Sometimes the world feels like it’s against us. Like, when you accidentally rip off the precious pull tab while opening a can of beans or when you are trying to figure out where is the end, the top, and the side of the sheet when making a bed. To some aliens from outer space, it would likely sound like not that big of a deal, but trust us, tiny humans, it is.
But thanks to some clever minds who were blessed with powers of creativity and problem-solving skills, life could be made easier, hundreds of times easier. But wait, let’s not hype it up too much, and let’s see what smart solutions to everyday problems Bored Panda has rounded up this time.
From tactile paintings for the blind to reversible public benches, and something as simple as a discount for well-behaved kids, these little things give us hope that no matter what, we are all going to be fine. Psst! More clever ideas to ease the stress of handling daily things can be found in our previous posts here, here, and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
A Discreet Way Of Calling For Help
How The Ruins Are Displayed In Serbia
In Norway, You Get A Small Amount Of Money For Recycling Bottles/Cans. A Lot Of Our Trash Cans Have These Holders So Poor And Homeless People Don't Have To Search Through The Trash To Collect Them
Humans have been coming up with ideas since the dawn of time. Some have been stupid (well, let’s be honest, most of them), some have been life-changing. But generating a truly good idea is a job on its own that requires breaking one’s conventional thinking and making that holy light bulb appear. But how you do this?
Well, first, good ideas don’t come naturally. You have to engage in observation, do research, watch people, and reflect on what you’ve seen. Gather all the information you can and look for patterns. In this way, you may spot the problem that needs to be solved and this is the point where your brain gets stimulated.
This Furniture Hardware Is Sorted By Step Rather Than By Type
These Public Swings Powered Chargers For Your Phone In A Train Station
The Fitted Sheet In My New Sheet Set Is Marked For Easier Bed-Making
Then, writing down the ideas, even the most absurd ones, is key. Think of how many bursts of thought we forget on a daily basis. Also, don’t worry about how the idea sounds initially. Picking the best ones is the second part of the job, but you only do this after you've got a solid list of ideas to work on.
Thirdly, remember that whatever it is that came to your mind, nothing’s impossible. Whether you dream of a business idea or a gadget that will change the world, accept the challenge you created for yourself and don’t be afraid it won’t work out.
Because even if it likely won’t save the planet, and you won’t become a second Steve Jobs, that doesn’t mean it won’t make our lives a tiny bit easier. And this is what we call an excellent idea turned reality.
Crosswalk Projected On A Dirty Winter Road
They Put Rails Under The Benches In This Park So You Can Always Be In The Shadow
Pfft, shade, shmade. I wanna go toot toot on the bench train.
Our Refrigerator Has Revolving Levels So You Can Reach Everything Easily
These Notched Chairs To Hold Bags
It’s so stupidly brilliant it almost angers me it hasn’t been done more.
This Restaurant Gives You A Discount If You Have Well-Behaved Kids
These Public Benches Are Reversible, So You Can Choose To Look At People, Or Boats
This Museum In Berlin Has "Touchable" Versions Of Their Paintings For Blind Or Visually-Impaired Visitors
This Keypad Randomizes The Numbers Every Time So Someone Doesn't Figure Out The Password From Your Hand Movements
Refillable Detergent In Prague, Czech
Doctors Paint The MRI Machine In The Children's Clinic To Look Like A Submarine
With refrains of, "We all live in a yellow submarine", playing in the background.
If You’re An Elderly Or Disabled, You Will Receive A Card That Enables You To Cross The Road With A Longer Countdown Time (Singapore)
A Very Interactive CPR Training Kiosk At The Airport
Train Seats In Japan Facing Outwards So You Can See The Scenery
This Shirt Has A Piece Of Lens Cloth Sewn On The Inside For Your Glasses
This Soap Bottle Lists A Purpose For Each Ingredient
Now I have something mildly interesting to read in the shower besides having made-up debates in my head that will never happen.
