3. A Reactor that Could Realize Nuclear Fusion

可實現(xiàn)核聚變的反應堆

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.

核聚變一直是能源中的圣杯：它取之不盡且基本上是潔凈的，而且到目前為止仍然難以把握。但在今年10 月，洛克希德?馬丁公司（Lockheed Martin）表示其實現(xiàn)了技術突破，從而將能在10年內(nèi)制造出小得足以安裝在卡車后部的緊湊型聚變反應堆。其設計利用了“磁鏡約束”來控制反應過程。由于缺乏有關其工作原理的更多細節(jié)，外部科學家持懷疑態(tài)度。但如果該公司真的能制造出可正常工作的聚變反應堆，能源世界可能會為之徹底改觀。

4. Wireless Electricity

無線電力

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.

我們已有了無線網(wǎng)絡和無線電話。那么為什么日常家電仍要插入墻上的電源插座中？美國無線電力公司的技術——利用插入式線圈產(chǎn)生磁場為最遠距離達2.4米的目標供電——已在豐田電動汽車、英特爾電腦及其他裝置上進行了試驗。無線電力公司首席執(zhí)行官阿歷克斯?格魯森稱，在10年之內(nèi)，房間里可以布設導線，這樣所有的電器(電燈、電視、音響等)都可以靠一個中央充電基座供電。