Edison's early movie projector, Tesla's alternating-current, Ferris's first massive steel wheel - we've come a long way from the scientific and technological marvels that drew huge crowds to Chicago for the 1893 World's Fair.
This summer, Wired heads to the historic city to host NextFest, an exposition that brings together innovations from top scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Building on the success of last year's NextFest in San Francisco, we'll offer more than 100 exhibits about the future of exploration, entertainment, transportation, science and medicine, communication, design, defense, and-imagination (a pavilion dedicated to developments by NextFest sponsor GE). On the pages that follow, we've highlighted the cool things you'll be able to see, touch, and in some cases test-drive.
Join us June 24-26 at Chicago's Navy Pier. Meanwhile, enjoy this preview of NextFest 2005. - The Editors
DEEP FLIGHT 1 SUBMERSIBLE
DEEP FLIGHT
Redefining seaplane, Deep Flight's personal submarine flies underwater. Previous submersibles operate on a principle as old as Archimedes - drawing water into a ballast tank to dive deep and pumping it back out to ascend. By contrast, the Deep Flight 1's small inverted wings, modeled after those on a fixed-wing aircraft, provide "negative lift" that draws the sub downward with no need for water displacement. The vehicle's thrusters can help speed its descent and bring it back to the surface. "The difference between an ordinary submersible and a Deep Flight is comparable to the difference between a hot air balloon and an airplane," says inventor and company co-owner Graham Hawkes. Used for underwater filmmaking and exploration, Deep Flight 1 can descend at speeds of up to 300 feet per minute, ensuring minimum transit time to the bottom and maximum time for exploration.
HALE REMOTELY OPERATED AIRCRAFT
NASA
Talk about a long distance flight. NASA's remotely operated High Altitude, Long- Endurance aircraft are designed to cruise at 60,000 feet for at least a week - and potentially months - without refueling, all the while carrying a payload of more than 400 pounds. They can be used to follow potentially dangerous weather patterns or monitor particular longitudes.
PROMETHEUS PROGRAM
NASA
Traveling to deep space takes more than ordinary rocket fuel. NASA's solution: ion thrusters powered by nuclear fission reactors whose extreme heat generates electricity. If the rocketeers can harness the atoms effectively, there will be plenty of juice left over to power some onboard gadgets, too.
PERSONAL EXPLORATION ROVERS
NASA
Ever wanted to command a Mars rover? These minirovers are great training wheels. Teched out with cameras, optical range finders, and onboard CPUs, the foot-tall bots can find and test rocks within the "Mars yards" that re-create the terrain of the Red Planet.
ROBOLOBSTER
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
If not for the telltale wires and hefty Darpa funding, the RoboLobster could be mistaken for the real thing. It is amphibious, has claws, and can maintain traction in heavy surf. Real crustaceans, however, take little interest in espionage and detonating mines in war zones; RoboLobsters think of little else.
CASSINI SPACE PROBE
NASA
For the next three years, Cassini - the first craft to enter Saturn's orbit - will collect and beam back to Earth data on the planet's temperature, structure, and chemical composition. The probe, on exhibit in miniature, and its 12 sensing instruments will also pay close attention to Saturn's array of moons, including Titan, which may have an atmosphere similar to the one Earth had before life began.
BERKELEY AERIAL ROBOTS
UC BERKELEY
Just like a full-scale helicopter, this 12-foot-long aerial bot takes off and lands vertically, flies in formation, and negotiates tight spaces. But unlike most manned aircraft, it's almost crash-proof. Onboard 3-D laser scanners and computerized trajectory models make in-air collisions nearly impossible.
MARS SUIT
NASA
Astronauts can't wear just any old thing to Mars. A trip to the Red Planet requires garb that's functional in a partial-gravity environment, able to withstand severe dust storms, and flexible enough to ensure comfort and mobility. Future space suits will feature controls made of fabric and a helmet with integrated display and communications tech.
See these exhibits in the Exploration Pavilion at NextFest.
PHILIP K. DICK ROBOT
HANSON ROBOTICS
Do androids really dream of electric sheep? Now you can ask P. K. Dick himself. This bust relies on 36 servomotors to mimic the sci-fi legend's facial expressions, and features a polymer called Frubber that looks and moves like human skin. The bot uses motion-tracking machine vision to make eye contact with passersby, and best of all, artificial intelligence and speech software enable it to carry on complex conversations. "It invents new ideas using a mathematical model of Philip K. Dick's mind extracted from his vast body of writing," says David Hanson, founder of Hanson Robotics. The mechanized tribute to the author is a fitting one: Having grappled with the question "What is reality?" throughout his career, Dick would have delighted in Hanson's efforts to blur the boundaries between humans and their android imitations.
