Field: Inventions

A new tandem solar cell containing layers of silicon and perovskite has demonstrated an unprecedented efficiency of 33.7%.

These forward-thinking inventions are often called "ahead of their time." They are reflections of the ingenuity of their civilizations.

MIT’s new electronic pill stimulates stomach cells to regulate hunger — showing it's possible to hack the powerful gut-brain axis.

The world’s smallest holographic microscope foreshadows a future in which smartphones could be used for high-res microscopy.

Canadian researchers' new treatment removes 99% of the harmful “forever chemicals” in water cheaply, safely, and permanently.

A new drug delivery system for pancreatic tumors could dramatically decrease medication dosages, helping minimize unpleasant side effects.

MIT researchers have turned a system found in bacteria into programmable “nanosyringes” for injecting proteins into human cells.

A new technique for making super-thin, lightweight space telescope mirrors could dramatically improve our view of space.

Rice University's new drug delivery tech uses biodegradable microparticles to administer medications exactly when and where they are needed.

Bringing to mind how dramatically the world has changed can help us see how different the world could be in a few years or decades.

Science fiction writers have anticipated a variety of modern inventions, from cars to organ transplants. Some books barely seem like fiction.

A new material for direct air capture systems turns trapped carbon into baking soda when introduced to seawater.

A new anti-dust technology could extend the lives of space rovers, improve the efficiency of solar panels, and more.

A gel that turns into an electrode once inside the body might end the need for invasive implantation surgeries.

A computer’s power is still limited by the number of operations it can execute per second and the efficiency of the algorithms it runs.

Thanks to “electrochromism,” a newly developed material can switch between absorbing and reflecting heat from the sun.

An approach called “rational vaccinology” could allow us to design more powerful vaccines, just by rearranging their ingredients.

Will society will use this moment of AI breakthroughs to advance equity or exacerbate disparities? Five experts weigh in.

Last year saw breakthroughs from AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepMind, and DALL-E, which generate text and code.

You’d be surprised at all the things that GPS — the global positioning system that underlies all of modern navigation — can do.

Lateral thinking is a way of approaching problems. It deliberately forgoes obvious approaches in favor of oblique or unexpected ones.

How have Roman walls held up so long? Their ancient manufacturing strategy may hold the key to designing concrete that lasts for millennia.

With ever-improving efficiencies, and rising sales in multiple countries, heat pumps are only getting harder for their detractors to dismiss.

Home entertainment startup Displace has unveiled a completely wireless TV that vacuum seals to walls and is controlled by hand gestures.

After a monumental year of breakthroughs, scientists, investors, and CEOs share which areas of biotech they are eagerly watching this year.

Since the time of Benjamin Franklin, we’ve looked for ways to control, or at least deflect, lightning strikes. Enter laser-guided lightning.

Replacing the liquid electrolyte in rechargeable lithium batteries with a thinner, lighter ceramic material could revolutionize technology.

UK-based company Biohm uses natural vegetative material like food waste and mushrooms to ‘grow’ insulation panels.

Former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold custom built a camera system to take the world’s highest-resolution pictures of snowflakes.

Ultra-thin solar cells could extend the operational lifetimes of satellites while also making missions less costly and more efficient.

A deep brain stimulator powered by breathing could eliminate the need for patients to undergo regular battery-change surgeries.

"SkinKit" smart tattoos are wearable devices that collect data directly from users' bodies and display useful information in real time.

The new material’s architecture is based on that of an artificial neural network – layers of interconnected nodes that can learn to do tasks.

Notre Dame researchers have used quantum computing to design a transparent window coating that reflects heat into the atmosphere.

A newborn hearing screening device made from off-the-shelf earbuds is as effective as expensive commercial options.

Latvian startup BeTRITON’s amphibious electric tricycle will take you from the road to the water to the campsite.

Aeromine Technologies’ motionless wind energy system promises to increase the amount of renewable energy generated from rooftops.

A new, thinner version of the world’s whitest paint could slash the need for climate-harming air conditioning in cars, airplanes, and more.

An undergraduate and his supervisor ran the numbers and found paradox-free time travel to be mathematically consistent.

A compact wireless charging system uses harmless infrared light to power devices from nearly 100 feet away.

Although most people can name Einstein's most famous equation, E = mc², very few people can explain what it means.

A new system for generating magnetic fields suitable for spherical tokamaks is fueling progress on nuclear fusion.

A Stanford-led team has developed a new microchip that could let us run advanced AI programs directly on our devices.

The Rubbee X is a simple e-bike conversion kit that could help get more people out of gas-powered cars and onto climate-friendly bicycles.

Using collagen from pig skin, Swedish researchers created an artificial cornea that reversed blindness in 14 people.

A new carbon capture technology made from the cheap material melamine could help keep emissions out of the atmosphere.

If Russia is able to build the laser, it would be capable of shielding a large part of the country from the view of satellites.

Blue Frontier is developing a new kind of air conditioner that requires 50-90% less electricity than the units we use today.

MIT researchers have created an ultrasound sticker that can continuously monitor a person’s organs and tissues for up to 48 hours.

