GOODS & SERVICES: New Ideas, Dec. 27, 1954

GOODS & SERVICES

Low-Watt Cooler. To reduce the load on the electrical system of a house, General Electric announced a half-horsepower, low-wattage air conditioner that uses less current than a toaster or flatiron. Price: about $200.

Dream Rug. For small fry afraid to go to sleep in the dark, Manhattan's Firth Carpet Co. has designed a phosphorescent nursery rug (4 ft. 6 in. by 6 ft.) that absorbs daylight and lamplight, glows for hours after the lights go out. Price: about $40.

Automatic Hamburgers. K. M. Jesse, president of the Floating Henryburger System (38 hamburger stands in twelve states), has developed an automatic hamburger cooker. The hamburgers are shaped by hand, then loaded on a conveyor belt that automatically carries them through the cooker, dips them in sauce, turns them out at the rate of 480 an hour. Price: $1,240.

Hearing Glasses. For clients who are vainer about their hearing than their eyesight, Otarion, Inc., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., has designed a hearing aid housed in standard, horn-rimmed glasses. The amplifier fits behind the ear and since no cord or attachment is needed, the glasses can be put on and off like an ordinary pair. Price: $265.

Pool Cleaner. To clean the bottom of a swimming pool without draining it, Poolmaster, Inc., of Burlingame, Calif., has developed a 4½-lb. vacuum cleaner on a 15-ft. handle. The machine uses water pressure from a garden hose to suck the pool dirt into a large detachable orlon bag. Price: $84.95.

Steel Putty. Devcon, a puttylike mixture of powdered steel and plastic which hardens like steel, has been put on sale for home use by Chemical Development Corp., Danvers, Mass. Already used in industry for molds and castings, Devcon can be machined, drilled and threaded when hard, cements together metals and porcelains. Price for a 1-lb. can: $3.

Air Dock. So that passengers will no longer have to cross rainswept airstrips between airplane and terminal, Whiting Corp. has installed a new, covered loading platform for passengers and luggage at New York International Airport. After the planes land, they are taxied onto trucks on sunken tracks, then towed by an electric winch until flush with the terminal landing and permanent conveyor belt for baggage. Price: about $90,000.