时代杂志评出2014年25项最佳发明

The Real-Life Hoverboard
1.浮空滑板

The hoverboard—a type of skateboard that levitates like a magic carpet—had been a pipe dream since its fictional debut in 1989’s Back to the Future Part II. Now California-based tech firm Hendo has built the real thing.
还记得1989年的经典科幻电影《回到未来》中出现过的那个像魔毯一样浮在空中的滑板么？加利福尼亚的一家名为Hendo的科技公司将电影里的滑板变成了现实。

Hendo’s hoverboard can float only an inch or so above the ground, and even then only over conductive material like copper or aluminum.
虽然Hendo公司研发的这款滑板目前只可以离开地面悬浮1英寸左右，而且还必须在如铜或铝这样的导电材料上才可实现。

But the technology that powers it could be revolutionary. Using the $450,000-plus it raised on Kickstarter, Hendo founders Jill and Greg Henderson plan to develop magnetic “hovering” tech to stabilize buildings during earthquakes, protect valuable works of art and more. “The hoverboard is the first step to bringing this technology to the world,” says Greg.
但是这项技术确实具有突破性意义。Hendo公司的创始人吉尔和格雷格用在美国慈善网站上筹到的45万美元，做出了开发磁滑翔技术的计划，希望能在保持地震中建筑的稳定性、保护珍贵的艺术作品等方面得到应用。格雷格说：“这款浮空滑板是开发该项技术的第一步。”

The Supersmart Spacecraft
2.印度火星飞船探测器

Nobody gets Mars right on the first try. The U.S. didn’t, Russia didn’t, the Europeans didn’t. But on Sept. 24, India did. That’s when the Mangalyaan (Mars craft in Hindi) went into orbit around the Red Planet, a technological feat no other Asian nation has yet achieved. Building the craft cost India just $74 million. At that price, the Mangalyaan is equipped with just five onboard instruments that allow it to do simple tasks like measure Martian methane and surface composition. More important, however, it allows India to flex its interplanetary muscles, which portends great things for the country’s space program—and for science in general.
没有国家在进行火星探测时一次成功的。美国没有，俄罗斯没有，欧洲各国也没有。但是在今年的9月24日，印度成功了。印度火星飞船“曼加里安”号在那天成功进入火星轨道，完成了其他亚洲国家都未曾完成的科技壮举。制造这艘飞船印度仅花了7400万美元。飞船上装有5个用来执行测量火星大气中的甲烷等任务的设备。印度火星飞船为印度创造了历史，对于印度的航空项目以及整个科学界都意义重大。

A Reactor that Could Realize Nuclear Fusion
3.小型核聚变反应堆

In October, Lockheed Martin said it had achieved a technological breakthrough that will enable it to make compact fusion reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade. The design uses “magnetic mirror confinement” to control the reaction. If Lockheed really can produce a workable fusion reactor, the world of energy may never be the same.
今年十月，洛克希德·马丁公司称他们已经完成了一项重大科技突破，能够在十年内将聚变反应堆的规模缩小到在一辆卡车上就可进行。这项设计采用“磁镜约束”技术来控制整个反应。如果该公司真的能够制造出这种小型的核聚变反应堆，那将大大改变能源领域的现状。

Wireless Electricity
4.无线充电

We already have wireless Internet and wireless phones. Why, then, are everyday appliances still shackled to the wall? To be sure, there are a few power-mat chargers for small gadgets like phones. But WiTricity, based in Watertown, Mass., is thinking big. Its technology—involving a plug-in coil that creates a magnetic field, which in turn powers objects as far away as 8 ft. (2.4 m)—has been tested on Toyota electric cars (with charging mats), Intel PCs (with charging pads) and more. Within 10 years, says CEO Alex Gruzen, rooms could be wired so that all appliances—lamps, TVs, stereos—pull power from a central charging base.
我们已经有了无线网络和无线手机，那为什么日常的家用电器还离不开墙上的插座呢？目前手机的无线充电已经实现，但是来自美国马萨诸塞州沃特敦的WiTricity公司决定让无线充电走的更远。他们研发的技术包含一个可以产生磁场的插电式线圈，能够为距离在8英尺（2.4米）以内的电器进行充电。目前该技术已经在丰田的汽车和英特尔的个人电脑上成功实验。该公司的CEO亚历克斯·格鲁泽在十年之内该技术会被应用在房间里，到时候包括点灯、电视、音响等所有电器都可以通过一个集中的充电设备进行无线充电。

