11 Inventions and Innovations That Were Banned for Being Too Innovative

Sometimes it's better to be smart than good. Just not too smart.

Published 1 month ago in Ftw

Sometimes it's better to be smart than good. Just not too smart.

These inventions and innovations changed the game for a bit, before big brother stepped in and brought the hammer down.

Here are 11 tools and bits of tech that were just too good to be true.

1
The Brabham BT46B
Formula 1 teams are always looking for their next rule-bending innovation and Brabham took that philosophy to the extreme in their 1978 car. Sporting a massive fan on the rear designed to syphon the car into the ground for grip, the BT46B was quickly banned for safety reasons. As far as banned F1 innovations go, it’s also worth shouting out the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34.

2
RealDVD
Back in the days of physical media, RealDVD gave users an easy way to copy DVDs. Unfortunately the technology was banned over copyright concerns.

3
Metal Bats (Well, the old ones anyway.)
When metal bats first entered the game of baseball it wasn’t long before college players started hitting home runs even major leaguers couldn’t fathom. College baseball eventually began regulating the bats, both for safety and stat purposes, and those regulations grow stricter all the time. RealDVD
4
Electric Motor Scooters
Whenever a new electric scooter gets introduced in a major city it takes over like wildfire. These scooters travelling at high speeds ridden by inexperienced riders often cause serious accidents. San Francisco briefly banned them in 2018 and New York recently placed heavy regulations on Revel scooters.

5
Flipper Zero
While it is not illegal to own the Flipper Zero, Amazon no longer sells them thanks to the device's numerous illegal applications.
6
Air Jordan 1 (And APL)
When the NBA banned the original Air Jordan 1, they did so for “uniform conformity” purposes. (It was just too cool.) However, the Athletic Proportion Labs brand is also banned for being too springy.
7
VPNs
VPN’s are legal in most places but they throw a serious wrench into government censorship. As a result they are banned outright in North Korea, Oman, Iraq, and more, while other countries like China used specific approved versions.

8
Big Bertha Drivers
Golf technology is progressing all the time. For a bit, that included the Big Bertha driver. But thanks to some ridiculous distances it is now banned in all USGA-sanctioned events.
9
Nike Vaporfly
You probably remember when Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in under two hours. What you don’t know is that the fancy Nike running shoes he used are now banned from competition for being too springy.
10
Steroids
Most innovations here are outside tools to help complete a task. But what if you yourself were stronger? Emotional regulation and longevity aside, steroids took over athletics in the early 2000s, specifically baseball, and everything was better for it. (In the short term.)

11
TikTok (And other social media.)
Like VPNs, social media is a little too good at keeping people informed and connected. As a result, numerous countries limit or control social media to different degrees. Or they just get jealous and ban another country’s superior algorithm in the name of “security.”