The Inventors ... and the World's Weirdest Inventions :Alexander Gordon Smith & Jamie Webb
If you read Alexander Gordon Smith (who likes to be known as Gordon!) and Jamie Webb’s first novel The Inventors you’ll know you can expect a thrill-a-minute adventure in their follow-up. In The Inventors and the City of Stolen Souls Cat and Nate again come face-to-face with evil genius inventor Ebenezer Saint. His robots are back and this time they’re taking over people's bodies and stealing their souls. Once again, Cat and Nat have to out-wit, out-run and out-invent the world’s greatest inventor - but this time there’s a whole army of metal monstrosities to contend with.
Visit Gordon's 'World Wide Head' here.
'Meet the Author' with Gordon and Jamie here.
Try our 'Invent Your Way Out of Trouble' competition here.
Want to find out about the world's weirdest inventions?
Read Gordon's amazing article:
Nate and Cat are inventors - you name it, they’ve tried to build it! Machines that change the weather (and accidentally freeze aunts), potions that can turn a school bully bright blue (which are inadvertently taken by the headmaster) and even a pint-sized robot called Clint who is forever getting into trouble!
Of all the crazy gadgets and wondrous gizmos that Nate and Cat invent, their favourites are the ones that give them super powers. Like the proton-powered rocket boots that let them play aerial tag over the rooftops, and the invisibility screens they use to sneak around undetected. And don’t forget the x-ray specs, spy specs and laser specs that Nate is always trying to perfect!
Powers like these might seem out of this world, but Nate and Cat aren’t the only inventors trying to come up with ways to turn mere mortals into super humans. Believe it or not, there are already loads of remarkable inventions which can let you climb up walls like a spider, lift a car over your head or even leap over your school hall!
Below are just a few of the super powers that already exist. Pick your favourite and see how close you are to becoming a real hero!
Invisibility
If you’ve ever wanted to sneak into your headmistress’ office to take a peek at the answers to a test, then you won’t have long to wait. One inventor has come up with an invisibility cloak which uses cameras to take a picture of whatever is behind you, then projects that image onto the front of the special three-dimensional fabric. It makes you totally see-through - perfect for a game of hide and seek!
Spider’s Grip
Who hasn’t wanted to be able to climb up walls like Spider-Man? Well thanks to one team of inventors we can all avoid using the stairs from now on. They have created a suit covered in billions of microscopic hairs, like those on the leg of a spider or a gecko. These can grip any surface like glue, but can be peeled off easily to let you be a genuine wall crawler! Extra strong silk, made by injecting spider genes into goats, could also let you swing above the streets.
Super Strength, Super Speed
Super Man had better watch out - soon everyone will have the ability to run faster than a car, and lift one above their heads for that matter! Military scientists have invented body suits which are lined with powerful motors. These act like extra muscles, letting the wearer sprint at incredible speeds, leap over buildings, throw heavy objects hundreds of metres and punch through metal walls. Imagine that on sports day!
Flight
While flying cars and functional jetpacks already exist - and may soon come to replace the rusty four-wheelers in our garages - there may soon be a better way to blast through the air. Scientists recently managed to levitate a frog by placing it in a strong magnetic field. And if frogs can fly, then there might come a day when humans can join them in midair!
Controlling the Animals
Fancy having an army of insects at your disposal? Well keep your eye on technology currently being invented that can turn flies from annoying pests into remote control pets. By harmlessly triggering parts of the brain you can make a fly jump, beat its wings and fly in a particular direction! Incredibly, tiny cameras can also be grown in the insect’s eye, making it the perfect spy.
Shape-Changing
The days of being unhappy with the way you look might soon be over thanks to nanotechnology. One day you will have trillions of tiny robots inside your body - so small that you could fit millions on the full stop at the end of this sentence. These micro machines will travel round getting rid of disease, but they could also let you change your appearance. Just by thinking it you could have blonde hair for a day instead of brown, purple skin for a fancy dress party, stretchy arms and legs or even wings!
Other technologies currently being invented include teleportation, mind control, heat rays, sonic pulses, force fields and even time travel. It may seem like science fiction, but thanks to the world’s inventors it is quickly becoming, well, just science!
- Related Authors:
- Alexander Gordon Smith
- Related Works:
- The Inventors; The Inventors and the City of Stolen Souls
