5 other failed inventions and what they can teach us Many inventions promise to change the world, but some never get the chance.That might be because they're bad but it's just as often that they come at the wrong time, or are a little confusing.Glass was probably the latter, and google has said that it is likely to bring it back in some other form.After colour and sound, smell probably seemed like the inevitable next step, just as after smartphones and smart watches putting technology in your glasses seemed obvious. But after making an appearance in the specially made 1960 film scent of mystery, it never really caught on.The audience got distracted, it needed too much perfume and people found it difficult to stop the scents mixing and becoming too much.As with glass, people weren't ready and the implementation wasn't good enough to convince them. Has repeatedly attempted to mount a comeback, just as google has suggested glass might do.But they've ... Read more »