On 10 Breakthrough Technologies
Every year, MIT Technology Review picks the 10 technologies we think most likely to change the world.The List:
(This year, for the first time, we are calling them “10 breakthrough technologies” instead of “emerging technologies.” Why? “Emerging” has a specific meaning inside the academy and the startups that spin out of universities; but the adjective is a kind of jargon, and the word didn’t mean much to most of our readers. “Breakthrough” seemed clearer and more accurate.)
How do we choose the 10 technologies? We want them to reflect the full range of our interests, which uniquely amongst technology media companies encompass every domain: information technology, communications, energy, biomedicine, materials, and so on. But, even more, we are interested (like our owner, MIT) in how technologies can solve really hard problems. We look first for difficulty: we select problems whose intractability is a source of frustration, grief, or comedy and whose solution will expand human possibilities. The breakthroughs are variously mature. Although we insist that every technology possess some plausible path to widespread use, some are still in the lab, some are in commercial development, and others are being sold by companies.
Unlike our annual list of 35 young innovators under the age of 35, the list of 10 breakthrough technologies is entirely subjective. There is no nomination process, nor panels of distinguished judges. The 10 technologies are an expression of our preferences and emphases, and they grow out of our reporting over the previous year. This is the stuff we like....MORE
Think of the most frustrating, intractable, or simply annoying problems you can imagine. Now think about what technology is doing to fix them. That’s what we did in coming up with our annual list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. We’re looking for technologies that we believe will expand the scope of human possibilities.
Deep Learning
With massive amounts of computational power, machines can now recognize objects and translate speech in real time. Artificial intelligence is finally getting smart....MORE
Temporary Social Media
Messages that quickly self-destruct could enhance the privacy of online communication and make people feel freer to be spontaneous....MORE
Additive Manufacturing
GE, the world’s largest manufacturer, is on the verge of using 3-D printing to make jet parts....MORE
Baxter: The Blue-Collar Robot
Rethink Robotics’ new creation is easy to interact with, but the innovations behind the robot show just how hard it is to get along with people....MORE
Supergrids
A high-power circuit breaker could finally make DC power grids practical....MORE
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