A Pill Bottle That Keeps Track Of When It Was Last Opened
I used to think things like this were silly. Until I got older... 🤣👍🏽
This Airplane Sleeping Mask Has Different Sides Depending On If You Want The Flight Attendant To Wake You Up For Meals Or Not
My University Sent Me A Wallet-Sized Diploma
This Baby Store Has Different Surfaces To “Road Test” The Strollers
My Spatula Has A Little Stand So It Doesn’t Touch The Counter
My Hospital Has Lights In The Ceiling That Are Designed To Look Like The Sky
A Bicycle Escalator In Norway
The Tear-Offs On This Poster For Domestic Abuse Have The Phone Number Disguised As A Bar Code
At The Uffizi Gallery In Florence, They Have Versions Of Paintings So That Blind And Visually Impaired Visitors Could Still Enjoy The Art
The Plastic Packaging Of This Paint Roller Doubles As A Paint Tray
This Toilet Lock That Doubles As A Tray So You Can’t Leave Without Taking Your Stuff
You Can’t Read The Cash Machine Screen If You’re Not Directly In Front Of It
This Elevator At My University Has Feet Buttons
My Wife Got Me A Magnet Bracelet For Holding On To Screws As I Fix Things
This Chess Set From 1972 Has The Valid Moves For Each Piece Stamped On Their Bases, Making The Game Much Easier For Beginners To Learn
They Have Pet Carts In Grocery Stores In Italy
My Local Hypermarket Grows Some Of Its Own Vegetables
This TV Remote Has A Keyboard On It's Back
Now they just have a microphone and you say what you want, unless you have a south african accent, so you have to say it a couple of times trying to find the right american accent it wants
These Two Different Sets Of Shopping Baskets At A Department Store In Bangkok - For Those That Need Help Or Want To Be Left Alone
My Work Has A Special Coat Closet For Smokers
Shopping Cart Cleaning Machine In Germany
This Dustpan Has A Comb For The Broom
I literally just ordered a black one the other day! I'm still waiting for it to arrive
This Rooftop For Bicycles So The Saddle Won't Get Wet
This Kinetic Sidewalk Generates Electricity When You Walk On It
Little fixes like his add up and up and up. Solar, wind, hydro and brains mean we could live happily without fossil fuels or nuclear.
My Spoon Carving Kit Came With Bandaids
Hahaha... they know you won't get through the carving without hurting yourself
A Suitcase That Can Measure Its Own Weight
I feel it would get smashed at the hands of the baggage handling staff when being loaded or unloaded from the aircraft.
This Is A Mud Shovel. The Holes Help Break Suction When Digging In The Mud
This Ruler Has Cascading Millimeter Mark That Makes It Easier To Read
This Deck Of Cards Has A Blank For A Replacement If A Card Is Lost
This Ladder Lift For Moving
They're really common in the Netherlands and have been around for as long as I can remember.
This Wearable Microphone One Of My Students Gave Me To Beam Directly To His Hearing Aids
UPS In Italy Uses These "Bicycle Trucks" To Deliver Packages To Places In Narrow Streets Of Rome
This Plug Is Designed To Go Around Other Plugs
My University Library Has A Wall Where You Can Quite Literally Take A Seat
My Toaster Has A Window To Analyze Its Progress
I find the use of the word "analyze" quite amusing in this post. "Make sure you scrutinize the the evolution of your soup when cooking"
The Town We Vacationed In Has Red Street Lights To Not Mess With The Wildlife
This Car Has Windshield Wiper Heaters To Melt The Ice And Free Your Wiper Blades During Winter
A Local Cafe Uses Some Ice Cubes Made Of Frozen Coffee So My Iced Coffee Wouldn't Get As Watered Down
Similar to freezing white grapes so that they can be put in white wine.
