
Natural light has a positive effect on human health. But skylights-our go-to source for delivering sunlight indoors-transmit heat, taxing your A/C system. Sunlight Direct (sunlight-direct.com) is testing a smarter approach: hybrid solar lighting (HSL). HSL captures direct sunlight while excluding heat-saturated infrared rays and uses optical fibers to channel it to indoor fixtures. On a sunny day, this system can transmit 50,000 lumens, enough to illuminate 1,000 square feet. Beta installations began in May at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Tennessee. Coming to a ceiling near you, for $8,000, by 2007.

Every year, PopSci honors the top 100 innovations in categories such as consumer products, medical tech and engineering.
Learn more and submit your product or technology today at popsci.com/enter.
Will PS3 outsell PS2 by the end of 2009?
Will the PlayStation 3 outsell both the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii by the end of 2009?
Will the first fuel-cell-powered laptop go on sale in the U.S. by the end of 2008?