《時代》周刊評出2014年度最佳發(fā)明 （一）

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。

1. 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。現(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)進行開發(fā)，以達到在地震中穩(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。”

2. The Supersmart Spacecraft

超智能太空船

 

 

Nobody gets Mars right on the first try. The U.S. didn’t, Russia didn’t, the Europeans didn’t. But on Sept.24, India did. Building the craft cost India just $74million, less than the budget for the film Gravity. It portends great things for the country’s space program—and for science in general.

印度空間研究組織研制的“曼加里安”號火星探測器。還沒有人第一次嘗試就能到達火星的。美國沒有，俄羅斯沒有，歐洲也沒有。但9月24日，印度卻做到了。制造該探測器只花了印度7400萬美元，還不及電影《地心引力》的預(yù)算。這對于印度航天計劃以及整個科學(xué)界具有重要的象征意義。

3. A Reactor that Could Realize Nuclear Fusion

可實現(xiàn)核聚變的反應(yīng)堆

 

 

Nuclear fusion has always been the holy grail of energy: it’s endlessly productive and largely clean—and so far, it’s remained elusive. But in October, Lockheed Martin said it had achieved a technological breakthrough that will enable it to make compact fusion reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade. The design uses “magnetic mirror confinement” to control the reaction. Absent further details on how it works, some outside scientists are skeptical. But if Lockheed really can produce a workable fusion reactor, the world of energy may never be the same.

核聚變一直是能源中的圣杯：它取之不盡且基本上是潔凈的，而且到目前為止仍然難以把握。但在今年10 月，洛克希德•馬丁公司(Lockheed Martin)表示其實現(xiàn)了技術(shù)突破，從而將能在10年內(nèi)制造出小得足以安裝在卡車后部的緊湊型聚變反應(yīng)堆。其設(shè)計利用了“磁鏡約束”來控制反應(yīng)過程。由于缺乏有關(guān)其工作原理的更多細(xì)節(jié)，外部科學(xué)家持懷疑態(tài)度。但如果該公司真的能制造出可正常工作的聚變反應(yīng)堆，能源世界可能會為之徹底改觀。

4. 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。