《时代》周刊评出2014年度最佳发明 （五）

抗埃博拉过滤器

What makes the Ebola virus so frightening is its speed. In a matter of days, it can pump out enough copies of itself to overtake the immune system. But the Hemopurifier, a specially designed cartridge that attaches to a dialysis machine, can tip the balance back in the body’s favor: its lectin filter attracts Ebola viruses and sucks them from the blood as it flows through. It’s been used only once, on a patient in Germany, but it did the trick—effectively curing his Ebola infection.

埃博拉病毒的可怕之处是它的传播速度。它可以在几天之内进行大量自我复制，攻破免疫系统。但Aethlon医疗公司开发的Hemopurifier过滤筒可加装到血液透析机上，能让机体恢复应有的平衡：其植物凝血素过滤剂可吸收埃博拉病毒，并在血液流经时把病毒清除。该产品仅在德国一名患者身上用过一次，但它产生了奇效，真的治愈了他的埃博拉感染。

18. The Selfie Stick (and Hairbrush)

自拍助手

If 2013 was the year in which selfie became a buzzword, then 2014 was the year selfies became a cultural phenomenon. Look no further than a recent Pew report, which found that at least a quarter of Americans have shared a selfie on a social-networking site. Sensing a new market, several companies have launched devices designed to streamline the selfie-taking experience. Many of them, like a hairbrush that holds your smartphone, are more goofy than game changing. But the selfie stick (produced by multiple brands), which enables users to position their smartphone beyond arms’ reach to get better photo angles adds genuine value.

如果说2013是“自拍”成为热词的一年，那么2014便是自拍成为一种文化现象的一年。最近的皮尤调查显示，至少有1/4的美国人在社交网站上分享过自拍。感觉到新商机的几家公司推出了优化自拍体验的专门装置。大部分像发梳一样的自拍装置形式大于实际意义。不过，让用户能把手机放到双手够得着的范围之外取景的(多种品牌的)自拍助手真正达到了增值效果。

19. The AC that Lowers Your Energy Bills

帮你节省电费的空调

The Aros air conditioner, which is developed by Quirky, the GE-backed site that turns people’s concepts into creations. It’s smart. Thanks to a companion mobile app, Aros can track owners’ movements via GPS and turn itself on and off depending on their proximity to home. It also tells people exactly how much money they’re spending to cool their residences. That’s how Quirky knows it’s working: so far, the company says, Aros owners who use the “smart away” feature that turns the unit on and off automatically have trimmed their energy use by nearly 10%.

Aros空调是由通用电气公司自助的创意网站Quirky研发的。它是智能化的。利用一款配套的手机应用，Aros空调可以通过GPS跟踪主人行踪，并根据他们离家的远近自动开关机。它还能告诉用户他们正在花多少钱来给屋子降温。Quirky网站称，使用自动开关机功能的Aros空调为用户节省了近10%的电费。

20. The Prison Room that Helps Inmates Relax

有助于囚犯放松情绪的监狱活动室

For 23 hours a day, the 200 inmates in solitary confinement at Oregon’s largest prison see nothing but a tiny, white-walled cell—an experience some research suggests can heighten mental illness and make prisoners prone to suicide attempts and violence. Last year, officials began letting some of them spend their free hour in a first-of-its-kind “blue room,” an exercise space where a projector plays video of open deserts, streaming waterfalls and other outdoor scenes. That imagery, says creator Nalini Nadkarni, who studies how nature affects behavior, is designed to calm prisoners.

每天有23个小时，美国俄勒冈州最大监狱里被单独关押的200名囚犯除了白色的牢房墙壁什么也看不到。有研究称这种体验会提高精神疾病发病率，使囚犯容易具有自杀和暴力倾向。去年，监狱官员们开始让一些囚犯在独创的“蓝屋”里度过1小时放风时间，这是一个内有放映机播放空旷的沙漠、奔流的瀑布和其他室外景色视频的活动室。这个屋子的设计者纳利尼•纳德卡尔尼的专业是研究自然界如何影响人类行为，而这个屋子也意在使囚犯平静下来。