This hat would have a single laser source and a diffusion filter that would project a 2m circular line around the wearer. The wearer could then use this to gauge closeness to others as well as warn others from getting too close. To make it work, the user would have to have an adjustment on the hat which would compensate for their own height.-- Cedar Park, Apr 10 2020 Baked! https://i.imgur.com/4yib4lh.gifv [tatterdemalion, Apr 22 2020] GERMAN CAFE GIVES CUSTOMERS ‘POOL NOODLE’ HATS TO ENSURE SOCIAL DISTANCING AFTER REOPENING https://www.indepen...rothe-a9518846.htmlfoam noodles work as well as lasers [Cuit_au_Four, May 18 2020] Nicely visual and utilitarian.
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Mightn't the laser also be tweaked to, ah, abbreviate all items, fingers, persons, etc that get within that circular line? Asking for a fellow inventor.-- whatrock, Apr 11 2020 2 meters there? Here its a lousy 6 feet. Someone's gonna die because we didn't convert to the metric system.-- RayfordSteele, Apr 11 2020 You can't claim you didn't have fair warning about that. Was the Gimli Glider not enough ?
As to the idea, it seems very short on important details, like exactly how the system triggers perimiter defence weaponry.
Is the line 2m in radius, diameter, or circumference ? For situations where both parties wear such a hat, a 1m radius is sufficient. If only one party has a hat, and a 2m radius, the line will indicate the separation at foot level, but due to the tapering profile of humans, the upper body will be significantly closer.-- 8th of 7, Apr 11 2020 Cedar Park, it's been a long time, you. Great idea, and if you wear it with your "distance skirt" you will be all the talk of the runways, perhaps. Missed ya.-- blissmiss, Apr 11 2020 The hat isn't a laser for cutting people's limbs off, it only marks a perimeter that people should not enter. With a low power laser and a big battery, it could last for hours. Turn it on when you have to go shopping. It could have some sort of NFC enabled that cuts off the radius when approaching another hat of the same type.-- Cedar Park, Apr 11 2020 [8th], it could be made with a projection of 1m and 2m increments, and a proximity sensor that turns it on when others approach to save power.-- Cedar Park, Apr 11 2020 [RayfordSteele], RIP Mars Climate Orbiter.-- Cedar Park, Apr 11 2020 We don't want a laser for cutting limbs off; that would be unfeasable, due to the mass and bulk of the unit, and the power supply requirements.
No, what we want is the system to trigger other weaponry. If you insist, it can be a low-lethality system like a "belt" containing taser cartridges able to discharge in a 360 degree arc.
But you have to insist; something lethal will be so much more effective.
And you can put "Died because of Coronavirus" on the paperwork, so that's fine ...-- 8th of 7, Apr 11 2020 My 11yo is supporting social distancing by taking a lightsabre toy everywhere with him and twirling it annoyingly. [+] for the first hat idea I've read in years (probably just because I haven't been here).-- wagster, Apr 11 2020 It's very wrong for you to let him wave a toy weapon around like that. It gives completely the wrong idea.
Give him a real sword ...-- 8th of 7, Apr 11 2020 Wouldn't work so well on black surfaces such as asphalt parking lots, but indoors should work just fine. [+]-- 21 Quest, Apr 12 2020 Real swords work quite well both indoors and outdoors, altho outdoors usually gives more space for a good swing.-- 8th of 7, Apr 12 2020 You might have issues with the projection moving based on head movements - e.g., nodding would distort the front segment to appear much closer to you, at a time when you're likely not looking forward.
Solved with a shoulder or backpack mount which raises the projection device above your head, making it independent of head motion and looking to all appearances like a halo.-- tatterdemalion, Apr 12 2020 Gyro/accelerometer stabilization will fix that; doesn't need to tilt the whole device, just have an angled mirror on a fast servo.
Walking would cause the "ring" to expand and contract; using the laser as both a designator and a rangefinder fixes both issues.
We're still not seeing sufficient intrinsic lethality, though.-- 8th of 7, Apr 12 2020 //that cuts off the radius when approaching another hat//
Pity light-light interactions aren't more substantial. I would have loved to seen half of a hyperbola light up between people.-- wjt, Apr 13 2020 Particle beams could do that, but are impractical in a planetary atmosphere.-- 8th of 7, Apr 13 2020 I'm thinking a giant sombrero would work.-- Cuit_au_Four, Apr 25 2020 A sombrero seems to have a radius larger than the height of the crown.
Thus a sombrero with a 1.8m internal height, sufficient to completely enclose a typical human, would have a radius of more than 2m at ground level, where the brim would be.
That would meet the requirement. Castors attached to the underside would reduce friction.
Doorways would need a slot cut out 1.5m on each side, at floor level, to allow the brim to pass through, but that's a mere detail.
Mariachi bands might constitute a serious threat to life and property, but that's hardly a new thing.-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2020 random, halfbakery