《時代》周刊評2014年度最佳發(fā)明

The 25 Best Inventions of 2014
《時代》周刊評2014年度最佳發(fā)明

Hoverboards, intelligent space craft, edible food wrappers, and much much more— Welcome to TIME’s annual round-up of the best inventions making the world better, smarter and—in some cases—a little more fun.

歡迎來到《時代周刊》年終最佳發(fā)明匯總，這里有懸浮滑板，智能航天器，可食用的食物包裝以及其他更多的發(fā)明，這些發(fā)明讓我們的生活更美好、更智能、甚至有時候變得更有趣。

The Real-Life Hoverboard

現(xiàn)實版磁懸滑板

The hoverboard—a type of skateboard that levitates like a magic carpet—had been a pipe dream since its fictional debut in 1989’sBack to the Future Part II. Now California-based tech firm Hendo has built the real thing.

懸浮滑板——一種像魔毯一樣懸浮在空中的滑板——自從在1989年的科幻影片《回到未來2》中出現(xiàn)以來就一直讓人可望而不可即?，F(xiàn)在美國加州技術(shù)公司Hendo已造出了實物。

Hondo’s hoverboard can float only an inch or so above the ground, and even then only over conductive material like copper or aluminum. Just 10 are being made to order (so far). And battery life is 15 minutes—barely enough time to zoom past your enemies à la Marty McFly. But the technology that powers it could be revolutionary. Hendo founders Jill and Greg Henderson plan to develop magnetic “hovering” tech to stabilize buildings during earthquakes, protect valuable works of art and more. “The hoverboard is the first step to bringing this technology to the world,” says Greg.

Hendo公司的懸浮滑板只能離地大約一英寸(2.54厘米)，即使這么低的高度也必須是在導(dǎo)電材料如銅質(zhì)或鋁質(zhì)的表面才行。目前為止，Hendo公司只定制了10臺。電池的續(xù)航時間為15分鐘——這點時間勉強夠從敵人à la Marty McFly身邊快速逃離。Hendo公司創(chuàng)始人吉爾和格雷格•亨德森計劃對磁“懸浮”技術(shù)進(jìn)行開發(fā)，以達(dá)到在地震中穩(wěn)定建筑物以及保護價值連城的藝術(shù)品等目的。格雷格稱：“懸浮滑板是把這項技術(shù)推向世界的第一步。”
Wireless Electricity

無線電力

We already have wireless Internet and wireless phones. Why, then, are everyday appliances still shackled to the wall? WiTricity’s technology—involving a plug-in coil that creates a magnetic field, which in turn powers objects as far away as 2.4 m — has been tested on Toyota electric cars, Intel PCs and more. Within 10 years, says CEO Alex Gruzen, rooms could be wired so that all appliances—lamps, TVs, stereos—pull power from a central charging base.

我們已有了無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)和無線電話。那么為什么日常家電仍要插入墻上的電源插座中?美國無線電力公司的技術(shù)——利用插入式線圈產(chǎn)生磁場為最遠(yuǎn)距離達(dá)2.4米的目標(biāo)供電——已在豐田電動汽車、英特爾電腦及其他裝置上進(jìn)行了試驗。無線電力公司首席執(zhí)行官阿歷克斯•格魯森稱，在10年之內(nèi)，房間里可以布設(shè)導(dǎo)線，這樣所有的電器(電燈、電視、音響等)都可以靠一個中央充電基座供電。
3-D-Printed Everything

3D打印一切

A machine that can build any object. It sounds like a sci-fi fantasy, but thanks to the rise of 3-D printers—devices that can build objects from digital blueprints, usually by layering plastic or other materials—it is rapidly becoming reality. That’s a boon for consumers and corporations alike. In the past year alone, middle-school students have 3-D-printed stock cars for physics lessons, scientists have 3-D-printed tissues for human organs, and GE has used 3-D printing to improve the efficiency of its jet engines. “This is one of those technologies that literally touches everything we do,” says Avi Reichental, CEO of 3D Systems, whose 3-D printers produce candy (as shown above) and musical instruments, among other objects.

可以造出任何物品的機器。聽起來像是科學(xué)幻想，但隨著3D打印機的崛起，這正在迅速成為現(xiàn)實。能夠通過數(shù)字藍(lán)圖、多層塑料或其他材料制造物體的設(shè)備正快速變成現(xiàn)實。對消費者和企業(yè)而言，這是個福音。僅過去一年，中學(xué)生們的物理課上有了3D打印汽車、科學(xué)家用3D打印了人體器官、通用公司(GE)使用3D打印技術(shù)改善噴氣引擎效率等。 3D Systems公司的3D打印機可以打印糖果、樂器以及其他物品，該公司首席執(zhí)行官艾維•雷切托爾(Avi Reichental)說：“理論上說，這是能讓我們涉及所有領(lǐng)域的技術(shù)。”

Watches that Redefine Smart

改寫智能定義的手表

Most smart watches have proved to be anything but: they try to shrink down the experience of using a cell phone, with clunky results. Apple’s Watch, by contrast, wholly reimagines the computer for the wrist, using a novel interface that combines a touchscreen and physical buttons. Besides telling time, the Watch can send messages, give directions, track fitness and make wireless payments.

