The world of inflatables is not only large, but it is extremely inventive as well. Well beyond your car’s airbags and backyard BBQ bounce houses, there are inflatables that push the boundaries of what we know. On a regular basis, this blog shows you some of the ways inflatables are being used in different ways. As you know, inflatable jets and tanks are a personal favorite of mine, as well as inflatable pubs. I’ve discovered a few stories this week about inflatables on a totally different level. One is useful for parents and the other is all about standing up to “The Man.”

Kid-Friendly iPads – The overall consensus on Apple’s popular tablet is to keep it away from children. This is a safe bet, considering the damage the kids can do to pretty much anything. Luckily for parents with tech-savvy tykes, there is a system using inflatables to protect your iPad from getting smashed. Cnet talks about a brand new iPad accessory:

“Even the roughest toddler will have a hard time busting up your iPad once it’s strapped into CTA Digital’s Inflatable Cube. It’s simply an inflatable cube with a built-in case on one side for your iPad or Kindle Fire. Your tender tablet is recessed into the cube, so your enthusiastic little angel will have to work extra hard to damage it.”

Forget the Rat – A while back, we published an entry about inflatable rats being used as a tool for union protestors all over the United States. This week, the New York Times has a piece about a new inflatable mascot for union workers. It’s being used by union nurses and unlike the rats, this beast comes from a slightly hotter area:

“…a giant three-headed dog with fangs was the effigy on display as about 250 unionized nurses rallied outside the Midtown headquarters of the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management… the firm added 10 mostly Catholic community hospitals in the Boston area to its portfolio, promising to keep the same level of services or to provide even better services. But carrying signs that proclaimed ‘Cerberus Is a Lying Dog,’ and that urged “Get Wall Street Out of Health Care,” members of the nurses’ union, accused the firm of proving to be more like its namesake, the canine monster in Greek mythology that guarded the gates of hell.”

The inflatables industry has been hit with a number of problems in recent years, primarily due to accidents and other safety issues plaguing otherwise well-meaning activities. We have discussed a few of the more pronounced accidents that have occurred over the last few years in this blog, from two young girls in Arizona suffering concussions to a bounce house getting blown across a field in New York. Whatever the reasons are for the injuries from inflatables every year, there is one issue that needs to be discussed before the New Year – inflatable safety regulation.

More and more, states are realizing the need for laws when it comes to inflatables, especially rental inflatables. An article in the Austin American-Statesman discusses the lack government intervention when it comes to inflatables:

“The Texas Department of Insurance is legally responsible for keeping an eye on what in the industry are known as continuous airflow inflatables — and by millions of birthday party guests as bouncy houses and jumpolines…its oversight can seem underwhelming. The typical penalty for operators who consistently refuse to comply with state rules requiring that they carry liability insurance and get each of their units inspected once a year is a series of strongly worded letters under department letterhead.”

The article says that the furthest the state can go is to issue an injunction against inflatable operators, but it has never happened. Even when one inflatable company owner complained and sent in proof of non-compliance, the state basically did nothing. However, this isn’t just a problem in Texas- many states have trouble keeping inflatable companies in line. Thankfully, there is some support coming in the way of safety:

“The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that bounce houses and other inflatables caused as many as 31,000 injuries receiving emergency room treatment between 2003 and 2007. Operators note most of the injuries are relatively minor — contusions, sprains, limb fractures — and more often the fault of lax adult supervision than equipment failure. Still, this summer, the nonprofit Consumers Union urged the agency ‘to investigate this emerging hazard.’”

When you rent out an inflatable for a party or other event this upcoming year, make sure the company you work with is properly certified and trained. You can never be too careful.

I know that the winter is upon us (especially in the Northern areas of the world) but it isn’t cold all over the place. Consider Australia, which is currently entering its summer season. What does that mean? It’s time to set up the inflatable pool in the backyard for those really hot days down under. However, some Australians might find themselves in a tough situation, due to an obscure law.

