While covering the inventions of the year this week, we came across another project that may well deserve a gold star. Four seniors at Colorado State University have produced a shock-absorbent backpack, called the neonatal transport incubator, designed to reduce infant deaths by helping safely piggyback sick babies to medical facilities.
According to Phil Brox, a mechanical engineering student who worked on the incubator, the team started the project in response to the dire infant mortality rate in developing countries. Many regions not only lack the resources for timely infant care, but their rough terrain and poor roads make it difficult for medical responders to transport babies to safety.

The university's web site reports that the students have filed a provisional patent through the Colorado State University Research Foundation (CSURF), thus allowing them to publicly discuss the technology with outside investors. If all goes as planned, what began as a senior design project may become an indispensable piece of affordable medical technology.
138 years of Popular Science at your fingertips.
Each issue has been completely reimagined for your iPad. See our amazing new vision for magazines that goes far beyond the printed page
Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone or Android phone with full articles, images and offline viewing
Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed
Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?