Fluid filled speed bumps that when driven over, force the fluid to turn a turbine, generating electricty to operate street lights or road signs. This should be fairly easy to construct, I think a similar process is used to count cars on the highway, using air instead of fluid-- senatorjam, Jun 10 2002 (?) KinergyPower http://www.kinergyp...ical_synopsis.shtmlNot technically a speed bump. [jutta, Nov 30 2009] US Patent application for the above (2007) http://appft.uspto....2&RS=DN/20070085342 [jutta, Nov 30 2009] 15 year old schoolboy has the same idea http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8406331.stm [stupop, Dec 12 2009] So, if you want the light to change, you just keep going back and forth over the speed bump, huh? Impractical, but potentially humorous.-- wesweswes, Jun 10 2002 I think senatorjam means plain old streetlights, wes, and not lights which change, such as traffic lights, but I might be wrong. It seems like a pretty good idea to me, the speed bumps are there anyway, so we might as well make them multi-functional.-- salachair, Jun 10 2002 A shocking, re-volting thought.-- FarmerJohn, Jun 10 2002 We'd have to empty the custard out to do this though. Unless of course there are custard driven turbines out there I'm unaware of...-- mcscotland, Jun 10 2002 Perfect way to remove any lumps from the custard...-- drew, Jun 10 2002 Places that have speed bumps dont often have street lamps, at least round my way they don't. And i can't see this generating enough wattage to power a street lamp, let alone sustain the power for long enough to be practical.-- [ sctld ], Jun 10 2002 //Places that have speed bumps dont often have street lamps//That seems odd; speed bumps are used for urban traffic control around here.-- angel, Jun 11 2002 The only speed bumps in my home town is out by the old abandoned aerodrome. Aparantly its haunted.-- [ sctld ], Jun 11 2002 Gone the way of the Millenium Dome, then?-- RayfordSteele, Jun 11 2002 [sctld] Do they go bump in the night?
[RayfordSteele] That would be a speed bump for UFOs.-- FarmerJohn, Jun 11 2002 My search was not thorough, and my fine idea had been scooped - nearly a year ago. Here it is, in its proper subservient place.
Speedbumps make you slow down. What better time to show motorists an advertisement? I propose a speedbump which, when compressed, would turn a generator and produce a surge of electricity, causing an electric billboard to flicker to life in front of the motorist. This would be eyecatching as it would come on just when the motorist was well positioned to see it, and would then flicker out as if it were broken. This would save on electricity also, as the sign would light up only for potential viewers, who themselves generate the power. Most people drive SUVs now, and so the speedbump itself would be barely noticed. It may be necessary to set up a series of compressible speedbumps to provide adequate voltage. Alternatively, several spaced speedbumps could light up sequential signs, a la Burma Shave.
I urge holders of the croissant to look at this from the position of the advertiser, not the motorist.-- bungston, May 19 2003 Couldn't the speed bumps power a sign that flashes the speed that they are going, I mean isnt what they are for... to remind drivers to keep to the speed limit.
A few speed bumps less than a car length apart could make it easy to measure the speed without resorting to speed cameras.-- BlownUpGnome, Nov 21 2004 I heard on the radio today that a schoolboy had this idea and that it was being discussed at Copenhagen by someone or other (see link).-- stupop, Dec 12 2009 random, halfbakery