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--INVENTOR Medtronic --AVAILABILITY In 2003, for $1,500 --TO LEARN MORE Visit medtronic.com click on "Patient Information" and then "Pain"
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Some women hate taking pills. Others wince at the thought of implants or injections. Now there's a new choice for long-term birth control. In early October the FDA approved use of the NuvaRing, a thin flexible plastic ring that women can flatten like a rubber band and insert once a month into the vagina. Moisture and body heat activate the release of the same progestin and estrogen found in low-dose birth-control pills. Its makers say that NuvaRing is just as effective at preventing pregnancy and may cause fewer complications than the Pill.
--INVENTOR Organon --AVAILABILITY Mid-2002 --TO LEARN MORE Visit nuvaring.com
GET SMART
Is that crushing pain a heart attack, or pulled muscles from yesterday's pec-deck session? Ask your T shirt. Made of a soft, washable fabric with optical and electrical fibers woven into it, the SmartShirt records heart and respiration rates, body temperature and calories burned. Information is relayed wirelessly and can be sent on to doctors or personal trainers. Future planned products include shirts for military use that would provide a trapped soldier's exact location and give triage units details about wounds.
--INVENTORS Georgia Tech Research Corp. and SensaTex Inc. --AVAILABILITY By next September, for about $175 --TO LEARN MORE Visit sensatex.com
DRINK UP
A few months back, we probably would have recommended a portable water sterilizer only to people traveling abroad or going backcountry camping. But as fears persist of terrorists polluting the water supply, some folks might feel better knowing they can easily purify water at home as well. Powered by two AA batteries, the cordless Steri-Pen uses ultraviolet light to decontaminate a 16-oz. container of water in about a minute. Its maker claims Steri-Pen will kill 99.99% of the bacteria and viruses found in water.
--INVENTOR Miles Maiden --AVAILABILITY Now, for $199 --TO LEARN MORE Visit hydro-photon.com
BEAT THE SHRIEK
These days every home has at least one smoke alarm. But how many of us have yanked the batteries out in frustration because that annoying shriek goes off every time we broil a steak or toast a bagel? The Smart Alarm offers a cure so simple we should have thought of it: you turn the alarm on and off by remote control. Just point any remote at the alarm and hold down any button for five seconds.
--INVENTOR First Alert --AVAILABILITY Now, $30 --TO LEARN MORE Visit firstalert.com
TOSS THE SQUEEGEE
Wouldn't it be great if you never had to clean the windows in your house again? That's the promise of SunClean glass, which is lined with a transparent coating that breaks down dirt (and bird droppings) in the sun. When it rains or you spray the windows with a hose, the remaining residue is supposed to wash away without streaking. Available on a variety of window types for the home, the SunClean technology also works on insulated glass that blocks ultraviolet light.
--INVENTOR PPG Industries --AVAILABILITY In 2002 --TO LEARN MORE Visit ppgsunclean.com
around the house
SUNLIGHT IN A LIGHT-BLUE BULB