www.monsterdesign.co.kr

www.monsterdesign.co.kr
TRANSIT & TALK
BRAILLE GLOVE
Inventor : Ryan Patterson
When high school student Ryan Patterson, 18, saw a deaf woman trying to order food at a Burger
King, he had a eureka moment: Why not create a device that translates sign language into text?
Armed with that idea and a leather golf glove, Patterson created a device that senses its wearer's
hand movements and transmits them wirelessly to a tiny handheld monitor, where they appear as
words. The device won Patterson a top prize at the Siemens Westinghouse Science and
Technology Competition. (청각장애인의 수화를 작은 핸드헬드 모니터에 무선으로 텍스트로 바꿔주는 장갑)
Availability: Prototype
To Learn More: www.siemens-foundation.org
TRANSIT & TALK
DOG TRANSLATOR
Inventor : Takara Toys
Wonder what your dog is really thinking? Japanese toymaker Takara claims
it can get you in touch with your inner canine through its new Bowlingual. A
radio microphone attaches to Fido's collar, and a handheld receiver
"translates" his yelps, growls and whines into such phrases as "I can't stand
it," "How boring" and "I'm lonely." How does it work? Samples of dog
noises were collected, interpreted by animal behaviorists and stored in a
doggie database. When your dog barks, the sound is beamed to the
handheld and matched to the database. When in doubt, take him for a walk.
Availability: Only in Japan, $100
To Learn More: takaratoys.co.jp/english
TRANSIT & TALK
INFOSCOPE
Inventor : IBM Almaden Research Center
Two years ago, IBM researcher Ismail Haritaoglu found himself at a Tokyo train station,
unable to make heads or tails of the kanji lettering in the posted routes and timetables.
Next time he'll be ready. His InfoScope snaps a picture of a street sign and ships it over
a wireless network to a remote computer that extracts the text and beams back a
translation — all in less than 15 seconds. Haritaoglu is working on a similar service for
GPS-equipped cell phones that would offer travel tips. (외국 여행시, 모르는 문자를 핸드헬드
카메라로 캡쳐한후 모국어로 번역을 해내는 단말기)
Availability: Prototype
To Learn More: almaden.ibm.com
TRANSIT & TALK
HY-WIRE CAR
Inventor : General Motors
(스티어링 휠을 유압실린더 등의 기계적 작동을 통해 움직이는게 아니라, 전기적인 신호로 바꿔서 작동함.)
The car of the future looks something like this: It has no engine, no steering column and no
brake pedal. It requires no gasoline, emits no pollution (just a little water vapor) and yet
handles like a high-performance Porsche. It might sound like an environmentalist's fantasy, but
there it was on display at the Paris Auto Show last September: the Hy-wire, a politically correct,
fully functional prototype that General Motors claims could be road ready by 2010. Other car
manufacturers — including Toyota, Honda and Ford — are working on post-fossil-fuel
automobiles, but only GM has rethought the car from the ground up, adopting an impressive
array of advanced technologies invented both in Detroit and very far from it. Instead of an
internal-combustion engine, for example, the Hy-wire is powered by fuel cells like those used in
the orbiting space station. Power is generated by an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and
oxygen that yields as its by-product only heat and H2O. No smelly exhaust, no smog, no
greenhouse gases. Gone too are the cables and mechanical links that have held together cars
since the dawn of the automobile age a century ago.
Instead, the steering and braking are fully electronic, using techniques pioneered in fly-by-wire
aircraft cockpits. In place of the steering column is a small color screen and two handgrips. To
accelerate, you twist the grips. To apply the brakes, you squeeze them. To turn left or right, you
move the grips up or down. Instead of a rearview mirror, there's a camera that projects an image of
the road you have traveled, along with such driving data as speed and hydrogen-fuel levels. Because
the car is fully programmable, drivers can set their performance preferences. (Brakes: soft or hard?
Engine: sporty or fuel conserving?) Eliminating all the mechanical controls frees up the space where
an engine would normally reside; in the Hy-wire prototype you can see straight through the front of
the car. Without a steering column, designers can place the controls anywhere in the car for
maximum comfort and safety땎ven in the backseat. The heart of the Hy-wire, however, is the
aluminum, skateboard-like chassis that runs the length of the vehicle. Nestled within it are the fuel
cells, an electric motor, tanks of compressed hydrogen and all the electronics. Because the fiberglass body is basically a shell, different models can be swapped like cell-phone covers. So you could
in theory drive a sports car on the weekends and change it into a minivan to haul the kids to school.
