Infrared grills focus gas-generated heat. The technology has been around for years, but the patent expired recently and increased competition has driven prices down. Go free market economics!
Editorial note: Whoa! You've found a super-old post here on BuzzFeed, from an earlier era of the site. It doesn't really represent where we are anymore, and may in fact be totally broken, but we're leaving it up as a part of our early history.