Every year the MIT Technology Review creates a list of the top ten most innovative technologies of the past year that will have the greatest long-term global impact on consumers. So let’s look at what we’re carrying over from the past year, 2017. These can be technologies that are already on the market as well as technologies that are still in the lab but are innovative in nature and will go on to make a big difference to the way humans live in the years to come.
- 3D printing, in particular of metal parts, could not fail to take its place in this list. It means that printers now have the ability to make metal objects quickly and cheaply. An important innovation as it can literally transform the production of large and complex metal objects.
- It is to be expected that Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) would also be on this list. In particular, making machine-learning tools available through cloud services could spread A.I. far and wide and give the economy a major boost.
- The technologies on this list also touch on the health sector: thus, among the protagonists are artificial embryos, created by researchers at the Universities of Cambridge, Michigan and the Rockefeller University from stem cells, thus providing a completely new way of creating life. This technology will allow researchers to study the mysterious beginnings of human life, although at the same time it could not fail to give rise to a heated bioethical debate.
- Remaining within the realm of science applied to mankind, and taking the concept of A.I. with us, we arrive at systems that can interact with each other to create ultra-realistic original images or sounds. In this way machines possess a sense of imagination that could help them become less dependent on humans… but at the same time turns them into dangerous tools.
- Extensive genetic studies have given scientists the ability to predict common diseases and human traits. Scientists can now use the human genome to predict an individual’s likelihood of contracting heart disease or breast cancer and even IQ. Such DNA-based predictions could be the next big step forward for public health, yet increasing the risks of genetic discrimination.
- We have been talking for some time about how our lives are becoming increasingly smart and how this way of being can be applied on a large scale, for example entire city districts. This is the case in a Toronto neighbourhood that aims to be the first place to successfully integrate state-of-the-art urban design with cutting-edge digital technology. Smart citiescould make urban areas more accessible, liveable and environmentally friendly.
- Environmental issues are back in the spotlight with the implementation of a new engineering approach to natural gas power plants that run on carbon dioxide. A power plant that efficiently and cheaply captures the carbon released by burning natural gas avoids greenhouse gas emissions.
- In the year of GDPR, one couldn’t help but think about on-line privacy. Computer scientists are perfecting a cryptographic tool to prove something without revealing the information behind the demonstration. This allows you to disclose personal information without putting your privacy at risk or exposing yourself to identity theft.
- For those involved in quantum studies, technology comes to them in the form of computers that can modify a simple molecule. This process means that by understanding molecules in precise detail, it will be possible to design more effective drugs and better materials for generating and distributing energy.
- Lastly, Google’s Pixel Buds, earphones capable of near real-time translation, break down one of the last barriers to communication in an increasingly global world.