Best Of The Rest
By Anita Hamilton and Amanda Bower
on the go
JACQUES COUSTEAU, EAT YOUR HEART OUT
With its ballooned-out arms and legs, it looks like moon gear for the Michelin Man, but this 1,100-lb. diving suit is strictly for deep-sea adventures. Unlike standard diving equipment, which can't take you much deeper than 1,000 ft., the Atmospheric Diving System by Oceanworks International stabilizes air pressure around the body so that divers working as deep as 2,000 ft. below sea level feel as if they're still on the beach. Powered by twin thrusters mounted on either side of the oxygen tank, the suit lets you steer in any direction, using built-in foot pedals. But the suits are so heavy that divers have to be lowered in a metal cage before they can step out and look around. The U.S. Navy, which plans to use the suit for submarine rescue and salvage missions, bought the first four units. Eventually, the Michelin Man look may also be available for scientific researchers and deep-sea explorers.
--INVENTOR Hardsuits International --AVAILABILITY Now, for $2.7 million --TO LEARN MORE Call 604-986-5600
ARCHES IN THE SKY
Drawbridges are quaint, but they are so medieval. So when city planners in the industrial town of Gateshead, in northeast England, picked a design for a new pedestrian and bike bridge to connect Gateshead with the historic city of Newcastle across the winding river Tyne, they decided that a break from tradition was in order. For most of the day, a single steel arch vaults high above the water, fixed by 18 harplike suspension cables to a 413-ft.-long, curved pathway below. When a boat approaches, however, the entire bridge pivots to one side. As the lower deck rises into the air, the upper arch descends on the other side until both halves are suspended opposite each other some 90 ft. in the air. Powered by hydraulics, the $25 million Millennium Bridge can tilt back and forth in four minutes. The bridge is the centerpiece of a multimillion-dollar urban-renewal plan that will eventually connect a new arts center to hotels and restaurants on either shore.
--INVENTORS Wilkinson Eyre Architects and Gifford and Partners, civil engineers --AVAILABILITY Opened Sept. 2001 --TO LEARN MORE Visit gateshead.gov.uk/bridge
HIT THE BRAKES
In her hit movie Speed, Sandra Bullock drove a bus with a mind of its own, programmed to explode if it went below 50 m.p.h. Now buses on real-life autopilot are coming to Las Vegas. A camera mounted on the dashboard of the electric-powered Civis reads stripes painted on the road. If a bus strays even slightly from the markings, a motor on the steering wheel nudges the bus back in line. Human drivers, who control the brakes and accelerator, play only a bit part in this action flick.
--INVENTOR Irisbus --AVAILABILITY October 2003 --TO LEARN MORE Visit irisbus.com
HYDRO-SHOCK
Electric bikes have never been cool. After all, what self-respecting rider would let a battery do all the work? But fuel-cell technology, which uses pollution-free hydrogen gas to generate an electric current, could ignite electric-bike sales. The first prototype, from Italian bikemaker Aprilia, stores compressed hydrogen in a 2-liter metal canister housed in the frame. With a top speed of 20 m.p.h., the bike won't win the Tour de France. But it weighs 20% less than regular electrics and travels twice as far, about 43 miles, before it needs more gas. Now that's cool.
--INVENTOR Aprilia --AVAILABILITY In 2003, for approximately $2,300 --TO LEARN MORE Visit apriliaenjoy.com
ACTUALLY, IT IS ROCKET SCIENCE
Senator John Glenn is not the only civilian who would enjoy rocketing into space, but chances are the rest of us won't be hitching a ride on a space shuttle anytime soon. We'll have to wait until private companies can take us there. Jeff Greason of Mojave, Calif., has done his part by creating the first low-cost, reusable rocket engines. Greason's EZ-Rocket prototype, which took flight this fall, is powered by twin engines that burn isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygen to generate 400 lbs. of thrust. Greason's engines should be able to carry passengers 65 miles above the earth--too low to go into orbit but high enough to give space tourists a spectacular view of the planet. Greason estimates that planes powered by his engines could someday cost as little as $900 per flight to operate. The planes would cost as much as a Lear jet ($10 million), but Greason figures that's a bargain considering that Lear jets can't fly high enough and the cheapest boosters start at $100 million.
