Neika

Neika was often thought to have been a mythical figure in the history of Tasmania, Australia. In recent years, however, studies of Government documents written between the years 1827 and 1860 have revealed that such a woman did exist. The first report of Neika appeared in Hobart's local newspaper on August 16 1827. The article reported that a young woman had been found wandering near a timber mill on the foothills of Mount Wellington. The woman was disorientated, close to collapse and spoke only one world, "neika". In the following days it became obvious that Neika could not or would not remember her past. The timber workers spread her description through the local community but were unable to find anyone who knew her. After she had recovered, Neika travelled almost constantly around Tasmania and was often on the periphery of notable community events.

I have found an object manufactured by Neika but its purpose is not clear. It was shown as an unidentifiable object in a Canadian Magazine. The object was designated as having a patent pending. It appears to be a device for clearing obstructions from small pipes.

A "neika" or "nicea" is a Gaelic term spoken by Celtic Highlanders of Scotland and means "key". Albert (Scotty) Boyd filed for a Canadian patent in 1980 for a device which electronically locked the firing pin of a hand gun. It was intend that only the registered user of the gun would be able to disengage the "neika" within a 12 inch (30 cm) proximity, thus rendering the weapon useless to others. The project was considered by manufacturers and the military to prevent accidental discharge, however the project did not receive adequate funding to proceed. The US military considered a similar program, called the Smart Gun, but the technology is limited to an operational temperature above minus 60 F, limiting its use in extreme weather conditions.