10 Emerging Technologies

Nanopiezotronics

Zhong Lin Wang, a materials scientist at Georgia Tech, is pioneering the field of nanopiezotronics.

Wang is creating piezoelectric nanowires that generate electricity using tiny environmental vibrations; he believes they could power implantable medical devices and serve as tiny sensors.

Dr. Z.L. Wang received his Ph.D in Physics from Arizona State University in 1987, and he is a now a Regents Professor, COE Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Nanostructure Characterization (CNC), at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Wang has authored and co-authored four scientific references and textbooks, published over 530 peer reviewed journal articles on nanotechnology. He has 20 patents and provisional patents.
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Software-defined networking

Stanford computer scientist Nick McKeown developed a standard called OpenFlow that allows researchers to tap into Internet switches and routers to easily test new networking technologies with the click of a mouse - all without interrupting normal service.

McKeown researches on techniques to improve the Internet. Most of this work has focused on the architecture, design, analysis, and implementation of high-performance Internet switches and routers.

More recently, his focus has been on network architecture, backbone network design and how the Internet might be redesigned if we were to start with a clean slate.
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Intelligent software assistant

Adam Cheyer, cofounder of the Silicon Valley startup Siri, is leading the design of powerful new software that acts as a personal aide.

This virtual personal-assistant software helps users interact more effectively with Web services to complete tasks such as booking travel or finding entertainment.

Siri, Inc aims to fundamentally redesign the face of the consumer internet experience. Cheyer is is also a Founding Member of Change.org, the premier social network for positive social change, and a Founder of Genetic Finance, LLC.
Cheyer has more than 15 years experience in a variety of roles, including executive, software engineer, research scientist, consultant, lecturer, and technical manager.

A pioneer in the areas of distributed computing, intelligent agents, and advanced user interfaces, he is the author of more than fifty peer-reviewed publications and nine patents.
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HashCache

Vivek Pai, a computer scientist at Princeton University, has created a new method for storing Web content that could make Internet access speedier and more affordable around the world.

Before joining Princeton in Spring 2000, Vivek Pai received his PhD from Rice University in 2000, under the direction of Willy Zwaenepoel and Peter Druschel. His research focused on OS, application, and cluster-level techniques for improving server performance.

At Princeton, he continues working in server performance, but has also addressed issues related to security and reliability in wide-area systems, such as content distribution networks.

He is one of the founders of iMimic Networking, where he helped architect and develop the fastest Web proxy server in the world.
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Racetrack memory

IBM fellow Stuart Parkin has created an entirely new type of data storage using magnetic nanowires.

This 'racetrack memory' could eventually replace all other forms of computer memory and lead to tiny, rugged, and inexpensive portable devices.

Dr. Stuart S.P. Parkin is an experimental physicist at IBM�s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. His discoveries into the behavior of thin-film magnetic structures were critical in enabling recent increases in the data density and capacity of computer hard-disk drives.

He joined IBM in 1982 as a World Trade Post-doctoral Fellow, becoming a permanent member of the staff the following year.
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$100 genome

Han Cao, founder of BioNanomatrix, has designed a nanofluidic chip that could dramatically lower the cost of genome analysis.

Combined with the right sequencing technology, Cao's chip could allow doctors to tailor medical treatment to a patient's unique genetic profile, map new genes linked to specific diseases, and quickly identify new viruses and outbreaks.

Han Cao founded BioNanomatrix in 2003 as a spin out of the Princeton University laboratory where he was working on a multi-million dollar project funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Dr. Cao is a co-inventor of the company�s core single-molecule nanoscale whole genome analysis technology. His diverse scientific experience includes molecular biology, microarray and genomics technology development, as well as micro and nanofluidics design and fabrication.

Dr. Cao leads multiple federal government funded projects at BioNanomatrix and is a member of the study section of the Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program of the National Cancer Institute.
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Biological machines

Michel Maharbiz, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has developed a wirelessly controlled beetle that could one day be used for surveillance or search-and-rescue missions.

Maharbiz received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley for his work on microbioreactor systems under Professor Roger T. Howe and Professor Jay D. Keasling.

Dr. Maharbiz has been a GE Scholar and an Intel IMAP Fellow. Professor Maharbiz's current research interests include building micro/nano interfaces to cells and organisms and exploring bio-derived fabrication methods. Michel�s long term goal is understanding developmental mechanisms as a way to engineer and fabricate machines.
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Paper diagnostic test

George Whitesides, a professor at Harvard University, is using paper to create easy-to-use medical tests that could make it possible to quickly and cheaply diagnose a range of diseases in the developing world.

Professor Whitesides and his group work in four areas: biochemistry, materials science, catalysis and physical organic chemistry.

He was a member of the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1982. He joined the Department of Chemistry of Harvard University in 1982, and was Department Chairman 1986-89, and Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry from 1982-2004.
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Traveling-wave reactor

John Gilleland, manager of nuclear programs at Intellectual Ventures, is leading the development of a reactor that would run on depleted uranium, making nuclear power safer and less expensive.

Intellectual Ventures has been involved in inventions since August 2003. The company has filed hundreds of patent applications in more than 30 technology areas. Intellectual Ventures currently ranks in the top 50 among companies who file patents worldwide.

IV�s inventions span across computer software and hardware, UI design, semiconductors, biomedical devices, advanced medical procedures, digital imaging, nanotechnology and advanced particle physics.
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Liquid Battery

Donald Sadoway, a materials chemistry professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has developed a liquid battery that could store enough electricity to allow cities to run on solar power at night.
A faculty member in the Department of Materials Science Engineering, he is a noted expert on batteries and has done significant research on how to improve the performance and longevity of portable power sources.

His research aims to establish the scientific underpinning10 emerging technologies to watch out for

February 27, 2009

This is technology at its best: miniature and massive. From fast, cheap, capacious computer memory to batteries that can store enough energy to power a city. . .

MIT's Technology Review has announced the annual list of 10 emerging technologies with the potential to shape the way we live and do business. These revolutionary innovations�each represented by a researcher whose vision and work leads the field�promise fundamental shifts in areas from energy to health care, computing to communications.

The 2009 TR10 includes some technologies that should reach the market within a year, such as paper-based medical tests and virtual personal-assistant software. Others, like biological machines and traveling-wave reactors, could take a few years longer.

Check out how these innovations could change your lives.s for technologies that make efficient use of energy and natural resources in an environmentally sound manner.
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