A method of gathering crowd density data using already installed cameras could lead to a new way of monitoring people's shopping habits. The software method uses installed surveillance cameras to monitor the number and flow of people throughout the day. Each person appears as a colored disc, making it easy to determine how people move through the area and where they choose to linger. It is designed to keep each person unidentifiable, and cannot track individuals. The...

New snowshoes will be designed for both walking and sliding, able to switch from snow gripping to snow skies to glide a gentle hill. The snowshoes will consist of a sliding binding with a toe crampon and hinged spike plate. While climbing, the crampon and spikes will provide grip as the binding pivots to provide a natural step. To descend short hills, the binding can be locked into place to deliver stability for turns and the spikes will swing upward to allow for sliding on snow.

The device will be a combination of phone charger and LED flashlight, merging two useful objects into one and perhaps making it easier to find your phone in the dark. The device itself will be charged by a USB port, reaching a full charge in about 5 hours. It will be controlled by a single button, and a blue LED will flash to indicate phone charging. The same single on/off button can be held for two seconds to operate the flashlight, which will consist of a 1W LED.

A new portable scanner for police departments will make it easier for officers to detect weapons, such as knives or guns, on a person's body. The device will use infrared light image the natural radiation gives off by a person's body. When a solid metal object blocks the rays, the image shape will show up on the scanner screen.

A solar paint can be made in large enough quantities to be eventually used as an alternative to silicon-based solar cells. The paint is made up of titanium dioxide particles coated with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide. The coated TiO2 particles were suspended in an alcohol-water mixture to create a paste that created electricity when it was applied to a transparent conducting material and exposed to light.

The idea is to develop an invisibility cloak that will trap sound waves, preventing the sound from leaving the material. The proof of concept 'cloak' will be a small, thin plate made up of rings of micro-structured polymer material that will resonate at different frequencies. Sound wave vibrations will follow a circular path around the plate, unable to leave the material. The cloak will differ from conventional noise protection devices in that the sound waves will be neither...

The new wave power system concept is inspired by the swaying action of ocean plants. The system will consist of a central column topped with an array of blades reaching almost to the surface of the water. The action of the waves both above and below the surface will cause the column to move back and forth, pressurizing a hydraulic fluid which will spin a generator and covert the energy into electricity. The system will be easy to install and service, and, unlike conventional...

The new smartphone application will be able to customize a mobile device's output to suit the specific hearing needs of the user. Since no one has the same kind of hearing loss, the application will run a simple test to identify the user's particular type of hearing loss across a range of frequencies. The software will then alter the output of the device by turning up the volume on the frequencies the user will mark as difficult to hear.

The newly improved radiator booster will increase the efficiency of wall mounted radiators, directing the heat back out into the room. The booster will be designed to turn on when the radiator reaches a temperature over 86F, and it will cost under a dollar a year to run. Since it will distribute the heat out into the room, the radiator booster should help to encourage lower thermostat settings.

A nanofiber based absorbent will be able to remove the radioactive materials from contaminated water, rendering the waste to a more concentrated, easily stored form. The absorbent will be made of titnate nanofiber and will be based on nanotube technology. The material will be able to absorb and retain radioactive material in water, containing the waste safely even when wet. Once absorption is complete, the material will be disposed of without fear of leakage into the soil.