Best Inventions of 2006
It's been an interesting year in technology. Nintendo invented a video game you control with a magic wand. A new kind of car traveled 3,145 miles on a single gallon of gas. A robot learned to ride a bike and somebody came up with a nanofabric umbrella that doesn't stay wet
Transformer
The Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR), developed for military search-and-rescue missions, has hydraulic arms that can support injured soldiers weighing up to 400 lbs. (more than most troopers in full gear) and a system of wheels, tracks and joints that enable it to maneuver in all sorts of positions. It can balance on its back wheels to climb up a steep hill or roll over rough terrain while staying low to the ground. For now the BEAR needs a human to drive it via remote control, but a more autonomous version is in the works.
Inventor: Vecna Technologies
Availability: Field-ready by 2010
To learn more visit www.vecna.com/robotics
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