[Coolest 2003 Inventions]
From Time Magazine


BEWARE OF WEAR
Inventor: Adam Whiton and Yolita Nugent



Ready for a shocking fashion statement? The No-Contact Jacket may look pretty fly, but it's also a piece of serious personal-defense technology. If the wearer feels threatened in any way, she (so far it's only for women) can activate a switch in either palm that blasts an 80,000-volt electrical pulse through the jacket's material. That's enough to knock anybody back a few paces. Powered by a regular 9-volt battery, the No-Contact Jacket is fully insulated, so the wearer won't feel a thing. Even when it's not in use, it crackles with tiny, visible electrical arcs that send a message. Did we mention that it looks pretty fly?
Availability: Prototype only


THE INVISIBLE MAN
Inventor: Susumu Tachi, Masahiko Inami and Naoki Kawakami



Harry Potter isn't the only academic with an invisibility cloak. A professor at the University of Tokyo has created an optical camouflage system that makes anyone wearing a special reflective material seem to disappear. Here's how: a video camera records the real-life scenery behind the subject, transmits that image to a front-mounted projector, which then displays the scene on the reflective material. The system has obvious military applications and could also be used in airplane cockpits to make landings easier for pilots.
Availability: Around 2008