This Restaurant I Went To Has Solar-Powered Phone Chargers Built Into The Umbrellas
Nail Polish Bottle Has A Swatch Of The Colour Attached To The Bottle So You Can See How The Colour Looks On You
Social Distancing Escalator At Local Mall
I'm spoiling all the fun, but I bet they closed the escalators for six months to apply this
Chairs At My New Job Have Rollerblade Wheels So We Can Roll Quietly
These Napping Pods Offered By JetBlue At JFK Airport
This Box Pretending To Contain Boring Flour So That It Doesn’t Get Stolen
These Flavored Batteries
Reads the heading without looking at the photo. Thinks crossly to self “well that’s not a very good idea.”
This Crosswalk Signal Button Has Signage For Blind People Showing Exactly How Many Lanes They Have To Cross And Direction Of Traffic
Bonus points for making the signage modular which can be changed Lego blocks style. In Luxembourg city.
My Veins Under A Hospital Vein Finder
My Bucket Has A Flat Side To Put Against Walls
I've seen these all my life and yet I never connected the dots... XD
These Paper Towels Can Split Along The Other Axis, Creating Squares
This Supermarket Has A Place To Put Stuff If You Change Your Mind
Needs a freezer section: The number of times I've noticed frozen stuff on a random shelf.
My Toaster Has "A Bit More" Button
My Dad’s New Car Has Cup Holders That Can Warm Up Your Drink Or Cool It Down
I have a USB cup warmer plugged into my laptop. Quite handy for keeping the morning coffee warm.
This Kettle Fits In To A Tilting Mount To Help People With Arthritis Pour
This Pitcher With A Separate Section For Ice
This Reusable Salad Dressing Bottle Shows You How Much Of Each Ingredient To Put In To Make Different Dressings
My Hotel Has A Marker To Point Towards Mecca
All hotels should have this, it's such a simple yet meaningful gesture to show they care about everyone's beliefs.
This UV Handrail Sterilizer On An Escalator In Hong Kong
Built-In Cable Management On The Back Of My TV
This Remote Has A Headphone Plug In It To Listen To TV Quietly
Roku remote. They're pretty awesome, but using the headphones sucks the battery life.
This Maintenance Guy's Shirt Doubles As A Sign
Imagine this becoming a trend and everyone wearing these t-shirts 😆
Conference I’m Attending Warns You Which Seats Will Get Drafts From The Air Conditioning
These Winter Boots Have A Flip-Down Ice Cleat In The Heel To Help With Walking On Icy Surfaces
Package Of 4 Avocados Containing 2 Ripe Avocados "For Now" And 2 "For Later"
This Shopping Cart Has A Magnifying Glass
Most places that used them changed back to carts without them, simply because people are assholes and break s**t.
This Restaurant’s Restrooms Change Lighting When Occupied
This Restaurant Has A Foot Pedal For The Bathrooms So You Don't Have To Touch The Handle
When is a door handle not a door handle? When it's a door footle.
The Way This Clinic Offers Help To Abuse Victims
There was something similar higher on the list. It's great to see things like this become more widespread!
These Handles Don't Connect To The Floor So The Floor Can Be Cleaned More Easily
This Keyboard Has A Dedicated Smiley Key
In The Fitting Rooms At Muji, You Can Change The Color Temperature Of The Lighting To See What The Clothes You’re Trying On Would Look Like In Different Environments
A "New" Sign Indicating That The Speed Limit Has Changed
My School Has Racks In The Front Office For Kids To Put Their Skateboards On During The Day
The Shower In My Hotel Has A Little Cutout So You Can Turn It On Before Getting In
My Grandpa Made A Bookmark That Shows You Where On The Page You Left Off
This is really cool! normally i dont have that much trouble finding my spot but i can see if it might be useful in schoolwork
This Baby Pickle Jar Came With A Tiny Elevator For Them
Cardboard Tents You Can Buy At The Music Festival I’m At
I guess if the point is temporary, one-night sleeping it’ll work phenomenally. From an environmental perspective, they’ll decompose much better than a plastic tarp tent. (1 year being buried and this cardboard will be fertile soil. 👏🏼🍻)
This Airport Has A Place For Your Dog To Use The Restroom
My Local Library Has “Tough Topic Kits” That Can Be Checked Out Anonymously. Books And Resources About Topics Like Abuse, Mental Illness, Etc
This Goodyear Tire Has Tread Depth Measuring Built Into The Rubber
This Paper Bag That Shows You How To Pack It
This Dispenses Honey From The Bottom
On how do you sit it down without making a sticky mess? Plus it looks like a grenade..
