《時代》周刊評出2014年度最佳發(fā)明 （五）

抗埃博拉過濾器

What makes the Ebola virus so frightening is its speed. In a matter of days, it can pump out enough copies of itself to overtake the immune system. But the Hemopurifier, a specially designed cartridge that attaches to a dialysis machine, can tip the balance back in the body’s favor: its lectin filter attracts Ebola viruses and sucks them from the blood as it flows through. It’s been used only once, on a patient in Germany, but it did the trick—effectively curing his Ebola infection.

埃博拉病毒的可怕之處是它的傳播速度。它可以在幾天之內(nèi)進行大量自我復(fù)制，攻破免疫系統(tǒng)。但Aethlon醫(yī)療公司開發(fā)的Hemopurifier過濾筒可加裝到血液透析機上，能讓機體恢復(fù)應(yīng)有的平衡：其植物凝血素過濾劑可吸收埃博拉病毒，并在血液流經(jīng)時把病毒清除。該產(chǎn)品僅在德國一名患者身上用過一次，但它產(chǎn)生了奇效，真的治愈了他的埃博拉感染。

18. The Selfie Stick (and Hairbrush)

自拍助手

If 2013 was the year in which selfie became a buzzword, then 2014 was the year selfies became a cultural phenomenon. Look no further than a recent Pew report, which found that at least a quarter of Americans have shared a selfie on a social-networking site. Sensing a new market, several companies have launched devices designed to streamline the selfie-taking experience. Many of them, like a hairbrush that holds your smartphone, are more goofy than game changing. But the selfie stick (produced by multiple brands), which enables users to position their smartphone beyond arms’ reach to get better photo angles adds genuine value.

如果說2013是“自拍”成為熱詞的一年，那么2014便是自拍成為一種文化現(xiàn)象的一年。最近的皮尤調(diào)查顯示，至少有1/4的美國人在社交網(wǎng)站上分享過自拍。感覺到新商機的幾家公司推出了優(yōu)化自拍體驗的專門裝置。大部分像發(fā)梳一樣的自拍裝置形式大于實際意義。不過，讓用戶能把手機放到雙手夠得著的范圍之外取景的(多種品牌的)自拍助手真正達到了增值效果。

19. The AC that Lowers Your Energy Bills

幫你節(jié)省電費的空調(diào)

The Aros air conditioner, which is developed by Quirky, the GE-backed site that turns people’s concepts into creations. It’s smart. Thanks to a companion mobile app, Aros can track owners’ movements via GPS and turn itself on and off depending on their proximity to home. It also tells people exactly how much money they’re spending to cool their residences. That’s how Quirky knows it’s working: so far, the company says, Aros owners who use the “smart away” feature that turns the unit on and off automatically have trimmed their energy use by nearly 10%.

Aros空調(diào)是由通用電氣公司自助的創(chuàng)意網(wǎng)站Quirky研發(fā)的。它是智能化的。利用一款配套的手機應(yīng)用，Aros空調(diào)可以通過GPS跟蹤主人行蹤，并根據(jù)他們離家的遠近自動開關(guān)機。它還能告訴用戶他們正在花多少錢來給屋子降溫。Quirky網(wǎng)站稱，使用自動開關(guān)機功能的Aros空調(diào)為用戶節(jié)省了近10%的電費。

20. The Prison Room that Helps Inmates Relax

有助于囚犯放松情緒的監(jiān)獄活動室

For 23 hours a day, the 200 inmates in solitary confinement at Oregon’s largest prison see nothing but a tiny, white-walled cell—an experience some research suggests can heighten mental illness and make prisoners prone to suicide attempts and violence. Last year, officials began letting some of them spend their free hour in a first-of-its-kind “blue room,” an exercise space where a projector plays video of open deserts, streaming waterfalls and other outdoor scenes. That imagery, says creator Nalini Nadkarni, who studies how nature affects behavior, is designed to calm prisoners.

每天有23個小時，美國俄勒岡州最大監(jiān)獄里被單獨關(guān)押的200名囚犯除了白色的牢房墻壁什么也看不到。有研究稱這種體驗會提高精神疾病發(fā)病率，使囚犯容易具有自殺和暴力傾向。去年，監(jiān)獄官員們開始讓一些囚犯在獨創(chuàng)的“藍屋”里度過1小時放風(fēng)時間，這是一個內(nèi)有放映機播放空曠的沙漠、奔流的瀑布和其他室外景色視頻的活動室。這個屋子的設(shè)計者納利尼•納德卡爾尼的專業(yè)是研究自然界如何影響人類行為，而這個屋子也意在使囚犯平靜下來。