JUKE BOTS
ROBOTLAB
This techno DJ can rock the party all night long without the help of designer drugs. Juke Bots are two giant mechanical arms that select and spin vinyl records. They're programmed to perform scratch compositions with robotic precision - and can go head to head with the best warm-blooded mixmasters around.
BRAINBALL
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
Relax, it's just a game - and in Brainball, the more passive person wins. Both players wear headbands that monitor the alpha and theta waves their brains generate when they're calm. A computer converts these signals into energy that moves a ball across the table. Stay mellow to get control and drive the ball into your opponent's goal.
PLAYMOTION
PLAYMOTION
Think of your body as the brush painting on a giant, psychedelic canvas. As you flail about, motion sensors track your movements. A graphics engine and video projector turn your actions into digital shapes and patterns on a large screen. Dance like a fool and watch the ripples radiate across the surface.
TIC-TAC-TEXTILES
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
Hot coffee meets heated competition. The cool part: Heat sensors in two fabric place mats let you play tic-tac-toe at a distance. When you set down your cup of joe on a nine-square grid, a wireless Web connection sends the thermal data to your opponent's place mat.
FOGSCREEN
FOGSCREEN
In this walk-through exhibit, pictures are projected onto an ultrafine vapor "screen." The fog is dry to the touch (so, no, it won't ruin your hairdo). The FogScreen displays images from any standard projector, and its laminar, or turbulence-resistant, airflow fixes its shape, so images are undisturbed by foot traffic.
FULL BODY GAMES
FEEDTANK
Digital dodgeball, anyone? Your body is the controller in this trio of rudimentary videogames. As a camera films you, a projector places your silhouette into the action on a screen in front of you. Your movements affect the action - to score, swat away colored blocks and avoid flying objects.
BLOWAWAY
DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY
Blowhards, unite! In this videogame, players exhale into custom-designed breath sensors to steer a hot air balloon away from danger and toward prizes. The harder you blow into the controller, the more influence you have over the direction of the balloon.
HUMAN PAC-MAN
MIXED REALITY LAB SINGAPORE
Don VR goggles and a backpack equipped with wireless networking, motion sensors, and GPS to superimpose Pac-Man game elements on your physical surroundings. Fellow players are turned into enemy ghosts, and the area around you is lined with virtual pellets that you gobble up to score points.
MUSIC BOX
PLAY MUSIC BOX
This souped-up music box replaces the traditional metal pins and tines with 576 LEDs and 16 photosensors. Use a mouse to draw a pattern in a computer program that lights up corresponding LEDs on the box's wooden cylinder. Turn the crank, and the photosensors pick up your pattern, triggering chimes - and playing a tune.
MAGICLAND
MIXED REALITY LAB SINGAPORE
Make a mini-you for virtual reality gameplay. A group of cameras scans your entire body, and graphics software turns the resulting image into a 3-D avatar. Your tiny twin is then placed into a world of fire-breathing dragons and spell-casting witches. Beat them back to win.
INTERACTIVE PILLOWS
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
Bridge the gap in your long distance romance with this pair of communicators that redefine pillow talk. Each cushion is woven with electroluminescent wire and linked wirelessly to the Web. Touch, hug, or lean on your pillow and its counterpart glows, no matter where it's located.
FPGAMERUNNER
GAMERUNNER
Go from flab to fab - while playing Halo 2. Plug this treadmill into your PC via USB and take the action to a whole new level, on and off the screen. Aim the FPGameRunner's handlebars to manipulate the mouse and walk (or run) to control the game's pace. And you can keep your favorite key combinations: The configuration of triggers and buttons is at your discretion.
VIRSUAL - THE DIGITAL ROCKING HORSE
ENESS
Saddle up! Virsual - a yellow, plastic rocking horse - is a wireless videogame controller. Motion sensors track your speed, and the faster you rock, the faster the game's scenes scroll by. Steer by turning your steed's head.
