The 50 Best Inventions of 2009

From a rocket of the future to a $10 million lightbulb, here are TIME's picks for the best new gadgets and breakthrough ideas of the year

The Five Worst Inventions

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The Smile Police
Employees at Keihin Electric Express Railway in Japan have their smiles scanned by software to maximize cheeriness



The Jane Austen Monster Mashup Novel
It started with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Please let it end soon.



Snuggies for Dogs
It's bad enough that humans wear "the blanket with sleeves." Do we have to put them on dogs as well? Do we really?



The Gas-Mask Bra
You have to admire the good intentions of the inventor who made a bra that converts handily into a pair of gas masks



Computer Critics
A new standardized test in the U.K. will use software, not humans, to grade student essays. Shakespeare wept.

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