Last year, a conceptual, futuristic video featuring interactive glass touchscreens went viral:

This video, called "A Day Made of Glass," was created by Corning (a company that engineers glass and other materials) and now has been viewed over 17 million times on YouTube. Although the video is admittedly cool, just how realistic is its vision?

As breathtaking as large, panoramic photos often are, the process of creating them is, to many photographers, a much less attractive prospect. While painstakingly stitching together images from a recent vacation, Technische Universität Berlin graduate Jonas Pfeil came up with a better idea: a spherical camera, called a camera-ball, that can take 360-degree panoramas in a single snap. Once the softball-sized sphere is tossed into the air, a built-in accelerometer tells when the ball has reached its zenith. Then a microcontroller triggers simultaneous action by 36 two-megapixel cellphone cameras, capturing a mosaic of images.

Anyone who's ever worked up a sweat running for the school bus knows it takes energy to move. Now, a young inventor in England has come up with a way to capture the ambient kinetic energy of footsteps--or dance moves--and use it to generate electricity.

Pavegen tiles are rubber, waterproof squares made from recycled tires, and 80 percent of their inner workings are made from recycled materials, too. When people step on them, the tiles harvest the energy and convert it to electricity. ]]> http://students.egfi-k12.org/power-walk-pavegen-tiles/ Everyone loves to complain about the full body scanners that the Travel Security Administration implemented in 2010 to screen airport travelers. But now the same technology could be employed for a much more exciting purpose: fashion. A new company called Fitted Fashion promises to bring 3D scanning technology to clothing stores and shopping malls in the near future (a similar body scanner is already in use at a mall in Philadelphia). Customers need only to step inside a scanning booth for about 30 seconds, where a white light captures over 400 distinct body measurements.]]> http://students.egfi-k12.org/3d-body-scanners-to-make-custom-jeans/

2011 was another busy year for engineers all over the world. From inventing a device that turns air into water to exploring the oceans in a tiny submarine, scientists and engineers are exploring uncharted territory.

Like last year, we at eGFI have chronicled the most awe-inspiring innovations and stories, so in case you missed one, we present:

The Most Popular, Interesting, Weird, or Just Plain Cool eGFI Blog Posts of 2011

In a world increasingly affected by climate change, unexpected droughts are a harsh reality for many farmers whose livelihoods depend on regular rainfall. That's why Edward Linacre, an industrial design graduate student from Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, decided to invent a device that can literally harvest water from thin air.

Airdrop, as it's called, recently won the prestigious James Dyson Award, which grants Linacre over $14,000 to develop the product. It was selected from among 500 entries from 18 different countries for its simple design and revolutionary approach to irrigation.

Do you spend hours browsing Facebook every day? Chances are, you probably do. But here's something about Facebook that you might not know: just like tech giants Google and Apple, Facebook is also looking to hire lots of engineers.

The social networking site has just announced that it plans to open an engineering office in New York City, according to a press release. The office will be led by Sekan Piantino, a Facebook engineer who has helped with the development of the News Feed and Timeline and now manages the teams that maintain Facebook Messages and Chat.]]> http://students.egfi-k12.org/a-career-engineers-might-really-like/

Yves Rossy really likes jumping out of planes. At 52, the Swiss fighter pilot is the first person daring enough to strap a jet-powered wing to his back and soar over landmarks such as the English Channel, the Swiss Alps, and the Grand Canyon - feats which have earned him the nickname "Jetman."

Although Rossy's primary career has been that of pilot and daredevil, his journey to become Jetman produced him many engineering achievements as well. For the past two decades, Rossy has spent much of his free time pursuing a goal of flying with as little assistance as possible.]]> http://students.egfi-k12.org/jetman-flying-soon-to-a-landmark-near-you/

Computer chips and electronic circuitry made from diamonds? Sounds like just bling, but nanodiamond-based components for microelectronic devices not only are very robust; they’re inexpensive.

Developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University, the devices are made by depositing a thin nanodiamond film on a layer of silicon dioxide and then vacuum-packaging it.]]> http://students.egfi-k12.org/gem-of-an-idea/ Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) is a university-based outreach program operating in eight states. MESA strives to provide an opportunity for ethnic minority, low income, and first generation college-bound students to explore college majors and career interests with a group of peers interested in attending college.]]> http://students.egfi-k12.org/mesa-csu-fresno/