Of course, the Hy-wire is just a prototype, and getting the first production units on the road by 2010
would require the notoriously sluggish auto industry to shift gears a lot faster than usual. For one
thing, the roadside infrastructure that fuels and services today's gas guzzlers would have to be
redesigned to dispense hydrogen and reprogram faulty control systems. But if the result were a fleet
of safe, fuel-efficient, nonpolluting cars and trucks that reduced or eliminated the world's
dependence on fossil fuel, it would be worth the effort. — By Anita Hamilton
TRANSIT & TALK
PHONE TOOTH
Inventor : James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau
Tired of having to wear a cell phone on your belt wherever you go? In the
future, you may not have to. Two British researchers have developed a
prototype "phone tooth" that can be embedded in a molar and receive cellphone calls. The signals are translated into vibrations that travel from the
tooth to your skull to your inner ear—where only you can hear them. Great
for giving instructions to spies and NFL quarterbacks. Not so great for the
rest of us, because while our teeth may talk to us, we can’t talk back to
them. (휴대전화기 기능을 하는 칩을 이빨에 이식함.)
Availability: Prototype
To Learn More: sciencemuseum.org.uk
TRANSIT & TALK
SCRAMJET
Inventor : The University of Queensland
Imagine a jet engine that doesn't pollute the atmosphere, flies at seven times the speed of sound and
doesn't carry any fuel. Sound like a blue-sky pipe dream? One day last July, 300 km above the South
Australian Desert, that dream became a reality in the form of the HyShot scramjet. A scramjet (that's topgun shorthand for "supersonic ramjet") is a jet engine that is powered by oxygen it scoops out of the air
as it flies, so it's not weighed down by a fuel tank (though it needs an initial boost to get going). This
summer's launch represents the first time a scramjet has flown outside of a wind tunnel. It will take years
of work before scramjets are available for practical uses, but they could eventually revolutionize space
launches and commercial flights. At Mach 7, New York City to Tokyo is just a two-hour hop.
(산소를 연료로 쓰는 무공해 제트엔진)
Availability: Alas, commercial flights are still many years away
To Learn More: mech.uq.edu.au/hyper/hyshot
TRANSIT & TALK
TRIKKE SCOOTER
Inventor : Trikke Tech
Why settle for two-wheeled scooters when you can have three? The Trikke may
look a little silly, with its oversized polyurethane wheels and its odd, swiveling
action. But it's a serious scooter, made of aircraft-grade aluminum (at the same
Chinese factory that manufactures the popular Razor scooter), and it offers
exceptional stability and dependable, handlebar-mounted brakes. Trikkes are a
surprise hit in Hollywood, where Jennifer Aniston, Timothy Hutton and David
Spade have all been spotted riding on them.
Availability: Now, $200 to $300
To Learn More: trikke.com
TRANSIT & TALK
WHEELMAN
Inventor : Grant Taylor
If you thrill to getting from point A to point B while incurring maximum bodily risk, your ride is here:
the Wheelman. Imagine strapping your feet to a clown-sized motorcycle, and you will get the basic
idea. You steer with your weight, control the speed with a handheld throttle and pray with all your
might.
Availability: Now, from $1,200
To Learn More: wheelman.com.au
TRANSIT & TALK
WIRELESS HEADSET
Inventor : Various
If cell phones are wireless, why aren't the headsets that go with them? More and
more of them are, thanks to the new Bluetooth technology developed by a
consortium of electronics manufacturers to connect various digital components
over short distances. This year brought a slew of Bluetooth earpieces from Jabra,
Motorola, Nokia Plantronics and Sony Ericsson. Now you can walk around town
with your cell phone tucked away in your pocket or briefcase and a tiny headset
tucked into your ear. The biggest drawback (besides looking like a Secret Service
agent): the headsets need to be charged regularly, just like your cell phone.
Availability: Now, $99 to $250
To Learn More: bluetooth.com
TRANSIT & TALK
SPUTMIK MICROPHONE
Inventor : Design Continuum & M.I.T.
