《時代》周刊評出2014年度最佳發(fā)明 （四）

個性化藥盒

T.J. Parker grew up in a family that owned and operated a pharmacy, he knows firsthand how confusing it can be for people to track which meds to take when, especially if they fill multiple prescriptions. That’s why the e-pharmacy he runs now, PillPack, doesn’t traffic in bottles. Instead, every two weeks, patients are sent a dispenser, which has their medication—all of it—sorted into a ticker tape of tearable packets, organized by date and time.

T•J•帕克在一個經(jīng)營藥房的家庭中長大。對于人們要記住什么時候該吃什么藥是多么難的一件事——尤其是如果同時要吃多種藥，他有切身感受。這便是為什么他現(xiàn)在經(jīng)營的電子藥房不銷售整瓶藥的原因。作為替代，藥房每兩周會向患者寄送一個分藥器Pillpack藥盒，里面的藥物都按日期和時間分裝在一撕即開的紙袋中。

14. Bananas that Prevent Blindness

預(yù)防失明的香蕉

In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 30% of kids under age 5 are at risk of going blind—among other conditions—for one simple reason: they don’t get enough eye-nurturing vitamin A. But what if the bananas that make up a lot of their diet could be re-engineered to deliver it? Australian biogeneticist James Dale and his team began developing a vitamin-A-enriched “superbanana”. “These bananas could potentially solve” a major health problem, Dale says.

在撒哈拉以南的非洲地區(qū)，多達30%的5歲以下兒童存在失明危險，原因包括一個簡單的事實：他們攝入可保護視力的維生素A不夠多。如果在他們飲食中占很大比重的香蕉被改造為含有維生素A，情況會怎樣呢?澳大利亞遺傳生物學(xué)家詹姆斯•戴爾和他的團隊開始培育一種富含維生素A的“超級香蕉”。戴爾稱，“這些香蕉有可能解決”一個重大的健康問題。

15. The Wheel that Gives Bikers a Boost

為騎車人提供助力的輪子

We know that biking is good for us and good for the environment. But getting around on a bicycle can seem daunting, especially in a large city with a hilly terrain. To lessen that burden, Cambridge, Mass.–based Superpedestrian has developed the Copenhagen Wheel, a standard-size wheel—it can be attached to the back of most bicycles—that boasts a rechargeable, battery-powered motor. Depending on rider preferences, entered through a smartphone app, the motor can kick in power throughout the ride or just on hills. Sensors also track road conditions, air temperature and potholes, so cyclists can share real-time information about best routes.

我們知道騎自行車對身體和環(huán)境都有好處。但騎著車到處奔波似乎是件苦差事，尤其在擁有丘陵地形的大城市。為減輕這種負(fù)擔(dān)，美國馬薩諸塞州的超級步行者公司開發(fā)了可加裝到大多數(shù)自行車后輪上的“哥本哈根輪”，它帶有可重復(fù)充電的電動馬達。根據(jù)由智能手機應(yīng)用輸入的騎車人偏好，馬達可在整個騎行過程或僅在上坡時提供助力。傳感器對道路狀況、氣溫和坑洼進行監(jiān)測，以便與騎車的人分享有關(guān)最佳線路的實時信息。

16. The Seamless Sign-Language Translator

天衣無縫的手語翻譯器

For the millions of deaf people who cannot speak, everyday communication often requires costly human translators and tedious note writing. Enter the Uni, a tablet and attachment that leverages motion-sensing cameras and voice recognition to translate American Sign Language into spoken words—and spoken words into text—in real time.

對千百萬聾啞人來說，日常交流通常需要昂貴的人工手語翻譯和冗長的書寫。Uni裝置是一臺帶專用附件的平板電腦，它利用運動感應(yīng)攝像頭和語音識別技術(shù)，把美式手語實時翻譯成口語，并把口語轉(zhuǎn)換成文字。