Inventors of all kinds, Géo Trouvetout and other creators of good ideas, the Lépine contest is back. Every year since 1901, it rewards the most ingenious or unexpected invention. In 121 years of existence, real marvels have won awards there: the vacuum cleaner, the ball-point pen, the steam iron, contact lenses… Real genius ideas.
But the Lépine contest is also – and above all – eccentric objects. So we went to the Paris Fair to establish our own ranking. Verdict.
The Top 3 according to “20 Minutes”
Number 1: The inverted umbrella
The umbrella is one of the essentials that you never know where to put, and that you will therefore fortuitously forget in a bar or at a friend’s house. Friend who, by the way, hates us for having left our soaked umbrella at his house. All this is over thanks to the inverted umbrella, which erases almost all the defects mentioned: it stands on itself, which allows it to be placed anywhere. It never gets wet when you close it thanks to its inversion and its double canvas, and unfolds more easily.
Last but not the least, it has a handle, which allows not only to hang it, but also to hold it by the arm, freeing our hand, very practical for the laptop addicts that we are. In short, we love it.
Number 2: The bristleless toilet brush
It’s time to make our Bac + 5 profitable and the 10,000 euros invested in our journalism school by telling you about the brush of toilet. No more hair, make way for silicone. The latter would have several advantages for your toilets: it wears out and gets dirty less than bristles, is antibacterial, bends everywhere in the bowl and dries automatically. So no more brushes of shame, wet and dirty, which we hope no one will use for fear that they will discover how much the object has lived too long.
A slightly futuristic design, too, for a brush that convinced us.
Number 3. The Closer
What would an invention fair be without a closet? We are talking to you here about a rod that allows you to close everything, really everything. Waterproof, waterproof, with a bunch of different objects and bags to use as a demonstration. Not necessarily super innovative, of course, but still effective. And clearly one of the stands with the most people. Sometimes taking a simple idea is the best way to invent.
They could have scratched the podium but just failed:
Anti-fog eyeglass lotion
The coronavirus has separated the populations in two: the fragile and the not fragile, those who have a balcony (or better, a garden) and those who do not, and those with nickel vision vs those who wear glasses. For us binoculars, what a tired of wearing a mask outside in winter or in closed places, with fog at the slightest inspiration. It masks our view and our beautiful dark gaze (already the mask hides our crooked smile). The Anti-Fog Lotion does… what the name suggests, very handy in epidemic weather.
Why does she miss the podium?
Lotion might have been our favorite a few months ago. But now, with the sunny days and the end of the outdoor mask, she has lost her vital side. Admittedly, it also cleans your binoculars very well, but it’s still less crazy. Too bad for her, but timing is important.
Self-massage soles
Perfection at the end of the arch. You just have to insert these insoles in your shoes and go, you just have to walk to discover a massage sensation with each step. We tested, guaranteed effect from the first stride. One small step for man, one big step for the comfort of your steps.
Why does she miss the podium?
It’s more about comfort than responding to a problem. After all, we’ve walked all our lives without it and we’ve done very well, unlike that unbearable umbrella or that crappy toilet brush. And we remain a little skeptical about its condition after a few long hikes.