--INVENTOR Jeff Greason, Xcor Aerospace --AVAILABILITY In 2003, for $10 million --TO LEARN MORE Visit xcor.com
HOP, HOP...SPLAT!
Savvy marketers know that before you can sell a new toy for kids you have to seduce the parents too. Since the world is full of folks over 30 with fond memories of pogoing till they dropped, it's about time someone reinvented this retro favorite. The new Airgo replaces the metal springs of classic pogo sticks with an air pump for a smoother, quieter ride. Of course, kids--and grownups too--may have to land on their fanny a few times before they get the hang of it.
--INVENTOR Carlton Calvin, Razor USA --AVAILABILITY Now, for $80 --TO LEARN MORE Visit razorusa.com
EASY RIDER
The wind in your hair, the sun in your eyes, the smell of salt in the air--and then you get seasick. If you love boating but hate all that bouncing around, the OutRider may be for you. Mounted on a funny-looking ski and shock absorber, the flat-bottomed boat lightly skims the surface of the water for an ultrasmooth ride. Side hulls and an aerodynamic design help keep the thing steady while you zip over waves at speeds of up to 80 m.p.h.
--INVENTOR Richard Klem --AVAILABILITY February 2002, for $60,000 --TO LEARN MORE Visit klemflyingboats.com
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
Surf's not up? Chill, dude; the PowerSki Jetboard makes its own waves. Driven by a two-stroke engine that generates 350 lbs. of thrust, the Jetboard can carve up even the glassiest surface in a sport that combines the ease of water skiing with the freedom of surfing. The award-winning engine, designed by a 53-year-old former pro surfer, weighs only 30 lbs. and is just 61/2 in. high. A flexible pole in the bow controls speed and direction. It also houses a speedometer, fuel gauge and kill switch.
--INVENTOR Bob Montgomery --AVAILABILITY June 2002, for $5,995 --TO LEARN MORE Visit powerski.com
A BEEMER FOR THE REST OF US
O.K., so maybe it's just a souped-up skateboard, but the elegant blue-and-black StreetCarver boasts a high-tech suspension system, inspired by BMW's 5 Series sedans, that lets riders tilt their boards sharply into curves without losing their center of balance. The 30-in. fiber-glass-and-plywood deck helps absorb shock, while extra-large wheels, mounted on flexible aluminum axles, provide added stability. Air bags not included.
--INVENTOR Stephan Augustin, BMW Design Team --AVAILABILITY Now, for $495 --TO LEARN MORE Visit streetcarver.com
THINK SMARTER
Slow, pricey and impractical, electric cars for years have had a bad rap. Ford could start to change all that with its bubble-shaped City car, which hit the streets of Los Angeles, New York City and London this year. Running on 18 NiCad batteries, the City tops out at 65 m.p.h. but can travel only 55 miles between charges. Ford thinks it's the perfect commuter car--as long as you don't miss your exit.
--INVENTOR Pivco and Ford --AVAILABILITY Leases for $199 a month --TO LEARN MORE Visit thinkmobility.com
NEW SPIN ON AN OLD IDEA
It's a plane...It's a helicopter...Actually, it's a bit of both. The gyroplane, whose concept was first put forward in 1919 by Spanish inventor Juan de la Cierva, has been revived by two Utah-based brothers, David and Jay Groen. They've spent 15 years and some $40 million perfecting a design they hope will provide a cheaper, simpler, safer alternative to the helicopter. No airport is required. Like a helicopter, the gyroplane takes off almost vertically and can fly 330 miles at a cruising speed of 120 m.p.h. Unlike a helicopter, it has a gas turbine-powered propeller that drives the craft forward and provides airspeed to power two asymmetrical overhead blades. These 42-ft. blades rotate only when the wind rushes up through them. They give the aircraft lift, stability and improved safety; in case of engine failure, they continue to rotate and allow a safe, controlled descent. The other thing that makes the gyroplane different from a helicopter is the bottom line: running costs (about $160 per hr.) are almost halved. The gyroplane is in the final stages of FAA testing, and a 13-dealer network is busy targeting tourism and agriculture markets. It might also do service on the homeland-security beat: CEO David Groen says the craft would be ideal for border, pipeline and nuclear-facility surveillance.
