Since its creation in 1901, the Lépine competition has seen inventions pass.
Some have marked history and changed our daily lives (the potato masher in 1931, the ballpoint pen in 1919, aspivenom, winner of the 1983 edition ...), while others quickly fell into the 'oversight.
For this 2021 vintage, the organizers of the Lépine competition, set up exceptionally for this edition in the aisles of the Foire d'Automne, have bet on 300 exhibitors from all over the world.
Among these Geo-Trouvetou, perhaps hides the inventor who will change our daily life… or not.
Among the stands of innovative, sometimes eccentric objects, we unearthed three, to say the least, astonishing.
An explosive ball that extinguishes a burst of fire
With its size of a small ball for children, this red ball is not a toy. Equipped with a pyrotechnic activation device that is triggered and detonated as soon as it is thrown on the ground, this ball is actually a mini-extinguisher. On falling to the ground, it bursts and releases monoammonium phosphate, which will smother the flames over 9 m2. The father of "Choc and Start" is called Jacques Pitoux, 54 years old. And this is not his first invention. This “serial inventor”, who already has 15 participations in the competition, has already been awarded in 2019 for his “firefighter drone”. This time, he came to defend this fire extinguisher ball, and more precisely, the device that allows it to explode when it falls to the ground. "It is a tool that can facilitate the work of firefighters but also for any individual",presents this Gersois. Behind him, a demonstration video is looping. The images shot in the middle of a field are impressive. "It is true that putting out a starting fire by throwing an exploding ball, that can ask a few questions, smiles the inventor. But, it is harmless. There is no projectile. The risk is just to receive a little white powder, ”he says.
The coffee machine for taxi and VTC
In life, Said Mohssein is a private driver in Paris. Nothing predestined him to be among the inventors of the “Connected Universe” of this Lépine competition, and yet, here he is in the middle of this fair of finds with his “DVC”, a coffee machine adapted to a car chair. . “I got the idea to create this coffee machine because I was tired of hearing my customers complain that they never had time to swallow a coffee before taking a taxi or a VTC », Says Said. After several months of reflection, he launched the design of his "DVC", the acronym for "Would you like a coffee" which he hopes to sell to his fellow drivers. “The machine is installed behind the front wheelchair on the passenger side. When getting into the car, the customer has coffee cartridges available, a bottle of water,cups, stirrers and sugar. If he wants a coffee, he fills the tank with his water bottle, presses the button… And he can drink his coffee in the back, quietly, like at home, ”explains the VTC driver. “And it's free! », He specifies.
The feminine pants for standing pee
Like Said, our VTC driver, Clara Carricajo is not an inventor by profession either. This young Lyon engineer, also found herself in the aisles of the Lépine competition for the very first time. With her “Pantalelle”, she came to defend an idea, to say the least cheeky, inspired, again, by her own experience: to be able to pee standing up like a man, by adapting the seam of the pants, so that she can free her. crotch without having to lower or remove it. “I have experienced this several times. Especially in very touristy places. There is often a long wait in front of the ladies' washroom. One day, I thought about using the urinals for men, where the wait is shorter. But with my pants, it was a bit complicated, ”she says. Never mind,Clara decides to take her pair of scissors and create a zipper on the side, starting at the groin and going up to the waist. "It allows you to open the pants entirely, to separate the two legs and to be able to separate them with more amplitude", demonstrates Clara, relying on her presentation mannequin. “It's a feminine version of the pants,” she defends. We often forget that with its fly, it was first designed for men. So that they can relieve themselves. Except that women are also able to pee standing up. It was enough just to readjust the garment to our morphology ”.to separate the two legs and to be able to separate them with more amplitude ”, demonstrates Clara, leaning on her presentation mannequin. “It's a feminine version of the pants,” she defends. We often forget that with its fly, it was first designed for men. So that they can relieve themselves. Except that women are also able to pee standing up. It was enough just to readjust the garment to our morphology ”.to separate the two legs and to be able to separate them with more amplitude ”, demonstrates Clara, leaning on her presentation mannequin. “It's a feminine version of the pants,” she defends. We often forget that with its fly, it was first designed for men. So that they can relieve themselves. Except that women are also able to pee standing up. It was enough just to readjust the garment to our morphology ”.