Democracy is about giving everybody a voice, but that's not so easy if there's only one
microphone. Enter the Sputmik, a colorful gadget designed to let anybody who wants to
take the floor at a public meeting or lecture. Developed as a collaboration between Design
Continuum, based in Boston, and M.I.T., the Sputmik (it's a pun on Sputnik) is a
basketball-size, completely wireless microphone that's well padded and easy to
handle so crowds can pass it overhead like a beach ball at a rock concert or even toss it
from person to person. (디자인 컨티늄에서 디자인한 컨퍼런스용 무선 마이크)
Availability: Prototype
To Learn More: dcontinuum.com
HOME & SAFETY
COLOR THERAPY LAMPS
Inventor : Daniel Raiche
Nothing sets the mood for work or play better than the perfect light, so why limit yourself
to dim or bright, fluorescent or incandescent? The new Therapie lamps look a little like
Rothko paintings, with their gorgeous reds, yellows and greens softly melting into one
another. Housed in brushed-aluminum frames, they range from 2 ft. to 6 ½ ft. long and
double as postmodern works of art. But they are more than just pretty lights. Powered by
the same fluorescent bulbs used for light therapy (to treat seasonal affective disorder
during winter months, for example), the lamps may actually brighten your spirits. And the
colored gels can be mixed and matched, so you can choose a yellow-green combination to
energize you in the kitchen or a purple-red to get things started in the bedroom.
Availability: Now, $1,300 to $1,700
To Learn More: snowlabdesign.com (고해상도 이미지 다운로드 가능)
HOME & SAFETY
COMFORT BEDDING
Inventor : Outlast Inc. of Boulder, Colo.
Are you having a love-hate affair with your blankets? Do you throw them off at 2 a.m.
because you're too hot and then desperately cocoon at 6 a.m. to warm up? Perhaps you
need Outlast's new Adaptive Comfort bedding. It introduces climate control where it
counts — under the covers. The pillow, mattress pad and duvet cover look quite
conventional — boring even, as they come only in white. But each is sewn with a layer of
tiny capsules, called thermacules, that absorb, store and release heat as needed to
regulate temperature. A version of this "phase change" material, originally developed
for NASA for use in astronaut gloves, has appeared in ski boots, ski helmets and other
cold-weather gear. (항상 일정한 온도로 침대의 온도를 유지함.)
Availability: Now, $29.99-$179.99
To Learn More: outlast.com
HOME & SAFETY
DATE RAPE DRUG SPOTTER
Inventor : Francisco Guerra
Singles bars have never been risk free, but so-called date-rape drugs give you one
more reason to be cautious. After a friend was attacked by a man who may have
spiked her drink, Francisco Guerra developed a cardboard drink coaster that can
identify two of the most popular date-rape drugs: gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and
ketamine. Just place a drop of liquid on the coaster, and rub it in with your finger. If
the spot turns blue, toss that cocktail. Fifteen million of these coasters have already
been distributed; look for them at 7-Elevens around Christmastime. (미국에서는 최근 술
에 약을 탄후 강간을 하는 사건이 많아졌다고 함. 데이트 상대가 술에 약을 탔는지 잔받침으로 확
인할수 있음.)
Availability: Now
To Learn More: drinksafetech.com
HOME & SAFETY
FOAM CHAIRS
Inventor : Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino, Tarantino Furniture
No one ever bothers to reinvent the wheel, but chairs are another matter.
Take the new EVA DVA Child Chairs, for example. Made of the same soft,
nontoxic foam used in athletic mats, they come in vibrant colors and can be
stacked like oversize blocks to create free-form sculptures or geometric room
partitions. Available in 12 color combinations, including orange-red, greenblue and yellow-gray, the chairs are designed for children ages 3 to 6 but are
supposed to be sturdy enough to hold adults weighing as much as 300 lbs.
That might be a tight squeeze.
Availability: Now, $80 a chair
To Learn More: evadva.com
HOME & SAFETY
LANDMINE DESTROYER
Inventor : David Summers
If you close your eyes, fire a squirt gun around the room and listen carefully, you'll hear
a different noise depending on what was hit (wall, rug, sleeping cat). That's the principle
behind ELADIN, the newest idea in mine detection. By shooting water into a minefield
and monitoring sounds, the system can detect and disarm explosives without setting
them off. There's certainly no shortage of targets: tens of millions of mines lie buried in
war zones around the world.
