Innovation / Technology

Video: Tiny Artificial Muscles Dance Like Mexican Jumping Beans

MIT scientists have created thin polymer sheets that expand and contract when in contact with water, lifting several times their weight

January 10, 2013

The Gadgets of the Future From the Electrical Shows of Yesterday

Decades before the debut of the Consumer Electronics Show, early adopters flocked to extravagant high-tech fairs in New York and Chicago

January 10, 2013

President Obama’s Autopen: When is an Autograph Not an Autograph?

When the President signed the fiscal cliff deal from 4,800 miles away, he did it with the help of a device that dates back to Thomas Jefferson

January 8, 2013

What Turned Jaron Lanier Against the Web?

The digital pioneer and visionary behind virtual reality has turned against the very culture he helped create

January 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

Your Cell Phone Could Soon Become Part of a Massive Earthquake Detection System

In the future, your cell phone’s accelerometer could help detect earthquakes

December 5, 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

Are You Smarter Than Your Grandfather? Probably Not.

Senility isn’t the answer; IQ scores are increasing with each generation. In a new book, political scientist James Flynn explains why

December 3, 2012

Elon Musk, the Rocket Man With a Sweet Ride

The winner of the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award for technology hopes to launch a revolution with his spaceship and electric car

December 2012

Open-Fire Stoves Kill Millions. How Do We Fix it?

Pollutants from crude stoves are responsible for many deaths – a D.C.-based NGO has a solution

December 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

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

In the Future, You Will 3D Print Yourself as an Action Figure

In Tokyo, a reservation-only photo booth spits out three-dimensional replicas of its subjects

November 13, 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