--INVENTOR Groen Bros. Aviation --AVAILABILITY Early 2003, for $749,000 --TO LEARN MORE Visit gbagyros.com
SCOOT OVER
While the world waits for Ginger, which may or may not be a hydrogen-powered scooter (see next page), two San Francisco designers have built one of their own--or at least a prototype. The elegant carbon-fiber-and-aluminum Scoot combines a wide, scooped-out footrest with rugged, over-size wheels. Scoot folds in half so that the tires and grimy underside are neatly tucked away. And with a hydrogen fuel-cell engine, you will leave the slackers in the dust.
--INVENTORS Johan Liden and Yves Behar, Fuse Project --AVAILABILITY In 2003, for $500 to $800 --TO LEARN MORE Visit fuseproject.com
CLEARER THAN CRYSTAL
Would you pay for what your car radio now gets for free? You may be ready for satellite radio. Two rival companies are betting that drivers are sufficiently fed up with bad reception, tired playlists and irritating ads to fork out around $10 a month (plus up to $1,000 for a receiver) for dozens of stations offering ad-free music, sports, news and weather. Signals are beamed from "Rock" and "Roll," XM's pair of stationary satellites, and from Sirius' three orbiting birds.
--AVAILABILITY XM debuts nationally this month; Sirius is aiming for early next year --TO LEARN MORE Visit xmradio.com or siriusradio.com
the tops in bots
VERTICALLY CHALLENGED
Imagine a robot small enough to crawl through pipes to check for chemical leaks or sneak under doors to spy on intruders. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created the Mini Autonomous Robot Vehicle Jr. to do just that. Smaller than a cherry and powered by three watch batteries, MARV Jr. can cover 20 in. per min. on custom-made tracks fashioned from strips of latex balloons. Future versions may include miniature cameras, microphones and chemical microsensors.
--INVENTOR Ray Byrne, Ed Heller and Doug Adkins; Sandia National Laboratories --AVAILABILITY Around 2006, for under $500 --TO LEARN MORE Visit sandia.gov/isrc/Marv.html
SLUGBOTS TO THE RESCUE
They are every gardener's nightmare: big, slimy slugs that eat holes in lettuce leaves and gouge craters in tomatoes. Now Ian Kelly, a computer scientist at the California Institute of Technology, has developed a robotic slug catcher that not only identifies and eliminates slugs but could eventually power itself with its victims' bodies.
Here's how the Slugbot works: a lawn mower-size machine with a long arm shines red light on the ground to identify a shiny, sluglike object, then analyzes its shape. When it finds a slug, it picks it up and drops it in a hopper. Bacteria inside the robot eat the slimy critters--a process that releases electrons that can be captured and, in theory, keep the bot's batteries perpetually charged.
Kelly says he has perfected the slug-identification-and-retrieval system but estimates that it will be several years before the slugbot is ready for market. Biggest hurdle: getting the robot to convert those captured mollusks into usable energy. While the concept of microbial fuel cells has worked in laboratory tests, applying it to slugs turns out to be a sticky proposition.
--INVENTOR Ian Kelly --AVAILABILITY About 2004 --TO LEARN MORE Visit micro.caltech.edu/people/Postdocs/ian/tta.html
MODEL EMPLOYEE
She's always on time. She never complains. And she's cute too. Meet CoWorker, the office robot. About 3 ft. high, this Pentium-powered bot uses sonar sensors to keep her from bumping into walls and people as she rolls along at a languid one mile an hour. A digital camera perched atop her rotating, cranelike neck can wirelessly transmit pictures of remote assembly lines, construction sites or high-security areas straight to the boss. A home version, tentatively planned for the future, might keep an eye on granny--or the nanny.
