A new LED street lamp design will help curb light pollution. Most street lamps use lamps that spill light in unnecessary directions, such as upwards into the sky. In contrast, the new LED street lamp design will feature LED lights mounted within a small housing and covered by a lens and diffusing layer. The lens will keep the light from scattering, the housing will reflect any spilled light back to the ground, and the diffuser will help to reduce glare. Because fewer lamps...

Socks will be made from a mix of cotton, recycled polyester and carbonized coffee, which will filter and absorb sweat and odor to keep feet cool. After a long day, traditional dress socks are not always very gentle to the feet, what with all the heat and sweat they keep in. But this new technology can provide new levels of comfort that were not previously possible. Carbonized coffee is a weapon against odor, attracting molecules (composed mostly of carbon) with its spongy...

The idea is to develop a system that will use the weight of traffic and pedestrians to generate electricity. The system will consist of an array of sturdy ramp-steps (made of a tire-like polymer) that will be set into the street. The ramps will protrude about two inches above the surface, and will be pushed down momentarily when a car drives over them, which will cause them to exert pressure on a set of bellows below the ramp. The bellows will then expel their air through a hose,...

A deadly beetle has inspired an ATM protection system that will defend itself from thieves. The system was inspired by the bombardier beetle's ability to spray its enemies with near-boiling acid. The beetle stores the ingredients for the acid in two separate chambers in its body, which prevents them from mixing until it is ready to attack. Following the beetle's lead, it is possible to build a system of two honeycomb structures filled with chemicals. The structures will be...

The Bluetooth-enabled tire gauge system will keep a constant eye on tire pressure and send and alert if the pressure becomes too low. Tire sensors will be installed in place of the tires' usual air valve caps, where each one will receive a separate identifier that will provide an accurate pressure reading for its tire. An alert will be sent to the user's smartphone or the in-car system if pressure levels fall too low, and the system can be set up to monitor up to 20 cars from one...

The idea is to develop a way to turn any LCD monitor into a touchscreen by tapping into a home's own unique electromagnetic field. The technology will feature a simple sensor able to harness the low levels of electromagnetic interference produced by most consumer electronics. The sensor will measure the signals as they are given off normally by the LCD screen, and then change when someone gestures near the screen. Software using machine will be able to determine whether the...

A new facial recognition identification system will go below the surface to identify a person based on the blood vessels within the face. The system will use a thermal imaging camera to perform an infrared scan on the individual's face. A specially designed algorithm will then process the image information, revealing even the tiniest blood vessels beneath the skin. The accuracy of the system is supposed to be over 97 percent, and its complexity will make it practically unable to...

The new lasers technology will involve taking advantage of perovskites, a material made from calcium titanium oxide. Perovskites have the ability to form near-perfect , complex crystalline structures from ready-made solutions and at low temperatures.

A newly developed method of ensuring paint layers have been properly applied could help prevent rust as well as diagnose the early signs of skin cancer. The system will emit a beam of terahertz-frequency radiation into the paint, where it will penetrate the paint layers without causing damage. As the beam moves through the layers, it will be reflected back at different intensities of light, which will reveal the thickness of the paint layers and allow the technician to determine if...

A chinstrap that harvests energy from jaw movements could one day be used to power medical implants and wearable devices. Jaw motion is considered one of the best sources of generating electricity from body movements, with an average of 7 mW of power possible from simply chewing meals. The chinstrap could be made of piezoelectric composites that will generate an electric charge when stretched. I believe that 60 seconds of chewing could result in about 10 µW, which is far from...