Have you ever had an idea for a project but hesitated to move forward for fear it was a bit too out-there? Many projects do fail because they're either too ambitious or too niche, but without engineers pursuing these ideas, many of the most important and unique inventions in the world today might have remained only pipe dreams.
The engineers below chose to make the impossible possible and turned their crazy ideas into reality - an important reminder to anyone with a seemingly improbable concept that sometimes the riskiest ideas can reap the greatest rewards.
Burj Khalifa
The world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, opened in 2010 and is one of the most impressive engineering feats in recent history. Standing 2,864 feet tall – more than half-a-mile – one of the biggest challenges facing construction of the building was the 160 mile-per-hour winds. Many doubted the feasibility of the construction in its early stages, as the high winds required special testing to determine the safety of the construction material. Most skyscrapers sway when the wind hits them, but the Burj Khalifa was specifically engineered to sway slowly and withstand strong desert winds.
Doggles
When Roni Di Lullo noticed her dog squinting in the sunlight, she came up with the idea for Doggles – goggles for dogs. A software programmer for Hewlett Packard, Di Lullo turned her computing and design skills towards experimenting with a variety of models, including human sunglasses and sports goggles, before a pair was developed to fit the shape of a dog's head. Initially marketed as a fashion accessory, the Doggle was mocked in some quarters, but several practical uses have been reported, and sales have been impressive. Shortly after launch, a deal was struck with PetSmart, and Doggles can now be found at thousands of outlets around the world, with total revenue in excess of $3 million.
Wuhan City - Rotating a 17,000-ton bridge
In 2014, the Chinese government astonished the engineering world when they constructed of a 17,000-ton, 250-meter, six-lane flyover in Wuhan City. The catch? It had to be done without stopping a high-speed railway– part of the largest network in the world – under the flyover for even a minute, which would not have been possible with traditional construction methods. Instead, Chinese engineers built the flyover section that would go over all of the railway station parallel to the rails. Then, the 17,000-ton structure was lifted 15 meters, slowly rotated 106 degrees, and connected to the highway lane in 90 minutes.
This is just a sample of the many ambitious and controversial engineering ideas and inventions that ended up defying the odds. So whether you're a professional engineer or a budding maker, don't necessarily discount a project because you fear it might be too crazy - it might just wind up being the next improbable success story.
What's your favourite example of a seemingly wild idea that turned into a viable invention or innovation? Let us know in the comments section below...