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...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...
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. Next Product: Thin Skins...
Goin' Coconuts Inventor: Greg Haggquist, Traptek Availability: January 2006, shirts and shorts, $150 each To Learn More: cannondale.com Cannondale's upcoming Carbon LE line of cycling wear is cut from a new kind of cloth: moisture-wicking, odor-absorbing, UV-ray-protective polyester. What makes it so? Carbon from coconuts. The husks are heated to 1,600°F; the activated carbon (also found in water and air filters) is infused into yarns that make up the material. The carbon particles, kept activated by a patented process, create a porous surface that traps nasty smells and harmful rays and causes...
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. Next...
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...