See more exhibits in the Entertainment Pavilion at NextFest, including: Moving floor tiles for use in VR environments by the University of Tsukuba • a focused-beam sound system from American Technology Corporation • a dome-shaped immersive display from University of Montreal • IO2Technology's see-through floating touchscreen
SWEET VIRGIN ANGEL
INNESPACE
What do you get when you mash up Flipper with a Jet Ski? A prototype craft that can skip over, dive into, and cruise through open water the way dolphins do. The latest model, a two-seater, performs like a star at Sea World, maneuvering at 40 miles per hour on the surface and 20 mph below. The Angel grew out of Thomas Rowe's 1970s designs for speedy boat/sub combos that he calls variable altitude submersible hydrofoils. Working with Rowe, Innespace hopes the Angel will lead to a VASH on every dock. "We'd like to get other teams out there competing with their own designs," says company cofounder Rob Innes, who thinks DIY watercraft could be shipped and sold like kit-built airplanes. Those days might be a ways off. Though the craft isn't much harder to pilot than an SUV, it can submerge only briefly, and then just to snorkel depth, as its 175-horsepower engine is an air breather.
AMV-211
AMV AIRCRAFT
When this prototype two-seater plane finally gets off the ground, it will be thanks to a huge fan stowed beneath its wings. The fan will first supply the downward thrust for a vertical takeoff and later become the engine for horizontal flight, as the entire aircraft tilts and the wings provide lift. Ultimately, it could make the dream of a personal Harrier more than just hot air.
SEQUEL
GENERAL MOTORS
The fuel cell-powered Sequel builds on GM's Autonomy and Hy-wire concepts, using an 11-inch-thick chassis that combines the fuel cell, hydrogen tanks, wheel motors, suspension components, electronics, and a lithium-ion battery. It also gets 300 miles per tank. Look for the green cruiser to hit the market by 2010.
BUCKEYE BULLET
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
It looks more rocket ship than race car, but with a top speed of 315 mph, the Buckeye Bullet landspeeder is the fastest electric ride on the road. Designed and built entirely by Ohio State engineering students, the mean, green-friendly machine is powered by a 400-horsepower electric traction motor with more than 900 batteries on board.
SEGWAY CENTAUR
SEGWAY OF CHICAGO
The Segway goes off road. The new Centaur keeps the original scooter's guts (gyroscopic balancing) and adds speed (up to 20 mph) and maneuverability (the rear-wheel motors adjust 100 times per second). And when you come to a bump or a boulder, just lift the front tires, shift your weight, and navigate the tricky bits by standing up and riding on two wheels.
UH-18SPW HOVERWING
UNIVERSAL HOVERCRAFT
Turn your boat into a plane in less than 15 minutes! Snap on the hovercraft's accompanying wings and use ground effect aerodynamics to reach speeds of more than 60 mph over land and water. With the wings off, it's powerful enough to accommodate as many as six passengers - and tow a water-skier.
M400 SKYCAR
MOLLER INTERNATIONAL
You may never have to wait in traffic again. The Skycar aims to let drivers lift off vertically from the highway and speed away from fellow commuters at 350 mph. The first FAA-certified models, powered by alcohol, are expected to be publicly available by 2009.
See more exhibits in the Transportation Pavilion at NextFest, including: Wheelman's skateboard on steroids • GM's universal car chassis, greener Hummer, and HydroGen3 and Hy-wire fuel-cell concept cars • the sneaker-sole computer by VectraSense • NASA's 3-D display on the future of air travel
CLONED ANIMALS
GENETIC SAVINGS & CLONE
Animal lovers used to have little recourse when their beloved pets died. Now, with a kibble-sized piece of tissue and $32,000, the bereaved can replicate their deceased feline friends. California startup GSC's licensed chromatin transfer has a much higher success rate than the older nuclear transfer (the method used to clone Dolly the sheep). It condenses a donor's genetic material and extracts it from the nucleus before placing it inside the egg. Pet owners insist the end result is worth the investment. "A cloned pet is like a later-born identical twin," says Lou Hawthorne, the company's CEO and owner of two cloned cats. "Folks who have received clones say the resemblance is striking." Thrilled canine owners won't be far behind - GSC expects to start cloning dogs later this year.
SENSEWEAR ARMBAND
BODYMEDIA
This isn't your average heart rate monitor. The SenseWear Armband has the aesthetics of an iPod and the brawn of a Power Mac. Its dual-axis accelerometers and skin conductivity sensors collect and store data - like calories burned and body temperature - for two weeks straight. Try to keep pace with that.
