Invent Now 2006 Modern Marvel of the Year (links all broken by History Channel, so links were removed, – when will we finally have people in charge of websites that understand basic usability fundamentals?):
The Strawjet is a farm implement that processes straw (wheat, flax, sunflower, tobacco, hemp, etc.) in the field (after the plant has been harvested) into a mat, similar to a large bamboo window blind. This is used to construct composite building panels in much the same way as fiberglass or carbon fiber; however, the Strawjet uses a binder made from paper pulp, clay and cement rather than plastic resin.
Update, 2013: strawjet.com. Also I added this webcast from 2009
Read (except they broke all the links so you can’t) about more finalists in the History Channel and Invent Now Inventor contest:
- Dr. David L. Cull, Hemoaccess Valve System
- Kristin A. Hrabar, Illuminated Nutdriver
- Dr. Sundaresan Jayaraman, Wearable Motherboard (Smart Shirt)
- Robert C. Kelly, Resc-hue Lite Line
Related: Pay as You Go Solar in India – Appropriate Technology: Solar Water in Poor Cairo Neighborhoods – Lemelson-MIT 2010 Award for Sustainability – Play pumps had the idea of putting a merry-go-round on the site and letting children playing on it provide the energy… The solution does not appear to have been executed well.
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