Showing posts with label Classic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classic. Show all posts

Apr 20, 2009

1918 Artwork Imagines Space Travel at a Blistering Two Miles Per Minute

You can't fault a 1918 artist for thinking future spacemen would travel the stars at two miles/minute (120 mph). But to think that astronauts would travel open canopy, Wright Brothers style? Cah-rayzee talk.

There's also the matter of the major planets all somehow appearing in the night sky alongside the Moon, but whatever. The pics are cool, in a steam punky, biplanes-in-space kind of way, and all those people on the open air observation decks sure have a great view!

Feb 16, 2009

Sanyo's Human Washing Machine From 1970

Back in 1970, Sanyo envisioned a future where manual bathing was obsolete and head-washing was (apparently) optional. At the World Expo in Osaka, Sanyo unveiled their plan in the form of the Ultrasonic Bath.

Essentially, the device was a human washing machine that cleaned, massaged and dried the occupant in a fully-automated 15 minute cycle. Obviously, Sanyo's vision of the future didn't quite pan out for the average citizen, but if you live in Japan you can look forward to a similar experience when your kids finally decide to put you in a home. A descendant of the Ultrasonic Bath concept called the HIRB ("Human In Roll-lo Bathing") system works in a similar fashion—scrubbing the elderly to a sparkling shine.