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Best of 2010: Our Top Stories

This year was a busy one for engineers all over the world. From inventing bendable computer screens to unlocking a secret room in a 4,500-year-old pyramid, scientists and engineers broke new ground in numerous ways.

We at eGFI have also been busy chronicling the most awe-inspiring innovations and stories, so without further ado, we present:

The Most Popular, Interesting, Weird, or Just Plain Cool eGFI Blog Posts of 2010

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Commuter Rail to the Moon

In April, President Obama asked engineers to come up with a less expensive method for launching a spacecraft. So NASA has come up a system that it says would save millions of dollars in propellant and allow more frequent flights – all while improving astronaut safety.

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Giant Uber-Bus May Come to the U.S.

We’ve written about more than a few creative transportation ideas on this blog, but this one takes the cake: a huge, road-straddling vehicle that operates like a type of bus-subway hybrid.

Originally created by Chinese engineers and set to arrive in Beijing in 2011, this super bus will be powered by electricity combined with rooftop solar panels. It will travel at speeds of 25-50mph and sit about eight feet above other vehicles, allowing them to pass underneath the passenger compartment.

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Tree Bombs: Old Idea Revived by Blogs

CLARIFICATION: Our original story, “Tree Bombs to Combat Deforestation,” was based on a report by the blog Treehugger, which cited an original article published in 1999. We can find no indication that the idea ever received funding for trials or implementation. A corrected story follows:

Look up in the sky. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … a tree?

In 1999, an MIT researcher designed a plan to take a fleet of old, unused C-130 Hercules cargo planes – originally created to drop land mines – and recommission them to drop “tree bombs” that would aid growth in deforested areas.

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Funky New Bike Helmet Acts Like an Airbag

Tired of dealing with bulky bike helmets? The Hövding might be the answer for you.

Designed by two Swedish university students for their thesis project, this novel device cleverly combines the best of bike helmets and airbags. Just zip the nifty little Hövding scarf around your neck (left photo), and you’re good to go.

If, heaven forbid, you should find yourself in an accident, a set of gyroscopes and accelerometers will sense the impending crash and immediately inflate the helmet (right photo).

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