TIME Coolest Inventions 2004: LiTraCon

More Categories:

Invention of the Year

Zoom Zoom

Sporting Life

Wet & Wild

Overboard

Hi, Robot

Safety Net

For Your Health

Fresh Ideas

Cook Smart

Hot & Cold

Now Hear This

Cutting Edge

Fire Fighter

Light Touch

Kid Friendly

E-mail this to a friend

previous | next

MAGIC MATERIAL
LiTraCon

Inventor: LiTraCon
Availability: Now, $1,828 per cu. ft.
To Learn More: litracon.com
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.

Next: The Cloud

BY ANITA HAMILTON, MARYANNE MURRAY BUECHNER, LEV GROSSMAN, SIMON CRITTLE AND SORA SONG / WITH REPORTING BY HANNA KITE AND YUKI ODA/TOKYO