Ever wondered what we did before sat navs and mobile phones? Here are the bizarre vintage inventions that never caught on. A series of photographs has revealed the ingenious efforts from the first half of the 20th century that helped people manage the pressures of everyday life. From a manual sat nav to a straw hat portable radio – some have been replaced by smart phones and tablets. The old-school sat nav from 1932 included a paper map dotted with landmarks that automatically rolled as the car drove along.

A British woman plays a piano designed especially for people who are confined to bed. Date: 1935. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

Photograph of four women sporting wooden bathing costumes in Haquin, Washington. They were invented in order to make swimming easier, although they dont seem to have caught on. Date: 1929. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

A tripmaster, which had an automatic rolling map on the dashboard with identifying marks, like bridges, crossings and levels. Date: c.1930s. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

Plastic face protection from snowstorms in Montreal, Canada. Date: 1939. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

A resident of Hextable in Kent, invented a gas proof pram in which a baby could be kept safe during an air raid. The pram has an air-tight lid provided with a window and with a gas mask filter. A rubber bulb at the rear is squeezed at intervals forcing the stale air out and replacing it with fresh air drawn in through the filter. Date: 1938. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

An American policeman wears an electrically warmed vest. The power is generated from the individuals movement along the street. Date: 1932. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

A Colt 38 with built in camera; when pulling the trigger the camera automatically shoots images. To the left, a series of images taken by the camera. This invention weighs 170 gr., the lens is 4 cm wide and it was invented to decrease crime. Date: 1930s. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

A car with five axles and ten wheels which is able to run through ditches of a metre deep and almost two metres wide, and down slopes of degrees with a speed of 65 km per hour. Date: 1936. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

French police checking a safety device mounted at the front of a car. Date: 1924. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

Portable radio in a straw hat, made by an American inventor. Date: 1931. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

Extendable caravan built by a French engineer. Date: 1934. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

Invention to keep a baby content in its pram so that mother can read untroubled: the pram is provided with a radio, including antenna and loudspeaker. Instead of a baby, two dolls have been put in the pram to illustrate the goal of this invention. Date: 1921. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)

An English woman wears a pair of spectacles especially designed for reading in bed. Date: 1936. (Photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Caters News)