By: Sandra Wiktor Our society is in a perpetual stage of change. Laws change, social behaviors and rigid molds change, and of course, technology changes. Some technological innovations have benefited society greatly, whereas some have condemned humanity to a latent but persistent state of panic and fear. However, the negative aspects of technology aside, technology has claimed a massive role in the evolution of the world. Some of the new inventions produced by this era’s people seem to beckon or herald the coming of a technological future that resembles the hopeful musings of science fiction, while others do not exactly call to mind a robotic apocalypse, but do, nonetheless, call to mind a significantly brighter future. Then, there are others.
3D Food Printer The idea of the 3D printer has been tossed around for quite some time. Many companies have already produced fully functional 3D printers. However, XYZprinting has taken this remarkable concept to a fantastical level. Instead of creating another 3D printer which prints exclusively plastic items, XYZprinting has revealed to the world a perhaps more remarkable product: a food printer. Using flour and chocolate, this printer spits out intricate designs of dough-based pastries from a list of recipes that has been approved by a specialist. Each product is ready for consumption after the consumer bakes it. If the prospect of candy-printing is not infinitely exciting to everyone, consider this: XYZprinting’s business development manager, Phair Tsai, has stated that the printer will also at some point make pizza. The Hendo Hoverboard For those who have seen the movie series Back to the Future, the inclusion of the ‘hoverboard’ on this list of inventions may be reason for excitement. For those who have not seen the movies and are struggling to envision such a device, the general concept of the hoverboard is a skateboard without wheels that floats. The California-based tech firm, Hendo, has finally created this remarkable technology. Unfortunately, while this is indeed a large step forward for the future of hover technology, the hoverboard has some major drawbacks. For example, it only floats about an inch off of the ground and has fifteen minutes of battery life. The fact that there are only ten made to order so far and that they are each $10,000 also may be something of a disappointment. Yet it is a start and a start to something big, as the Hendo company plans to use this technology to stabilize buildings during earthquakes, preserve valuable works of art and more.
Soccket Electricity powers American lives. We live, breathe, and essentially are powered by what powers our electronics. However, many developing societies do not have immediate access to this innovation we take for granted. They may not even have the ability to turn on a light. However, something of a solution has arisen: the Soccket. A person could bring light to a darkened home simply by playing soccer. How? Kinetic energy. As the ball is kicked around, machinery inside the soccer ball harnesses the kinetic energy exerted, and the power is given to an LED light. Thirty minutes of play equals three hours of power. Therefore, while promoting physical activity, it also brings much needed energy to homes that are so desperately in need of it, which is quite a noble cause.
Superbananas These are bananas that can prevent certain types of blindness. With this in mind, the rather interesting name of this product is well deserved. In sub-Saharan Africa, 30% of children face the risk of going blind before they are five years old. This is due to one painfully simple reason that could easily be avoided under the correct circumstances: a lack of vitamin A. The remarkable biogeneticist responsible for this innovation is a man named James Dale, who was inspired to pursue this vision after his visit to Uganda. With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dale was able to create bananas enriched with Vitamin A. They will be soon introduced to Africa, where village leaders will be presented with ten free Superbanana plants to grow, with the stipulation that they must give twenty new shoots to other villagers, who must follow suit. Perhaps the most important legacies this era will leave behind in this world are not necessarily gaudy robotic messes. Perhaps they will be simple, modest creations that aid to relieve the world of its vices and replace them with reliable sanctuary and health.
Smart Trash Can This final, fascinating example of humanity’s ingenuity can go as far as to embody our modern existence as a whole: the Smart Trash Can. The days of painful effort of standing up and depositing garbage into a garbage can are behind us. It is the dawn of a new era, an era in which the trash can can now move itself in order to catch the plummeting trash a person throws. Developed by Minoru Kurata, a wall-mounted sensor figures out which direction the trash is coming from, and a computer calculates the trajectory of the throw. Then, the trash can simply moves to catch it. Life can now be considered complete.
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