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" 1. T-Rays  The ThruVision T4400 T-ray detector sees a gun hidden under clothing.  Terahertz radiation, or T-rays, occur at a frequency of around a trillion hertz--between microwaves and infrared on the electromagnetic spectrum. Unlike X-rays, T-rays are nonionizing, so they don&amp;#039;t carry a cancer risk. They can penetrate clothing, packaging and a few millimeters into the human body, making them ideal for security screening and medical applications such as skin-cancer and tooth-cavity detection. Until now, they&amp;#039;ve been difficult to generate, but Harvard researchers recently filed for a patent on the first room-temperature source of coherent T-rays, and scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are developing a portable T-ray generator. Lower-resolution passive detection systems that pick up natural T-ray emissions are already on the market: The Wayne County Sheriff&amp;#039;s Office, in Detroit, is testing a scanner built by British company ThruVision to screen anyone entering its criminal courts. 2. Hydrogel Tissue Engineering  The science of tissue engineering aims to build or grow replacement bones, vessels and organs. The field&amp;#039;s most promising new research has been with hydrogels--networks of super-absorbent polymer chains that function like scaffolding to support the growth of new tissue. At Carnegie Mellon University, hydrogels are helping to regrow bone; at Baylor and Rice universities, they help regenerate tooth tissue after cavities. First to market may be products like Biosyntech&amp;#039;s BST-CarGel, a hydrogel that works with the body&amp;#039;s own platelets to create a framework for cartilage regrowth. The treatment is currently undergoing clinical trials. 3. Picotechnology  When German physicists used a special ultra-high-resolution electron microscope to measure distances of just a few picometers last summer, they may have started a new era of tiny tech. The frontiers of science have recently progressed from microtechnology (a micrometer is a millionth of a meter) to nanotechnology (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter), but we now may be entering the age of picotech (one trillionth of a meter). In the U.S., the Department of Energy&amp;#039;s TEAM (Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscope) system is expected to become operational in 2009. An early TEAM prototype enabled scientists to view individual carbon atoms. 4. HALE (high-altitude long-endurance) UAVs   DARPA&amp;#039;s Vulture project calls for an unmanned plane that can fly high above a target for as long as five years without landing--essentially a versatile and inexpensive substitute for low-orbit satellites. A recent HALE prototype, dubbed Zephyr (below), built by British company QinetiQ, flew for a record 82 hours last summer, powered by paper-thin solar panels on its wings that charged lithium-sulfur batteries to keep it aloft at night. In addition to surveillance work, HALE UAVs may eventually be used as communications relays. Big contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin are also working on the Vulture program, which wraps up its first phase in spring 2009; the next phase is expected to feature a three-month test flight. 5. Secure Super Grids The first superconductor transmission cable in a commercial power grid was installed on Long Island last year--and the next stop is New York City. Project Hydra (the code name for the Manhattan grid upgrade scheduled to start in 2010) will use American Superconductor&amp;#039;s liquid-nitrogen-cooled Secure Super Grid cables, which can transfer 10 times more power than conventional copper cable, with lower impedance. Just as important for Project Hydra is that superconducting cables are less vulnerable to surges and abnormal currents. This should ensure a more reliable power source for critical industries in case of severe weather, accidents or terrorist attacks.  6. Autostereoscopy  It&amp;#039;s 3D without the glasses (&amp;quot;spectacular without the spectacles,&amp;quot; as manufacturer Philips puts it). This technology has been around in experimental form for several years, but it&amp;#039;s finally coming to market. The Philips WOWvx system relies on lenticular lenses that project a slightly different image to each eye, creating the illusion of depth. Philips&amp;#039;s first products are advertising and retail displays ranging from 8 in. to 132 in. At $12,000 for a 42-in. screen, the price is still way too steep for consumers. But with competing products arriving from Sharp and other companies, the cost of these screens could soon drop into the living room price range. 7. Collaborative Search  People who work on group projects often duplicate each other&amp;#039;s Web-search efforts. Collaborative search lets groups of people combine forces and search more efficiently. A new Microsoft Internet Explorer plug-in called SearchTogether, released in beta form last April, creates multiple-user search sessions, distributing the results of each person&amp;#039;s queries to the entire group. The program&amp;#039;s designers are continuing to fine-tune collaborative search algorithms. The next generation of SearchTogether features will include &amp;quot;groupization&amp;quot; (using the shared characteristics of the group to help rank results) and &amp;quot;smart-splitting&amp;quot; (sending search results to the member of the group with the most relevant expertise). 8. Low Rolling-Resistance Tires  Michelin&amp;#039;s new low-rolling-resistance Latitude Tour tire boasts 33 percent better mileage than similar tires.  According to a 2006 U.S. government study, reducing tire rolling resistance by 10 percent could increase fuel economy by 1 to 2 percent. Last year Congress passed legislation requiring that tiremakers make the fuel-economy ratings for their tires public by the end of 2009. The demand for fuel efficiency has led engineers at companies such as Michelin and Bridgestone to focus on &amp;quot;green tires&amp;quot; with low-drag tread patterns and high concentrations of silica mixed into rubber compounds. Automakers are seeing the value of low rolling resistance. Previously found mainly on hybrids, these tires have become standard equipment on many new cars to boost EPA fuel-\u00ADeconomy ratings. 9. Energy Scavenging  About a third of the energy consumed by your automobile is used to move you forward--two-thirds is radiated as waste heat. Thermoelectric materials, which generate electric current when heated or cooled, could provide a way to reclaim that squandered energy. According to a February report by the Department of Energy, newly discovered thermoelectric materials are 300 percent more efficient than first-generation versions. General Motors is working on a prototype Chevy Suburban for 2009 featuring a thermoelectric device that surrounds the exhaust pipe and improves fuel economy by approximately 5 percent. Thermoelectric energy scavenging has also been proposed as a way to integrate self-powered cooling systems into microchips, eliminating the need for bulky liquid- or fan-based heat sinks that require secondary power sources. 10. Compressed-Air Energy Storage  To make wind power useful when the wind isn&amp;#039;t blowing, power companies need utility-scale energy storage--but batteries that big aren&amp;#039;t yet practical. One option is to use wind power to compress air for storage in tanks or caverns underground, then use the air to run a generator. That&amp;#039;s the goal of the Iowa Stored Energy Park in Dallas Center, Iowa, where site testing of recently drilled wells will be completed next year. The technology is also part of the design for the world&amp;#039;s largest wind farm, a 3000-megawatt project planned for Briscoe County in Texas. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a3758/4292830/>