00:00There are some inventions that make us say, dude, why didn't I come up with this?
00:06And then you have the next question, why don't we have it in my hometown yet?
00:10I'm talking about things like splash-proof toilets, liquid trees, and skyscrapers with
00:17slides.
00:18Yep, they're all pretty real, and you're about to fall in love with them.
00:24Have you ever used a public bathroom in the summer in your shorts and sandals and got
00:29splashed?
00:30It happens to the best of us, so no worries.
00:33If only there was some solution to this problem, perhaps a urinal with a small hole so no liquid
00:39goes where it shouldn't.
00:41Looks pretty yucky and painful to me.
00:43An assistant professor at the University of Waterloo, Zhao Pen, and his colleagues came
00:49up with a way better solution for this sensitive issue.
00:53Their designs were inspired by physics and dogs.
00:57When a stream of liquid moves on a solid surface at a shallow angle, the splash is reduced,
01:02and the smaller the angle, the fewer splashes you'll see.
01:06You can even minimize them to a zero.
01:08And when dogs do their business, they lift their hind legs and do it on the vertical
01:12surface of a tree or a wall.
01:15I don't know if they actually care about it, but this does reduce the splash.
01:19Good job, Pluto!
01:21The team invented several models and presented them at the American Physical Society conference,
01:27and it was a hit.
01:28The inventors say that all of the models are no splash, but their favorites are the slice
01:33of apple and the one that looks like a tall and slender J with a narrow and long opening.
01:40The new urinals aren't just super cool but also more sustainable.
01:44You won't have to wash the floor with water, chemicals, and human energy after every use,
01:49which is a win-win.
01:51Here's another innovative public toilet idea for you, this time from Japan.
01:58They have completely transparent walls, which means, yes, you can see everything that's
02:03going on inside, from the toilet itself to the hand wash sink.
02:07It sounds pretty creepy, but the idea was actually to create a safe restroom in the
02:12park.
02:13Visitors can see if there's someone hiding inside before entering and also check if the
02:18toilet is clean before entering.
02:20When you go inside and lock the door, the walls change color to opaque, and no one will
02:25be able to see you.
02:27They used glass covered with PDLC film to make the walls, which allowed them to go from
02:32being transparent to safely in tents using electricity.
02:36Alright, now you've nearly convinced me to try one of those magical toilets.
02:41Oh, and they also double as excellent lanterns in the dark, shining bright in different colors.
02:47Bring a couple to my local park, I don't mind.
02:51Take a deep breath.
02:52If you don't like what you're breathing in, do something about it.
02:56That must have been exactly what the smart guys at the University of Belgrade, Serbia
03:00thought and invented the Liquid Tree.
03:03The Liquid Tree, not the pun and laugh a bit, consists of a glass tank filled with over
03:09150 gallons of water, some microalgae, and a solar panel which provides electricity to
03:15a small pump.
03:17The microalgae need heating, so just in case there's no sun and the temperatures drop,
03:22the photobioreactor is also connected to the city grid.
03:27Microalgae work hard to do some photosynthesis magic and convert water and CO2 into oxygen,
03:33and then it goes into the atmosphere.
03:35The Liquid Tree also comes with a bench to sit on and enjoy its work.
03:40The Liquid Tree needs more work than a regular tree in the park.
03:44They need to replace the water and microalgae almost completely every month and a half.
03:49And they also need to take out the biomass that is the byproduct of the process.
03:54And let's admit, nothing can replace those blooming babes in spring.
03:58If you ever find yourself casually wandering in the forests of Estonia, don't freak out
04:03if you see some giant megaphones.
04:06These wooden acoustic giants were set three hours away from the country's capital by interior
04:12architecture students.
04:14That's way cooler than the hamster roller coaster I once built for a science fair, I
04:17have to admit.
04:20More than half of Estonia is covered by woods, and they're pretty proud of this natural wealth.
04:24So it's not the first art project of this kind, and there was a winding, elevated pathway
04:29and a faceted woodland cabin.
04:32The idea of the megaphones is to crank up the natural sounds of a forest and also to
04:38serve as a rest spot for hikers.
04:42These wooden beauties are large enough to host several people.
04:45And hey, if you walk this far into the woodland, you'll be thankful for this.
04:50The students were given a task to invent some concepts of a forest library.
04:55They built the megaphones off-site and brought them to their permanent spots.
05:00They're set in such a way that sounds from three directions meet in the center and create
05:05a cool natural surround sound effect.
05:08Have you ever helped your friends move into a new apartment in a building without an elevator?
05:13Then you're gonna love this one.
05:15Houses in Amsterdam have hooks on top.
05:18This is a medieval invention for pulling stuff up the houses.
05:22The simple tech consisting of a wheel and a rope still functions now, centuries later.
05:27Why not just use the stairs?
05:29Well, if you get inside one of those narrow Amsterdam buildings, you'll see there's hardly
05:34enough room to comfortably ascend, and you can forget about even trying to pull a table
05:39on top.
05:40Back in the medieval ages, pretty much like now, only rich people could afford housing
05:45around the canals in the best parts of the city.
05:48Those people were mostly traders and used the canals for their business.
05:53They stored goods in the same houses they lived in, and with regular floods, they had
05:58to find a way to keep the goods dry.
06:01And that's why they needed to invent something to lift furniture, goods, boxes, instruments,
06:07and food on the upper floors, and pull it in through fully open, wide windows.
06:13The lifting tech is one of the reasons the houses in Amsterdam are leaning forward.
06:18This position helped keep both the lifted stuff and the walls and windows safe during
06:23transportation.
06:25They didn't have to touch each other.
06:27The gables also assisted in the process, and had to be made firm to withstand all the
06:32heavy weight.
06:33And in case you're wondering what gables are, they're sections of wall between the edges
06:38of a dual-pitched roof, typical for Amsterdam.
06:43Folks who live or work in skyscrapers have the opposite problem.
06:47Getting out of the building can take a while as you wait in line for the elevator.
06:51A slide going from the top of a skyscraper could be a solution.
06:56In 2016, they added one outside of the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles at the height of
07:011,000 feet.
07:03The see-through slide made of glass just one inch thick was built to withstand hurricane
07:08force winds and earthquakes.
07:10It was built to bring tourists to the building, though not for the convenience of office workers.
07:16And then they decided it wasn't such a great idea, so the slide was removed as part of
07:21the reconstruction of the building.
07:23A Hong Kong photographer and editor who became famous online went even wilder with his imagination
07:30and designed a double-decker bus with a slide.
07:34It's not his only futuristic photography masterpiece, as he likes to play with perspective
07:39and proportions.
07:40I can totally see myself sliding away when someone asks me to pay for the ride!
07:46That's it for today!
07:47So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
07:52friends.
07:53Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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