TIME Coolest Inventions 2004: The Cloud

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LOST IN A CLOUD
The Cloud

Inventor: Monica Förster
Availability: Now, $5,900
To Learn More: urbanpeel.com
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.

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