Chindogu

Chindogu

"If at first an idea is not absurd then there is no hope for it" - Albert Eisntein 

There was a book published by a Japanese inventor, Kenji Kawakami called '101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindogu'. He says 'unuseless' not useless, why is it unuseless? This is because they do actually solve a problem however in practical terms they cannot positively be called useful. I think that with Chindogu no matter who attempts to use it will probably experience difficulties or even social embarrassment which is why these inventions might not be as popular. Which then defeats the purpose of any invention.

Some popular Chindogu inventions:

1. 'The Baby Mop'

2. Keeping your hair out of your face when eating noodles.  A common problem. 

3. 'The all day tissue dispenser'
 

4. Noodles too hot? Not a problem anymore. 

5. Tired on the commute to work? Don't worry about hurting your neck anymore. Sleep in peace with the plunger helmet.

6. No more makeup worries with this lipstick mask. 

There are a lot of other ideas some better than others but throughout them all they follow 3 key components:

1. It has to be possible to make (it has to actually exist)

2. It has to remain in the public domain

3. It must not be exclusively a vehicle for humour