#3782 Re-Invent the Wheel

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#3782 Re-Invent the Wheel

#3782 List 25 things we take for granted (like door knobs, hinges, shoe strings, etc.) that would be interesting to study to see whether are improvements or makeover possibilities

That's a fantastic thought experiment! It's amazing how many mundane objects are ripe for a "why haven't we thought of that?" moment.

Here are 25 common things we take for granted that would be interesting to study for potential improvements or makeovers:

Household & Personal Items

  1. The Common Hanger: Why are we still dealing with shoulder bumps and slippery silk? Can the shape be fundamentally changed or the material made smarter?

  2. Toothbrush Bristles/Head: Despite electric models, the fundamental nylon bristle design is decades old. Could a new material or geometry clean better and last longer?

  3. Standard Refrigerator Shelving: They're static and not easily customizable for various container sizes (e.g., milk cartons, tall bottles). Modular, fully-reconfigurable shelving systems could optimize space.

  4. The Kitchen Sponge: It's a breeding ground for bacteria and quickly degrades. Why not a self-sanitizing, quick-drying, or multi-textured modular system?

  5. Wall Light Switches: They are either 'on' or 'off.' Could they be seamlessly integrated with smart home features, offer more nuanced lighting control, or look completely different (e.g., fabric-covered or touch-sensitive)?

  6. Pill/Medicine Bottles: The caps are often frustrating (for adults) or dangerous (for children). The labeling and dosing mechanism could be radically simplified and more intuitive.

  7. The Basic Keyring/Key Fob: Clunky, noisy, and difficult to manage. A silent, streamlined, and more compact system is needed.

  8. Power Strips: They're a tangle of cords, and the outlets are often spaced so poorly that large adaptors block nearby ports. Modular, customizable, and better-managed cord solutions are overdue.

  9. Toilet Paper Roll Holder: Changing the roll can still be a fiddly maneuver. Can it be a simple, gravity-fed, or magnetic system?

  10. The Measuring Tape: It only measures in one dimension and is inherently inaccurate for curves or complex shapes. Digital, laser-assisted, or flexible composite-material versions could be studied.

Infrastructure & Public Use Items

  1. Street Curbs: They're an obstacle for wheelchairs, strollers, and floodwater. Can a dynamic or permeable curb design serve multiple purposes better?

  2. The Grocery Shopping Cart: Still prone to squeaky, misaligned wheels, difficult to navigate, and lacking easy integration for self-checkout or personalized storage.

  3. Standard Mail/Delivery Boxes: They don't easily accommodate varying package sizes, temperature-sensitive items, or prevent theft. A smarter, secure, climate-controlled drop-box is an area of study.

  4. Plastic Cutlery (Disposable): Flimsy, bad for the environment, and uncomfortable to use. Can we design truly compostable, ergonomic, and multi-functional disposable tools?

  5. Bus Stop Shelters: Often just a bench and a roof, lacking real-time information integration, comfortable temperature control, or solar power/charging stations.

Fasteners & Tools

  1. Zipper Teeth/Mechanism: They get snagged, break easily, and are difficult for people with dexterity issues. Can a new magnetic or flexible closure replace the toothed system entirely?

  2. Buttons and Buttonholes: Still require two hands and slow down dressing. A streamlined, one-handed, magnetic, or snap-based closure could be more efficient.

  3. The Common Paper Clip: Prone to bending out of shape and only holds a limited number of pages. Could a more robust, non-marring, or even dissolvable alternative exist?

  4. Standard Tape Dispenser: The cutting edge is often dull or tears the tape unevenly. A new cutting mechanism and easier tape-loading design are needed.

  5. The Rubber Band: It snaps, ages poorly, and leaves residue. Could a durable, reusable, and adjustable silicone or shape-memory alloy fastener take its place?

Design & Interface

  1. Door Knobs and Handles (Internal): They can be difficult for people with arthritis, their clothes can snag on them, and they are a high-touch surface for germs. Could a hands-free, foot-operated, or flush-mounted design be a better solution?

