A new biofuel will not only be less expensive than gasoline but will also be carbon negative. The chemically identical to gasoline biofuel will be based on miscanthus, a hardy grass native to African and Asia, but can also be made from other woody biomass, including agricultural waste. Miscanthus can be air-dried in the field, which will lower manufacturing costs and energy use, and the refining process will use very little heat or pressure.

Being touted as 100 times stronger than duct tape, fiber tape will feature a special resin that will harden like steel. Fiber tape will be immersed in water before use, then wrapped around the broken item and allowed to set. It will begin to harden in ten minutes. It can be sanded or painted once dry and will be completely waterproof, as well as nearly impossible to remove from skin or clothing once it sets.

The idea is to use carbon nanotubes to create battery-free 'smart curtains' able to automatically respond to changes in light. The curtains will be developed by laying carbon nanotubes on the surface of a plastic polycarbonate membrane. When the nanotubes absorb light, they will quickly convert it to heat that will then be transferred to the surface of the membrane. This heat will cause the plastic to expand while the nanotube layer will remain unchanged, in turn causing the...

The idea is to develop a device that will make use of the warm water from showers or baths by capturing the heat from the draining water and using it to help heat up the incoming cold water. Although there are several versions of hot water heat recyclers on the market, this device will differ in that it will not need long length of vertical pipe for installation. Instead, the it will be installed horizontally next to the drain, which will also allow it to capture the heat more...

The idea is to develop a way to extract large quantities of hydrogen from plants, opening the door to a new low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel source. The technique will involve using a combination of a polyphosphate and a blend of enzymes to extract hydrogen from any biological element that contains xylose--which can be found in every plant. The process will also be more efficient and eco-friendly than conventional hydrogen extraction methods.

The new motorcycle helmet will feature a helmet-mounted display, eliminating the need for riders to look down at their phones or GPS devices. Made of carbon fiber and weighing in at just 2.2 pounds, the helmet will be controlled by voice commands. The full-color, translucent image containing the desired information will be projected directly onto the visor, and a light sensor will adjust the image brightness to meet different lighting conditions. The helmet's maps will be powered...

A new LED embedded carpet will be able to display information such as directions or logos, and offer an alternative to static signs. The carpet will be programmed to change its information based on the time of day, or used as a temporary sign--lighting up to direct people after an event or during an emergency. The ground-level placement of information will coincide well with our tendency to look at the ground while walking, and the LEDs will take advantage of our inclination to...

The new headband could bring new relief to migraine sufferers by stimulating the cranial nerves to block the sensation of pain. The system will be based on the gate control theory of pain, and provide sensory input to the nerves to prevent the neural gate from receiving pain input. The battery-powered, tiara-shaped device will be worn on the head, where it will stimulate the trigeminal nerve--the nerve that has been associated with headache pain.

The system will be able to detect indoor positioning using echolocation, which could help to cut energy costs in large buildings by identifying unoccupied rooms. Previously, using echolocation in this manner required specialized equipment that could still be confounded by background noise. The new system, however, will be able to ignore the noise by processing the signal in a particular way--allowing the data to be gathered using a standard laptop. The system will be used to...

Glow-in-the dark nanoparticles will serve as an early warning for food-borne contaminations and bio-terrorism. The technique will use antibodies that will recognize botulinum toxin--a common poison in contaminated food. One side of the antibodies will be coated with a group of nanometer-sized particles carrying dye designed to glow under ultraviolet light. The new method will be much simpler and faster than current methods, which usually involve injecting a mouse with a...