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"I am not a speed reader. I am a speed understander."
- Isaac Asimov
 |
| Air Blast | ||
| An air dryer for personal use. |
I wonder if he invented this one; another failure to file patent. You can see how you might think of it; anyone familiar with machine shops or labs with compressed air know that compressed air is often used to dry materials.
| It was not Dave's idea of a refreshing chamber, but he managed to take a sketchy shower in spite of the slimy floor. Then he discovered that there was no air blast installed, and he was forced to dry himself unsatisfactorily with his handkerchief. He had no choice in clothes. He must put back on the ones he had taken off, or go naked. He recalled that he had seen no nudity anywhere in Coventry, even at sports- a difference in customs, no doubt. |
| From Coventry,
by Robert Heinlein. Published by Not Known in 1940 Additional resources -
|
According to Denis Gagnon, president of Exel Dryer, "the basic hand dryer was invented in 1948 and has gone virtually unchanged ever since." It may have been patented by someone in 1948, but Robert Heinlein wrote about it in 1940.
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Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
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'Hello, Europa... Is this your robot I'm looking at, in sector 94?'
What other robots are strong enough to carry you? Do you want them to do so?
'I'm going to pump the air from this room... so that the interior will be like airless and pressure-less space.'
'Plates and cups ... slowly floated down to the floor and were not broken.'
