This year, as every year, we present our list of the 10 technologies we find most exciting—and most likely to alter industries, fields of research, and even the way we live. The list comprises projects in a broad range of fields.
1: Peering into Video's Future
The Internet is about to drown in digital video. Hui Zhang thinks peer-to-peer networks could come to the rescue.
Ted Stevens, the 83-year-old senior senator from Alaska, described the Internet as "a series of tubes." Yet clumsy as his metaphor may have been, Stevens was struggling to make a reasonable point: the tubes can get clogged. Read More
2: Nanocharging Solar
Arthur Nozik believes quantum-dot solar power could boost output in cheap photovoltaics.
3: Invisible Revolution
Artificially structured metamaterials could transform telecommunications, data storage, and even solar energy, says David R. Smith.
4: Personalized Medical Monitors
John Guttag says using computers to automate some diagnostics could make medicine more personal.
5: Single-Cell Analysis
Norman Dovichi believes that detecting minute differences between individual cells could improve medical tests and treatments.
6: A New Focus for Light
Kenneth Crozier and Federico Capasso have created light-focusing optical antennas that could lead to DVDs that hold hundreds of movies.
7: Neuron Control
Karl Deisseroth's genetically engineered "light switch," which lets scientists turn selected parts of the brain on and off, may help improve treatments for depression and other disorders.
8: Nanohealing
Tiny fibers will save lives by stopping bleeding and aiding recovery from brain injury, says Rutledge Ellis-Behnke.
9: Digital Imaging, Reimagined
Richard Baraniuk and Kevin Kelly believe compressive sensing could help devices such as cameras and medical scanners capture images more efficiently.
10: Augmented Reality
Markus Kähäri wants to superimpose digital information on the real world.
