Re: Inventions of the Year
the watch thing is so cool.
Re: Inventions of the Year
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/20...bioimplant.jpg
Patchwork
Inventor: Ellis Developments Ltd.
Availability: Now, in England only
To Learn More: ellisdev.co.uk
It may look like a delicate doily, but the Bioimplantable Device is a rugged internal bandage that helps patients recover swiftly from shoulder-joint-replacement surgery. Made of standard polyester surgical thread, the device has an embroidered pattern that gives it strength and flexibility while imitating human tendons. Once implanted between muscles and bones, the device is never removed; it becomes part of the body as cells grow over it. This technology is also being used to replace slipped disks in the neck and to aid in clavicle-replacement surgery.
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Walk Man
Inventor: Yoshiyuki Sankai, University of Tsukuba
Availability: Near future, $14,000–$19,000
To Learn More: sanlab.kz.tsukuba.ac.jp
Enter ... Mecha-Grandma! Japanese researchers have developed a robotic exoskeleton to help the elderly and disabled walk and even lift heavy objects like the jug of water above. It’s called the Hybrid Assistive Limb, or HAL. (The inventor has obviously never seen 2001: A Space Odyssey.) Its brain is a computer (housed in a backpack) that learns to mimic the wearer’s gait and posture; bioelectric sensors pick up signals transmitted from the brain to the muscles, so it can anticipate movements the moment the wearer thinks of them. A commercial version is in the works. Just don’t let it near the pod-bay doors.
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Pumped And Ready
Inventor: Cam Brensinger
Availability: Now, $395 for two-person Hypno tent
To Learn More: nemoequipment.com
Tired of fumbling with tent poles as the sun goes down at some campsite in the woods? Nemo Equipment's inflatable tent has two supporting beams that are virtually pop-proof and are inflated with a foot pump to give the tent a rigid structure without aluminum poles. Designed by Cam Brensinger, a consultant for a NASA project designing spacesuits for Mars, the Nemo tents bring aerospace technology to the great outdoors. The company says the tents can be erected in less than a minute—in our test it took 48 seconds!
(this was ripped from kitesurfers):dry:
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/20..._surfboard.jpg New Wave
Inventor: Mark Itnyre and Peter Mehiel
Availability: Now, $850 to $1,200
To Learn More: hydroepic.com
After decades of riding waves on boards made of foam and fiberglass, surfers have a high-tech alternative. Hydro Epic boards are hollow on the inside but have an extra-sturdy shell made of a carbon fiber–Kevlar composite and a thin aluminum honeycomb. To keep the air in the board from expanding and contracting in extreme heat or at high altitudes, there is a small vent at one end that lets air pass through while keeping water out. The radical design makes Hydro Epics stronger, faster and up to 30% lighter (the short board weighs 51⁄2 lbs.) than other boards. More important, the board has more flex, for better maneuverability.
Next Product: Big Wheel
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Big Wheels Keep On Turnin'
Inventor: LandRoller
Availability: Now, $249
To Learn More: landroller.com
A pair of skates with wheels that are angled inward may seem terribly wrong. But the oversize wheels on the new LandRollers are aligned in such a way that they help you keep your balance, especially on a cracked pavement or an uneven surface. Because the wheels' tilt is offset by the weight of your foot, the skate actually feels sturdier than most inline skates. Experienced skaters may find the LandRollers a little clunky and heavier than other popular skates, but for beginners longing to roll with the rest of the crowd, these two-wheelers do an admirable job of reducing the fear factor.
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League Of Its Own
Inventor: Pure Digital Technologies
Availability: Now, at dive and photo shops, $550
To Learn More: sealife-cameras.com
The bijou camera eliminates the traditional bulk of underwater cameras, measuring a mere 3.5 in. by 5.5 in. and weighing just under 17 oz. But there's no sacrificing image quality. The SeaLife DC500 captures ultrasharp, high-resolution pictures and overcomes underwater photography challenges including poor light, waterborne particles and quick-moving subjects. And it's good for a deep dive. The camera is waterproof down to 200 ft. and also has six modes for land.