Availability: Prototype only
To Learn More: eladin.umr.edu
HOME & SAFETY
ROBOT VACUUM
Inventor : iRobot
Let's face it, vacuuming sucks. That's why a group of M.I.T. brainiacs
created Roomba, a robot that vacuums your house for you. Running on
rechargeable batteries, Roomba roams your house entirely on its own,
swooping up dust bunnies and stray Cheerios and zipping under beds and
couches where mere humans can't reach. Its sensors keep it from bumping
into walls and furniture or falling off staircases. When it finishes a room,
Roomba beeps proudly and turns itself off.
Availability: Now, $199
To Learn More: roombavac.com
HOME & SAFETY
SAFETY CHUTE
Inventor : Eli Nir
The World Trade Center attack created a lot of interest in ways to get
people out of skyscrapers in a hurry. Here's a novel solution: the
AMES-1, an evacuation system that looks like an amusement-park
water slide. A Kevlar rescue chute is installed in the outer wall of a
building. In an emergency the unit springs open and the chute uncoils
to the ground. It takes about 19 seconds to slide to safety from the top
floor of an 11-story building.
Availability: Now, $20,000
To Learn More: ames-1.com
HOME & SAFETY
SPIN VACUUM
Inventor : James Dyson
Not just another bagless vacuum cleaner, the Dyson DC07 has a brandnew way to take grime out of your carpet. It's called cyclonic separation.
Whirling dirt and air within its eight cylindrical cyclones at speeds up to
600 m.p.h., the machine uses centrifugal force to trap the dirt and expel
the air. Because there is no filter to clog, the DC07 never loses its oomph.
Its "liquid steel" shell is made from the same plastic-metal polycarbonate
as riot shields. And emptying the collected dirt is as simple as pulling the
trigger. (필터가 없는 진공청소기)
Availability: Now, $399
To Learn More: dyson.com (고해상도 이미지 다운로드 가능)
CLOTHING
NANO-TEX
Inventor : Nano-Tex, LLC
We've been hearing about nanotechnology for years, but this fall it finally
landed in our lap — literally. These pants look and feel ordinary, but they
have undergone a special chemical treatment to give them
"nanowhiskers" — millions of tiny fibers one hundred-thousandth of an
inch long — that help them repel spills. Eddie Bauer and Lee, among
others, are gambling that the fabric will give them a leg up on the
competition. (나노섬유가 옷에 물이 배지 않게 함.)
Availability: Now, $35 for Lee Performance Khakis
To Learn More: nano-tex.com
CLOTHING
MUSICAL JACKET
Inventor : Burton Snowboards
When the temperature drops, music lovers are often forced to
choose between unzipping their jacket, thus exposing
themselves to arctic blasts, and listening to the same set of
songs over and over until they pray for frostbite. With the
Burton AG Clone MD Jacket, you don't have to choose.
Designed for snowboarders, the jacket is made with a Sony
Mini-Disc and digital music player sewn right into its fabric.
The player's controls are touch-sensitive fabric patches on the
jacket's sleeve, so you can control the music just by pressing
your arm. (스노보드 점퍼에 MD 조작용 리모트 컨트롤러가 내장됨.)
Availability: December, $999
To Learn More: burton.com
CLOTHING
ULTRA-CASHMERE
Inventor : Lutz & Patmos, with Yves Behar
Ah, cashmere. It's toasty warm, deliciously soft, wonderfully luxurious — and now water
repellent. Every fiber in this $1,100 "windbreaker" introduced last spring is coated in
Teflon, though you wouldn't know this to wear it. The chemical treatment is done when
the raw cashmere is first washed (to make it soft for knitting), so there's no discernible
difference — until you flick water at it and watch the droplets run off. (방수 캐시미어)
Availability: Now, in two new styles, $850 and $1,075
To Learn More: lutzandpatmos.com
TOYS & SPORTS
AIR SURFER
Inventor : Hasbro
Even the most cautious backyard pilot must eventually preside over a
radio-controlled air disaster or two. For some enthusiasts, that's the
best part. For the rest of us, there's the Power Air Surfer, a new radiocontrolled airplane that's almost impossible to crash, thanks to an
innovative design. The Power Air Surfer's two 80-cm wings and double
propellers make it ultrastable at altitudes up to 30 m, and it always
glides in for a feather-soft landing matter how hard you try to make it
crash.
