In a micromarket a sneaker is something with a seemingly unique air cushion or even a microchip inside (the Nike Plus, which communicates with an iPod to track your miles).

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This machine is a collision sensor, which knew in a split second to activate your automobile air bag and cushion the impact of your collision with the inside of the car.

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Too big to rely on air bags to cushion its fall as with previous Mars landers, Curiosity landed through an automated system of high-speed maneuvers, a supersonic parachute, eight retro-rockets and a set of "sky-crane" tethers that lowered the vehicle gently the last few feet to the ground.

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"It gives me the feeling that I'm floating up on a cushion of air, " she tells me.

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In this update of the Flying Saucers concept, giant tires float on a cushion of air supplied by a bunch of small air jets.

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Golombek revealed that the Pathfinder lander bounced more than 16 times on its cushion of air bags before coming to rest in the area called Ares Vallis.

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The boat, called Route 66, cruised at more than 20 knots and frequently hit speeds in excess of 30 knots, or 55 kilometers an hour. (Note that America's Cup racers max out at 16 knots, and they're basically empty shells with nary a cushion to sit on.) Route 66 boasted a full luxury interior with air-conditioning, desalination equipment and even an air compressor for underwater breathing hoses.

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