Magazine

Sparking the Fire of Invention

May 2004

A new breed of entrepreneurs is out to reinvent invention by uniting far-flung innovators and freeing them from normal corporate constraints.

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Letter from the editor

Features

Categorized in Uncategorized
Woz Goes Wireless
The legendary engineer behind the first Apple computer now wants to combine wireless technology with GPS to help ordinary folks track loved ones, pets, and more.
Categorized in 17036
Kurzweil’s Rules of Invention
One prolific inventor offers tips on how to ensure that your inventions have their day in the sun.
Categorized in 17036
The Sound War
Focused beams of sound could direct music or speech to a single person in a crowd. Two inventors have staked competing claims to a potential audio revolution.
Categorized in Silicon Valley
Why Big Companies Can’t Invent
A leading venture capitalist says corporations are too slow and timid to capitalize on their own inventions.
Categorized in 17032
Microsoft’s Magic Pen
A digital pen invented at Microsoft’s Beijing lab will allow people to switch effortlessly between electronic documents and paper.
Categorized in Uncategorized
Five Killer Patents
TR’s short list of 2003 U.S. patents with the potential to transform fields from security to cancer diagnostics. Plus: The 2004 TR Patent Scorecard.
Categorized in 17036
Global Invention Map
A topography of nation-by-nation inventive prowess.

Also in this issue
- Reinventing Invention
  From the editor in chief
  Categorized in 17036
- Letters
  Insights and opinions from our readers
  Categorized in Uncategorized
- Bone Bonder
  In a development that bodes well for sufferers of osteoporosis, a new artificial bone material appears to be just as strong as the real thing.
  Categorized in 17035
- Under Your Thumb
  A new kind of computer pointing device that spares the wrists could avert carpal tunnel syndrome
  Categorized in 17035
- Wi-Fi Made Easy
  Categorized in 17036
- Cell Squeezer
  Categorized in 17035
- Squeal Stopper
  A material that expands when voltage is applied could silence an automobile’s brakes.
  Categorized in 17035
- Motion Sickness Alert
  How nauseating is that car ride? Sensors could warn motorists that their driving is making people queasy.
  Categorized in 17036
- Printing Tissues
  Categorized in 17035
- Optimizing Recovery
  Categorized in 17035
- Communicating in Crisis
  New technologies could help avoid breakdowns like those of September 11.
  Categorized in Uncategorized
- Biotech Bugs Take Wing
  Could release of a genetically modified insect help eliminate a major threat to the U.S. cotton crop?
  Categorized in 17035
- ATMs Go beyond Cash
  They’re not just dumb bank terminals anymore. New machines sell movie tickets, cash checks, and add minutes to your cell-phone account.
  Categorized in 17032
- Holostorage for the Desktop
  What would you do with a one-terabyte computer disc? A Lucent Technologies spinoff is hoping to provide that kind of capacity using holographic technology.
  Categorized in Uncategorized
- Testing New TB Vaccines
  Categorized in 17035
- Humanoids for the Home
  By 2010, the Japanese government hopes, full-fledged, humanoid robots will be common sights in middle-class homes.
  Categorized in 17032
- Cut by Numbers
  John Parsons paved the way for computer-aided manufacturing.
  Categorized in 17032
- Going with Plan B
  Before she set about inventing better biochips, an artist and mother of five reinvented herself.
  Categorized in 17032
- The Paper Killer
  Finally, character recognition software that can reliably scan paper documents-and let you get rid of them.
  Categorized in Uncategorized
- Much Ado about Invention
  We have no shortage of good inventions. What we need are better ways to bring them to customers.
  Categorized in 17036
- Face Forward
  OmniPerception’s facial-recognition technology protects privacy as well as property.
  Categorized in 17032
- TiVo
  How digital video recorders like TiVo let viewers watch what they want, when they want.
  Categorized in Uncategorized

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