Availability: Now, $75
To Learn More: hasbro.com
TOYS & SPORTS
HI-TECH SCUBA
Inventor : Force Fin
Scuba divers have always had a soft spot for high-tech accessories. Take, for
example, these bizarre-looking fins, designed to let divers fine-tune the position and
even the flexibility of their blades. The Oscillating Propulsion System, above right,
whips through water like an eel; a little weight inside the tip helps build momentum
so you can cover long distances faster without working too hard. The Twin Foils are
better for maneuvering in tight spots, reducing the chance that you'll kick the coral.
The two fins share a common foot pocket, so you can quickly swap one for the
other.
Availability: Now; $135 for a pair of foot pockets; $150 to $220 for a set of blades
To Learn More: forcefin.com
TOYS & SPORTS
CINDY SMART DOLL
Inventor : Toy Quest
She may look like a casting reject from Village of the Damned, but Cindy Smart is no creepy
alien-girl. Well, she is a little creepy. With two 16-bit microprocessors, voice-recognition
software and a digital camera lodged in her chest, she takes interactive playtime to a new
level. The doll can do simple math, recognize basic shapes and colors, respond to 70
preprogrammed questions and read flash cards (as long as they're within her vocabulary of
650 English words and a smattering of German, Spanish, Italian and French ones). If all this
gets to be too much, you can always switch Cindy off and braid her white-blond hair.
Availability: Now, $99
To Learn More: toyquest.com
TOYS & SPORTS
MINI SUB
Inventor : H2Eye
Many of us feel the call of the deep, but few of us are willing to face the
cold, wet and occasionally shark-infested realities of scuba diving. That's
why we need Spyfish, a gadget for divers who aren't quite ready to take
the plunge. Spyfish is a battery-powered minisubmarine tricked out
with cameras and floodlights and operated by wireless remote control. It
trails a slender cable behind it that transmits whatever it sees back to a
monitor topside, so you can rummage through Davy Jones' locker while
sunning yourself on deck and sipping a mai tai. The product of years of
research and testing, Spyfish is elegant and streamlined but rugged
enough to withstand depths of 150 m and conditions too cold or
dangerous for a human diver.
Availability: Late in 2003; around $14,900
To Learn More: h2eye.com
TOYS & SPORTS
SMART SKIS
Inventor : Head NV
If you're skiing, you're probably on vacation, and if you're on vacation, you're
probably tired of using your head. Why not think with your feet for a change? Head's
new i.C 300 skis are made from a special material that reacts to physical stress by
generating electricity. Each i.C 300 ski has a computer chip in it that monitors its
electrical output, thus allowing the ski to make an educated guess about the condition
of the snow you're skiing on and how hard you're turning. The chip then feeds that
signal back into the ski, which reacts instantly by either relaxing or stiffening. Result:
you get more control and a smoother ride. (스키 플레이트에 칩이 달려있음. 스키의 뒤틀림
을 전기적 신호로 감지하여 안정적인 컨트롤을 가능케 함.)
Availability: Now, $750
To Learn More: head.com
TOYS & SPORTS
TRAVEL SURFBOARD
Inventor : Karl Pope
Karl Pope has been searching for the perfect surfboard since he took to the waves in the mid-1950s.
In 1964 he introduced the Travelboard, a three-piece model, with partner Tom Morey (who went on
to invent the boogie board in 1971). Four years ago, Pope introduced the Bisect, a two-piece board
that is even easier to transport; just pull it out of the trunk, snap it together, and head for the
water. His latest innovation: the Bisect Hollow Carbon Stealth (as in Stealth fighter). It's pressuremolded out of a carbon-fiber composite — a jet-age fabric woven with graphite and impregnated
with epoxy, That's 20% lighter than conventional foam — and-fiber-glass long boards and, Pope
claims, "at least 10 times stronger." It's also 125% more expensive.
