TIME Best Inventions 2006

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HOME INVENTIONS

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Air Mattress
Your eyes do not deceive you: that sleek slab levitating in midair is in fact a bed, and it is floating unsupported--though lightly tethered at its four corners--16 in. above the floor. The hovering bed is the daydream of a Dutch designer who says he was inspired by the monolith in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Its secret is a matching set of repelling magnets, built into the bed and the floor below, that's powerful enough to support almost 2,000 lbs. The magnetic fields are supposed to be perfectly safe for sleepers, but you're advised to take off your earrings before vacuuming underneath.

Inventor: Janjaap Ruijssenaars
Availability: Now; $1.5 million
To learn more visit universearchitecture.com

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