INVENTION
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| SPACE SHIP ONE | 
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| Ingenious design. Entrepreneurial moxie. A world-changing vision of the future. The amazing SpaceShipOne has it all! |
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| Mixing glass with cement may seem strange, but that is what Aron Losonczi, a Hungarian architect, has done to create a transparent concrete called LiTraCon. Glass in the form of fiber optics allows light to filter through the material, creating a surreal effect. Available in sheets 2 in. or more wide, LiTraCon is as strong as regular concrete and can be used for walls, flooring or sculpture. It is on display at the National Building Museum in Washington through Jan. 23. INVENTOR LiTraCon AVAILABILITY Now, $1,828 per cu. ft. |
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| Suunto's T9 Wristop Computer, available for $700 at summithut.com crams a GPS tracker, barometer, altimeter, compass and more into one wearable package. |
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| These $100 Supertubes from Rip Curl, maker of cool stuff for surfers, feature rubber ear stems for a full-wrap fit. Polarized lenses are optional. See ripcurl.com for stores. |
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| The selection is vast at rei.com use Expert Advice links to help choose the right gear, like these Lightning Ascent snowshoes from MSR, $250, and the REI Runoff pack, $65, which holds water in an insulated reservoir and lets you drink hands free. |
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| Drivers, start your engines. If you hate to plug in a wired headset when you need to make a call behind the wheel, a cool solution is here. To cut the cord, upgrade to a phone that has Bluetooth connectivity (except for the Samsung, all our featured phones have it), and get a Bluetooth earpiece like the Motorola HS820 ($80; hellomoto.com) You will be surprised how clear it can sound, and you'll have one less distraction on the road. |
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| Poor reception is the curse of all cell phones. While there is little you can do about your carrier's spotty coverage in any given location, you can make it easier for others to hear you by investing in a better headset. The Jawbone has a sensor that rests on your cheekbone and picks up vibrations emanating from your head as you speak. It then uses those data to filter out background noise. You may not notice the difference, but the person on the other end will hear you much better. INVENTOR Aliph AVAILABILITY Now, $150 |
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| Smokey Bear would love the Jetboil Personal Cooking System, which cuts the risk of forest fires by allowing campers to prepare soup, pasta, rice and beans--any single-pot dish--quickly and safely. How? The flame is contained within the Jetboil's patented Flux Ring, which channels the heat from a butane burner directly into the vessel. (Fuel canisters sold separately.) Bonus: a neoprene cover insulates the food while protecting campers' fingers from the heat. INVENTORS Dwight Aspinwall, Perry Dowst AVAILABILITY Now, $79.95 |
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| When ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's asked a Penn State scientist to build a freezer that won't contribute to global warming, the result was like a frat-house experiment gone right. The apparatus uses sound waves to compress and expand helium, which in turn chills a liquid cooling agent--in this case, vodka. Bizarre, but it works: the stainless-steel canister was used last April to cool pints of Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey at a New York City scoop shop. INVENTOR Steven Garrett AVAILABILITY Prototype only |
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(click on 2003 in timeline)
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| The world's fastest yacht with a single hull is a 140-ft. carbon-fiber wonder. With two 148ft. masts and five sails, the silver-colored Mari-Cha IV, owned by billionaire Robert Miller, can travel at speeds of up to 36 knots, about twice what other boats its size can do. It holds four world records, including the West Marine Pacific Cup, a race from San Francisco to Hawaii , which it won this past July. INVENTORS Mari-Cha IV design team AVAILABILITY Now, $12.6 million |
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| Problem: during soccer games, your child often has to bend down to retie her cleats' laces or risk tripping during a critical dribble-shot-score. Solution: Shloops. The patented rubbery tubes, which take mere moments to install, keep shoes securely tied all day, no matter what you're doing. Put them on once and keep them on until your shoes wear out. Whether they offend your fashion sensibilities is a separate issue. INVENTOR Troy Christy AVAILABILITY Now, $2.99 a pair, in a range of colors |
