A Russian aerospace design firm has a new idea for escaping a burning building. From the Economist article:

The idea is to create a cheap, inflatable structure that can be compressed into a backpack, like a parachute. The pod is designed with an inflatable tube around its edges, which should cause it to bounce off the walls of a building. And the final version will be made from some, as yet unspecified, fire-retardant material. As a bonus, and unlike a parachute, it will operate safely from altitudes of five metres and above—which would make it suitable even for the top floors of houses.
In an emergency, someone wishing to leave in a hurry would strap on the backpack and jump, pulling a ring as he did so. The pod would inflate, surround him instantly and bear him gently to the ground.

Future news story:
Man’s goes on fire alarm pulling binge around the city.
Man: “I’ve always wanted to live in a world where it would rain 30-foot bouncing boobs.”