Swiss researchers have developed two perovskite-on-silicon solar cells that are more efficient than previously thought possible.

UT Austin engineers have developed a smart mattress that manipulates a person’s body temperature to help them fall asleep fast.

Why some people are considered geniuses while other equally impressive people are not seems largely arbitrary.

A tiny implant that wraps around nerves and cools them to deliver targeted pain relief could help address the opioid crisis.

We had a challenging question for the AI AlphaFold – had its structural training set taught it some chemistry?

Technology will not save the world, and it is inherently neither good nor bad. But, when tech is coupled to human virtue, good will prevail.

To significantly scale up offshore wind turbines, SUMR researchers are testing a design inspired by the flexibility of palm trees.

Direct sound printing could one day allow doctors to build medical implants inside patients’ bodies instead of surgically placing them.

NTU Singapore researchers have developed a washable, stretchy smart fabric that turns movement into electricity.

A new treatment could prevent hospital-acquired infections by making it hard for biofilms to form on implanted medical devices.

A new portable unit from MIT researchers could make it much easier to remove salt from water to create drinking water.

The Hyperloop is physically possible, but engineering challenges will make its construction difficult. Also, accidents would be catastrophic.

Batteries have a limit to how small they can be made, and they need to be charged. What if you could power your own medical device?

An algae-powered computer demonstrates a sustainable, reliable way we could power small IoT devices in the future.

A device that gets electricity to flow through a superconductor in one direction without the use of magnets could revolutionize electronics.

Solar panels and battery storage can generate renewable power when solar energy is at its peak during the day and then release it as needed.

A former NASA scientist has co-developed a pair of glasses designed to prevent myopia by glowing in a precise wavelength of visible light.

Two types of nanotechnology, metalenses and metamaterials, could soon make Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a reality.

The flexible, thin-film device has the potential to make any surface into a low-power, high-quality audio source.

Graphene is a lattice of carbon atoms arranged in a chicken-wire formation, a structure that makes it very useful for a range of uses.

Ultra-pure diamond wafers could be used for quantum memory in tomorrow’s ultra-powerful quantum computers.

Students from the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands have created a solar-powered motorhome, shaped like a huge teardrop.

A new highly efficient heat engine with no moving parts could allow us to generate electricity from renewables year round.

SpinLaunch is going to use a massive centrifuge to accelerate a NASA payload to supersonic speeds before flinging it toward space.

An “electronic nose” that can accurately identify a whiskey’s brand, region, and style could help combat the sale of counterfeit whiskey.

A low-cost molten salt battery that can store energy for months could allow us to tap into renewables year round.

Inspired by squid skin, UC Irvine engineers have created a cheap, easy-to-recycle material that can be “tuned” to regulate heat.

India-based startup Nimo Planet is now accepting reservations for its Nino smart glasses, which let wearers view six virtual screens.

Maryland high schoolers have created a filter that removes lead in water. It costs just $1 and alerts users when it needs to be replaced.

The fuel's reliance on sunlight makes desert areas prime land for production sites, leaving valuable agricultural land available for food.

3G networks are built using completely different equipment and algorithms than its newer replacements.

A study found that hugging a cushion that “breathes” was able to reduce anxiety for students prior to a test as much as guided meditation.

A technique that turns stem cells into bone cells using only sound waves could help people regrow bone destroyed by disease.

MIT has developed a $4 solar desalination device that could provide a family of four with all the drinking water it needed to survive.

A synthetic tooth enamel that outperformed the natural kind in strength and durability tests could have applications beyond dentists' offices.

A shape-shifting material lets multifunctional robots morph from one shape to the next quickly and without the use of motors.

A new bionic pacemaker improved blood flow in animal studies by using the lungs to reintroduce lost heart rate variability.

MIT’s biodegradable surgical tape is designed to seal tears in the gastrointestinal tract, potentially preventing sepsis-causing leaks.

A new material out of MIT that’s stronger than steel and as light as plastic could one day coat smartphones, hold up bridges, and more.

NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge will give away $1 million in exchange for prototypes that could help feed astronauts on long-term missions.

Metal 3D printing could potentially cut the cost of manufacturing cars, consumer tech, and more — if it can scale.

A tortoise-inspired capsule designed by MIT can deliver RNA vaccines and other nucleic acid therapeutics without injections.

Cable-laying ships navigate complex but outdated maritime laws.

Radian Aerospace is building a first-of-its-kind space plane that flies directly into orbit after taking off horizontally from the ground.

The AirCar — a car-airplane hybrid vehicle with a 600+ mile range — is now officially “airworthy” in the European Union.

Penn State researchers have developed a thermoelectric generator that efficiently converts waste heat into electricity.

New biodegradable straws developed in China are as cheap as plastic, stronger than paper, and made from edible materials.

A new technology for reducing methane emissions in the atmosphere relies on zeolite, a cheap, abundant clay found in cat litter.

China’s artificial moon, which uses magnets to mimic lunar gravity, could help with the creation of future moon colonies.