Showing results by author "Technology Review" in All Categories

In this issue, you’ll hear how researchers can investigate the source of emotions, memory, and consciousness for the first time. You’ll learn how better research tools and new insights into the genetics of brain disorders could revive the moribund effort to improve treatments. You’ll hear how a better understanding of the complex systems the brain uses to relay information could lead to massive breakthroughs in memory and computing. You’ll learn about a remarkable experiment where a paralyzed woman used her mind to control a robotic arm. And you’ll hear how Gabriel Kreiman’s single-neuron measurements of unconscious decision-making could someday point to ways we can learn to control ourselves.

In this issue, you’ll learn about the year's most important computing stories. You’ll hear how IBM is planning to invest a billion dollars in the computer system that won on Jeopardy! You’ll learn how typing in passwords on tablets and PCs could become a thing of the past. You’ll hear about the most intriguing business stories of the year. You’ll learn about a new study that shows how Google is dominating search. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

In this issue, you'll learn how Google will keep a copy of any genome in the cloud – for only 25 dollars. You’ll hear about Lockheed Martin's breakthrough Fusion machine. You’ll learn how Knightscope is preparing to roll out human-size robot patrols. You'll hear how IBM is trying to turn things around with research on more human-like artificial intelligence. You'll learn how we’re going to need an air traffic control system for drones. You'll hear about a "smart" terminal that is going to be used for all kinds of payments. And you'll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

For our 13th annual celebration of people who are driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs, we’re presenting the stories in a new way. We’ve grouped them by categories that reflect the variety of approaches that people can take to big problems. First we introduce you to Inventors, who are creating new technologies. Next come Entrepreneurs, who are turning technologies into viable businesses. Then meet the Visionaries, who are anticipating how technologies can make life better, while Humanitarians are concentrating on expanding opportunities. Finally, the Pioneers are exploring new frontiers, setting the stage for future innovations.

In this issue, you’ll learn how manufacturing in the United States is in trouble – which spells bad news for the country's economy and future of innovation. You’ll hear how our saved online photos and mementos are at the mercy of companies that may decide to just throw it all away. You’ll learn how mapping our neural circuits under anesthesia could shed light on consciousness. You’ll hear how information technology is reducing the need for certain jobs faster than new ones are being created.

In this issue, Technology Review highlights 10 Breakthrough Technologies. Not all breakthroughs are created equal. Some arrive more or less as usable things; others mainly set the stage for innovations that emerge later, and we have to estimate when that will be. But we’d bet that every one of the milestones on this list will be worth following in the coming years.

Welcome to Technology Review’s Special Edition for September 2012 on the 35 Innovators Under the Age of 35. Some members of our latest list of young innovators from around the world have developed consumer Web services you might have used, such as Spotify or Dropbox. Others are making more fundamental breakthroughs that have yet to be commercialized, such as more efficient engines or improvements in optical communications. And a few are blazing trails in fields that didn’t exist before, like pop-up fabrication of tiny machines, or cameras that can see around corners. But all 35 of them have something significant in common: their work is likely to be influential for a very long time. We hope that these stories about them surprise and inspire you.

In this issue, you’ll hear how the way the Land of the Rising Sun built and lost its dominance in photovoltaics shows just how vulnerable renewables remain to changing politics and national policies. You’ll learn how researchers are taking a new approach at unlocking Autism’s secrets. You’ll hear about a group of journalists and researchers that are venturing into the ugly corners of the Internet in an effort to expose racists, creeps, and hypocrites. And you’ll learn how severe droughts are forcing researchers to rethink how technology can increase the supply of fresh water.

In this issue, you’ll learn how lavish electronic-book projects point toward the pinnacle of the medium. You’ll hear how the masses who talk back through social media are starting to influence corporate, financial, and governmental behavior. You’ll hear how Nokia’s new CTO is trying to help the Finnish company regain its status as a leader of innovation. You’ll hear why the gradual spread of nuclear weapons may actually be better than no spread at all.

