Pop Sci 'Best of What's New' Awards

Any project involving inflatable crash pads for snow sports and tiny robotized hummingbirds is game for the Gear Junkie! Thus for the third year in a row Gear Junkie founder Stephen Regenold has aided the editors of Popular Science magazine in their quest to find the “Best of What’s New.” That’s the name of the annual article, now in its 24th year, which culls the universe of inventions to adorn 100 innovations with the BOWN crown.

This year, Gear Junkie and other experts on outdoors/recreation products (i.e., grown-up toys) consulted with the magazine to pick the best products for the Recreation category. A 3D helmet camera, a lithium-powered motorized surfboard, and carabiners that use magnets to snap shut were among the final picks in the category, which the Pop Sci editors note as revealing products that are “physical dispatches from the future.” Here’s the full list.

Popular Science’s ‘Best of What’s New’ 2011
1. Lifesaving Wetsuit: Billabong V1

2. Snowboard Crash-Pad: Katal Landing Pad

3. Magnet Carabiner: Black Diamond Magnetron

4. Electronic-Powered Surfboard: WaveJet Personal Propulsion Pod

5. Three-Dimensional Helmet Cam: GoPro 3D Hero System

6. Neo-GPS: DeLorme inReach Device

7. Wearable Airbag: Alpinestars Tech Air Race Suit

8. Charge-Up Soccer Ball: Uncharted Play sOccket Ball

—Popular Science’s full “Best of What’s New” issue is online here and in print on newsstands now.