Bio-Suit
MIT
Bulky pressurized space suits are so 1969! Researchers at MIT are working on a skintight prototype that could put the current "gas bag" design out of commission. The new right stuff? Ultrathin layers of flexible materials that protect astronauts from pressure changes, extreme temperatures, and radiation outside the craft. Created with laser scanners to custom-fit each wearer, the Bio-Suit will allow increased mobility and reduce production costs. And if the next Neil Armstrong happens to stumble over a moon rock, no problem – the suit will be made of interchangeable elements that are easy to maintain and replace. (Early lower-leg designs incorporate elastic and nylon-spandex.) One drawback: the wait. A full-scale working model won't be available for testing until at least 2009.
Clarissa
NASA
Performing complex tasks in zero gravity is no easy feat: It often requires astronauts to use two hands. How do they scroll through onscreen instructions at the same time? They don't. Clarissa, the voice-operated browser being tested aboard the International Space Station, reads them out loud. Able to obey commands such as "Go to step 15" and "No, I meant step 50," Clarissa could one day help out in hospitals and rental cars, too. Get directions to a gas station, stat!
Deep Worker
Nuytco
Go where few landlubbers have gone before. The Deep Worker plunges to 2,000 feet and carries enough life support to keep its single occupant submerged for 80 hours. Simply enter a desired depth and the Deep Worker goes there. Press Auto-Hold and it maintains that depth. Activate Auto-Altitude and it glides over the ocean floor, rocks, reefs, and dips – a surveying capability that makes it ideal for marine researchers and film crews.
Crew Exploration Vehicle
NASA
It's the mini Cooper of space exploration! When completed, the CEV will ferry three to six people and light cargo between Earth and the ISS or a lunar lander. The vehicle – designed to be 10 times safer than the shuttle – will play a crucial role in future NASA missions. The agency hopes to launch it by 2014.
SMC Rover
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Stephen Hawking has suggested that human survival depends on our ability to colonize Mars. If so, the SMC Rover may prove invaluable. It has a solar-powered parent unit and four detachable baby bots that function both as wheels for the main unit and as independent exploration vehicles that can take hi-res photographs and extract geological samples.
Robonaut With Centaur Base
NASA
This droid – half man, half NASA's take on the Segway – may someday help explore inhospitable environs. Robonaut can go where solar activity or ambient chemicals make it hazardous for humans to go. Its head-mounted cams and mikes register what an astronaut would see and hear, while its far-reaching limbs and dexterous hands carry out instructions.
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