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Jared
 
92%
A park bench that will allow the user to rotate to a dry seat will make it a bit more pleasant to enjoy a seat after a rain shower. The bench, designed for cities with frequent but sporadic rain showers, will be equipped with long, narrow panels that fit together to form the bench's seat. A crank attached to the panels will allow them to be rotated to reveal a dry sitting surface on top while the wet panels are rotated to the bottom of the seat.
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Harry
 
93%
It was discovered that adding spent brewing grains to red clay bricks can increase their insulation capabilities by up to 30 percent. Bricks are often embedded with polystyrene to increase their insulation abilities, but polystyrene and other synthetic materials can be expensive to make and bad for the environment. Spent brewer's grain, on the other hand, are often in plentiful supply, and have been proven to enhance the ability of the clay bricks to trap heat without sacrificing...
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Jay
 
93%
The idea is to have a recycling bin that will separates materials based on sound. The bin will feature a swing top that will be able to pivot in two different directions, depending upon the sound an object makes when it hits the lid. Objects that make a 'ping' sound, such as cans and bottles, will drop into one side of the bin while plastics and cups that create a 'thud' sound will be dropped into the other side.
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Harry
 
93%
Designed for use on lifeboats and rescue rafts, the desalinating water bottle will make seawater safe to drink. The bottle will be about the same size as a standard water bottle and will work through reverse osmosis. Once the first chamber is filled with the salty water, the user will operate the built-in hand pump to create enough pressure to draw the salt out of the water as it will move through a membrane into a second chamber. The salt-free water of the second chamber will be...
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Curious
 
92%
The digital signpost will be designed to give visitors information about specific events or locations, and will base its data off Twitter feeds and other social networks. The sign will feature three, arrow-shaped, LED-equipped screens that will pivot around the post. Users will be able to select the information they need, such as "Food" or "Transit" from an interface at eye-level, and the signs will move to point in the direction of the desired location. Since the data is digital,...
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Harry
 
93%
A new LED street lamp design will help curb light pollution. Most street lamps use lamps that spill light in unnecessary directions, such as upwards into the sky. In contrast, the new LED street lamp design will feature LED lights mounted within a small housing and covered by a lens and diffusing layer. The lens will keep the light from scattering, the housing will reflect any spilled light back to the ground, and the diffuser will help to reduce glare. Because fewer lamps...
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Jay
 
93%
01/30/2013
The new wrap-around sunglasses will be separated into two parts, making them more compact and easier to carry in a pants pocket. The frames of the sports sunglasses will be made from a flexible thermoplastic and include impact- and scratch resistant lenses made with polarized cores and 100 percent UV protection. They will stand out from conventional glasses with their rail system that will allow the lenses to be separated so one lens can fit inside the other. The earpieces will...
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Jared
 
92%
The idea is to develop self-healing wires able to reconnect at the molecular level even after being completely severed. The self-healing wires will be made from a commercially-available self-healing polymer. Tiny microfluidic channels will be bored in the polymer using solid wire, and then the channels will be filled with a liquid-metal alloy of indium and gallium, resulting in a liquid-metal wire in an elastic sheath. If the wires are cut, the liquid metal will oxidize to...
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Julia
 
92%
The shocking alarm clock concept will help zap you into wakefulness by delivering a small shock when you turn off the alarm. The clock will include an integrated music player controlled by a touchscreen interface--allowing users to wake up in the more traditional manner. However, those who need an extra boost can activate the optional electrical shock mode, which will deliver a pulse of a few millivolts when the user touches the clock to turn off the alarm. That small harmless jolt...
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Patrik
 
92%
12/27/2012
A new biological concrete able to support plant life could lead to a new generation of vertical gardens while eliminating the need for soil or complex hydroponic systems. The multilayer concrete replaces the traditional Portland cement with magnesium phosphate cement, which is slightly acidic. The acidity level creates a good environment for plants such as fungi, lichens and mosses. The concrete also consists of three layers: a waterproofing layer on top of the structural layer;...