Ultraprivate Smartphones

New models built with security and privacy in mind reflect the Zeitgeist of the Snowden
era.

Breakthrough
Mobile phones for the consumer market that transmit minimal personal information.
Why It Matters
Governments and advertisers gather intimate details from cell phones.
Key Players
Blackphone
CryptoPhone
Open Whisper Systems


Agricultural Drones
Relatively cheap drones with advanced sensors and imaging capabilities are giving
farmers new ways to increase yields and reduce crop damage.
Breakthrough
Easy-to-use agricultural drones equipped with cameras, for less than $1,000.
Why It Matters
Close monitoring of crops could improve water use and pest management.
Key Players
3D Robotics
Yamaha
PrecisionHawk

Brain Mapping
A new map, a decade in the works, shows structures of the brain in far greater detail
than ever before, providing neuroscientists with a guide to its immense complexity.
Breakthrough
A high-resolution map that shows structures of the human brain as small as 20
micrometers.
Why It Matters
As neuroscientists try to understand how the brain works, they need a detailed map of
its anatomy.
Key Players
Katrin Amunts, Jlich Research Centre
Alan Evans, Montreal Neurological Institute
Karl Deisseroth, Stanford University

Neuromorphic Chips
Microprocessors configured more like brains than traditional chips could soon make
computers far more astute about whats going on around them.
Breakthrough
An alternative design for computer chips that will enhance artificial intelligence.
Why It Matters
Traditional chips are reaching fundamental performance limits.
Key Players
Qualcomm
IBM
HRL Laboratories
Human Brain Project

Genome Editing
The ability to create primates with intentional mutations could provide powerful new
ways to study complex and genetically baffling brain disorders.
Breakthrough
The use of a genome-tool to create two monkeys with specific genetic mutations.
Why It Matters
The ability to modify targeted genes in primates is a valuable tool in the study of human
diseases.
Key Players
Yunnan Key Laboratory
Jennifer Doudna, UC Berkeley
Feng Zhang, MIT
George Church, Harvard

Microscale 3-D Printing
Inks made from different types of materials, precisely applied, are greatly expanding the
kinds of things that can be printed.
Breakthrough
3-D printing that uses multiple materials to create objects such as biological tissue with
blood vessels.
Why It Matters
Making biological materials with desired functions could lead to artificial organs and
novel cyborg parts.
Key Players
Jennifer Lewis, Harvard University
Michael McAlpine, Princeton University
Keith Martin, University of Cambridge

Mobile Collaboration
The smartphone era is finally getting the productivity software it needs.
Breakthrough
Services that make it fruitful to create and edit documents on mobile devices.
Why It Matters
Much of todays office work is done outside an office.
Key Players
Quip
Quickoffice
Box
Dropbox
Microsoft
Google
CloudOn

Oculus Rift
Thirty years after virtual-reality goggles and immersive virtual worlds made their debut,
the technology finally seems poised for widespread use.
Breakthrough
High-quality virtual-reality hardware that is cheap enough for the consumer market.
Why It Matters
Visually immersive interfaces will lead to new forms of entertainment and
communications.
Key Players
Oculus Vry
Sony
Vuzix
Nvidia

Agile Robots
Computer scientists have created machines that have the balance and agility to walk
and run across rough and uneven terrain, making them far more useful in navigating
human environments.
Breakthrough
Legged machines that stride over uneven or unsteady terrain.
Why It Matters
Much of the world is inaccessible to wheeled machines but not legged ones.
Key Players
Boston Dynamics
Schaft
Honda

Smart Wind and Solar Power
Big data and artificial intelligence are producing ultra-accurate forecasts that will make it
feasible to integrate much more renewable energy into the grid.
Breakthrough
Ultra-accurate forecasting of wind and solar power.
Why It Matters
Dealing with the intermittency of renewable energy will be crucial for its expansion.
Key Players
Xcel Energy
GE Power
National Center for Atmospheric Research