Engineering:The Isolator (helmet)
The Isolator was a helmet created by Hugo Gernsback in 1925 to reduce distractions.[1][2]
The Isolator was first introduced in the July 1925 edition of the American Physical Society magazine, with which Gernsback was affiliated.[1][3] The helmet was first created using wood and felt.[4] The mouth of the helmet had a baffle for breathing and had three pieces of glass that so users could see outside.[5] It was deemed successful, but Gernsback had estimated that it was only "75%" efficient and said it did not keep out all sounds.[6] Gernsback re-designed the device without wood and cut white lines into the glass so users could see out of the helmet. Gernsback said that the new design was 90-95% efficient and kept out almost all sounds.[6][7] However, Gernsback also noted that the helmet could only be worn for about 15 minutes at a time as the user would become drowsy.[8][9] Gernsback then added an oxygen tank to assist the user with breathing while wearing the helmet.[6][10]
Gernsback later patented "The Isolator".[3] While he had deemed the item to be a "great investment", the item had disappeared by 1926 after only eleven helmets were created.[11]
The Isolator later inspired the Helmfon, another noise-blocking helmet.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 This Vintage Anti-Distraction Helmet Looks Like a Creepy Horror Show Prop, Interesting Engineering, 2017, https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/this-vintage-anti-distraction-helmet-looks-like-a-creepy-horror-show-prop, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ Poole, Steven (2017) (in en). Rethink: The Surprising History of New Ideas. Scribner. pp. 106. ISBN 9781501145612. https://books.google.com/books?id=C0o8DwAAQBAJ.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Goran, David (2015), "The Isolator" – A bizarre helmet from 1925 designed to improve work productivity, The Vintage News, https://www.thevintagenews.com/2015/12/22/the-isolator-an-invention-from-1925-designed-to-improve-work-productivity/?firefox=1, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ Put on This "Thinking Cap" When You Want to Concentrate, Times Signal, 1925, https://www.newspapers.com/image/38598493/?terms=%22the%20isolator%22%20helmet&match=1, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ The Isolator: A 1925 Helmet Designed to Eliminate Distractions & Increase Productivity, Open Culture, 2021, https://www.openculture.com/2021/05/the-isolator-a-1925-helmet-designed-to-eliminate-distractions.html, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Gernsback, Hugo (1925), The Isolator: Science and Invention, Vol. 13, No. 3, July 1925, Science and Invention, https://www.thevintagenews.com/2015/12/22/the-isolator-an-invention-from-1925-designed-to-improve-work-productivity/?firefox=1, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ (in en) Electrical Experimenter, Volume 13. Experimenter Publishing Company. 1925. pp. 214, 281. https://books.google.com/books?id=bXQQAacef6sC&dq=%22the+isolator%22+helmet&pg=PA214.
- ↑ Gernsback, Hugo (2016) (in en). The Perversity of Things: Hugo Gernsback on Media, Tinkering and Scientifiction. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452953144. https://books.google.com/books?id=-TB0DwAAQBAJ.
- ↑ The Isolator helmet is what every writer needs, Vintage Everyday, 2017, https://www.vintag.es/2017/04/the-isolator-this-insane-anti.html, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ Nucilli, Ryleigh (2021), 'The Isolator' Was A Terrifying Helmet Invented To Help You Concentrate, Ranker, https://www.ranker.com/list/the-isolator-1925-hugo-gernsback-invention/rylee_en, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ Emmerling, John (2018), How They Fought Writer's Block In the Roaring Twenties, Publishers Weekly, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/77778-how-they-fought-writer-s-block-in-the-roaring-twenties.html, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ↑ Corbin, Erica (2020), 31 Bizarre Products You Won't Believe Were Ever Sold, Yahoo, https://www.yahoo.com/now/31-bizarre-products-won-t-090001331.html, retrieved 12 April 2023
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