--INVENTOR iRobot --AVAILABILITY In 2002 --TO LEARN MORE Visit irobot.com
in the closet
PERMANENTLY PRESSED
Hate ironing? A fashion house in Florence, Italy, has developed a wrinkle-free shirt that also makes a distinctive fashion statement. The sheer, silver-hued Oricalco is made of titanium-alloy fibers interwoven with nylon. Just toss the shirt (shown here wrinkled on one side) in your suitcase before a trip, then take it out and blow it with your hair dryer to dissolve the creases. (A second version rolls up its own sleeves on hot days to save you the trouble.)
--INVENTOR Corpo Nove --AVAILABILITY Next April, for $4,000 --TO LEARN MORE Visit www.corponove.it
STINK-FREE SHOES
Even if you don't give a hoot about antibacterial soaps and surfaces, here's one good reason you might consider buying a pair of antibacterial shoes or boots: odor control. That's right--the fewer microbes taking root in your footwear, the better your shoes and feet are likely to smell. Teva's entire 2002 line of sandals will be coated with AgION's silver-based antimicrobial compound. Many hunting boots from Rocky Boots (shown below), Georgia Boot, LaCrosse Footwear and Thorogood Footwear already incorporate it.
--INVENTOR AgION Technologies --AVAILABILITY Now --TO LEARN MORE Visit agion.com
NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN ANTARCTICA
Forget the down jacket, the long underwear and the extra-thick scarf. Designed for extreme cold, the North Face MET5 jacket can keep you warm all by itself, thanks to a network of microscopic, waterproof heating elements woven into the fabric. Working a control unit stashed near the chest, you can dial the heat up to 114[degrees]F. Small lithium-ion batteries keep the juice flowing for up to five hours.
--INVENTOR Malden Ventures, Polartec and North Face Research, Design & Development --AVAILABILITY Now, for $500 --TO LEARN MORE Visit thenorthface.com
POCKETFUL OF SILICON
You may be a gadget freak at heart, but there's no need to look like one. On the outside, Dockers' Mobile Pant appears to be an ordinary pair of tailored slacks. But tucked inside its waist seams and hidden behind zippers on the legs are three extra mesh-lined pockets for stashing everything from your cell phone to your PDA. One piece of advice: make sure you unload your cache before passing through airport metal detectors, or you'll be outed as a geek faster than you can say Palm Pilot.
--INVENTOR Dockers --AVAILABILITY Now, for $52 --TO LEARN MORE Visit dockers.com
back-to-basics
A NEW WAY TO KEEP FOOD COOL
In rural northern Nigeria, there are no refrigerators. Most people don't even have electricity. So perishable food must be eaten immediately, or it will go to waste. Mohammed Bah Abba, a local teacher, has developed an ingenious solution: the Pot-in-Pot Preservation Cooling System. A small earthenware pot is placed inside a larger one, and the space between the two is filled with moist sand. The inner pot is filled with fruit, vegetables or soft drinks; a wet cloth covers the whole thing. As water in the sand evaporates through the surface of the outer pot, it carries heat, drawing it away from the inner core. Eggplants stay fresh for 27 days, instead of the usual three. Tomatoes and peppers last for up to three weeks. A recipient of the Rolex Award for Enterprise, Abba, 37, who hails from a family of potmakers, is using his $75,000 award to make the invention available throughout Nigeria. He has already sold 12,000.
--INVENTOR Mohammed Bah Abba --AVAILABILITY Now (in Nigeria), for 40[cents] a set --TO LEARN MORE Visit rolexawards.com
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Tired of having your cell-phone battery go dead just when you need it most? FreeCharge is a half-pound, hand-cranked generator that you can attach to your cell phone and turn for 30 sec. to generate enough juice for five minutes of talk time. The first version will work on most Motorola phones; the next ones will power other makers' phones. This is the third in a series of windup electronic devices originally designed for use in developing nations. The first two--the Freeplay radio and flashlight--have been surprise hits in the U.S.