  2. The Computer Keyboard Layout (QWERTY): Designed to slow down 19th-century typewriters to prevent jamming, it's inefficient for modern use. New ergonomic layouts (like Dvorak or custom designs) deserve mainstream consideration.

  3. The Simple Pencil Eraser (Attached): It's often poor quality, smudges, and runs out before the pencil does. Can it be replaced with a cleaner, more efficient, and perhaps internal mechanism?

  4. The Traditional Water Sprinkler Head: Usually only sprays in fixed patterns and wastes water. Could dynamic, sensor-driven, hyper-local, and customizable irrigation nozzles be the norm?

  5. The Common Flat Head Screw: Prone to stripping and requires a flat tool that often slips. The Phillips head was an improvement, but can we create a truly universal, non-slip, self-sealing fastener?

Which one of these do you think is most overdue for a radical redesign?


What would be a great prompt to submit to an LLM to analyze and suggest improvements for any user-specified item (e.g. the common hanger for one)?

That's an excellent idea. To get the best and most creative analysis from an LLM, you need a prompt that establishes a clear role for the AI, defines the scope of the problem, and structures the output.

Here is a great, comprehensive prompt template you can use for any item (e.g., the common hanger):

LLM Analysis and Improvement Prompt Template

**Act as a Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) and Industrial Design Consultant.** Your task is to perform a deep analysis of a ubiquitous, everyday item, identifying its current flaws, potential liabilities, and radical improvement opportunities.

**The Item for Analysis is: [SPECIFY THE ITEM HERE, e.g., The Common Clothes Hanger]**

**Structure your analysis into the following four sections:**

### 1. Current State and Core Function Failure Analysis

* **Core Function:** State the item's primary, essential function in a single sentence.
* **Top 3 Flaws (The Pain Points):** List and briefly describe the three biggest, most persistent problems users encounter (e.g., snagging, breaking, inefficiency, bulkiness, waste).
* **Unaddressed Needs:** Identify needs the current design entirely fails to meet (e.g., organization, space-saving, material sustainability, accessibility for people with disabilities).

### 2. Radical Redesign Objectives

* Define 3-5 non-negotiable goals for a new design (e.g., must be 100% biodegradable; must maximize closet space by 50%; must eliminate fabric creasing).

### 3. Improvement/Makeover Suggestions (Conceptual)

* **Incremental Improvement (The Quick Fix):** Suggest one minor change that could be implemented immediately to solve a single flaw (e.g., adding a rubberized coating).
* **Functional Makeover (The Next Generation):** Suggest one significant, but realistic, change that uses existing or near-future technology to redefine its function (e.g., a modular system, a smart material).
* **Blue-Sky/Radical Disruption:** Propose one completely novel, futuristic, or unconventional concept that eliminates the current form factor entirely (e.g., replacing the item with magnetic suspension or a wall-integrated vertical folding system).

### 4. Materials Science Exploration

* Suggest two specific, advanced materials (e.g., graphene, shape-memory polymers, bio-plastics) that could address the item's main durability or sustainability flaws and explain *why*.

**Provide your entire output in a structured, easy-to-read markdown format using headings as requested.**

Why This Prompt is Effective

  1. Role Setting: By telling the LLM to act as a Chief Innovation Officer and Industrial Design Consultant, you cue it to use industry-specific terminology and approach the problem with a mindset focused on market viability and design aesthetics.

  2. Specific Sections: The prompt forces the LLM to think through the problem in a structured way (flaws $\rightarrow$ goals $\rightarrow$ solutions $\rightarrow$ materials), ensuring all angles of the redesign process are covered.

  3. Tiered Solutions: Asking for Incremental, Functional, and Radical ideas prevents the AI from just giving you the obvious fix or an ungrounded fantasy. It provides a spectrum of actionable concepts.

  4. Material Focus: The final section pushes the AI beyond just geometry and into modern materials science, which is often the key to true innovation in physical products.


From <https://gemini.google.com/app/>  Google Gemini 2.5 Pro

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