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Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

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Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

The Coolest Inventions of 2005

Spanish Translation

Vote for the cool new invention that you'd most like to own!

Try to imagine life without cars, electricity or plastic. Not easy, is it? Great inventions become such a common part of life that no one can dream of doing without them. Each year, writers and reporters at TIME magazine research hundreds of new gadgets, then select the very best. Here are some of 2005's brightest inventions. How have we survived until now without them?

Is That Cat Smiling?
iCat has an expressive face that takes robotic pets to a new level. Tell her to go away, and iCat will look sad. Praise her, and she'll smile. Thirteen electric motors move her eyes, eye-brows, eyelids, mouth and head. iCat can communicate in eight languages so far. She can also connect to the Internet and read online text aloud. But don't get too attached to the kitten 'bot just yet: For now, iCat is a lab pet, for research only.

Lifesaving Straw
Can a $3 drinking straw really save a life? LifeStraw can. This super-straw uses seven types of filters to purify dirty water. It can prevent illnesses, such as diarrhea, that kill at least 2 million people every year in places with unsafe drinking water. It can also provide clean drinking water for survivors of hurricanes, earthquakes or other disasters. And it's handy for hikers who want to drink water straight from the source. Look for LifeStraw in early 2006.

This Suit Can Get Up and Go
It may look like it escaped from a video game, but this getup is actually a medical innovation. Japanese researchers have developed a robotic exoskeleton to help elderly or disabled people walk and lift heavy objects, such as a jug of water. A computer housed in a backpack uses sensors to mimic the wearer's posture and gait. A version to be sold in stores is in the works.

Open Sesame, Just for Me
Fukuda's Automatic Door opens just enough to match the shape of the person or object passing through. The door's sensitive motion detector tells it how far to open. This helps save energy by keeping too much hot or cold air from coming in. It can also keep out dirt. But here's the bad news: It will open for little brothers or sisters.

Training Wheels
Learning to ride a bike can be tricky, but the new Shift tricycle may soon make this challenge a little easier. Shift's rear wheels move together as the rider picks up speed. The wheels separate for easier balance at slower speeds or when the rider comes to a stop. The 25-pound aluminum trike won a design competition in Taiwan this year. Shift will go on sale for $100 in late 2006.

An Alarming New Watch
Feeling groggy? It may be that your alarm went off while you were in a deep sleep. The Sleeptracker wakes you only when you are in a light sleep. People move more during a light snooze. The watch's motion sensor measures your slumber level. Here's how it works: Give the alarm a 20-minute stretch during which it would be O.K. for you to wake up. The alarm will go off when you start moving around a bit. The cost of a good night's sleep? $149.

Tunnel Vision
Want pets that won't scratch, shed or sleep all day? AntWorks is a new kind of ant farm that replaces the sand found in older models with a clear, seaweed-based gel. The goo is packed with all the tasty sugar, water and nutrients that ants need to live. Just pop in some ants, close the lid and watch the insects tunnel through the blue-tinted goo. For special effects, a light can be attached to the bottom of AntWorks to make it glow day and night. Use the magnifying glass, included, to zoom in on the tireless workers.

Shall We Dance?
This is not your ordinary dancing machine. The Partner Ballroom Dance Robot has upper-body sensors that allow it to predict its partner's next steps. This ability is helpful off the dance floor too. The robot can read a person's movements to figure out what he or she needs. The creators of the five-foot-five-inch-tall humanoid say similar robots may one day help care for the sick or the elderly. But for now, this 'bot is simply a fabulous dance partner.

Sports Car or Spaceship?
Toyota's i-unit is a personal-transportation system that appears to have rolled in directly from the future. The space-age-looking vehicle is powered by a battery and travels both upright like a chair and reclined like a sports car. The i-unit's compact size and built-in sensors help it to move easily around obstacles. The sleek pod can travel at top speeds of 25 miles per hour. So far, only a few dozen of the sporty vehicles have been built.

Copying Man's Best Friend
Like any other puppy, seven-month-old Snuppy is eager to please and itching to explore the world. But Snuppy is no ordinary mutt. Scientists in South Korea cloned the Afghan pup from a single cell taken from the ear of an adult dog. A clone is a genetically identical copy of a living thing, created in a lab. Scientists have already cloned sheep, pigs, cattle, mice, rabbits, horses and cats. Snuppy is the first dog clone. Cloning may someday have beneficial uses, but it is controversial. Nearly everyone agrees that it would be wrong to clone a human.

Ready to Write in the Rain
Soon you may be able to catch up on your homework in the shower. Chemist Sally Ramsey made an acciden- tal breakthrough while experimenting with a new protective coating for plastic. She invented waterproof paper! The paper resists mildew and is easy to write on even when wet. Paper manufacturers are set to begin producing Ramsey's invention in a year and a half.

Look Ma, Only Two Wheels!
No expert lessons needed for a spin on these wild-looking skates. In fact, the new LandRoller skates are made for beginners. The skates are specially designed to make sure a skater doesn't topple over on cracked pavement or uneven surfaces. LandRoller's two wheels are bigger than other inline skates' and are angled inward to help beginners keep their balance. The price tag for these wheel-y cool skates: $249.

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