This nifty, battery-powered flyswatter’s handle contains motion sensors and digital imaging electronics. The flat, swatter part is really a transparent LCD, displaying a full size, flat, swatter part.

As one gently swats (no need for speed) at a pesky insect, the swatter measures the swing velocity and shows correctly timed images of a diminishing flyswatter. The bug eyes, eyeing the threatening square, will see it as a stationary or receding object, leading to a stunned, non-squashed six-footer.

Little old ladies, animal lovers and “The Fly” moviegoers are sure to appreciate this quaggy weapon of Muscidae destruction. The next project for application of this technique is sock-a-sucker boxing gloves.
-- FarmerJohn, Jul 12 2003

motion camouflage http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993870 [pluterday, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Heh! Running through a visual of your sock-a-sucker boxing gloves, I actually flinched!

<silly aside> I'd love to have a "tommy hilfiger" styled t- shirt that reads;

==[FarmerJohn]==
-- Tiger Lily, Jul 12 2003


<obligatory original 'The Fly' post> 'Help me!'
-- RayfordSteele, Jul 12 2003


Of all your crazy ideas - I think I like this one best.
-- Jinbish, Jul 12 2003


I love it =) All that technology just to intellectually outwit a little fly. +
-- phundug, Jul 12 2003


One could also offer a line of other image modules, incl. the 'smitten dreamy loverfly' (perhaps with included pheromone jet), the 'levitating virgin dog turd' (perhaps with included volatile sulfur compound jet), the 'playful but surely inept hand-wielded newspaper', the 'horse's ass', the 'fully Murphy's-legal falling jam-slathered piece of toast', and, for nocturnal bugs, the 'full moon/Dr. Mesmer's near-ultraviolet porchlamp' (hey, lcd's are already well-polarized!).
-- n-pearson, Jul 15 2003


The same technology could cover the front of a moving bus. +
-- sartep, Jul 16 2003


[Jinbish] It’s not such a crazy idea, it’s what dragonflies do—see the link on “motion camouflage”.
-- pluterday, Jul 17 2003


[pluterday]: Nice one!
-- Jinbish, Jul 17 2003


[p] Funny! :)
-- silverstormer, Jul 17 2003



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