--INVENTORS Freeplay and Motorola --AVAILABILITY In December, for $50 --TO LEARN MORE Visit motorola.com
PASS THE GRAVY
Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. But boiling the potatoes and whipping them up just right is a drag. Now homemaker Carmina O'Connor of Warrenville, Ill., has patented a mashed-potato machine that cooks, mashes and flavors potatoes in just 20 min. Chefs insert washed potatoes into a food processor-size device and add water and seasonings. A finalist in Hammacher Schlemmer's Search for Invention 2001 competition, O'Connor hopes that someday "mashed-potato machines will be for Americans what rice cookers are for Asians." Now all she needs is someone to make and market her invention.
--INVENTOR Carmina O'Connor --AVAILABILITY Uncertain
TALK IS CHEAP
Cell phones are supposed to make our lives easier. So why do wireless companies keep packing them with pricey extras--like color screens, Web browsers, games and e-mail--that most people don't need? Now several companies are developing stripped-down, single-use models targeted for casual users who just want to take a cell phone on vacation or stash one with their emergency flashlight. One of the first to market will be the Hop-On Wireless (shown here) priced at $30 for 30 min. of talk time. To keep costs down, the device (about the size of a deck of cards) contains only a quarter of the components found in a typical cell phone. It doesn't take incoming calls, and there's no keypad or display. Instead, users plug in an earpiece (included) and speak the number aloud; voice-recognition technology converts the sounds into digits and places the call. To activate the phone, users simply push the green call button. Color-coded lights indicate when the 30 min. of prepaid talk time is running low (yellow) or out (red). The lithium-ion batteries will last for up to two years, so your minutes will probably run out before your batteries do.
--INVENTOR Peter Michaels, Hop-On Wireless --AVAILABILITY In December, for $30 --TO LEARN MORE Visit hop-on.com
for your health
LIFESAVER FOR YOUR LIVER
The liver is one of the most complex organs in the body--and one of the hardest to replace. It removes toxins from the blood and manufactures up to 1,000 proteins, metabolites and other vital substances. Now scientists trying to develop an artificial liver have found a way around these complexities: they let rabbit-liver cells do the work. The Bio-Artificial Liver developed by Dr. Kenneth Matsumura has a two-part chamber--patient's blood on one side, live rabbit cells suspended in a solution on the other--with a semipermeable membrane in between. As toxins from the blood pass through the membrane, the rabbit cells metabolize them and send the resulting proteins and other good things back to the other side. Because the rabbit cells never come into direct contact with human blood, the chances of infection or rejection are minimized. The device, now in its final stage of clinical trials, is meant primarily as a "bridge" to an eventual liver transplant for patients with acute liver failure or for those who have rejected a previous transplant. In some cases, it may also give a damaged liver time to heal on its own, eliminating the need for a transplant altogether.
--INVENTOR Dr. Kenneth Matsumura, Alin Foundation --AVAILABILITY In 2002 --TO LEARN MORE Visit alinfoundation.com
PAIN ZAPPER
Doctors sometimes let patients suffering from chronic pain self-administer prescribed doses of intravenous drugs. But those patients have always had to be tethered to an IV and drug bag. The first fully implantable drug pump could change all that. Here's how it works: morphine is stored in a pager-size pump just under the skin of the abdomen. A plastic catheter runs from the pump to the fluid-filled space outside the spinal cord, where pain signals travel. When the patient presses a handheld remote, the pump sends a measured dose of morphine directly to the spine. According to its maker, the SynchroMed works better and requires much smaller doses of medication than intravenous methods because it intercepts pain signals on their way to the brain.
