Coolest Inventions 2004: Light Touch

LOST IN A CLOUD

Swedish designer Monica Förster says that she often stares at clouds outside her airplane window and wonders what it would be like to step inside one. After learning that cumulus clouds form in the morning, then dissipate at night, she decided to create a nylon "cloud" that could serve as a quiet meeting space by day and collapse at night. Förster's Cloud is 8 ft. tall and 18 ft. long. A fan inside its carrying case inflates it in 3 min. Total weight: 33 lbs.

INVENTOR Monica Förster

AVAILABILITY Now, $5,900

TO LEARN MORE urbanpeel.com

MAGIC MATERIAL

Mixing glass with cement may seem strange, but that is what Aron Losonczi, a Hungarian architect, has done to create a transparent concrete called LiTraCon. Glass in the form of fiber optics allows light to filter through the material, creating a surreal effect. Available in sheets 2 in. or more wide, LiTraCon is as strong as regular concrete and can be used for walls, flooring or sculpture. It is on display at the National Building Museum in Washington through Jan. 23.

INVENTOR LiTraCon

AVAILABILITY Now, $1,828 per cu. ft.

TO LEARN MORE litracon.com