(두부분으로 나눠서 이동이 가능한 서프보드)
Availability: Now, $1,795
To Learn More: bisect.com
TOYS & SPORTS
SURVIVAL TOOL
Inventor : Imperial Schrade Corp.
Ever since the advent of the Swiss army knife, mankind has sought to fit
more and more tools into smaller and smaller devices. The latest triumph of
ingenuity over simplicity is the i-Quip, which puts an extraordinary number
of traditional gadgets — and quite a few new ones — into a compact design.
The i-Quip is divided into two separate pods: one holds quotidian tools
(blades, scissors, screwdrivers, etc.), the other such high-tech necessities
as a digital compass, a barometer, a clock, a flashlight and an altimeter.
Availability: Now, $250
To Learn More: schradeknives.com
TOYS & SPORTS
ULTRA-BUBBLE
Inventor : Spinmaster Ltd.
All good things must come to an end — but do they have to end
so soon? A new bubble-blowing formula called Catch-A-Bubble
extends the lifespan of the average soap bubble from a few
dozen seconds to about five minutes. The secret of Catch-ABubble is a chemical that toughens when it comes in contact with
air, producing sturdier, more resilient bubbles that can be
touched, handled, tossed and even — with the right delicate
touch — stacked on top of one another. (잘 터지지않고, 오래가는
비누방울. 여러개의 비누방울을 겹쳐서 손에 잡을수 있음.)
Availability: Now, $4
To Learn More: spinmaster.com (TV광고 mov로 볼수 있음.)
ROBOTS & TECH
AEROGEL
Inventor : NASA
A new substance called aerogel, invented in the 1930s but recently refined by
NASA, has been certified as the lightest solid in the world — yes, it's in the
Guinness Book of World Records. Weighing in at a mere .00011 lbs. per cu. in.
(thin air weighs about .00004 lbs. per cu. in.), aerogel resembles smoke that
has been frozen into place — it's cloudy, translucent and virtually weightless.
It's also surprisingly tough. Chemically similar to glass, aerogel is used on the
space shuttle to trap tiny spaceborne particles traveling at high speed so they
can be brought back to Earth for analysis.
Availability: Now
To Learn More: science.nasa.gov/aerogel
ROBOTS & TECH
3-D ONLINE ENVIRONMENT
Inventor : Linden Lab
Ever want to build a cathedral? Underwater? Change your clothes, your face,
your whole body? Fly? You can't do any of that stuff in real life, but you can
do it all and more in Second Life, a startlingly lifelike 3-D virtual world now
evolving on the Internet. Unlike other shared online adventures, Second Life
isn't about slaying monsters or zapping aliens. It's about building things,
meeting people and expressing yourself. Even if you already have a life, you
may want to get a second one.
Availability: Summer 2003, for a monthly fee
To Learn More: lindenlab.com
ROBOTS & TECH
CAMERA CHIP
Inventor : Richard Merrill, Foveon
Why is it that snaps taken with a $500 digital camera often aren't as sharp as those
from a $20 disposable? Because unlike the light-sensitive chemicals in ordinary
analog film, each sensor on a digital chip saves only one-third of the color data it
receives red, green or blue, but not all three at once. With the new Foveon X3
technology, however, three sensors are stacked on top of one another, so that each
pixel absorbs the full color spectrum. Result: a 3.5-megapixel camera using Foveon
technology will produce images as clear as today's 7 MP models.
(디지탈 카메라용 고화질 CCD 센서)
Availability: December 2002
To Learn More: foveon.com
ROBOTS & TECH
EARTH SIMULATOR
Inventor : Various
In 1997 a team of Japanese engineers dared to imagine a computer so powerful that it could keep track
of everything in the world at once — steaming rain forests in Bolivia, factories in Mexico belching smoke,
the jet stream, the Gulf Stream, the works. What's more, they dared to build it. On March 11, 2002,
when they turned it on, the engineers did something no mere mortal had ever done before: they created
the Earth. Or at least the next best thing. The Earth Simulator, the most powerful supercomputer ever
built, was designed for a single purpose: to create a virtual twin of our home planet. Before the Earth
Simulator arrived, the fastest computer in the world was an American military machine that can perform
7.2 trillion calculations per second. The Earth Simulator runs at more than 35 trillion calculations per
second, almost five times faster. In fact, it's as powerful as the next 12 fastest supercomputers in the
world put together. Located at a vast, newly built facility in Yokohama, the Earth Simulator is the size of
four tennis courts. The price tag? Around $350 million. It was worth every penny. By plugging real-life
climate data from satellites and ocean buoys into the Earth Simulator, researchers can create a computer
model of the entire planet, then scroll it forward in time to see what will happen to our environment.