This College Made A Water Bottle With A Map Of The Campus On It. It Also Shows Places Where You Can Fill It Up
This Luggage Store Has An Airplane Set Up For Customers To Test Their Carry-Ons And Underseater Bags
This Titanium Coated Butter Knife With Internal Copper Alloy Heat Tubes. It’s Made To Heat Up By Being In Your Hand To Make Spreading Butter Easier
My Vocab Book Comes With A Red Filter To Obscure The Answers
Had My First Robot Delivery The Other Day In UK
The Montreal Airport Has Stationary Bikes You Can Ride To Charge Your Phone
This Traffic Light Shows How Long You Have To Wait
Eswatini has these but they actually have a big countdown clock and I saw a problem with this... everytime I was driving closer and it was at 3-5 seconds red, I didn't slow down because I already knew it was turning green, forgetting to check if the people from the other light have actually stopped. When I was running out of time on green, I sped up right in town
These Coin Wrappers Can Be Used For Any U.S. Coin
These Sprinklers On The Road Near The Ski Resort I’m At In Japan To Keep The Road From Freezing Over (Salt Water If You Were Wondering)
Pre-School Placed A "Picture Day" Reminder Sticker For Us On The Middle Of My Son's Back So He Couldn't Remove It
My Local Grocery Store Has Smart Carts That When You Search For An Item Tell You The Exact Isle And Shelf The Item Is On
A Stand For Bikers To Hold On To While Waiting For The Traffic Lights In Sweden
My Lunch At Work Has Letters Denoting What Type Of Empanada Each Is
New Credit Card 3 Digit (CVV) Changes Every 4 Hours
My New Wok Has Circles For Measuring Oil
Sorry but the amount of oil used for cooking is very important. Would you use the same amount to deep fry as saute? Do you want your veggies to be greasy and covered in oil or cooked to perfection with just enough oil to coat the pan? Former chef here and I just couldn't let that one go.
You Can See How Much Milk Is Left Inside
It's cool, but doesn't it mean it now has more plastic than it has to?
All Of The Toilet Lights In My Town Have Been Changed To Fluorescent Blue, In An Attempt To Prevent Heroin Users From Being Able To Find A Vein To Use
This is a really bad idea. It doesn't prevent people from injecting, all it does is make it harder for them to inject safely, so the risk of abcesses or hitting an artery are higher. It would be more helpful to put up posters advertising local substance misuse support services and provide sharps boxes. Drug users aren't bad people, they're people with a problem who need help to stop.
This Hairbrush I Bought Came With A Tool To Remove Hair From The Brush
My Carryout Box Has Sections For Each Of My Tacos
This Device Attached To The Side Of A Shipping Crate To Indicate Tilt
These New Boxes At The Post Office Come With Sealing Tape
Fur In My Jacket Has Some Reflective Strands
This Projector That Comes Down From A Ceiling Tile
My Newly Renovated Park Has A Bike Repair Station
This Clock At My Grandparents' House Is Backwards So It Faces The Right Way In The Mirror While You're Getting Ready
This USB Cable That Always Plugs In The Right Way
This Tram In Australia Has A Place To Hold Your Surfboard While Traveling To/From The Beach
So, if you get on with your board and someone else is already using this, do they not let you ride?