PARO
JAPAN'S NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY
Sure, robots will one day be our masters. But they can still make you feel warm and fuzzy. Sensors and actuators inside Paro, a bot modeled after a baby harp seal, allow it to move and respond to stimuli, such as brushing its fur. Keeping Paro as a pet has reduced anxiety in the elderly.
C-LEG SYSTEM
OTTO BOCK
Prosthetics go bionic. The C-Leg's microprocessor crunches data from internal sensors - which measure angle and force 50 times per second - then adjusts the limb as the wearer moves to keep motion fluid. The knee's stability makes it easy to negotiate uneven terrain.
POWER ASSIST SUIT
KANAGAWA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Nurses in Japan dig the Power Assist. Its compressed-air lifting action helps them transfer patients from one bed to another. The suit, which calculates how much air to release based on sensors taped to the wearer's muscles, has other applications, too - like the heavy-lifting tasks performed by soldiers, construction workers, and longshoremen. Keg curls, anyone?
COSMOBOT AND MISSION CONTROL
ANTHROTRONIX
Roll over, Aibo. CosmoBot walks on two feet and responds to remote control, voice commands, and body movements (via wearable sensors). It's got the heart of a Pocket PC and Linux blood running through its system, and it helps children with disabilities explore and manipulate their environments.
PEBBLES
TELBOTICS
Getting sick no longer guarantees students a get-out-of-school-free card. A kid-sized teleconferencing robot named Pebbles can attend class for the afflicted. From bed, the child uses a joystick to swivel the robot's head and raise its hand in response to the teacher and other students. The system is in place in major hospitals and classrooms around the country, though its note-passing system is still in beta.
EARTHBOX
GROWING CONNECTIONS
Vitamins that grow themselves: The 2.5-foot-long EarthBox garden - with built-in water reservoir and nutrient band - is self-watering and self-fertilizing.
See more exhibits in the Health Pavilion at NextFest, including: Georgia State University's tool for spelling with your sweat • Otto Bock's muscle-powered electric arm • Hanger's CAD-based prosthetic design program
MOTOGLYPH
DIGIT AND MOTOROLA
Pick up a can of digital spray paint, unleash your inner Basquiat, and produce art and music simultaneously. The can's infrared and ultrasonic sensors track whatever you draw on a set of glass panels and transmit the information to a projection system, which displays your drawing in 256 colors of light. As you doodle, special software translates your movements into digital melodies: When you add a stroke, a new track is layered into the mix, and when you move the can from side to side, hip hop beats fade in and out. Your tag and the resulting tune are stored at MotoGlyph's Web site, and you can sign in to download them to your cell phone for use as wallpaper or an MP3 ring tone. But don't shake the can too much - the hardware inside isn't designed to be jostled.
SYNTHECOLOGY
THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO AND APPLIED INTERACTIVES
If you've always wanted to check out VR and still haven't, here's your chance. In synthecology, high-resolution graphics are projected onto a screen, then viewed through motion sensor-equipped goggles. As you move in front of the display, the goggles' perspective adjusts to make you feel immersed in a virtual world.
MOBILE FEELINGS
INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED MEDIA ARTS & SCIENCES
Send your friends tactile messages with these "organic" cell phones. Tiny biosensors embedded in the gourd-shaped handsets register your pulse and scent. Actuators translate the information into physical sensations, such as vibrations and air gusts, which can be sent to others when you place a call.
IMAGINATION ENVIRONMENT
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
A keyword is worth a thousand pictures. In this exhibit, software plucks text from a TV broadcast's closed-caption stream and searches the Web for related images. The most commonly linked-to pics are then shown on eight computer monitors.
SEAMLESS MOBILITY
MOTOROLA
Stay connected, no matter where you go. Motorola's latest product prototypes include a wireless webcam that links to a handset so you can watch your home or office from afar. It's also a cell phone with videoconferencing capabilities, and a car monitor that automatically schedules maintenance appointments when your ride needs a tune-up.
ACCELEGLOVE
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
You don't have to know how to sign to communicate with the deaf. AcceleGlove translates the American Sign Language alphabet and more than 200 common signs into electronic text and speech. The leather glove is equipped with sensors that capture hand movements and send them to a PC for processing and display.