Scientists have already completed a forecast of global ocean temperatures for the next 50 years, and a
full set of climate predictions will be ready by year's end. Soon, instead of speculating about the possible
environmental impact of, say, the Kyoto accord, policymakers will be able to plug its parameters into the
virtual Earth, then skip ahead 1,000 years to get a handle on what effect those policies might have. That
kind of concrete data could revolutionize environmental science. By digitally cloning the Earth, we might
just be able to save it. — By Lev Grossman
ROBOTS & TECH
MARS ROVERS
Inventor : NASA
In 2004, the hottest car in the world will have a top speed of 10 ft. per min.
— if, that is, the world happens to be Mars. NASA is currently testing two
robotic rovers to send to the Red Planet in a mission set to launch next
summer. The two solar-powered vehicles will travel up to 330 ft. —
compared with Sojourner's 16 ft. — a day while using their nine cameras and
three spectrometers to make scientific observations. First on the agenda?
Looking for traces of water.
Availability: January 2004
To Learn More: fido.jpl.nasa.gov
ROBOTS & TECH
SOLAR TOWER
Inventor :
(태양열 터빈타워)
Jörg Schlaich
Want cheap, green electricity? The Australians have a simple answer. First,
build a 20,000-acre greenhouse to trap and heat air. Then build a colossal
tower 1 km (.62 miles) tall in the middle of it. The warm air from the
greenhouse will rise through the tower as it would through a chimney,
turning turbines and generating enough electricity to power 200,000
Australian homes. It may sound like science fiction, but the project is on
track to get approved by the Australian government. If completed, the
$800 million solar tower will be the tallest man-made structure in the
world. (뮌헨 올림픽 스타디움과 몬트리올 올림픽 스타디움을 디자인한 독일 건축가
Jörg Schlaich 교수가 디자인함.)
Availability: 2005
To Learn More: enviromission.com.au
ROBOTS & TECH
VIRTUAL KEYBOARD
Inventor : Canesta and VKB
If computer monitors can shrink to almost nothing, why not keyboards? They soon may. Two
companies have developed prototype "virtual" keyboards designed to accompany portable
devices like PDAs, tablet PCs and cell phones. Here's how they work: a laser beam projects a
glowing red outline of a keyboard on a desk or other flat surface. A sensor like those used in
digital cameras monitors the reflection of an infrared light projected on the same spot. It can
tell which "keys" you are trying to strike by the way that reflection changes. Someday, similar
keyboards may be built into the gadgets they work with, so that they disappear when not in use.
Availability: 2003
To Learn More: www.canesta.com
MEDICAL & MORE
TOMATO VACCINE
Inventor : Charles Arntzen
Charles Arntzen is convinced that the reddish, powdery substance he holds in his hand will make the world a safer
place. Arntzen, an Arizona State University biologist, has been working for nearly five years to create what is
basically freeze-dried tomato juice — but not from any ordinary tomatoes. This fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruits, not
vegetables) carries a gene from a strain of the E. coli bacterium. Some strains of E. coli can cause violent diarrhea
and death. Swigged down in reconstituted juice, however, a protein made by the E. coli gene should act as a vaccine,
priming the immune system to recognize and fight off the real thing. What's the advantage? Conventional vaccines
are costly to make and distribute in the impoverished Third World countries that need them most. That's why
Arntzen and others began thinking about using plants instead of needles, creating vaccines that would be easy to
grow locally in, say, Vietnam or Bangladesh. He focused on diarrhea, because, says Arntzen, "diarrheal diseases kill
at least 2 million people in the world every year, most of them children." And he chose tomatoes because
greenhouse-grown tomatoes can't easily pass their altered genes to other crops and because tomato-processing
equipment is relatively cheap. It would be easier still just to take whole tomatoes and eat them, but that could be a
disaster, says Arntzen. Individual tomatoes come in different sizes with varying levels of protein, and uniformity of
dosage is key to an effective vaccine. "I'll always regret calling these vaccines,'" he says, "because that's just the
image it conjures up." Arntzen hopes to test his tomato juice on animals within the year, with human trials to follow.
