《时代》周刊评出2014年度最佳发明

3. A Reactor that Could Realize Nuclear Fusion

可实现核聚变的反应堆

Nuclear fusion has always been the holy grail of energy: it’s endlessly productive and largely clean—and so far, it’s remained elusive. But in October, Lockheed Martin said it had achieved a technological breakthrough that will enable it to make compact fusion reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade. The design uses “magnetic mirror confinement” to control the reaction. Absent further details on how it works, some outside scientists are skeptical. But if Lockheed really can produce a workable fusion reactor, the world of energy may never be the same.

核聚变一直是能源中的圣杯：它取之不尽且基本上是洁净的，而且到目前为止仍然难以把握。但在今年10 月，洛克希德•马丁公司（Lockheed Martin）表示其实现了技术突破，从而将能在10年内制造出小得足以安装在卡车后部的紧凑型聚变反应堆。其设计利用了“磁镜约束”来控制反应过程。由于缺乏有关其工作原理的更多细节，外部科学家持怀疑态度。但如果该公司真的能制造出可正常工作的聚变反应堆，能源世界可能会为之彻底改观。

4. Wireless Electricity

无线电力

We already have wireless Internet and wireless phones. Why, then, are everyday appliances still shackled to the wall? WiTricity’s technology—involving a plug-in coil that creates a magnetic field, which in turn powers objects as far away as 2.4 m — has been tested on Toyota electric cars, Intel PCs and more. Within 10 years, says CEO Alex Gruzen, rooms could be wired so that all appliances—lamps, TVs, stereos—pull power from a central charging base.

我们已有了无线网络和无线电话。那么为什么日常家电仍要插入墙上的电源插座中？美国无线电力公司的技术——利用插入式线圈产生磁场为最远距离达2.4米的目标供电——已在丰田电动汽车、英特尔电脑及其他装置上进行了试验。无线电力公司首席执行官阿历克斯•格鲁森称，在10年之内，房间里可以布设导线，这样所有的电器(电灯、电视、音响等)都可以靠一个中央充电基座供电。