Inspired by "Thermographic Mirror"
I'm going to paraphrase the "Thermographic Mirror" post which inspired this. Basically, that idea was for a "mirror" that shows your heat signature on a large screen using thermal imaging, to be used to see how well insulated you are. The first use I thought of was to see how well bundled up you are before heading outside in the winter. The second thought I had was the inspiration for this idea.
This idea is intended to be used by parents of teenage daughters, parents who are concerned with how provocatively their daughter is dressing, ie how much skin is showing.
My idea is to connect this "Thermographic Mirror" to the locks on all exterior doors of the house. The parents can simply use a thumb-print scanner to come and go. The teenage daughter, however, must submit to a thermal imaging scan, and if too much heat is detected (because if she was properly covered, only so much heat could be detected) then the door does not open, and she does not go out dressed like a jail-bait hoochie-momma and get into all the trouble associated with such manner of dress.-- 21 Quest, Feb 18 2009 I want to add the thought of a glass-fronted door containing a transparent display which shows clothes. In fact...-- nineteenthly, Feb 19 2009 That was my third thought, bigsleep...-- 21 Quest, Feb 19 2009 Also works for keeping naked abduction victims safely under lock and key - it's quite an effort managing those guys at the best of times!-- zen_tom, Feb 19 2009 There would have to be some sort of emergency over-ride to make sure someone wouldn't get trapped inside in a dangerous situation.
Also, ummm... this would have no effect on what the girl wears once she leaves the house, and on top of that, it would probably just give her more reason to defy her parents if they put in some device to measure her when they're not around. Not good parenting, and practically ineffective if you ask me.-- paix120, Feb 19 2009 Well yeah, they can always take the clothes off once they're outside, but this would at least discourage it, especially for the girls who like to carry tiny purses that aren't big enough to stuff their clothes into.-- 21 Quest, Feb 19 2009 OK, there is a weird and authoritarian area to enter here: full clothing equivalent of the chastity belt. A complete set of clothes which can only be removed in the house because it has a wirelessly-operated lock. Even i find that disturbing and possibly counterproductive.-- nineteenthly, Feb 19 2009 Well I would think that being counterPRODUCTIVE would be the point of such an endeavor, wouldn't it?-- 21 Quest, Feb 19 2009 It would. However, reproduction isn't the only worry.-- nineteenthly, Feb 19 2009 pointless - I know from experience that I tossed my school uniform into a black bag & changed into fashionable gear in the backgarden. girls are not stupid, 21 - sorry to disappoint you.
do fathers/carers talk about their daughters as hotties?-- po, Feb 19 2009 She could have a really quick, ice cold shower before leaving the house. Her skin would be exposed but nonetheless cold enough. She would then catch a cold, as well as chlamydia.-- Bad Jim, Feb 19 2009 Bad jim! Bad, Bad, Bad jim!
And po, I only used the word 'hottie' because it went so well with 'lock-in'. And as far as teenage girls not being stupid... well, ok, you're right, I suppose getting taken advantage of and knocked up does take a certain level of brilliance. I've completely underestimated how very INTELLIGENT and RESPONSIBLE teenagers are.-- 21 Quest, Feb 19 2009 [Po], no i don't, i actually find that with the passing years, young women seem increasingly like children, i.e. like my daughter, to me, so i feel the urge either to treat them as such, which is patronising, or just see them as living in a totally different world than i have ever lived in. That's about it. There's no longer any sexual element to how i see women in their twenties nowadays, regardless of whether i'm closely related to them.-- nineteenthly, Feb 19 2009 What, then, if hotnicity oozes from your every pore? A burkha?-- afinehowdoyoudo, Feb 19 2009 even intelligent and responsible teenagers (of both sexes) can have their hormones run away with them...-- po, Feb 20 2009 I strongly agree with you, po, and I'm not saying that I blame the kids or think they should be punished for innocent mistakes. However, the parents have the responsibility of helping them avoid the more painful mistakes in life, and this idea is intended as a tool to help the parents accomplish this task.-- 21 Quest, Feb 20 2009 you can't beat talking to your kids rather than subterfuge.-- po, Feb 20 2009 //if too much heat is detected// It might need to be more sophisticated than that; on average heat emitted is approximately proportional to metabolic rate, regardless of the amount of clothing worn. Yes, metabolic rate increases when the body is poorly insulated in cold conditions, but also after running down stairs or eating.-- spidermother, Feb 20 2009 It might also stop people with fevers from going to work inappropriately.-- nineteenthly, Feb 20 2009 Ya see? The perfect late for work excuse! This idea just keeps looking better and better, doesn't it?-- 21 Quest, Feb 20 2009 no-- po, Feb 20 2009 Ouch...-- 21 Quest, Feb 20 2009 as if you care!-- po, Feb 20 2009 It just so happens that I was watching Predator the other day. How will this system work against a steriod-filled bodybuilder who has stripped down and gotten covered in mud?
...And on a somewhat more mundane note, how well will this system work on a young lady who goes to the school restroom, and stuffs her outer layers of clothing in her backpack for the majority of the school day? I seem to remember there having been quite a few such girls when I went to high school.-- ye_river_xiv, Feb 20 2009 Ok, I guess the main point is novelty value. Ya gotta admit, it would be kinda cool to have. But my point is that it's a tool to *help* parents educate their daughters, not to be the sole enforcer of household rules.-- 21 Quest, Feb 20 2009 They could just stand slack-jawed in front of an open refrigerator for several minutes. Teenagers seem to like that-- BunsenHoneydew, Feb 22 2009 funny idea, but all these parental monitoring doohickeys ignore the fact that the kids are usually more technologically advanced than the parents. i'm sure there's some solution to the problem without getting all techie.-- legohead, Feb 23 2009 In that case, get them to design and build it.-- nineteenthly, Feb 23 2009 random, halfbakery