3 weird innovations that have faded into oblivion 

Inventions have been made relentlessly since the evolution of Homo sapiens. Hundreds of new inventions are patented each year with the hope of improving human life. Starting from electric light (1879) by Thomas Edison and automobiles by Karl Benz (1885), to telephones by Alexander Graham Bell, these inventions have changed the very way we live. That said, we cannot deny that there are some scientific developments which have faded into oblivion too, thanks to their irrelevance or hazardous nature. Here are three oddball creations that are probably great for entertainment but ended up in museums owing to their bizarre and impractical traits. 

Baby cage 
When you read ‘baby cage,’ you may picture a cradle or a crib. However, in the early 1900s, baby cages literally meant what they claimed to be. These cages were inspired by the idea of letting children enjoy fresh air without parenteral supervision. In 1913, Mrs. Robert C. Lafferty, a health care worker from Baltimore, US, designed it. It was meant to sit on the windowsills of apartments. 

Although childless herself, Mrs. Lafferty understood a mother’s need to watch over her baby as he/she played in the fresh air and sunshine. Named the ‘health crib’ by Lafferty, the cage was a 2" × 2" × 2.5", cushioned and screened box, made to protect the infant from insects. The box also had a sturdy top to keep pigeon litter away. The cage was meant to be tightly clamped to the window frame, lowering the risk of tumbling or the child falling from it. 

Not so surprisingly, most parents thought that leaving their precious baby to play in a cage made of wire mesh, suspended outside a window, several floors above street level, was too terrifying. As common sense prevailed, the product vanished into obscurity. 

Radio hat 
Less than a century ago, before Walkmans, iPods, and cell phones existed, the thought of listening to the radio while moving was unthinkable. Radios in those days were too bulky to carry around. In the 1930s, a strange device, which resembled a straw hat, with two protruding antennas, was invented by Victor Hoeflich in Berlin. In March 1949, Hoeflich arranged a press meet to unveil the radio hat. He got several young models to pose for reporters and photographers while wearing radio hats because he knew that a picture would tell the story. Despite commercials and several versions of radio headgear, none of them caught on with the public. In addition to being cumbersome, the radio hat had problems with radio transmitting signals. Although the radio hat appeared futuristic then, its technical limitations eventually led to the failure. Listening to music on the go was ultimately revolutionised with the advent of the transistor radio in 1955.  

Face glove 
In 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the globe, face masks and gloves proved to be our saviours. However, in the 20th century, a face glove existed to enhance beauty. This eerie-looking mask, or face glove, was invented by Madame Helen M. Rowley in the US to retain youthful skin and erase fine lines and blemishes. Resembling something from a spooky horror movie, this face glove was meant to be worn overnight for aesthetic benefits. Scientifically, the mask made of Indian rubber, was meant to promote perspiration-induced pore opening that would make the skin look younger. The popularity of the masks led other businesses to produce their own variations. However, substances like lead, sulphur, and asbestos were being used in the masks, making them dangerous and causing more harm than good. Thankfully, they went out of fashion faster than they had caught on.