I remember when I was still a young lad, one particularly cold winter something peculiar happened; There was no running water. I thought it ran out.

I know, i know, I was kind of a dunce as a young child (just dim witted now). But it seems that technology and design can save youngsters from such embarrassing realizations. Pipe Watchman is the name and what it does is pretty cool. It prevents faucets from freezing in cold temps. A small sensor in an internal microvalve recognizes a preset low temperature and allows a small amount of water to flow through the valve, preventing freezing.When the water reaches a preset warmer temperature, the valve closes.Made of high-impact polypropylene and enhanced resins with UV inhibitors and protects pipes 24/7 without wasting water.

Awesome.

The war in Iraq is serving to highlight traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and now the U.S. Army awarded Simbex, of Lebanon, NH, a million-dollar contract to develop sensor-studded helmets for combat soldiers. They could reach our soldiers as early as December.

They are designed to "measure the shock from explosive devices." The most common cause of TBI is improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which emit shock waves–waves of air pressure–that travel at around 1,000 feet per second, or close to the speed of sound. While such blasts can cause devastating wounds, and even death, they can also rattle the brain’s soft tissue, causing invisible, permanent damage.

Simbex has equipped the combat helmets with sensors that measure the magnitude, location, and direction of blasts and the pressure changes that occur because of the resulting shock wave.

"There are lots of different types of injuries that can be caused by blast events," says Jeff Chu, the vice president of engineering at Simbex, "and we are only measuring two of the parameters that are most associated with shock waves and blast events: the acceleration of the body and pressure."

Jasman Toys is releasing Halo 3 replica weapons so realistic they might get your kids arrested. They have lights, recoil, infrared sensors to register "hits," and vents that open when the device "overheats." I’m putting those in quotes because I’m assuming–assuming, mind you–that it’s all simply simulated. $119 for the Plasma Rifle and $79 for the Pistol. They’re Covenant weapons, which will mean most to Halo fans.

MIT and Brown University researchers have created a prosthetic foot that uses springs and an electric motor to assist with propulsion, reducing the fatigue and loss of balance of usual prosthetic devices. Sensors and some electronic intelligence further helps with balance. iWalk will be releasing this wonderful device next summer, and pricing is unavailable. As the commercial says, though, some things are simply priceless.

Korea announced a new sensor system for seniors designed to detect falls involving true cellphone technology which triggers a series of calls to be set in motion at the first sign of trouble. The first call goes to the senior in question to ask if there is a problem, one to a hospital’s emergency center, and one to the person’s family. A really good feature is the integrated GPS allowing the possibly injured person to be easily located.