According to The Age, a Victorian law requires that all pools with 30 centimeters of water must be surrounded by a child-proof fence or barrier of some kind. If this law starts to be enforced by local councils, it could become a problem:

“Under the law a swimming pool can be any ‘excavation or structure’ capable of 300 millimeters water depth ‘’used principally for swimming, wading, paddling or the like’. Owners are also required to get a building permit for the fence or barrier and ensure it complies with rules regarding height, bolts and gaps. Fines for failing to comply can be up to $5000. Inflatable pools have been exempted from needing building permits.”

This may seem a bit like overkill in terms of inflatable pool safety, but some areas in Australia take it very seriously. However, the article says that there is a general feeling that the issue is not important enough to be a major concern. Overall, pool safety requirements are not properly vetted when houses are being built. The article says that a shift in policy should be forthcoming with fines and penalties:

“[There has been] a 10 [percent] increase in the past year in the number of Victorians drowning at inland waterways. An additional nine-year study by the state Coroner’s Office and Life Saving Victoria showed an average of nine alcohol-related deaths in the state every year, mostly men aged between 35 and 44 and mostly in rivers.”

Hopefully these numbers of deaths will go down as local councils begin to strictly enforce safety policies for pools, inflatable or otherwise.

As you know if you read this blog, there are all kinds of fun and interesting inflatables out there. In fact, two weeks ago I wrote about artists who use inflatables as an integral part of their work. I’ve also mentioned stories about rental inflatables that are air-filled versions of real working Irish pubs – now those are definitely an inventive use of the inflatable technology available. As cool as these uses of inflatables are, there is a new implementation for inflatables that has me really excited – inflatable robots!

CNET reports that inflatable robots are being developed and used in San Francisco as we speak. This is good for many types of industries, which could use them in a number of different ways. According to the story:

“Ant-Roach [is] a pneumatic robot that weighs about 70 pounds and can carry loads that are much heavier. It was designed by San Francisco-based Otherlab ‘to demonstrate the carrying capacity and high strength-to-weight ratios possible with inflatable structures.’ The beast has textile actuators that contract when inflated with compressed air. A microcontroller runs the muscle network, and is controlled wirelessly via laptop.”

Using inflatables in robotics is not a new premise, especially when you consider the use of pneumatic pressure as a force for movement in various machinery is very common. However, these robots have major limitations when it comes to mobility, which the article says is “zero to limited.” The good news? These robots are still valuable in ability:

“Their soft exterior makes them ideal for use around humans, and they have high ratios of strength to weight. [One] prototype is apparently able to lift a person with 50-60 psi even though it weighs only 2 pounds. If the arm could move and grasp object with precision, repetition, and speed, industrial applications alongside human workers may be possible at reduced cost.”

If what is being said about these robots is true, I would say that we will be seeing them at construction sites and factories in the near future.

All you have to do is step outside and you’ll run the risk of seeing someone using a smartphone. By the end of 2010, almost 75 million Apple iPhones were sold, not counting any of the other smartphones made with the Android operating system. Considering that almost 4.6 billion people all over the world own a cell phone, the market for cell phone accessories is massive. Manufacturers make a number of holders, screens, shields, adapters and other accessories that cell phone owners buy on a regular basis.

Not to be outdone, Apple also has a number of products that can be used in conjunction with your iPhone. Surprisingly, one of their recent patent applications involves the development of a system that would protect your iPhone from damage with inflatables. According to an article on Geek.com, Apple is working on a shock mount that would detect potential damage and possibly inflate:

“Upon sensing a drop event the shock mount, in one given implementation, could fill, thus mitigating the damage to the thin glass screen. This shock mount would exist between the screen and the body, minimizing any impact and dampening shock to the delicate screen. It couldn’t necessarily have to be a large, inflatable pouch, just a piece that could transfer impact…”

Furthermore, Apple has also filed a patent wherein your phone would become its own protective device, featuring a liquid-filled bladder scheme:

“[The scheme] would actually inflate a mobile devices’ screen when the built in accelerometer detects a sudden drop. A bladder would fill with fluid from within the device and act as a shock-absorber, decelerating the device upon the event of an impact.”

Inflatables have been a major part of safety development among many industries. It’s safe to say that an inflatable system in case of a car crash is more important than protecting your iPhone, but it just goes to show how versatile inflatables actually are.