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.