Revisiting the "Useless Machine": How Engineering Imagination Transforms Novelties into Practical Devices

Things are not always as useless as they seem—or as others claim them to be. Very often, all it takes is a bit of engineering imagination to bridge the gap between a seemingly meaningless novelty and a functional, practical device. Throughout the history of electronics, inventors, hobbyists, and professional engineers have frequently encountered gadgets, circuits, and components that were initially dismissed as mere curiosities, only to find later that a slight shift in perspective could reveal unexpected utility.

A classic illustration of this dynamic can be found in an episode of the classic television program Candid Camera from many years ago. During the segment, host Alan Funt showcased a device presented to the public as the ultimate example of a useless machine. Built inside a Bud box, the apparatus featured nine NE-2 neon lamps mounted in a three-by-three grid using rubber grommets. Each of these nine lamps was wired to blink on and off at its own distinct, individual rate, completely independent of the others.

The underlying mechanics of the display relied on a fundamental concept in analog electronics: the relaxation oscillator. Each lamp was configured as part of an independent relaxation oscillator circuit. Because these individual oscillators were not synchronized with one another, the resulting aggregate blinking pattern of the nine neon lamps appeared entirely random and chaotic to any casual observer.

For anyone familiar with mid-century electronics, the circuit powering each lamp represents simplicity exemplified. A typical relaxation oscillator configuration from that era consisted of a 90-volt DC power source, a 0.1 microfarad capacitor wired in parallel with an NE-2 neon glow lamp, and a multi-mega-ohm resistor feeding the capacitor and lamp network. As current flowed through the high-value resistor, the capacitor would slowly charge up until the voltage across its terminals reached the firing threshold of the NE-2 lamp. Once that threshold was crossed, the neon gas inside the lamp would ionize, allowing the capacitor to discharge rapidly through the lamp and produce a characteristic flash of orange light. The cycle would then immediately repeat, creating a continuous, self-triggering oscillation.

On the television broadcast, Alan Funt and his co-host Durwood Kirby presented this blinking box to viewers with a clear narrative: the device was utterly and absolutely useless, serving no practical purpose of any kind. To drive the point home, they took the apparatus out onto the street and engaged unsuspecting pedestrians, asking them what possible use such a device could serve.

The running joke of the segment relied on human nature. Despite being told that the machine was completely pointless, passersby still tried very hard, albeit without success, to envision a serious industrial or domestic purpose for the blinking box. That was the central comedic premise of the segment—viewers were invited to laugh at ordinary people straining to find logic and utility in a deliberately purposeless tchotchke. Ha ha ha. Let us laugh at all these silly people with their silly ideas.

Yet, looking back at the experiment through the lens of engineering creativity, the joke highlights a persistent limitation in how people evaluate technology. What none of the pedestrians—and seemingly none of the television producers—came up with was the possibility that this random, low-power blinking display might serve perfectly well in other contexts.

Consider, for instance, its potential application as a children’s night light, or perhaps as a comforting, gently blinking little companion sitting on a night table near a crib or a child’s bed. The soft, ambient glow of vintage neon lamps, combined with a hypnotic, non-repeating pattern, possesses a tranquil quality that could easily soothe a restless child. Looking at the device with an open mind, it becomes apparent that maybe this creation wasn’t really the utterly useless trinket it was cracked up to be by the television hosts.

This historical television bit raises a broader question about how society interacts with technology and design. Have people seen any truly useless things lately, and what alternative ideas might exist for this particular supposedly useless invention? Reader thoughts are, as always, warmly welcomed in the comments section as the engineering community continues to debate the thin line between novelties and overlooked innovations.

John Dunn is an electronics consultant and a graduate of The Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, and of New York University, where he earned his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.