See more exhibits in the Communication Pavilion at NextFest, including: Watson's contextual search engine • a touch-sensitive, interactive wall from Accenture • GRASP Laboratory's hi-def videoconferencing system
SELF-HEALING POLYMER
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Sure, your iPod is sleek - until you drop it and leave a scar on the case. Scientists imagine a future in which portable devices are housed in plastic that automatically repairs itself, like skin. When the self-healing polymer is cut, embedded microcapsules release a liquid agent called dicyclopentadiene. When the agent comes into contact with catalyst molecules in the plastic, it coagulates and hardens to repair the cracks. Tests of healed plastic show it's at least 90 percent as tough as its unscarred equivalent. Because the catalyst remains viable after self-repair, multiple healings are possible, offering repeated rescue for even the clumsiest geeks. And your best china could someday be just as invincible: The research team thinks a similar approach could be used to repair brittle materials like ceramic and glass.
EAP ROBOTIC ARM
VIRGINIA TECH
Go mano-a-mano with this arm-wrestling robot. Its muscles are electroactive polymers - plastics that change shape when activated by chemicals or electricity - and its skeleton is a resin composite attached to an aluminum base.
NOMADS AND NANO-MATERIALS
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Stay off the grid and on the go with these energy-producing textiles. Nomads and Nano-Materials are fabrics containing solar cells, electronic circuits, and polymer batteries that enable them to generate and store their own electricity. Think: garments that double as a wearable power source, and folding stools that create their own reading light.
MUSICBOTTLES 2
MIT MEDIA LAB'S TANGIBLE MEDIA GROUP
In this interactive art exhibit, you remix music tracks by corking and uncorking glass bottles. Electromagnetic tags inside each vessel react when a top is removed or replaced, allowing you to make beautiful music even if you don't know how to play an instrument.
INDEX
DIGITAL ARTFORMS
Computer-aided design has never before been so hands-on. This modeling system allows you to draw in 3-D using two wireless, magnetically tracked controllers in place of a mouse and keyboard. Essentially, you can "reach" into space to directly manipulate digital objects, tools, and space. It's like a scene from Minority Report come to life.
CHROINO
KYOTO UNIVERSITY'S ROBO GARAGE
A good way to distinguish humanoids from humans is to watch them walk - stiff knees give mechamen away every time. So Robo Garage tackled the joint problem and gave Chroino a flexible carbon-plastic exoskeleton. Additional technology helps the bot maintain an even center of gravity. The result? A smooth, natural gait.
OPTICAL CAMOUFLAGE
TOKYO UNIVERSITY
Want to blend in? In Optical Camouflage, a subject dons a coat covered with retroreflective material. A video camera records everything that's behind the person, while a projector beams the image onto the front of the jacket, making it - and the person - appear invisible. Could the trickery be any more transparent?
3D DISPLAY CUBE
JAMES CLAR/CHARTER MANAGEMENT
Gamers, architects, and even air traffic controllers may one day trade in their flatscreens for three-dimensional displays. That's the promise of the Cube, which is made of 1,000 LEDs soldered onto a 10 x 10 x 10-inch metal grid, acting as a lo-res 3-D TV. Connect a computer or any standard video source, and the device's software displays data spatially, with each LED representing one pixel.
SYNCROSIGN MESSAGE BOARD WITH SMARTPAPER
GYRICON
This prototype "paper" beats the pulp out of wood fiber. The flexible screen is made of two thin plastic sheets embedded with millions of tiny wax beads. When an electrical charge is applied, the beads move to form alphanumeric characters. Users can change the message via Wi-Fi, wireless RF interface, or wired Ethernet port.
URBAN CHAMELEON
UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN, TRINITY COLLEGE
If ring colors can betray your mood, why not clothes? These skirts are equipped with microphones and sensors that measure environmental stimuli. Thermochromic inks and miniature motors in the fabric cause the garments to change patterns and shapes according to temperature, noise, and air pollution levels.
KHR-3 HUBO
KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Yo, Asimo! This humanoid from Korea is equipped with state-of-the-art voice recognition and vision-tracking software plus an unprecedented 41 joints (Honda's bot has only 26). HUBO can walk fluidly and move each finger individually - a robot first. It's even Web-connected, so it can download data on the fly.
