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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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Oldest Computer in the World Now in
Lego Form

Remember our very old friend the Antikythera mechanism? Well, designer and Lego aficionado Andrew Carol has decided to reincarnate the ancient Greek computer once again.

Just like the original Antikythera, which the Greeks most likely used to predict a variety of astronomical happenings, the Lego version uses a complex array of gears (illustrated in the video below) to track information such as the position of the sun and moon, and to foresee events like lunar and solar eclipses.

Video after the jump.

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Radar Shoes Go Where GPS Cannot

Could these be your backup GPS?

Between Global Positioning Systems and the lack of privacy on the Internet, you might think someone could track you down anywhere.

But GPS-enabled devices are not perfect. Some areas are GPS dead zones, and if the satellite signal can’t locate you, you’re lost to anyone using the system.

So, Researchers at North Carolina State and Carnegie Mellon Universities have developed an ingenious solution – a shoe with radar embedded in the heel.

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A Touchscreen On Ice

This brings a whole new meaning to “freeze frame”: a team of engineers in Finland has created the world’s first ice touchscreen.

The device was inspired by the Finnish tradition of building snow and ice sculptures during long winters and built by a team of Nokia researchers. In a New Scientist interview, a team member says of the inspiration for the project: “We decided to see if we could make an ice sculpture that was interactive.”

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Movies That Watch You

Going to the movies is always fun, but would you still enjoy it if you knew the movie was watching you?

Soon, movie theaters may be equipped with cameras that will use facial recognition technology to monitor which way you are facing; if you’re laughing, scared, or bored; and if you came alone or with friends.

In order to monitor facial expressions, the theater cameras will illuminate the audience with infrared beams and create 3-D stereoscopic images of each viewer. Aralia Systems, a British security firm, received a $350,000 grant to develop the system.

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