Finger Bubbles

Imagine a small plastic sheath that fits over your fingernail. It could either be attached by some form of adhesive, or, if your nails are long enough, it could just clip directly onto them. Over the nail itself the plastic attachment has a small reservoir – much like the kind used in the nib of a fountain pen (see link). Only instead of terminating in a scratchy point, the two ends of the nib project out past the nail and join together to form a small hoop. The result? Well, attach one to each finger, dip your mitts in soapy water, give your fingers a little waggle and find out. Hopefully, you’ll unleash little finger-tracers of tiny bubbles, and not just flick tiny droplets of soapy water about that will inevitably hit you in the eye and really sting.

The wee reservoirs mean that the nails can store enough soap mixture to keep the bubble-trails going for longer, although frequent dipping will probably still be in order. But just think of the applications… Is it Hawaiian dancing where every gesture tells a story? Imagine how much more magical those intricate hand-gestures would be if they left a trail of bubbles quivering in the air behind them. Harp music is already quite ethereal – install a gentle wind machine behind the back of the player, ensure a full set of Finger Bubbles are worn, of course, and suddenly you get a visual representation of the tremulous, delicate notes that are being played – the bubbles slowly drift to the floor and vanish as the sound of the plucked string fades and eventually dies away. Magicians, of course, would wear out their sets in weeks – imagine how impressive even the most simple feat of legerdemain would appear if surrounded by a sheen of floating spheres. Or they could be used by deaf people to add a note of clownish irony to their signings. Who knows - even ballet might become entertaining.

The possibilities are endless, if not entirely realistic.