Cool Bulletproof vest The Dutch organisation for applied scientific research and the Dutch army are working on a bulletproof vest with an integrated fan. It's as heavy as current vests and offers more protection. A prototype will be tested in Afghanistan this summer.
Lightweight Video Eyewear is Science Fact Many people have already purchased a MP4 video player. Very nice, but the screens are simply too small to watch a movie. The newest generation of video eyewear no longer weighs more than a pair of designer sunglasses. A real mobile cinema experience.
Catch-bot solves Basketball Mystery Perceptual psychologists have been obsessed with basketball for nearly three decades: How can an outfielder navigate to a flying basketball? After a lot of research engineers have been able to create a robot that can catch a basketball.
Autodidact Robot Researchers of Cornell University and the University of Vermont made a robot that observed its own motion using built-in sensors in its joints. When the researchers shortened one of the robot's leg it responded by devising a new way to walk.
Protect your Banana Are you fed up with bringing bananas to work or school only to find them bruised and squashed? Then you'll need the Banana Guard, a hard plastic case that will keep those icky brown bruises away. The Banana Guard can fit 90% of all bananas.
Ovulation Watch The OV-watch is FDA approved to predict ovulation up to five days in advance for women trying or not trying to have a baby. The watch detects chorine ions secreting through the skin, a chlorine peak indicates an ovulation will occur.
Jet Powered Laptop Alan Epstein wants to put a jet engine into a laptop. An engine the size and weight of a laptop battery could give you at least 15 hours of battery life. Epstein and his team have already tested wafers that would make up different parts of the engine
Hopscotching Robot from Toyota Toyota says it has developed a one-legged robot that can jump like a human. The one meter tall robot has a joint that allows it to jump as high as 1.6 inches high. Toyota hopes to apply the technology to a two-legged robot in the future.
Robot Discerns Brand Wine from a Sip Researchers at NEC System Technologies and Mie University in Japan have developed a robot that can identify wines and cheeses. The electromechanical sommelier uses an infrared sensor to determine the chemical composition of certain objects.
Fashion of the Future: Illuminating Clothing Will people in the near future wear illuminating clothing? Philips Research thinks so. Their Lumalive textiles make it possible to create fabrics that carry dynamic advertisements, graphics and even full color animations.
