Popular Science's 20th Annual Best of What's New Awards 
 

              PopSci Announces the 2007 Innovation of the Year

    NEW YORK, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second consecutive year,
Popular Science is honoring one top product out of its 100 Best of What's
New award winners as "Innovation of the Year." This honor goes to the
remarkably designed PowerSheet flexible solar cells. Imagine a solar panel
without the panel. Nanosolar has created an ink that takes sunlight and
converts it into electricity. The ink is coated onto metal sheets as thin
as aluminum foil with a printing-press-like device. The sheets are lighter,
inexpensive and as efficient as traditional solar panels. The editors of
PopSci believe that eventually every commercial rooftop could be carpeted
with PowerSheet solar cells.
    "The Best of What's New awards honor those innovations that are truly
going to make a difference in the way we live today and in the future,"
says Mark Jannot, editor in chief of Popular Science. "The Innovation of
the Year distinction goes to the Nanosolar PowerSheet because of the
magnitude of its potential impact. Nanosolar could bring inexpensive,
environmentally friendly solar power not only to buildings throughout the
United States, but to countries where even electricity is a luxury. It
really is the game-changer the solar industry has been seeking for
decades."
    Every year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of new
products and technologies in pursuit of the 100 breakthroughs that merit
the magazine's highest honor, a Best of What's New award. Appearing in the
much- anticipated December issue of Popular Science -- the most widely read
issue of the year -- Best of What's New celebrates the 100 most ingenious
products, ideas and technologies across the 10 main categories that Popular
Science and its readers are passionate about, from Personal Health to Home
Tech, Aviation & Space to Auto Tech.
    In addition to the Innovation of the Year, topping each Best of What's
New category is one Grand Award winner, a product or technology that
represents a significant leap over existing technologies in its industry.
These winners are based on the significance of the innovation, the quality
of the design and the finished product, the originality of thought, and the
ambition and scope of the overall project.
    The full list, descriptions and images of all Best of What's New
winners are in the December issue of Popular Science and online at
http://www.popsci.com/bown2007.
    The 2007 Grand Award winners of the Popular Science Best of What's New
awards are:
    AUTOMOTIVE: 2008 AUDI R8
    Audi made the 2008 R8 with a little help from the family. The R8
    incorporates suspension and engine innovations from the Lamborghini
    Gallardo, its corporate cousin, while costing a more Porsche-like $109,000
    and still going 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds, making it a pretty sweet ride.

    COMPUTING: MERAKI MINI
    The Meraki Mini wireless router lets a city block, or even an entire
    village, share the same Web connection. One Mini will create a Wi-Fi
    network around a wired Internet connection. But add a second within 150
    feet, and it picks up and amplifies the wireless signal, creating a
    seamless network that spans nearly double the original area. Add more
    Minis, and the network can blanket acres.

    GADGETS: APPLE iPHONE
    Apple rethought the way we interact with mobile devices and created a
    masterpiece. The iPhone blows any PDA, cellphone or smartphone out of the
    water. Equipped with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, YouTube interface, movie
    player and iTunes downloads, it makes the competition look downright
    primitive.

    HOME ENTERTAINMENT: PIONEER ELITE KURO PRO-1150HD
    Pioneer completely redesigned its plasma technology with the Kuro to
    produce the sharpest, most vivid picture you'll find on any TV. The
    biggest challenge for any flat-panel technology is producing black, which
    creates the contrast. The Kuro has significantly deeper black levels (80
    percent deeper than before), which ultimately lead to richer colors and
    sharper details.

    PERSONAL HEALTH: AQUEA SCIENTIFIC WASH-ON
    Overexposure to the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer, yet many
    Americans do not use sunscreen. They do shower, however, which is where
    Wash-On comes in. It delivers SPF-15 protection via soap and facial
    cleanser every time you wash up. Wash-On doesn't mean you can take the
    sunblock out of your beach bag, but it does act as a first layer of
    protection against the sun's harmful rays, helping those who never think
    to apply sunscreen.

    AVIATION & SPACE: CNES COROT
    Man took one giant step closer to finding life on other planets with the
    launch of COROT (Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits), the first
    dedicated planet-hunting space telescope, and the first telescope able to
    spot small, Earth-size planets.

    ENGINEERING: CHICAGO SPIRE
    In 2011, when the Chicago Spire is completed, residents near of its 150
    floors will be able to see the curvature of the earth and have the
    distinction of living in the tallest residential tower in the world. The
    seven-sided corkscrew design will reduce umbrella-busting wind gusts at
    street level by directing most of the wind upward along the channels. The
    Spire is also aiming to earn "gold" certification from the U.S. Green
    Building Council upon completion.

    HOME TECH: CUB CADET l1050 ZERO TURN TRACTOR
    The latest Cub Cadet tractor combines the maneuverability of a
    professional zero-turn mover with the easy drivability of a traditional
    lawn tractor. This new tractor introduces the average homeowner to the
    beauty of zero-radius turning, which makes mowing the lawn kind of fun.

    RECREATION: ELLSWORTH HANDCRAFTED BICYCLES "THE RIDE"
    Based on a 1490s sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, The Ride's rear hub mimics
    an infinite number of gears, rather than the mere 21 offered by the usual
    chain-yanking transmission. Riders can always find the perfect gear ratio,
    whether starting from a stop or speeding down a hill.

    GREEN TECH: NANOSOLAR POWERSHEET
    INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
    With funding from Google's founders and the U.S. Department of Energy,
    Nanosolar's first commercial solar cells rolled off the presses this year.
    Cost has always been one of solar energy's biggest drawbacks, but the
    PowerSheet is made of ink, rather than silicon, which results in a sheet
    that's lighter, less expensive and as efficient as traditional solar
    panels.