--INVENTOR Medtronic --AVAILABILITY In 2003, for $1,500 --TO LEARN MORE Visit medtronic.com click on "Patient Information" and then "Pain"
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Some women hate taking pills. Others wince at the thought of implants or injections. Now there's a new choice for long-term birth control. In early October the FDA approved use of the NuvaRing, a thin flexible plastic ring that women can flatten like a rubber band and insert once a month into the vagina. Moisture and body heat activate the release of the same progestin and estrogen found in low-dose birth-control pills. Its makers say that NuvaRing is just as effective at preventing pregnancy and may cause fewer complications than the Pill.
--INVENTOR Organon --AVAILABILITY Mid-2002 --TO LEARN MORE Visit nuvaring.com
GET SMART
Is that crushing pain a heart attack, or pulled muscles from yesterday's pec-deck session? Ask your T shirt. Made of a soft, washable fabric with optical and electrical fibers woven into it, the SmartShirt records heart and respiration rates, body temperature and calories burned. Information is relayed wirelessly and can be sent on to doctors or personal trainers. Future planned products include shirts for military use that would provide a trapped soldier's exact location and give triage units details about wounds.
--INVENTORS Georgia Tech Research Corp. and SensaTex Inc. --AVAILABILITY By next September, for about $175 --TO LEARN MORE Visit sensatex.com
DRINK UP
A few months back, we probably would have recommended a portable water sterilizer only to people traveling abroad or going backcountry camping. But as fears persist of terrorists polluting the water supply, some folks might feel better knowing they can easily purify water at home as well. Powered by two AA batteries, the cordless Steri-Pen uses ultraviolet light to decontaminate a 16-oz. container of water in about a minute. Its maker claims Steri-Pen will kill 99.99% of the bacteria and viruses found in water.
--INVENTOR Miles Maiden --AVAILABILITY Now, for $199 --TO LEARN MORE Visit hydro-photon.com
BEAT THE SHRIEK
These days every home has at least one smoke alarm. But how many of us have yanked the batteries out in frustration because that annoying shriek goes off every time we broil a steak or toast a bagel? The Smart Alarm offers a cure so simple we should have thought of it: you turn the alarm on and off by remote control. Just point any remote at the alarm and hold down any button for five seconds.
--INVENTOR First Alert --AVAILABILITY Now, $30 --TO LEARN MORE Visit firstalert.com
TOSS THE SQUEEGEE
Wouldn't it be great if you never had to clean the windows in your house again? That's the promise of SunClean glass, which is lined with a transparent coating that breaks down dirt (and bird droppings) in the sun. When it rains or you spray the windows with a hose, the remaining residue is supposed to wash away without streaking. Available on a variety of window types for the home, the SunClean technology also works on insulated glass that blocks ultraviolet light.
--INVENTOR PPG Industries --AVAILABILITY In 2002 --TO LEARN MORE Visit ppgsunclean.com
around the house
SUNLIGHT IN A LIGHT-BLUE BULB
Ever notice how ordinary light bulbs cast a yellowish glow around your rooms? The new GE Reveal bulbs produce a crisper, whiter light that is much closer to natural sunlight and makes colors look brighter. Ideal for kitchens or work areas around the home, the powder-blue bulbs are no more expensive than regular ones. The secret ingredient is neodymium, a rare earth element that is baked into the glass to help filter out the usual yellow hue.
--INVENTOR General Electric Lighting --AVAILABILITY Now, for $3 to $4 for a four-pack --TO LEARN MORE Visit gereveal.com
STRESS BUSTER
There are plenty of massage chairs that will vibrate energetically up and down your weary body, but the new H.9 Inada Chair from Japan puts some brains behind the brawn. When you sit in it, infrared sensors scan your body to detect some 350 acupressure points. Once oriented, the leather chair begins a customized, Shiatsu-style massage accompanied by synchronized music meant to melt your tension away. If the synthesizer music drives you nuts, you can always pop in a CD of your own.
--INVENTOR Family Inada --AVAILABILITY In December, for $3,500 --TO LEARN MORE Call 877-224-6232