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| It looks like water. It pours, flows and sloshes like water. But it doesn't get things wet. Its name is 3M Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid, and its chemical formula looks like alphabet soup. (It's technically a fluorinated ketone, whatever that means.) But you can dunk a laptop computer in it, and it'll come out bone dry and working fine. That makes this wonder fluid perfect for putting out fires in offices, computer rooms and museums. Just don't try drinking it. INVENTOR 3M AVAILABILITY Now |
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| Tired of scratched CDs and DVDs that don't play anymore? d_skin is a clear plastic coating that you can put over a disc to protect it. You leave the cover on all the time, even when you play the disc. The laser from the player simply passes through the cover to read the data it needs. And because the d_skin is so thin--it measures just two thousandths of an inch--it will work with any player. INVENTOR d_skin AVAILABILITY Now, five for $5.99 or 20 for $19.99 |
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| Given that cameras now come hidden in most phones, who would think to look for one in this Zippo-style lighter case? Great for anyone vying to be 008. thinkgeek.com ($100) |
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This tiny USB camcorder recharges when connected to a Mac or PC. The video isn't DVD quality but looks decent on the LCD screen hidden in the viewfinder. usa.philips.com ($250) |
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To find look in Portable Entertainment
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| ROADWORTHY | 
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In-car navigation devices chart a course by taking readings from global-positioning-system satellites and matching your location to an internal map, calling out every turn with a clear but soothing bionic voice. Garmin's Quest ($650; garmin.com has a small screen and requires some setup on a PC, but it runs on car power or a built-in battery, so it's great for hikes as well as drives. Magellan's popular RoadMate 700 ($1,300; magellangps.com comes ready to roll with detailed street maps of the U.S. and Canada --plus an optional map of Europe --stored in memory. |
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See Product Showcase (Garamin's – Quest) See Product Showcase (Magellan's GPS)
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This 256-MB USB key chain has a fingerprint scanner to securely manage your passwords. After setup, put your finger on the pad when you visit a site--and you're in. lexar.com ($80) |
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Check out the interactive demo on the page!
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If your desk makes optical mice go herky-jerky, try the laser mouse. It's 20 times as precise. It's also the first mouse to sport a lithium-ion battery. logitech.com ($80) |
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| TRANSFORMED | 
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| The original etoys.com is long gone, but that address still takes you to a sensible place to shop for, say, Hasbro's $45 Omega Supreme, a robot you can turn into a crane or battleship | |
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Last spring Intel commissioned a surfboard shaper in North Devon, England, to design a board with an embedded tablet PC. Why? So Intel could tout its Centrino processor at beach festivals around the globe. Equipped with wi-fi, the Wireless Technology Surfboard enables the surfer to send e-mail, shoot videos (using the built-in webcam) and, yes, surf the Web. INVENTOR Intel AVAILABILITY Prototype only |
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If you love water skiing but hate waiting your turn or finding someone to drive the boat, the Solo may be just what you need. This unmanned, 8-ft.-long fiber-glass boat lets you ski by yourself. All controls are on the tow handle, including acceleration, turning and a stop-start button. For added safety, the kill switch is activated when you drop the handle. Legal in 40 states (see website for information), the Solo goes up to 40 m.p.h. INVENTOR Solo Watersports AVAILABILITY Now, $10,995 |
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U.S. soldiers who return from Iraq missing a leg from the thigh down are getting back on their feet a lot faster these days, thanks to the Rheo Knee. The new prosthetic joint, developed in Iceland , is designed to learn the nuances of an individual's movements and adjust itself. An innovative control module--made up of sensors, a computer chip and software--reacts instantaneously to changes in the wearer's gait, so there's less strain on the hips and back.
INVENTORS Ossur, M.I.T.
