Innovations

How Smart Should TVs Be?

January 11, 2013

When Machines See

Giving computers vision, through pattern recognition algorithms, could one day make them better than doctors at spotting tumors and other health problems.

January 7, 2013

Six Innovators to Watch in 2013

All are inventive minds pushing technology in fresh directions, some to solve stubborn problems, others to make our lives a little fuller

December 27, 2012

The Best Inventions of 2012 You Haven’t Heard of Yet (Part 2)

Here’s the second half of a list of innovations that, while not as splashy as Google Glass, may actually become a bigger part of our daily lives.

December 21, 2012

The Best Inventions of 2012 You Haven’t Heard of Yet (Part 1)

They haven’t received much attention yet, but here are some of the more innovative—and useful—ideas that have popped up this year.

December 18, 2012

A More Human Artificial Brain

Canadian researchers have created a computer model that performs tasks like a human brain. It also sometimes forgets things

December 14, 2012

10 Gifts to Celebrate Innovation

From glasses that fight jet lag to a plant that waters itself to a rocking chair that fires up the iPad, here are presents no one will forget

December 7, 2012

Take Two Pills and Charge Me in the Morning

Health and medical mobile apps are booming. But what happens when they shift from tracking data to diagnosing diseases?

December 4, 2012

8 Ways People Are Taking Twitter Seriously

Born in desperation and long mocked, the social media platform has become a popular research and intelligence-gathering tool

November 30, 2012

The 2012 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards Liveblog

Follow along as we award the best innovators of the year

November 28, 2012

Shopping Gets Personal

Retailers are mining personal data to learn everything about you so they can help you help yourself to their products.

November 27, 2012

10 Ways Travel Is Getting Better

Sure, it can get aggravating, but here are some innovations that are making it easier and more enjoyable to take a trip

November 20, 2012

Can We Ever Stop Worrying About Blackouts?

Only if utility companies are able to make their power grids smart enough to spot outages and “heal” themselves

November 16, 2012

The Sharing of the Screens

Get ready for the day when your big screen and your small screens work together to connect you with shows and products.

November 9, 2012

We Can Bank Online. Why Can’t We Vote Online?

Voting experts David Becker and Thad Hall discuss the technologies that could forever change the way we register and cast our votes

November 6, 2012

Are Your Political Beliefs Hardwired?

Brain scans suggest Democrats and Republicans actually are different biologically. Welcome to the world of political neuroscience.

November 5, 2012

Should Cities Prepare For the Worst?

Is the crippling of New York City enough to motivate other cities to protect themselves against extreme weather?

November 2, 2012

Tracking the Twists and Turns of Hurricanes

Incredibly powerful supercomputers and a willingness to acknowledge that they’re not perfect has made weather scientists become much more effective in forecasting hurricanes.

October 29, 2012

Turning Your Hand Into a Remote Control

A Microsoft prototype called Digits could put the power to control everything from TV screens to smart phones in a device you wear on your wrist

October 26, 2012

Take That, Cancer!

The war on cancer has been going on for more than 40 years. Here are 10 small—and maybe not so small—victories scientists have had this year

October 22, 2012