4 ms·

Ask HN: What new inventions are you working on?

10 points by 8sigma 11y ago

Either individually or in a corporate setting.What new inventions/innovations can be expected from fellow hn comrades?

maxaf 11y ago
IMHO the greatest inventions are those of the highest utility relative to cost of implementation. Such inventions usually arise from tenaciously scratching a particularly bothersome itch. For example, I've seen many Scala programmers struggle with achieving maximal type safety due to getting bogged down in boilerplate. To attack this problem (as I see it anyway, but that's all which matters for now) I'm researching ways of utilizing Scala macros to cut down on such boilerplate while retaining type safety. This has been huge for my own side work (which means the utility is definitely there), but I'm still uncertain as to the cost, i.e. what effects my approach might have on a "serious" commercial project. I'm just going to have to find out the old fashioned way.
antocv 11y ago
No invention per se, but integration of various hardware parts into a much better hardware part. I just wanted to buy something like it, and all offers on the market are shit compared to what I want, compared to what I can make by buying various parts myself and connecting/programming it all together.
miguelrochefort 11y ago
I'm building a new communication interface for humans and machines.
kiloreux 11y ago
Although not me, but I have played the role of the engineer in the research going on currently in our lab for developing a more advanced brain computer interface, to help people in need that can't move their bodies, we're doing pretty well, I will share the realization soon.
egraether 11y ago
We just launched a new developer tool named Coati, which is designed to navigate and understand source code: https://www.coati.io/ https://www.coati.io/ The idea was based on our experience that you spend too much time searching through code as a developer. Coati makes it much easier to see how the different parts of the software play together.
doczoidberg 11y ago
I am building a cloud based FEM (finite element) simulation tool which you can run in the browser
- hanniabu 11y ago
  As a mechanical engineer, I thank you and how you succeed. If you need a tester for UX feedback, I'd love to help. My email is in my profile. I checked out your profile and saw you're an ME and developer as well, but also see you're self employed. Do you do freelance programming? And what type of development do you do? Sorry for all the questions, I'm always curious to see what others in the same field are up to.
  - doczoidberg 11y ago
    i'll come back to you when the beta version is online.
mchannon 11y ago
Water machine. Air + electricity -> freshwater. (No, it's not a refrigerated air unit; in fact, it works in the driest climates)

10 points by 8sigma 11y ago

Either individually or in a corporate setting.What new inventions/innovations can be expected from fellow hn comrades?

maxaf 11y ago

IMHO the greatest inventions are those of the highest utility relative to cost of implementation. Such inventions usually arise from tenaciously scratching a particularly bothersome itch. For example, I've seen many Scala programmers struggle with achieving maximal type safety due to getting bogged down in boilerplate. To attack this problem (as I see it anyway, but that's all which matters for now) I'm researching ways of utilizing Scala macros to cut down on such boilerplate while retaining type safety. This has been huge for my own side work (which means the utility is definitely there), but I'm still uncertain as to the cost, i.e. what effects my approach might have on a "serious" commercial project. I'm just going to have to find out the old fashioned way.

antocv 11y ago

No invention per se, but integration of various hardware parts into a much better hardware part. I just wanted to buy something like it, and all offers on the market are shit compared to what I want, compared to what I can make by buying various parts myself and connecting/programming it all together.

miguelrochefort 11y ago

I'm building a new communication interface for humans and machines.

kiloreux 11y ago

Although not me, but I have played the role of the engineer in the research going on currently in our lab for developing a more advanced brain computer interface, to help people in need that can't move their bodies, we're doing pretty well, I will share the realization soon.

egraether 11y ago

We just launched a new developer tool named Coati, which is designed to navigate and understand source code: https://www.coati.io/ https://www.coati.io/ The idea was based on our experience that you spend too much time searching through code as a developer. Coati makes it much easier to see how the different parts of the software play together.

doczoidberg 11y ago

I am building a cloud based FEM (finite element) simulation tool which you can run in the browser

hanniabu 11y ago
As a mechanical engineer, I thank you and how you succeed. If you need a tester for UX feedback, I'd love to help. My email is in my profile. I checked out your profile and saw you're an ME and developer as well, but also see you're self employed. Do you do freelance programming? And what type of development do you do? Sorry for all the questions, I'm always curious to see what others in the same field are up to.
- doczoidberg 11y ago
  i'll come back to you when the beta version is online.

mchannon 11y ago

Water machine. Air + electricity -> freshwater. (No, it's not a refrigerated air unit; in fact, it works in the driest climates)