In Autumn, My City Has A Public Service That Comes By And Sucks Up The Leaves You Rake To The Curb
These Korean Cup Noodles Have A Small Drain For Pouring Out The Water To Make Soup-Less Noodles
that looks like ja jang myun which is not supposed to have broth. I doubt the actual soup ramen has this feature as the broth is part of the meal.
Surfers Are Putting Eyes On The Bottom Of Their Boards To Freak Out Sharks
If it works, that's cool. Can you imagine shark being confused 'wtf is that?'.
This Dishwasher Projects A Timer Onto The Floor
My Hotel Bedside Clock Has The Time On 3 Sides
The Parking Lot Where I Left My Car Has A Free Breathalyzer So You Can Check Your Alcohol Level Before Driving
The Drawer In My Kitchen That Is Made To Dispense Paper Towels
These Gender Neutral Bathroom Signs
This Airport Bathroom Has Lights To Show You Which Stalls Are Free
The Tables At This Foodcourt Have Built-In Wireless Charging
Our New Fridge Has A Filtered Water Pitcher In It
A Dog Bathroom In An Airport
Ya totally normal. Some have fake rocks instead of hydrants, etc. you can also flush the fake grass.
That Little Black Dome Outside A Therapist’s Office Muffles The Sound Coming From Sessions Inside
My therapist's office has this too. It's a white noise machine.
My Kitchen Floor Has A Built-In Cooler
Only if you take off the cover and pee in it. Is that something you're likely to do?
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Places where space is a premium. Like in Japan, or Hong Kong. They'd also be good for studio apart,ents.
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That seems impractical to me :-/ It's of cause extra space, but you have to go down on your knees to get anything.
Great idea, this will be good for my back. Elderly folk will love this even more.
Grocery Store Cart Has An Adjustable Phone Mount So Your Digital Grocery List Is Easily Visible Without Holding Your Phone
These Little Dots On The Stair Rail Of Our Library That Indicates Which Floor You Reached Walking Up The Stairs
These Wooden Circular Tops For Pedestrians To Sit On While Waiting For The Light To Change
Nifty Little Device We Use To Detect If Sensitive Equipment Is Mishandled During Shipping
This Notebook With An In-Built Portable Charger
Train Station's Color Coded Escalator Handrails Show You Which Line Comes To Which Platform
This Calculator Has A Slot With No Power For Holding Extra Batteries
These Fold-Out Chairs In The Hospital I’m At
Rest Stop In Outback Australia With A Holder For Your Phone To Help It Get Better Signal
My Grocery Store Bags Items In Blue Bags If They're Cold So You Can Put Them Away First
Coconut With A Pop-Top
When I find this in the store, imma buy 12 and string them along my chest like grenades on a bandolier. (And yes, scream, “Fire in the hole,” when it’s opened)
This Sports Store Has A Ramp With Different Types Of Terrain To Test Hiking Shoes
The Spatula That Came With The Cake From A Korean Bakery Has Matches Inside And A Spot On The Back Of The Spatula To Light Them
Come people,. let's get with it. The matches are there so that if anyone disparages the cake you bought, you can set them on fire...Korea is a fast paced modern culture of the 21st century and they don't have time for cake haters... /s
This Beer Can Lets You Point Tab At Your Initial So You Know Which Can Is Yours
The Color On The Doorhandle Represents If The Door Is Unlocked Or Not
I bet there's still going to be those jerk that doesn't look at the colour, and yanks a red handle.
This Bag Of Beef Jerky Came With A Flosser
My New Carving Knife Came With Bandages
Grocery Store By My Apartment Got New Carts With Cell Phone Holders. I Thought It Was Cool
My Dishwasher Doesn't Have Any External Buttons Or Display. When Running, The Remaining Time Is Projected Onto The Floor
The Dr. Pepper Museum Has A Mirror To Look Down The Well In Case You’re Scared Of Heights
Dizzy just thinking about it and looking at an image of a mirror....