See more exhibits in the Design Pavilion at NextFest, including: Z Corporation's record-breakingly fast rapid-prototyping machines • Cosentino USA's germ-busting kitchen countertops • a toy train racing game from Vienna University of Technology • a touch-sensitive collaborative workstation from NTT Communication Science Labs • MIT Media Lab's CG-enhanced table tennis game • Toke Barter's tabletop electronic musical instrument • interactive sound and light art installation from Tokyo Denki University
PACKBOT EOD
IROBOT
Imagine a crane-based arcade game with a 300X zoom laser sight and a rotating claw so sensitive it can pick up pennies. Now give it a 6.5-foot reach and independent motion. Pretty cool, huh? But the PackBot EOD isn't child's play - it's designed to keep SWAT teams and soldiers out of harm's way while it dismantles bombs or investigates hazardous territory. A hair-raising mission like probing the depths of a collapsed building is a cakewalk for the 53-pound bot, whose nimble claw is supplemented by a set of rotating flippers and flexible tracks that help the EOD climb over piles of rubble. Eight separate payload bays hold interchangeable modules that can sense chemicals, record audio and video, and detect mines, enabling personnel in the field to create customized arsenals in seconds. And this PackBot's no stranger to slogging through mud or snow: Its tracks eject sludge so they won't get bogged down.
FACE DETECTION
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RESEARCH LABS
Want to know who's been lurking outside? MERL's software scans security video at a rate of 15 frames a second (that's more than 10 times faster than any other app) to identify trespassers, then determines their race and gender. The software works by homing in on a specific set of facial features - like the difference in color between the eyes and the cheeks - a technique that's proved 80 percent accurate.
CYBER WARFARE INTEGRATION NETWORK
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
It can take hours after a terrorist threat is detected for the US military to respond effectively. With the Cyber Warfare Integration Network, commanders plan operations for a given battlefield so they can react faster when disaster strikes. The network combines airborne and space-based reconnaissance sensors and aircraft simulations in current conditions with a "God's-eye" point of view on three 50-foot screens.
FUTURE FORCE WARRIOR
US ARMY'S NATICK SOLDIER CENTER
The Future Force military suit comes fully loaded. It packs head-to-toe bulletproof armor, a 1-inch hi-def eyepiece that allows soldiers to see wirelessly relayed info, chemical-detecting sensors, wireless intranet communications, and a power system that lasts 24 hours between charges. All that, and it's breathable and lightweight, too.
ADVANCED INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE AND ISP IN THE SKY
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
Gathering intelligence in an overseas war zone used to mean waiting for information to be relayed through servers in the US. With the Advanced Information Architecture system, unmanned planes hauling wireless 1.4-terabyte servers roam 60,000 feet above the battle, allowing grunts on the ground carrying rugged PDAs to quickly swap files, including hi-res images of targets.
R-GATOR
IROBOT
Equipped with laser, video, and GPS capability, this unmanned, all-terrain vehicle handles some of the most hazardous soldiering - including perimeter sweeps and cave inspections. But it's not above the banal: After completing a risky task, R-Gator happily lugs standard-issue gear from point A to point B.
BRAIN FINGERPRINTING
BRAIN FINGERPRINTING LABORATORIES
Lie detectors are so 20th century. The latest electrode-studded headpiece to hit intelligence and law enforcement records brain wave activity, producing a response when the wearer sees an image they've seen before. Such brain fingerprinting has been proven to reveal witnesses to a crime - and possible perps.
KILLER BEE
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
The Killer Bee aircraft looks like the love child of a B-2 bomber and a race car - which makes sense given that a materials supplier for Nascar helped to design it. Small and lithe, with a wingspan of 6 feet, the unmanned bee can fly surveillance missions for 20 hours at a stretch.
See more exhibits in the Security Pavilion at NextFest, including: A virtual reality sandbox from Information in Place • iRobot's backpack-sized spybot and video-and-sound-equipped scout bot
The Imagination Pavilion showcases innovative technologies made by General Electric, the major sponsor of NextFest.
GENX ENGINE FAMILY
GE TRANSPORTATION
The newest airplane engines from GE may be lightweights, but that doesn't mean they can't take the heat of long distance jet travel. Made of carbon fiber and epoxy resin, the turbines weigh 3 percent less than their 6-ton steel forebears and are more durable and efficient. Eighteen fan blades - down from 22 in earlier models - reduce weight even more and translate into lower maintenance costs. The GEnx emits just 5 percent of the maximum exhaust permitted under current FAA regulations, but it boasts a 30 percent longer lifespan and consumes 15 percent less fuel than other engines. Designed for the Boeing 7E7 and the Airbus A350, the GEnx will soon hit a tarmac near you - the first complete engine will be tested in 2006, with full certification scheduled for 2007.
