The pocket molecular sensor can identify the chemical makeup of an item in two seconds - from the nutritional content of food to whether or not a plant needs water. The spectrometer gathers information about an item's chemical makeup in the same way as the larger, professional models: by shining near-infrared light on the object and then analyzing the light that is reflected off the excited molecules. The data is sent via an iOS or Android app to the cloud, where advanced...

The Rain house will be made of a special bio-concrete that will allow it to filter rain water. The concrete will be both PH neutral and bio-compatible with water, which will enable it produce sun-distilled water naturally. Rain water is believed to be the purest source of freshwater, and bio-concrete technology could democratize fresh water supplies by providing access to affordable clean water for small and big scale users, from families to big companies, leaving the...

I suggest using magnets to guide self-driving cars on the road, which I believe will overcome some of the limitations of GPS and cameras. GPS and cameras can have difficulty performing in some conditions, such as fog or tunnels. In contrast, the magnet system will not require visibility or a line of sight to operate. The magnetic track adds other benefits as well, such as allowing the lanes to be narrowed and preventing accidental plowing of snow-covering objects.

The device will alert ice-anglers via smartphone when a fish has taken the bait. The device will be a wireless transmitter that will attach to the ice fishing tip-up, a spring-loaded metal arm that pop up a flag when a fish is on the line. Although the flag will signal a bite, ice fishers must constantly check the holes to see if a flag is up, and too much delay could allow the fish to escape. The device will eliminate the need for visual checks by sending a smartphone alert when a...

The foldable helmet will be able to expand in order to accommodate different head sizes. The helmet will feature a lateral middle section bracketed by two side sections. The side sections can be pulled out and locked in place to create the best fit while still meeting the ski helmet safety standards. As an added bonus, the expandable design will provide good ventilation and allow the helmet to pack down more compactly for transport.

Designed to address aging population and dwindling labor force, the ankle-worn assist device will help to keep the elderly more active. The device will be made up of a pair of sensor-equipped, robotic boots and a waist-worn battery pack. Sensors in the sole of the boot will detect when the heel makes contact with the ground, triggering the robotics to add a boost to help maintain forward momentum throughout the leg. Designed to be easily adjustable and minimally restrictive, the...

Bedbugs can be a serious concern, particularly to East Coast urban dwellers. The new trap will be made from an inverted pet bowl with the outer edges covered in double-sided black tape. The inverted bowl will have higher walls than other traps on the market, and the bait (spearmint and coriander oil) will be augmented with CO2 canisters, sugar and yeast, which will produce the bedbug attractant carbon dioxide. Although the trap will not kill the bed bugs, it will serve as an early...

Using a series of mirrors and sunlight, it is possible to develop a more cost-efficient way of harvesting hydrogen, which could help make hydrogen more attractive as an eco-friendly fuel. The solar-thermal system will be designed to concentrate sunlight onto a single point atop a tower using a huge array of mirrors. As the tower gathers the heat, which will reach about 2500 degree F, the heat will be transferred to a reactor containing metal oxides. Heating the metal oxides to such...

More secure than eye scans and voice prints, brainwave-based passwords will let users access their data with only a thought. The brainwave password system will be based around a $100 Neurosky Mindset headset that will communicate with the computer via Bluetooth. Volunteers could be asked to wear the headset and imagine a series of specific actions, such as singing a song or kicking a ball, which will allow to recognize the specific brainwave patterns of each volunteer and provid...

The idea is to develop a way to detect diseases by analyzing a person's specific 'breathprint.' While the potential usefulness of analyzing breath for medical diagnosis has been known (remember the cancer-sniffing dogs?), it is rarely done in professional medicine because the results can be too general. To help fine-tune the process, I suggest using a mass spectrometer to detect the individual chemicals and elements in the exhaled breath. This will allow to gather specific details...