"The Isolator" helmet

The Isolator was a helmet created by Hugo Gernsback in 1925 to reduce distractions.[1][2]

The Isolator was first introduced in the July 1925 edition of the American Physical Society magazine, with which Gernsback was affiliated.[1][3] The helmet was first created using wood and felt.[4] The mouth of the helmet had a baffle for breathing and had three pieces of glass that so users could see outside.[5] It was deemed successful, but Gernsback had estimated that it was only "75%" efficient and said it did not keep out all sounds.[6] Gernsback re-designed the device without wood and cut white lines into the glass so users could see out of the helmet. Gernsback said that the new design was 90-95% efficient and kept out almost all sounds.[6][7] However, Gernsback also noted that the helmet could only be worn for about 15 minutes at a time as the user would become drowsy.[8][9] Gernsback then added an oxygen tank to assist the user with breathing while wearing the helmet.[6][10]

Gernsback later patented "The Isolator".[3] While he had deemed the item to be a "great investment", the item had disappeared by 1926 after only eleven helmets were created.[11]

The Isolator later inspired the Helmfon, another noise-blocking helmet.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 This Vintage Anti-Distraction Helmet Looks Like a Creepy Horror Show Prop, Interesting Engineering, 2017, retrieved 12 April 2023
  2. Poole, Steven (2017). Rethink: The Surprising History of New Ideas. Scribner. p. 106. ISBN 9781501145612.
  3. 1 2 Goran, David (2015), "The Isolator" – A bizarre helmet from 1925 designed to improve work productivity, The Vintage News, retrieved 12 April 2023
  4. Put on This "Thinking Cap" When You Want to Concentrate, Times Signal, 1925, retrieved 12 April 2023
  5. The Isolator: A 1925 Helmet Designed to Eliminate Distractions & Increase Productivity, Open Culture, 2021, retrieved 12 April 2023
  6. 1 2 3 Gernsback, Hugo (1925), The Isolator: Science and Invention, Vol. 13, No. 3, July 1925, Science and Invention, retrieved 12 April 2023
  7. Electrical Experimenter, Volume 13. Experimenter Publishing Company. 1925. pp. 214, 281.
  8. Gernsback, Hugo (2016). The Perversity of Things: Hugo Gernsback on Media, Tinkering and Scientifiction. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452953144.
  9. The Isolator helmet is what every writer needs, Vintage Everyday, 2017, retrieved 12 April 2023
  10. Nucilli, Ryleigh (2021), 'The Isolator' Was A Terrifying Helmet Invented To Help You Concentrate, Ranker, retrieved 12 April 2023
  11. Emmerling, John (2018), How They Fought Writer's Block In the Roaring Twenties, Publishers Weekly, retrieved 12 April 2023
  12. Corbin, Erica (2020), 31 Bizarre Products You Won't Believe Were Ever Sold, Yahoo, retrieved 12 April 2023
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