OBSOLETE OBJECTS

Technological advances and scientific discoveries have consigned many inventions of yesteryear to the dustbin of history. A new book of now-defunct objects and ideas takes a trip down memory lane to explore futures that never were. We bring you 10 examples...

- CHARLOTTE HODGMAN

CONVAIRCAR, 1940s

Despite looking like the perfect way to avoid the rush-hour commute, designer Henry Dreyfuss' four-seater flying automobile (ConvAirCar) never really took off. The vehicle's fibreglass body and ability to convert from plane to car with the removal of simple pins added to its futuristic feel, but a failed test flight in 1947 gave investors cold feet, and the design never went into production.

UV-RADIATED BEACH, 1920/30s

A Set up along the Belgian coast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, 'children's colonies' aimed to prevent tuberculosis (TB) in city children through a range of controlled 'strengthening' activities. Here, a group of children play in a sandpit lit by UV lamps on the ceiling in order to simulate a natural beach setting. In 1943, the discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic to be effective against TB, made such preventative cures obsolete.

PAPER DRESS, 1960s