3-D-Printed Everything
5.全能3D打印机

A machine that can build any object. It sounds like a sci-fi fantasy, but thanks to the rise of 3-D printers—devices that can build objects from digital blueprints, usually by layering plastic or other materials—it is rapidly becoming reality.
一台“想要什么就生成什么”的机器，这听起来像是科幻小说里才有的东西，不过因为有了3D打印机，所以现在只要有数字结构图，再加上塑料等一些材料，我们确实能够实现在一台机器上生成想要的所有物体。

That’s a boon for consumers and corporations alike. In the past year alone, middle-school students have 3-D-printed stock cars for physics lessons, scientists have 3-D-printed tissues for human organs, and GE has used 3-D printing to improve the efficiency of its jet engines. “This is one of those technologies that literally touches everything we do,” says Avi Reichental, CEO of 3D Systems, whose 3-D printers produce candy (as shown above) and musical instruments, among other objects.
无论是对消费者还是对企业而言，3D打印机都是一种福利。在过去的一年时间里，中学生用它打印了物理课要用的小汽车，科学家们用它打印了病人所需的器官组织，通用汽车公司用它提升了发动机的效率。3D Systems公司的CEO阿维称：“这是一项能够让我们获得任何东西的技术。”该公司的打印机曾打印出糖果（如图所示）、乐器等物品。

Watches that Redefine Smart
6.苹果Apple Watch

Most smart watches have proved to be anything but: they try to shrink down the experience of using a cell phone, with clunky results. Apple’s Watch, by contrast, wholly reimagines the computer for the wrist, using a novel interface that combines a touchscreen and physical buttons. Besides telling time, the Watch can send messages, give directions, track fitness and make wireless payments. It’s also an attractive piece of fashion, with high-end Edition models that feature 18-karat gold.
许多智能手表都只是将智能手机的屏幕压缩到了手表的大小，触控和操作都很难精准。而苹果公司的这款Apple Watch对智能手表进行了重新思考，采用了触摸屏和物理按钮相结合的全新界面。除了报时，这款手表还可以发信息、导航、追踪管理健康状况以及无线支付。而且它外表高端时尚，采用了18克拉镀金的表壳。

The Smartphone that Puts Privacy First
7.以保护私隐为主的智能手机Blackphone

Nearly half of Americans don’t feel safe sharing private information over a cell-phone call, according to Pew. So how can phone owners conceal their data? Enter the Blackphone, a smartphone designed to put privacy above all else. The device runs a customized Android operating system stripped of features that might make data vulnerable, like calendar sync. But even with a Blackphone, users should be careful about what they type or upload. As Blackphone CEO Toby Weir-Jones explains, “It’s dangerous to assume anything is a magic invisibility cloak.”
根据皮尤研究中心的调查，有大约一半以上的美国人认为打电话时个人的隐私信息并不安全。那么手机用户如何保护自己的手机数据呢？使用以保护私隐为主的智能手机Blackphone吧！这款手机装有简化版的安卓系统，把一切可能影响信息泄露的要素全部去掉。不过即使用了Blackphone，你也要小心，不要随意下载软件。正如Blackphone公司的CEO托比说的那样：“不要认为有任何东西可以成为神奇的隐形衣，那样很危险。”

The Cooler that Powers Your Party
8.派对用冰箱Coolest Cooler

For more than 60 years, coolers have done a fine job putting party refreshments on ice. But that wasn’t good enough for Ryan Grepper. “We wanted the cooler to be a place where people gather—to have all the things that make a space somewhere you’d want to hang out,” says the former medical sales rep.
六十多年来，冰箱在派对上的作用就是提供冰块。但是这对瑞恩·葛雷博来说并不够。“我们想要冰箱里有参加派对的人想要的所有东西，想让冰箱能专供派对使用。”瑞恩说。

The result is the world’s smartest all-purpose party starter. It stores food and drinks, sure. But it also touts a blender (“for vodkaritas,” Grepper offers), an LED lid light (“to see if you’re reaching for beer or Clamato juice”), a USB charger (“so nobody’s phone dies”), a Bluetooth speaker (for tunes) and big wheels designed to navigate many terrains (beach, parking lot). “I just want to make the coolest cooler out there,” says Grepper. Hence the name: Coolest Cooler.
有这样想法的结果就是世界上最精致小巧、装备齐全的派对专用冰箱诞生了。它当然可以冷藏食物和饮料。但是除此之外，它还有搅拌机（可以做鸡尾酒神马的）、LED照明灯（使你在拿啤酒或果汁时看得更清楚）、USB充电器（这样就没人会忍受手机没电之苦了）、蓝牙音箱（当然是为了派对上的音乐）以及适合在沙滩、停车场等移动的全地形轮子。“我只是想发明一个世界上最酷的冰箱。”瑞恩说，所以它的名字叫“Coolest Cooler”。