Courtesy photo After watching James Bond soar through the sky in 1965's "Thunderball," it became Troy Widgery's dream to develop his own jet pack. His creation, dubbed the Go Fast Jet Pack, will be showcased Friday through Sunday in Los Angeles.

In the middle of the night two years ago in a quiet exhibition hall on Chicago's Navy Pier, several genius-level innovators decided to put their IQs together.

These forward thinkers were gathered for Wire Magazine's NextFest, a world's fair-style exhibition devoted to the latest technological innovations. David Hanson was there to show off a robotic head he had built and programmed to "think" like author Philip K. Dick. Also on hand were members of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, with its biped humanoid robot, Hubo.

In a burst of late-night inspiration, Hanson and the members of KAIST tried to attach the Philip K. Dick robot head to Hubo's body.

It wasn't successful, given the short amount of time they had to work, but at the next year's festival Hanson and KAIST presented Hubo Albert Einstein, an android able to speak and mimic natural facial expressions.

This is the sort of scientific collaboration that NextFest was designed to foster, said Victor Frieberg, NextFest's executive director. Frieberg said he loves being able to bring top-level talent together so they can share their lab work with the public — and each other.

This year's NextFest, which will run Friday through Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, promises to be the largest in the event's four-year history. More than 160 exhibitors from around the world will show off the latest advancements in entertainment, transportation, communication, health and, of course, robotics.

"We started in 2004 in San Francisco, the home of Wired, to celebrate the magazine's 10th anniversary," Friedberg said. "When we opened the doors and saw a line down the block, we knew the idea was resonating with people. The experiences we were developing were more akin to a world's fair.

"Since that first year we have grown in size and international scope. We believe technology can create a positive force in our lives and we want to show how."

Frieberg isn't sure what will capture the public's imagination at this year's NextFest. Each year, he said, he's fascinated to see which projects emerge as the "surprise rock stars."

Perhaps one will be the Go Fast Jet Pack, a lighter, faster rocket backpack capable of longer flights than previous models. Another offering in the world of transportation is the KillaCycle, which set the record of 155 mph as the fastest electric motorcycle.

Another vehicle powered by alternative fuel is the Buckeye Bullet 2, a futuristic race car that runs on hydrogen. Its predecessor, the Buckeye Bullet 1, was the first electric vehicle to break the 300 mph barrier.

Robotics fans will want to check out the ultimate body double: inventor Zou Ren Ti's robot twin. Its face moves, it can speak and it bears an uncanny likeness to its creator.

In health advances, NextFest will exhibit a contactless heart monitor, a machine that can check a patient's vital signs without being attached to the person's body.

Green technology is a quickly growing industry. One of the most anticipated displays is of wind turbines that provide an affordable energy alternative to fossil fuels.

Younger NextFest visitors will likely gravitate to a Kung Fu immersion game that transforms players into martial arts masters.

And, yes, both Hanson Robotics and KAIST will be at NextFest. Hanson's Humankind project continues his experimentation with robotic artificial intelligence and KAIST will be back with its latest version of Hubo Albert Einstein.