RESIDENTIAL SOLAR POWER
GE ENERGY
Let the sunshine in. This single-story model home features a tiled solar-panel roof and strategically placed bay windows to boost natural lighting. Of course, that's humdrum compared with the electricity meter, which actually runs backward (taking kilowatts off the clock) on days when light is strong.
WATER SCARCITY SOLUTIONS
GE INFRASTRUCTURE
Within a few decades, two-thirds of the population will live in water-stressed areas. The reverse osmosis wastewater-filtration technology, in use in Kuwait, can purify 100 million gallons a day for agricultural and industrial applications.
WIND TURBINE NOSE CONE
GE ENERGY
Experience energy in the making as you walk through the 17.5-foot-tall nosecone of an open sea wind turbine. Plasma screens attached to the cone's interior show live feeds of working machines off the coast of Ireland. Each turbine has a wingspan the size of a football field and generates 3.5 megawatts per year, enough power to light at least 1,000 homes.
SECURITY TUNNEL OF TRUTH
GE INFRASTRUCTURE
Walking through airport security will never be the same again. The ShoeScan 1000 uses land mine-sensing technology to examine your kicks. Then the EntryScan's air jets blow microscopic particles from your clothing, skin, and hair into the detector for analysis.
See more exhibits in GE's Imagination Pavilion at NextFest, including: The diesel-electric hybrid locomotive • a pedal-powered race to 200 watts • the Smart coupe with dent-resistant resin body panels • a colossal jet engine that maxes out thrust • patient data tracking software • coal-to-synthesis-gas simulation models • the kitchen of tomorrow
DEEP FLIGHT 1 SUBMERSIBLE 
HALE REMOTELY OPERATED AIRCRAFT 
PROMETHEUS PROGRAM 
PERSONAL EXPLORATION ROVERS 
ROBOLOBSTER 
CASSINI SPACE PROBE 
MARS SUIT 
BERKELEY AERIAL ROBOTS 
PHILIP K. DICK ROBOT 
JUKE BOTS 
BRAINBALL 
PLAYMOTION 
TIC-TAC-TEXTILES 
FOGSCREEN 
FULL BODY GAMES 
BLOWAWAY 
HUMAN PAC-MAN 
MUSIC BOX 
MAGICLAND 
VIRSUAL - THE DIGITAL ROCKING HORSE 
INTERACTIVE PILLOWS 
FPGAMERUNNER 
SWEET VIRGIN ANGEL 
AMV-211 
SEQUEL 
BUCKEYE BULLET 
SEGWAY CENTAUR 
M400 SKYCAR 
UH-18SPW HOVERWING 
SENSEWEAR ARMBAND 
PARO 
C-LEG SYSTEM Ian White
POWER ASSIST SUIT 
COSMOBOT AND MISSION CONTROL 
PEBBLES 
EARTHBOX 
MOTOGLYPH 
SYNTHECOLOGY 
MOBILE FEELINGS Christa Sommerer & Laurant Mignonneau
IMAGINATION ENVIRONMENT 
SEAMLESS MOBILITY 
ACCELEGLOVE 
SELF-HEALING POLYMER 
EAP ROBOTIC ARM 
NOMADS AND NANO-MATERIALS KVA
MUSICBOTTLES 2 
INDEX 
CHROINO 
OPTICAL CAMOUFLAGE 
3D DISPLAY CUBE 
SYNCROSIGN MESSAGE BOARD WITH SMARTPAPER 
URBAN CHAMELEON 
KHR-3 HUBO 
PACKBOT EOD 
FACE DETECTION 
CYBER WARFARE INTEGRATION NETWORK 
FUTURE FORCE WARRIOR 
ADVANCED INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE AND ISP IN THE SKY 
R-GATOR 
BRAIN FINGERPRINTING 
KILLER BEE 
GENX ENGINE FAMILY 
RESIDENTIAL SOLAR POWER 
WATER SCARCITY SOLUTIONS 
WIND TURBINE NOSE CONE 
SECURITY TUNNEL OF TRUTH NextFest