He's also thinking about vaccines for cholera, hepatitis, human papilloma virus and measles. And he's not alone:
some four dozen labs around the world are working on their own versions of what Arntzen would prefer to call "plantderived" vaccines, based on tomatoes, bananas and potatoes. Within a few years, some of the planet's most
pernicious killers could be in retreat — and it won't hurt a bit. — By Michael D. Lemonick
MEDICAL & MORE
VIRTUAL ULTRASOUND
Inventor : Novint Technologies
Virtual Fetus Ultrasound images allow expectant parents to see grainy images of their
developing fetus. Soon they may also be able to "feel" the fetus, thanks to a new PCbased ultrasound device called the e-Touch Sono. The system combines data from a
regular ultrasound machine with a force-feedback mechanism like those used in some
video games. Touch the image of a fetal cheek with a hand-held stylus, and signals sent
from the computer to mechanical motors in the stylus will simulate the sensation of
pressing against soft skin. Move the stylus across the fetus's face, and you will feel the
contours of its nose, lips and ears. Watch the baby's form appear onscreen as you "touch"
it with the stylus. What's next? 3-D sculptures that would-be parents can bring home
months before their due date. (초음파 기계와 3차원 포스피드백 펜으로 뱃속의 아기를 직접 느낄
수 있음.)
Availability: Now, $250 to $350
To Learn More: novint.com
MEDICAL & MORE
BREATH STRIPS
Inventor : Pfizer
Tired of seeing its venerable Listerine mouthwash (first
introduced in 1914) getting chewed up in the market by
various lozenges, drops and gums, Pfizer this year
introduced Cool Mint Listerine PocketPaks, tissue-thin
strips that melt in your mouth and deliver a bracing,
breath-freshening punch. They were an instant hit, with
more than 100 million sold.
Availability: Now, $1.49 a pack
To Learn More: prodhelp.com
MEDICAL & MORE
BIRTH CONTROL PATCH
Inventor : Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical
The perfect birth control device, when someone invents it, will be totally
invisible yet impossible to forget: no pills, no shots, no condoms. This year's
newest entry, OrthoEvra, is not perfect, but it's close. It's a patch about the
size of a matchbook, but as thin as a piece of tape, that delivers the same
estrogen and progestin found in a standard birth-control pill. The hormones
pass from the patch through the skin and into the bloodstream. It's
waterproof and won't fall off; just find a discreet place to stick it on your
body, and change it once a week. If only it were invisible. (피임 패치)
Availability: Now, $25 to $40 a month
To Learn More: orthoevra.com
MEDICAL & MORE
ICOPOD
Inventor : Sanford Ponder
These stylish shelters were a big hit at the Burning Man
festival this summer, but they're not just for fun. Fashioned
from a single piece of laminated paperboard (plus a floor and
a door), they are sturdy, wind resistant, waterproof, well
insulated and require no special skills or tools to assemble —
perfect, according to their inventor, for use as temporary
housing in a war or a natural disaster. The Shade Pod, an
open-air version with legs, is just right for lawn parties.
Availability: Next summer, starting at $745
To Learn More: icosavillage.net
MEDICAL & MORE
SHOP 2000
Inventor : Automated Distribution Technologies, Inc.
What's 18 ft. wide, fully automated and open 24 hours a day?
Despite its name (which already seems a little out of date), the
Shop 2000 is the cutting edge of robotic retail: a vending machine
with the inventory of a minimart. The coin- and credit-cardoperated vendor carries up to 200 items, from olive oil to computer
discs to sandwiches to toothpaste (storing the perishables at a
frosty 35캟). There's no smile with your service, but you do get the
fun of watching a robotic arm grab your purchase. With
convenience stores reporting a shortage of labor, don't be surprised
if one opens on your block sometime soon.
Availability: So far, only one in the U.S., in Washington
To Learn More: shop2000online.com