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CONSUMER
ELECTRONICS
A HIGH-IMPACT
CAMERA
Sony a7C
Today’s smartphones
are getting pretty good
at taking pictures, but
they’re still limited by
the laws of physics.
Better pictures typically
require a bigger sensor,
and there’s only so
much room in a phone.
Unfortunately, cameras
with big sensors
tend to be pretty big
themselves, making
them inconvenient
for everyday use. Not
so with the Sony a7C,
one of the smallest
and lightest mirrorless
cameras equipped with
what’s called a full-frame
sensor—which is to say,
a nice big one that can
take really high-resolution
pictures. Unlike most full-
frame cameras, the a7C
(starting at $1,799, body
only) is small enough
to drop in your bag for
family outings, vacations
or just daily photography
and videography.
—ALEX FITZPATRICK
ACCESSIBILITY
A MORE COMFORTABLE SOCKET
Martin Bionics Socket-Less Socket
Thanks to microprocessors and robotics, artificial limbs
have hit new heights of innovation. But the socket—
the molded plastic piece that attaches prosthesis to
person—hasn’t made such major strides. Until now. The
Socket-Less Socket replaces the often uncomfortable
molded plastic fittings of more standard prostheses
with a custom set of straps and bindings that can be
tightened or loosened as needed. “It’s the difference
between wooden clogs and carbon-fiber shoes,”
says Martin Bionics founder Jay Martin. Traditional
sockets offer one hour of comfort before they need to
be removed to adjust padding, cool down or address
areas of rubbing. The Socket-Less Socket stays comfy
for more than three. Covered by Medicaid and most
insurance carriers (depending on the policy, co-pays
range from zero to about $2,000), the device costs
about the same as the old plastic sockets it seeks to
replace. —MARJORIE KORN
SUSTAINABILITY
ECO-FRIENDLY GROWTH
Pivot Bio PROVEN
For decades, agriculture has used synthetic
nitrogen fertilizer to replenish nutrients
in soil. But the chemical, used in half of
all food production, can have devastating
environmental and health effects. Berkeley,
Calif.–based Pivot Bio is combatting that
with the world’s first microbial biofertilizer for
cereal crops like wheat, rye, rice and barley.
Dubbed PROVEN, the product replaces
synthetic solutions with nitrogen-fixing
microbes, which capture nitrogen from the
air and convert it into a form that plants can
use. For $20 per acre, compared to nearly
$100 for existing fertilizers, farmers gain a
more consistent harvest while eliminating
1 gigaton worth of carbon-dioxide- equivalent
emissions. —MARIAH ESPADA