Action Figure Diary—Episode Gallery

(#113) Brian: Invention advice on household robots

Brian
Q: I want to make blade attachments for my robotic vacuum cleaner so it can do double-duty and mow the lawn, too. Do you have any pointers or suggestions for a project like that?

A: As someone who’s less than a foot tall, I prefer the small, robotic vacuums to the standard models. The robot vacuums are less intimidating to action figures, and they’re quite fun for us to ride around on. But the thought of adding blades to a robot vacuum is pretty terrifying to me. It could all go horribly wrong for action figures and other small beings. I’m sure you’re sincere about only wanting to use such an invention on your lawn, but I’ve learned the hard way that we have no control over what other people do with our inventions.

As an inventor, you can release your creation into the world with the best of intentions, but people will corrupt it in ways you’d never expect. After a while, you start wondering whether you were better off when your inventions didn’t survive the testing process. You start doubting whether it’s worth the heartache to try inventing again, or if you should just try bonsai gardening or something.

I usually go lie down when I feel like this, but I’d probably just have nightmares. Please abandon your plans for the blade attachments. The action figures of the world will thank you.

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| Posted by TSB | Week of 09/10/06 | Permalink |


Comments

TSB wrote:
I wrote the bonsai line as a last-minute addition, but now I'm quite tempted to get a little bonsai tree.
09/10/06 21:16:30

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