The idea is to add the functionality of a Swiss Army knife to the iPhone. The case could feature polycarbonate edge bands with a raised bevel that will protect the face of the phone and an aluminum backing that will conceal the tools flat within the case, which will retain the slim profile of the phone. The tools, which include a knife, Allen wrenches, screwdrivers, spoke wrench and kickstand, will be spring-released at the touch of a button. The case will be also easily removable,...

The DSLR wheel of filters adds a new range of artistic flair by letting digital photographers "downgrade" their images to look as if they were taken by a toy camera. The device consists of two wheels with nine different effect lenses or color filters. Once the base-lens is mounted to the camera users can then attach one of the two wheels, which can be rotated to achieve the desired effect for either photographs or video. The wheels also include an empty hole for photographing with...

The umbrella features an adjustable grip, letting the user get a handle on strong winds and rain. It allows the user to hold the umbrella higher on the shaft, which is sometimes necessary when fighting strong winds. The adjustable grip is positioned above a standard, fixed grip, and can be moved and secured anywhere on the shaft with a lever/lock mechanism. The umbrella is up to 70 percent easier to control in high winds than standard umbrellas, and the higher grip option also...

The jacket will be basically a wearable bag, carrying your gear and clothing and leaving your hands free. The jacket will be a lightweight vest with twelve pockets hidden in the lining and two zip pockets on the outside. The jacket will hold up to 11 pounds of clothes, including a pair of jeans, a sweater, and four t-shirts, and will be made of durable ripstop Nylon and polyester with a microfleece- lined collar.

The lens will put a new spin on iPhone photography, swiveling to allow the user to view the screen from different angles. The right-angle lens will consist of three glass lenses and a prism within an aluminum body. It will attach the existing lens of the iDevice with a reusable, sticky polymer pad, where it can be angled to catch low or overhead shots while still letting the photographer look at the screen. The lens will also turn tables into tripods--it will be turned to allow the...

Checking the air pressure in your tires could soon be a thing of the past with the self-inflating tires, which use the forces of the rolling tire to maintain the ideal pressure. The tires take advantage of the technology, which includes a rubber tube embedded in the wall of tire that is squeezed shut as the tire rolls along the pavement. An internal regulator senses when the air pressure drops below a certain level, opening a valve to allow the outside air to enter the rolling tire...

A new way of boiling water without creating bubbles could help to reduce the risk of explosions in nuclear reactors and chemical plants. The technique is based on Leidenfrost effect, which causes water dropped on an extremely hot surface to evaporate and form a vapor layer on which the liquid floats without bubbling. Once the surface layer cools, however, the vapor layer collapses and the water will begin to bubble violently. To counteract this, it is possible to develop a...

The idea is to combine a sensitive tracking system with a high-speed camera to create a way to track fast-moving objects in real time. The system will consist of a pair of mirrors--one able to pan and one able to tilt--that can move sixty degrees in about 3.5 milliseconds. The mirrors will track the fast-moving objects, keeping them in the center field of vision much like an autofocus camera, and will send the images back to a stationary HD camera. The resolution will be suitable...

The electronic glove will act as an interpreter for the hearing impaired, allowing them to communicate more easily. The glove will feature a pair of virtual reality gloves with 15 imbedded flex sensors, a gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass. The combination of sensors will be able to detect the many subtle motions of sign language and then send the data to a mobile device via Bluetooth, where the information from the gloves will then be transformed into a sound wave. The gloves...

Touchscreens will get more tactile with the microfluidic technology which will allow real buttons to rise from the surface the screen and recede when not needed. Debuting as the world's first tactile system able to create dynamic, physical buttons, the Tactile Layer panel will replace the already existing display stack of standard touchscreen displays, adding no extra thickness. When the device is triggered, the layer will deform to create shapes or buttons of specific heights,...