In this issue, you’ll learn how developing nations are putting nuclear on fast-forward. You’ll hear about a new kind of molten-salt reactor that is designed to overcome the major barriers to nuclear power. You’ll learn why securing critical infrastructure needs to go far beyond the measures in President Obama’s executive order. You’ll hear how the sequencing of a complete human genome may soon cost less than an iPhone. You’ll learn about Facebook’s database that describes as many things as possible.

As @POTUS contemplates his legacy, the editors of MIT Technology Review took a look back at some of the most important technology initiatives of his eight years to assess that record. He succeeded in some important ways, such as supporting net neutrality and joining global action on climate change. But there were failures, too—remember healthcare.gov?—and even some of the successes are now in question as a new administration comes into power.

In this issue, you’ll hear what happened when one man pinged the whole internet. You’ll hear why Google is breaking its own restrictions. You’ll learn how researchers have come up with a way to mine cell-phone data while avoiding privacy pitfalls. You’ll hear why companies that make industrial control systems have finally begun to pay more attention to security issues. You’ll learn about Florida’s first full-scale smart grid technology system. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

In this issue, you’ll learn how the lead architect of Sony Computer Entertainment will define the next blockbuster game console. You’ll hear how Samsung’s new smart watch may be the most polished effort yet. You’ll learn how startups are using sound waves to let mobile gadgets transfer data quickly and efficiently. You’ll learn why it could take years for 3-D gesture-control to catch on with consumers and app developers. You’ll hear how Silicon chips with optical technology are allowing a new form of superfast data connection. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

You’ll learn how Facebook is pushing beyond data-driven studies on voting, sharing, and organ-donation prompts, to make people feel good or bad. You’ll hear how inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil is working with Google to apply his theory of intelligence to understanding online information. You’ll learn how Amazon’s Fire Phone could make visual search easier, better, and more popular. You’ll hear how IBM is working on a new computer chip – which could be up to five times faster than current transistors. You’ll learn how smart homes will require unprecedented effort to ensure not just security but also usability. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

In this issue, you’ll learn how one scientist may have come up with a way to offset rising temperatures. You’ll hear about the limits of what may be shown or said on the Web. You’ll learn about Apple’s next big innovation. You’ll hear about what the two men who created the iPod and iPhone have their sights set on now. And you’ll learn why the quest to gather ever more information can make us value the wrong things and grow overconfident about what we know.

In this issue, you’ll learn how a neuroscientist believes brain-controlled robotics will let the paralyzed walk again. You’ll hear about a unique gathering of 13 companies showcasing a year’s worth of interesting launches. You’ll learn how a new capability could significantly decrease the cost of space launches. You’ll hear about some of the biggest e-commerce sites in China and how they’re trying to gain the attention of American investors. You’ll learn how small startups that use a lot of bandwidth could be facing a crushing disadvantage. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

In this issue, you’ll learn about Technology Review’s 10 breakthrough Technologies of 2014.

In this issue: "Engineering the Perfect Baby" by Antonio Regalado. "Lake Kivu’s Great Gas Gamble" by Jonathan W. Rosen. "Machine Dreams" by Tom Simonite. "Paralyzed Again" by Brian Bergstein.

In this issue, you’ll learn how one man may have just started a race to discover alien life on the Red Planet. You’ll hear about a jamming technique that could take out an entire city’s mobile service. You’ll learn why Microsoft may be invading China’s smart-phone market. You’ll hear about Microsoft’s mobile era dilemma. You’ll hear three different articles about online education. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

In this issue, you’ll hear what technology has fixed since 9/11. You’ll learn about a new standard in wireless data transmission. You'll hear how companies plan on making cloud-computing more reliable. You'll learn about the results of the first family to have their genomes sequenced and analyzed. You’ll hear Intel’s strategy for getting more of their chips into mobile devices. You’ll learn how the energy efficiency of computers is doubling every year and a half.