The idea is to create a microturbine able to harness the rainwater runoff from roofs to generate electricity. The system will feature a microturbine measuring about 2 inches wide by 10 inches high designed to be placed in half-inch pipe. As the turbine is spun by the flowing water from rooftop gutters, it will generate enough energy to charge 12-volt batteries that can be used to power small household devices. As an added benefit, the water flowing through the turbine will...

Designed for use in clinics and hospitals, new door handles will feature a sanitizer built into the handles to help encourage staff members to sanitize their hands. Although most clinical environments have sanitizing stations, they are usually located in a separate area--requiring staff members to go a bit out of their way to use to them. New handles, however, would be located directly on the door, making it easy for a person to sanitize their hands as they enter the room. The...

A new electronic skin patch able to monitor muscle movement will determine when it is time to deliver its payload of medicine, and could prove particularly beneficial to patients with epilepsy or Parkinson's disease. Although there are other adhesive medical patches in development already, this one will be the first that will be able to both store data and deliver drugs. The small, flexible polymer patch will be equipped with multiple layers of nanomembranes and nanoparticles....

A new method of instantly identifying passing insects could lead to a way of reducing pesticide use by allowing researchers to develop better targeted attacks. The device will feature a laser-thin beam of light that will shine onto an array of phototransistors able to translate light fluctuations into sounds. As an insect flies through the laser beam, the beating of its wings will cause the signal to fluctuate. The signal will then be recorded as an MP3 file and analyzed by a...

The new handheld radiation camera will offer a cheaper, faster method of checking for radiation in real time. Modern radiation-detecting equipment is bulky, slow, and extremely expensive, and needs to be cryogenically cooled. In contrast, this device will be equipped with a cadmium-zinc-tellurium, room-temperature gamma ray detector. The lightweight detector will be remarkably accurate, and will be able to lay a gamma-ray map over the image of an area, allowing the user to 'see'...

Using some perforated sheets of plastic stacked in the shape of a pyramid, it is possible to develop a device able to hide an object from sound waves. The device will rely on the use of metamaterials--arranging natural materials in repeating patterns to create new and unique properties. When the sound wave-cloaking pyramid is placed around an object, the sound waves will behave like there is nothing more than a flat surface in their path. The sound-cloaking technology could have...

A sound effects bracelet will bring new life to everyday objects by turning everything into a potential toy. Designed with kids in mind, the easy-to-wear slap bracelet will be equipped with gyro sensors and accelerometers that will sense the user's motions. The device will communicate with iOS app via Bluetooth, which will allow the user to choose from a bank of different sounds. The bracelet will help to reduce the amount of toys parents feel the need to buy while also...

The new headband could bring new relief to migraine sufferers by stimulating the cranial nerves to block the sensation of pain. The system will be based on the gate control theory of pain, and provide sensory input to the nerves to prevent the neural gate from receiving pain input. The battery-powered, tiara-shaped device will be worn on the head, where it will stimulate the trigeminal nerve--the nerve that has been associated with headache pain.

A new blood test for Alzheimer's will be able to predict the disease three years in advance, and with 96 percent accuracy. The test will work by identifying the ten chemicals in the blood that serve as markers for the disease. These chemicals are released as the nerve cell membranes break down, and can be detected in the blood plasma. The ability to diagnose Alzheimer's early could allow for the devolvement of new treatments that could be implemented before the disease...

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.