Have you ever thought you invented something that later appeared to already exist?

In fourth grade I invented this, only mine was cooler. I did a science fair project on the best way to keep bananas fresh (my mom even took me to visit the Chiquita factory!). It’s actually best to put them in a black, vacuum-sealed bag, so my version was opaque black and had a little hand pump for easy at-home vacuum-sealing.

I had never been exposed to this idea before. My family and everyone I knew (and everyone I know now) kept bananas out in the open. So I’m pretty sure it was an original thought.

When I was a youngin’, I thought of something similar to fusion energy propelling future spacecrafts. Still isn’t invented yet, but… yeah.

@wildpotato Just a question of relevance: Are you able to keep that bag outside of the fridge and it will still last significantly longer than when outside the fridge and just exposed to air. Not that I like bananas; but my housemates eat them and we don’t really have room in our fridges.

I actually did invent something, know for a fact it wasn’t around, but I sat around too long and didn’t do anything about it. About three to four years later, they started popping up all over the place. It was nail polish pens.

They stole my idea for the iPod

@Ame_Evil Yes, it will still help if you put them in a Ziploc freezer baggie with as much of the air sucked out as possible, and just leave it out on your counter. If the bag is black or just dark it helps even more. Another good trick is to peel the banana and dip it in a tupperware full of room-temp water mixed with a crushed Vitamin C tablet. (2 tsp of pure ascorbic acid or 6000 mg of Vitamin C. You can also mix this with fruit juice or sugar syrup for slightly different flavoring for the bananas). The mixture is to prevent oxidation (browning). Fish the whole bananas out one by one and slice them, and then throw the slices back in till you are done cutting all of them. Then put the slices in a baggie, suck as much air out as possible (helps prevent freezerburn), and stick them in the freezer. You can eat them as yummy frozen treats or let them defrost. They will save for quite a long time (a month or so), depending on your freezer temp.

I had an idea for a website a long time ago. I told my sister about it and she said that it was already done and called eBay.

Yep. I called a forest in my novel “Mexborough Woods”. I swear that I had never heard that term before, but then I search it on Google and it turns that “Mexborough” is the name of a real town in England. I swear I hadn’t heard of it before! It must’ve just been a coincidence.

Another time, I started playing this cool tune that I suddenly just “thought up”. A few days later, I heard it on the radio. I realized then that I had heard it before and was subconsciously remembering it, but not fully remembering it.

I have an idea I hope has already been taken. The “Stuff” in the center of Oreo’s should be marketed by itself. I don’t like the cookie part so I just eat the stuff and throw out the cookie which is so wasteful. Someone please market this idea!

@chyna there is marshmallow cream, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the same.

I thought I had invented this great alter ego that I called @Ame_Evil but he turned up at AiROW and then again at Fluther

@Fred931 No, sadly, not the same.

@DominicX What do you play?

@DrasticDreamer Those are awesome! Can I give you credit anyway?

@wildpotato

Piano. The tune was from a baroque piece that I can’t remember now. :( I know the tune, but I don’t know the piece. I did compose my own variations on the tune, though, because I really like it. I just wish I knew what it was called and who wrote it.

@wildpotato I would be flattered if you did. ‘Cause damn it, it was my idea. :(

I knew someone who thought they made up the word “snarky”. I personally haven’t really invented anything I don’t think.

I was using something similar to the Internet before it was invented. It was a massive series of tubes connected to my TV. I was able to find information by deciphering the static feedback displayed on the screen. But then Al Gore made it better…

I thought I invented the universe, I guess I was wrong I suppose.

In high school I forgot how to do a particular integral, so I went back to first principles and derived the rule I needed. I know its not quite the same…...

My major invention though was a petrol-steam hybrid engine for cars. Since an internal combustion engine produces a lot of heat, why not use the water jacket to feed a steam turbine instead of just dissipating the heat? I once considered getting a patent on it because I am not aware of its existence, but then I figured if it was viable then engineers would already be using it. I think it would probably be too heavy. I haven’t got around to doing the calculations yet.

When I was in middle school I thought I invented individual powdered drink packets, for water bottles. I had NEVER seen them before, but saw them the next year, maybe. My friend told me they had been around for a while, but I had never seen them.

I remember in 10th grade telling someone about my idea for an “iPod for books”, but then realized how stupid it was. Then Amazon came out with the Kindle.

@Ivan

You could’ve made millions! :(

@DominicX

Haha, I’m not too upset about it.

@chyna – http://www.recipezaar.com/Oreo-Filling-190061

not sure if it’s exactly the same, but it sounds good . . . or at least, it has ten tons of sugar in it.

@efritz Thanks! I will try this recipe.

yeah, a water heater that heats the water as it travels through the pipe instead of heating up a huge tank of water first. I probably missed it by a decade.

@NaturalMineralWater : I have been in the laundry business for almost 40 years and my family for about 40 more before that and we have been heating water in a similar fashion for almost all of that time. So don’t feel like you missed the boat. Heat exchange systems and instant heat have been around a long time but just recently got small enough for home home markets

I have 2.

When I was tiny, my dad introduced me to the computer. Specifically the Paint program. I would spend hours just… making a mess on Paint. I couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t make a pen-shaped mouse with buttons so that you could draw more realistically. And now, we have the tablet PC and wacom tablet.

When I was little, my dog ran away and I had to write a homework assignment that night for an invention (elementary school level). I designed a collar that had a homing device in it, so you could track your dog when they got out of the house. Now, we have microchips, the permanent, scarier (in my opinion) version. (we found him later that night after my mom drove around the city)

Sex! :) But doesn’t everyone feel like that when they first start having good sex?

Yes.

In fourth of fifth grade I thought cars should be hydroelectrically powered, although I didn’t know the word hydroelectrically.

Did I invent the word “humongous”? I am not willing yet to give up on the possibility. When I was in college in the 60s, I coined it (or thought I did) for a paper I wrote for a creative writing class. I began using it in conversation, and people would laugh and say they had never heard the word. Etymology tells us that the word can be traced to the 60s but with no certain origin; so, maybe I can continue to claim it until someone is able to prove me wrong!

After my daughter was born, I realized that it would be great to be able to see her while she was in her rear-facing infant seat in the car. I’d drive along wondering if there was a way to add a couple of mirrors so I’d be able to see the baby. I even told my husband about it, and he said, “Yeah, people would love that! You should try to sell that idea.!” A few weeks later we got a baby magazine in the mail, and of course there was a mirror system so you could see your baby while driving. They’ve probably been around for about as long as rear-facing infant seats.

Other than that, I got nothing. :)

After a road trip ½ way across the country marked by using some seriously disgusting bathrooms, I had the brilliant idea to market toilet seat covers in a portable carrying case. Then I found out they already exist. Curses!

I wanted to invent an umbrella that somehow has built in heaters attached, dangerous perhaps, but also too cosy.

It’s not quite what your asking for, but as a child I thought I had invented masturbation. I hadn’t had any exposure to the concept so when I came of age I was just vain enough to believe that I was the first to ever do it.