AVAILABILITY Now, at select clinics |
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| The standard iPod is tough to beat, but at $250 Apple's 4-GB Mini is facing some serious competition. Virgin's new Player 5 GB ($250; virginelectronics.com has smart playlists, an FM tuner and twin headphone jacks. Creative's 5-GB Zen Micro ($280; creative.com) with its radical touch-pad face, comes in 10 colors, twice as many as the Mini. The 5-GB Dell Pocket DJ ($200; dell.com may have fewer frills, but it also costs fewer dollars. | |
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It may sound off the wall, but this PC for teens was designed by teens. Almost every visual element can be customized. There's an optional MP3 player and a prepaid cell phone too. hip-e.com (from $1,700) |
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Critics say they miss the last iMac's movable monitor or that there's too much white space below this one's wide screen. We say it's a smooth--and powerful--operator. apple.com (from $1,300) |
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Computers in your shoes? Believe it. A sensor in the new adidas 1 sneakers measures with each step how much compression you put on the heels of the shoes. Microprocessor-controlled cushioning then adjusts the heels' stiffness so they become more rigid on dirt trails, for example, and softer on pavement or when you're walking. In addition, you can set comfort levels with buttons on the shoes. The lithium-ion battery that fuels the system lasts about 100 hours. INVENTOR Adidas AVAILABILITY March 2005, $250 |
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Forgot the map? Left the guidebook at the hotel? No problem. The GoCar is a three-wheel tour guide equipped with a GPS system that not only tells you where to go but also describes the sights once you reach them. The brainchild of Nathan Withrington, a pilot and engineer from Britain , the GoCar speaks directions out loud. Currently available only in San Francisco , it goes up to 35 m.p.h. and travels a 12- to 17-mile loop. INVENTOR GoCar Rentals AVAILABILITY Now, $40 for one hour |
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Harry Haney has been ice fishing on Michigan lakes ever since his dad took him when he was a kid. But when a friend and fellow ice fisherman died after falling through the ice a few years ago, Haney, a state-park maintenance worker in Rhodes , Mich. , decided to create a vehicle that would prevent similar tragedies. His Snow Boat is a 14-ft. custom-made aluminum craft welded onto a standard snowmobile. If the ice breaks, the boat stays afloat so passengers won't fall into the freezing cold water. INVENTOR Harry Haney AVAILABILITY Prototype only |
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Take a Segway scooter, add a second pair of wheels and a banana seat, and you've got the Centaur, a concept vehicle that can take on any terrain--rocks, grass, sand, you name it. Like the original Human Transporter, the Centaur uses dynamic-stabilization technology (you shift your weight to steer) but adds a thumb throttle for extra oomph. Steering sensors and a computer conspire to make sure you don't topple over when you pop a wheelie. INVENTOR Segway AVAILABILITY Prototype only |
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| Slim but powerful, this 4megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom has a spacious 2-in. high resolution LCD screen in back, great for lining up and reviewing shots. powershot.com ($400) |
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| The price of pro-quality video technology is dropping fast. This MiniDV camcorder has separate imaging sensors for reds, greens and blues plus a 10x Leica zoom lens. panasonic.com ($700) |
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| Dangerous malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Africa have a new foe: the next-generation Olyset bed net, which is made of a durable plastic weave impregnated with the insecticide permethrin and stays potent for five years. Lighter, cheaper and more colorful than previous versions, the Nguvu ya Ajabu (Swahili for Magic Power) is being manufactured in Tanzania for cost-effective distribution. Also new: curtains and door screens cut from the same material. | |
| TO LEARN MORE acumenfund.org
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| The flashlight, opposite page, and laser pointer come as a yin-and-yang pair. One helps you find stuff in the dark; the other is a proven tool for annoying house cats and rock musicians. griffintechnology.com ($20) |
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| Make your own custom cover, or download free ones from HP. This mildly adhesive paper comes in 10-packs, so if you get bored with one design, you can peel it off and replace it. hp.com ($15 per pack) |
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| The color-screen iPod synchs music and photos and comes with up to 60 GB of space to hold both. And it can connect to a TV, so you can add music to your (let's be honest) boring vacation slide shows. apple.com ($500 to $600) |
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| A watertight case keeps your standard or Mini iPod dry even in the pool or at the lake. The shocking twist: with the included headphones, you can listen to music while submerged. h2oaudio.com ($150) | |
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| Bose SoundDock – Digital Music System | 
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| This sweet-sounding boom box and charging station is a stylish place to park your iPod (shown here with iBeam flashlight). It fits any iPod with a docking port, even the Mini, and comes with remote control. bose.com ($300) | |
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