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The Right Touch
Inventor: Takao Someya
Availability: Prototype only
To Learn More: www.ntech.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
The key to making artificially intelligent robots lies in giving them plenty of ways to gather information about their environment. Takao Someya, a researcher at the University of Tokyo, has created an electronic film—made up of bendable, shock-resistant transistors embedded in plastic—that can detect pressure and temperature. The sheet, known as a "large-area sensor array," is flexible enough to cover small objects and could give robots a sense of touch. Another potential use: smart carpet or furniture upholstery that can automatically adjust its temperature.
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/20...proofpaper.jpg Keeping Dry
Inventor: Sally Ramsey, Ecology Coatings
Availability: Commercial production in about 18 months
To Learn More: ecologycoatings.com
Like many great inventions, Ecology Coatings' new type of waterproof paper was an accident. While experimenting with a new protective coating for plastic in her lab, chief chemist Sally Ramsey put down paper to keep her workspace clean. But before she trashed the coated paper, she got curious. It turned out that she had created a waterproof and mildew-resistant paper that was easy to write on. The technology could be perfect for such low-cost paper products as shipping labels.
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/20...v_autodoor.jpg Formfitting
Inventor: Rikiya Fukuda
Availability: Prototype only
To Learn More: snipurl.com/jp3h (Japanese only)
A door that fits like a glove? This one does. Fukuda's Automatic Door, designed in Japan, opens just enough to match the shape of the person or object passing through. The nifty motion-detecting portal saves energy by keeping a door from having to repeatedly open all the way. That helps maintain a stable temperature in a room and can prevent dirt and other materials from being swept inside. In addition to people, the new system can be used for small objects, like packages dropped off at a post office, or for larger things, like a car coming through a garage door.
Re: Inventions of the Year
The Clear Water Revival would be grate for 3rd world countrys.
Re: Inventions of the Year
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/20...ainingbike.jpg Training Wheels
Inventor: Scott Shim, Matt Grossman and Ryan Lightbody
Availability: In late 2006; $100
To Learn More: designapkin.com
Learning to ride a bike can be fraught with anxiety, but it doesn't have to be. Industrial designers from Purdue University have invented the Shift tricycle, whose rear wheels move closer together as the rider picks up speed, then separate for easier balance at slower speeds or at a standstill. A spring-loaded mechanism in the rear hub controls the rear wheels, and there are no spokes or exposed bike chain. The 25-lb. aluminum trike won an international bike-design competition in Taiwan this year. Now its creators want to produce it commercially.
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/20...nv_antfarm.jpg Tunnel Vision
Inventor: Fascinations
Availability: Now, $20, plus $3 for 25 live ants
To Learn More: fascinations.com
Want a low-maintenance pet that won't scratch, shed or sleep all day? AntWorks is a new kind of ant farm that replaces dirt or sand with a clear, seaweed-based gel that is packed with all the tasty sugar, water and nutrients that ants need to survive. Just pop in some ants, close the lid, and watch the insects start tunneling through the blue-tinted goop. A magnifying glass, included, lets you see the ants' surprisingly sharp claws and even the hair on their bodies. For special effects, blue LED lights can be attached to the bottom of AntWorks to make it glow day and night.
alot more items - http://www.time.com/time/business/ar...129516,00.html
Re: Inventions of the Year
i seen that "Formfitting" in action.Dont work too well.In a few years if they work out the kinks maybe.But as of today it sucks.
Re: Inventions of the Year
Waterproof paper is cool and as ziggy said, the water purifier would help alot. Actually, all the inventions would help I think.
Re: Inventions of the Year
Re: Inventions of the Year
Exoskeletons...wicked,sci-fi becomes fact
Re: Inventions of the Year