Cars and Motors

Want to know if your teenager is speeding?

Guest Blogger Jefferson Smith lives in Boston, Massachusetts and works as a political and marketing consultant. In between writing speeches and making democracy safe for all, he obsesses over the latest innovations in electronics and the internet. You can read his personal blog coming soon at www.thinkmatter.org.

Here's his article for readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com.

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Are you a worried parent with a teen driver? A new invention by a young man from Massachusetts can monitor the speed and location of a car and is being marketed to slow down fast-driving teenagers. We all know that speed and inexperience behind wheel don't mix, but will parents sic this Big Brother-device on their teens?

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Treadmill Bike

The article here the other day on a rowing bicyle in Row, Row, Row Your Bicycle, which to most folks seems like a pretty cool idea, made me think of another variation of the bicycle that I think is pretty novel. read more »

Row Bike

Bored with exercise?

Our guest blogger, educator/author, Sharon Bender of sharonbender.com has provided her find on an exciting new invention for readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com.

Here's her article:

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Have you seen the new "rowing bicycle?" read more »

Seat ChillerWhen its hot and humid and hitting record highs, what's the first thing you think of? Finding something to cool you down. A nice body sized ice pack sounds good.

Well dealing with the heat is much worse when you have young kids with you. On a hot summer day, you know you're going to hear whinning. Especially when you put the kids into a car. Its almost always 10 degrees hotter in the car. It would be great for their car seats to be nice and cool when they get into it. My prayers have been answered by a company called Kooler Kidz.

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This is the first entry by Christian Hoopes as a featured blogger. Christian knows how to win friends and influence people; he just chooses not to. He grew up in a desert and therefore is an expert on beating the heat, albeit not exactly in style. He also thinks they should bring back Peanut Butter Snickers.

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Summer is in full swing with no signs of letting up any time soon-these may in fact be considered the ‘dog days’ of summer. Why the dog days? Because it’s so hot that you pee anytime someone rings the doorbell, and you can’t stop panting and licking yourself. It’s not pretty.

Therefore, we at American Inventor Spot have decided to leap to your rescue. Everyone wants to find a better way to beat the heat, but not everyone has the luxury of taking the day off and splishing around at the local water park-some of us have jobs, you know. It is for these unfortunate individuals that we direct our assistance. read more »

Its been a few months since the grand finale of the American Inventor show aired (May 19, 2006) when Janusz Liberkowski won the title American Inventor. Janusz is the inventor of the Anecia Survival Capsule (a safer carseat).

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UBC invented 3,145 Mpg CarThe engineers over at UBC have created a vehicle that can travel from Vancouver to Halifax (coast-to-coast) on one gallon of gas. And although it’s not the fastest car on the block, it proves that somebody out there isn’t trying hard enough to make our everyday cars just a little more efficient.

This vehicle can go coast-to-coast (in Canada) from Halifax to Vancouver on one gallon of gas. That’s roughly 3,145 miles. And for this amazing feat, it has earned first prize at the yearly Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Supermileage Competition that was held on June 9th in Marshall, Michigan. read more »

ISwiss Strolli 1 was looking on the internet when I came this stroller accessory. Essentially, it is an attachable tricycle. You can attach the tricycle to the stoller (stroller is not included). Just wanted to restate it because it took me by surprise the first time I saw it. Let me describe the product to you and then I’ll let you know my opinion.

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(Editor: This article was originally published for Father's Day 2006)

Father's Day is the worst. Every year, it's the same lame presents. Come on, you know what I am talking about! If I never see another tie, cologne, BBQ set, belt, wallet socks, underwear, shirt, sweater or lame ass book, I will die happy. Listen up, guys and let me know if you agree with me. I think I have come up with some really novel gift ideas for dear old dad (other than the obvious stuff he really wants but I can't afford like a Porsche, the model girfriend or the giant flat screen tv). Here's my picks for what to get the old man, depending on what type of Dad you have (together with some choice ad content from their vendors)...
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I love french fries. Love love love them!

It's pretty safe to say that we are a nation obsessed with thses lovely little morsels of hot crispy salty yum. read more »

WE FIND IT SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO

A Norwegian engineer reinvented the way helicopters keep themselves stable. The result: create a radio-controlled craft that can take off from the palm of your hand

By Eric Adams

Helicopters are tricky beasts to keep aloft and stable. Full-size birds do it with skilled pilots, while most unmanned craft rely on gyroscopes and autopilot. But the 3.3-gram Picoflyer is too small for any such luxuries. Instead, Petter Muren, a Norwegian engineer who builds mini copters to fly indoors during long Scandinavian winters, reinvented the stability system.

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