Scientific American and the WEF Pick Top Technologies to Watch in 2020

Scientific American and the World Economic Forum tallied up the top ten emerging technologies to watch in 2020. Instant click from us. Each winner is summarized and italicized below.

Relevant right now: Virtual patients could expedite vaccine trials. Digital medicine refers to a growing ecosystem of apps, AI, and wearables that enhance diagnostics and decentralize healthcare.

Heavy-duty: Low-carbon cement and sun-powered chemistry could help decarbonize emissions-intensive industries. Green hydrogen and electric aviation may do the same with heavy-duty transportation sectors.

• Given the energy density limits of today’s batteries, consider us skeptical on the last one.

Smol: Microneedles, whichdon’t require costly equipment or cumbersome training, could be used for painless injections and blood testing. On an even smaller scale, using whole genome synthesis, labs can print genetic material. Software advancements are expanding the range of what’s “printable” and “editable.”

Very emerging tech-y: Spatial computing leverages mixed reality and real-world sensors. And not so-real-yet quantum sensors could let autonomous cars “see” around corners.