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NEWS ABOUT: inventions

Star Trek-esque Device May Let Blind 'See'

Uses sound to activate visual cortex

(Newser) - Remember the iconic Star Trek visor that allowed a blind engineer to see? A team of scientists in Israel has developed something like a real-life version of the gadget, the Daily Mail reports. The Sensory Substitution Device turns visual information into sound that blind people can interpret after a little... More »

The Ability to Fly: Yours for $100K

JetLev R200 can fly as high as 30 feet above water

(Newser) - Traveling by boat is just so ... pedestrian. For those looking for a more luxurious—and unusual—way to travel by sea, Florida's JetLev Technologies has just the thing: a $99,500 water-powered jet pack (pay another $3,500 for a premium color). The company tells the South Florida Sun-Sentinel... More »

For the Ultimate Lazy Man, an Adult Onesie

Snuggies are for amateurs...

(Newser) - In a news story that sounds more Wayne's World than our world, two Wisconsin men have developed and are selling the "adult onesie." The fleece, footless onesie, developed in Dave Hibler's parents' basement (along with the genius aid of friend Tyler Galganski), is said to be an evolutionary... More »

10 Futuristic Inventions We're Still Waiting For

Sorry, but no flying car for you

(Newser) - We may soon be getting self-driving cars , but—much to the chagrin of Back to the Future fans everywhere— still no hoverboards . Time lists 10 more futuristic predictions that haven’t exactly panned out:
  • Jet packs: OK, so these exist, but you probably can’t buy one. Popularized in a
... More »

Kid Makes Spiderman Machine, Scales Wall

Hibiki Kono's gadget relies on two $22 vacuum cleaners

(Newser) - The 2002 installment of Spider-Man cost $140 million to film—but one intrepid 13-year-old has figured out how to scale buildings for a whole lot less. Hibiki Kono devised a wall-climbing machine out of two $22.50 vacuums, reports the Sun . The British boy spent five months toiling away at... More »

Robotic Suit Helps Paralyzed Take Big Steps

Motorized exoskeleton enables walking, bending, climbing

(Newser) - People paralyzed from the waist down may soon be parking their wheelchairs in favor of a robotic walking suit, CNN reports. Designed by Dr. Amit Goffer, a disabled engineer in Israel, the lightweight exoskeleton of motorized leg supports and motion sensors enables users to walk around. "I don't have... More »

Barbies of the Future May Grow on Trees

Researchers use wood and wax to make biodegradable alternative

(Newser) - Wooden toys may not be so 1850s, scientists say. A bioplastic made from trees has been used to make everything from golf tees to car parts in recent years, but its sulfurous stink kept it out of the toy market. Now a sulfur-free version of "liquid wood" is available,... More »

Pentagon Inventing Group Hits 50, Looks to Next Strides

Freewheeling DARPA helped create the Internet

(Newser) - A small Defense Department agency credited with inventing the Internet and rockets that sent men to the moon is turning 50, the Washington Post reports, and is fine-tuning its next innovations. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's work spans biology, satellites and aircraft; it has no permanent labs and its... More »

Germaphobes Get a Handle on Bathrooms

Inventors help the wary leave the loo without touching doorknobs

(Newser) - For germaphobes, few sights elicit as much terror as doorknob in a public bathroom. Sure, you washed your hands, “but then someone else didn’t wash their hands and you have to touch the same door handle,” explains the inventor of the SanitGrip, an L-shaped, elbow-operated handle that... More »

How 'Bout Them Rotten Apples?

Before era of iPod and iPhone, company had some stinkers

(Newser) - Apple has been around for almost a quarter of a century, but not all of its products were as ingenious as the iPod. Wired highlights the company's biggest flops.
  1. The MessagePad (AKA The Newton): Fashioned to revolutionize personal computing, this PDA was too far ahead of its time for consumers.
... More »

Time Names iPhone Year's Best Invention

Design, system, revolutionary service deal shoot gadget to top

(Newser) - Time magazine is naming the iPhone its invention of the year. Why?
  1. It demonstrates that good design is as important as good technology.
  2. Its touchscreen creates a whole new kind of user interface.
  3. Other companies will seek the freedoms that AT&T granted Apple in designing the iPhone, which will
... More »

Dads Move in on Baby Market

As fathers get more hands-on, baby gear is getting less female

(Newser) - As fathers continue to take a more active role in raising their children, the market for baby gear has become less mom-centric, the New York Times reports. And it's not all fishing vests with hidden diaper changing pads. Recent dad-born inventions include computerized baby timers and a nipple adapter that... More »

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