11 Brilliant Inventions From Popular Science's Best of What's New 2008

9. Popular Science Best of What's New 2008 Home Tech Award: JHRG Storm-A-Rest

Tested to hold up during category 4 hurricanes, Storm-A-Rest turns out to be better than plywood boards at protecting windows from crashing into your home and letting the wind and rain destroy the rest. Storm-A-Rest is a shade that is installed on the outside of your windows. It is made from a very dense fabric made from Honeywell Spectra fibers and coated for waterproofing. Available from stormarest.com. (See runners-up in the Home Tech category.)

10. Popular Science Best of What's New 2008 Recreation Award: Shimano Dura-Ace 7970 Di2

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Used extensively in the 2008 Tour de France, the Shimano electronic gear shift has made a grand impression on biking enthusiasts. The difference is that the shifter is actually a switch that sends a message to a CPU in the front derailleurs of a bike, that send messages to the front and rear cog motors to move the chain. There are no steel cables to frustrate shifting in the Di2's, and Pop Sci predicts that they won't be coming back. The Shimano Dura-Ace 7970 Di2 is available on some high-end bikes (see bike.shimano.com). (Check out the runners-up in the Recreation category.)

11. Popular Science Best of What's New 2008 Security Award: Thruvision T5000 Security Camera

 

Security is not just about what 's going on at the airport check-in or the stadium entry. Today's security focuses on a greater range of detection, on what's outside of the "checkpoints" as well. British firm Thruvision has created an electromagnetic camera that picks up T-ray (terahertz wave) signals from persons and objects in its scope. Called the T5000, the camera detects the unique signals of objects from a distance of up to 80 feet, while detecting the human signals as well. The picture that is recorded, however, is a "G" rated human silhouette, not an X-rated one. Thus, without using x-ray devices that can be harmful and impinge on personal privacy, the T5000's can spot a range of concealed devices that have potential danger, like weapons, drugs, and liquids. The T5000 cameras are already in several U.S. airports and are being used by the U.S. Defense Department. (See runners-up in Security category.)

Pretty awesome array of inventions here, don't you think? Which one did you think should win the grand prize, Popular Science's Innovation of the Year? Here's the one that Popular Science picked.

via Popular Science and websites of the award winners.