大多數(shù)智能手表已經(jīng)證明純屬雞肋：它們試圖濃縮手機的使用體驗，結(jié)果卻難以令人滿意。相比之下，蘋果手表體現(xiàn)了全新的手腕電腦理念，利用新穎的接口把觸摸屏與物理按鈕結(jié)合到一起。除了具備鐘表功能外，蘋果手表還可以發(fā)送信息、導(dǎo)航、跟蹤鍛煉情況及進(jìn)行無線支付。
 

The Smartphone that Puts Privacy First

把隱私放在首位的智能手機

皮尤研究中心稱，近一半美國人覺得在手機上談?wù)搨€人信息是不安全的。那么手機的主人怎樣才能藏好自己的信息?Blackphone應(yīng)運而生，這是一款把隱私看得高于一切的智能手機。這款由同名公司研制并在斯諾登泄密事件后加速推出的手機，采用定制版安卓操作系統(tǒng)，其中剔除了可能造成安全漏洞的功能如日歷同步等。它還帶有以遠(yuǎn)高于普通智能手機的技術(shù)水平對通話、信息和瀏覽歷史進(jìn)行加密的軟件。

The Cooler that Powers Your Party

讓派對更加火熱的便攜冰箱

Coolest is the world’s smartest all-purpose party starter. It stores food and drinks, sure. But it also touts a blender, an LED lid light, a USB charger, a Bluetooth speaker and big wheels designed to navigate many terrains (beach, parking lot). Since Grepper’s prototype first appeared on Kickstarter earlier this year, roughly 63,000 backers have contributed $13.3 million to make it a reality. It’s now the most funded creation in the site’s history, besting hits like the Pebble smart watch and Oculus Rift’s virtual-reality glasses.

Coolest便攜冰箱是世界上最出色的多用途派對用品。當(dāng)然，它可以存放食物和飲料。但它還帶有攪拌器、LED門燈、USB充電器、藍(lán)牙揚聲器以及便于在多種地形(包括海灘、停車場等)上搬運的大輪子。自從樣機今年早些時候首次出現(xiàn)在眾籌網(wǎng)站“啟動者”網(wǎng)站上以來，已有約6.3萬網(wǎng)友出資1330萬美元支持使之成為現(xiàn)實。它目前是該網(wǎng)站有史以來吸引投資最多的發(fā)明，戰(zhàn)勝了像Pebble智能手表和Oculus　Rift虛擬現(xiàn)實眼鏡等熱門發(fā)明。

The Selfie Stick (and Hairbrush)

自拍助手

If 2013 was the year in which selfie became a buzzword, then 2014 was the year selfies became a cultural phenomenon. Look no further than a recent Pew report, which found that at least a quarter of Americans have shared a selfie on a social-networking site. Sensing a new market, several companies have launched devices designed to streamline the selfie-taking experience. Many of them, like a hairbrush that holds your smartphone, are more goofy than game changing. But the selfie stick (produced by multiple brands), which enables users to position their smartphone beyond arms’ reach to get better photo angles adds genuine value.

如果說2013是“自拍”成為熱詞的一年，那么2014便是自拍成為一種文化現(xiàn)象的一年。最近的皮尤調(diào)查顯示，至少有1/4的美國人在社交網(wǎng)站上分享過自拍。感覺到新商機的幾家公司推出了優(yōu)化自拍體驗的專門裝置。大部分像發(fā)梳一樣的自拍裝置形式大于實際意義。不過，讓用戶能把手機放到雙手夠得著的范圍之外取景的(多種品牌的)自拍助手真正達(dá)到了增值效果。

Wrappers You Can Eat

可食用的包裝

“Edible wrapper” sounds like an oxymoron—unless you’re WikiFoods founder David Edwards, who has devised a way to encase yogurt, cheese, ice cream and more in shells strong enough to hold their shape (in water, heat and cold) until you take your first bite. The secret lies in science: Each shell is made of particles of dried fruit or other natural substances that are tiny enough to be electrically attracted to one another; they are combined with calcium and sugar to strengthen the form. “可食用的包裝”聽起來自相矛盾——除非你是WikiFoods公司首席執(zhí)行官戴維•愛德華茲。他發(fā)明一種(在遇水、遇熱和遇冷時)保持不變形的外殼，可以把酸奶、奶酪、冰激凌及其他食物裝入其中，在你張口咬開之前不會變形。這其中的奧秘來自科學(xué)：每個外殼都用水果干或其他天然物質(zhì)的顆粒制成，這些顆粒小得足以因為帶電不同而相互吸引：它們又與鈣和糖混合起來，以加固外殼。