstein green with envy, there were a number of ideas that I would love to see on the market.
I would dig deep into my pockets for "Falti balti", for example. A washing/drying machine that folds clothes at the same time would be really ingenious. I hope the young inventor continues to pursue her plans - if she brings this product onto the market, she can add a zero to the target price of 250 francs.
Source: Michael Restin
Firstly, her classmate and creator of the "Super Fire X" - a fire-shooting flying machine that will be used by the police, Uber Eats and Deliveroo employees in the future - has also done this extensively and raised the price to 100,000,000 francs. Secondly, it will replace three products at once and one of the most unpopular activities in many households will be a thing of the past.
As soon as "Falti balti" comes onto the market, these appliances will be a thing of the past:
Bargains on Black Friday
You can still afford the "Super Fire X" if you have patience. Dynamic prices have been fully internalised by many children: on Black Friday, the hot jetpack can be had for as little as 10,000 francs. As it will be autumn again by then, I recommend the "Weather Decider" for a mere 500 francs, which delivers sun, rain or snow at the touch of a button.
If you make the wrong choice and catch a cold, the crank-operated "nose wipe machine" can help, which, if its inventor has his way, is supposed to put an end to the nasal shower. Instead of the undignified rinsing process or constant snotting into the handkerchief, the machine will crank the nose clean in future.
Source: Michael Restin
The device looks something like a nose hair trimmer and works without a battery or app. Great! At the advertised knockdown price of just one francs (with a 99 per cent discount!), it should be possible to get this gadget onto the market and into people's noses.
I'm not the only one who likes this, but also Daniel Gyro Gearloose, who once sang about similar plans. On YouTube, the nose starts at 10:35
"I'm going to build myself a nose cleaning machine out of a big bath sponge. I attach it to the front of my nose as a nose wiper. And there's a big nozzle in the middle, otherwise my nose runs faster than my feet ..." - but the legendary inventor didn't get much further than that. He should team up with primary school pupils.
Now it's "Clocky" at the collar
They are not only annoyed by blowing their noses, but also by getting up early, which is why a tuned version of "Clocky" is on their list of inventions. They already have an escaping alarm clock that forces even the last snorer to get up. But it causes trouble.
Source: Katja Fischer
"Clocky is funny, but gets on our nerves from the very first alarm. He doesn't just wake up my daughter, he wakes up the whole house. My daughter thinks it's cool. I, on the other hand, would love to bang it against the wall," writes my colleague Katja Fischer in her test report. The reviews even say: "At some point, you just want to kill it."
"Clocky" can run away when "Micro Bot" arrives
Maybe "Clocky" will soon be replaced by a better product called "Micro Bot", which doesn't immediately trigger thoughts of murder when woken up. Only the advertised price of 10,000 francs could become a problem. But as I have seen some posters of real marketing talent, a spin will be found: High performers easily recoup the money through their increased productivity, because the early bird catches the worm as we all know.
Totally childish! Invent solutions instead of excuses
And getting up will feel better in future, as many annoying everyday tasks will no longer be necessary. Because that was the biggest surprise for me: instead of making excuses as to why they can't tidy their room, the children love to invent robots that do just that.
Organisation is half the battle - and children prefer to spend their time in the other half. So it's nice to know that the Roombas and Dreames, which today struggle to climb /page/suction-robots-with-legs-of-dreame-x50-ultra-climb-at-the-highest-36677
Of course, not every project will be pursued. That's also part of life. The "homework maker" who writes essays and solves maths problems might have a hard time against ChatGPT despite a fifty per cent discount. On the other hand, it is reassuring that this thought has apparently not yet occurred to the children.
Their designs are ingenious originals. And the next good idea that no adult can get their teeth into as well as a child is guaranteed to be just a free afternoon away.
So, now please excuse me. I'm on a hot story and need to clarify when "Randy, the practical spare hand" will be added to the range at Galaxus ...
Source: Michael Restin
Header image: Shutterstock
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Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer, dad of two. Likes to be on the move, shimmies through everyday family life, juggles with several balls and occasionally drops something. A ball. Or a remark. Or both.
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