This Pan Has A Thermochromic Indicator To Show If It Is Hot
This Sanitary Door Opener
My Mojito’s Straw That Stops The Mint
This Sports Store Has A Mini Obstacle Course So You Can Test Your Hiking Shoes
Chick Fil A Over Here Living In The Future With Their Umbrella-Tents
My Phone Can Wireless Charge My Toothbrush
We Have Street Lights For People Who Like To Walk Looking Down At Their Phone
Fun Fact: In Switzerland it is illegal to walk while watching your phone.
A Grocery Store In My Town Has A Machine You Can Put Your Wet Phone In To Save It
I guess there's a context here ? Is it near a waterpark or something like that ?
This Book Shows How Much Percent You've Read
Most of these made me say Wow, but far too many of them just made me nostalgic. I miss hotels, and escalators, and tourist attractions, and just going for a walk, and the opportunity to be in a bathroom with multiple occupied stalls!
I could do without the multiple occupied bathroom stalls, personally. Definitely miss traveling though.
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I always enjoy these series that come round from time to time on BP. I guess I particularly enjoy them as I am a creative and like problem solving
I want basically all of these now! Even the spoon carving set, weird but cool.
Local health centre now has a variety of different height loos in the disabled toilets. Mostly one in each, but a couple of double toilets in one room. Great to have a choice as most used to be extra low for transfer from a wheelchair. They have some extra tall for those of us that can't bend
Lovely to see such creative ideas. I'm def going to need one of these one day, which I found looking up precision rulers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mayyou-Precision-Woodworking-Measuring-Positioning/dp/B083DXGNKN/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&hvadid=80882855808380&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvqmt=p&keywords=precision+ruler&qid=1611067810&sr=8-17&tag=mh0a9-21
Anybody notice how the number of up votes for each item declines almost evenly as you work your way down the list showing how people become disengaged as they get further down. Rerunning the list the other way up would allow you to get an even better measure of the rate of disengagement and to extract a more meaningful measure of the quality of the ideas - which are very good, by the way.
Some of these are so simply practicable sense that it's hard to imagine why we don't have them all over the world! I love looking at this kind of stuff.
You published your Post of the Year so soon? A lot of brilliant thinking here, though I'd hate to try to clean my glasses on that shirt (#19).
Most of these made me say Wow, but far too many of them just made me nostalgic. I miss hotels, and escalators, and tourist attractions, and just going for a walk, and the opportunity to be in a bathroom with multiple occupied stalls!
I could do without the multiple occupied bathroom stalls, personally. Definitely miss traveling though.
Load More Replies... I always enjoy these series that come round from time to time on BP. I guess I particularly enjoy them as I am a creative and like problem solving
I want basically all of these now! Even the spoon carving set, weird but cool.
Local health centre now has a variety of different height loos in the disabled toilets. Mostly one in each, but a couple of double toilets in one room. Great to have a choice as most used to be extra low for transfer from a wheelchair. They have some extra tall for those of us that can't bend
Lovely to see such creative ideas. I'm def going to need one of these one day, which I found looking up precision rulers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mayyou-Precision-Woodworking-Measuring-Positioning/dp/B083DXGNKN/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&hvadid=80882855808380&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvqmt=p&keywords=precision+ruler&qid=1611067810&sr=8-17&tag=mh0a9-21
Anybody notice how the number of up votes for each item declines almost evenly as you work your way down the list showing how people become disengaged as they get further down. Rerunning the list the other way up would allow you to get an even better measure of the rate of disengagement and to extract a more meaningful measure of the quality of the ideas - which are very good, by the way.
Some of these are so simply practicable sense that it's hard to imagine why we don't have them all over the world! I love looking at this kind of stuff.
You published your Post of the Year so soon? A lot of brilliant thinking here, though I'd hate to try to clean my glasses on that shirt (#19).
