The list was convened by Scientific American magazine and the World Economic Forum, and 75 nominations were screened. Winning nominations must have a clear path forward with the potential to stimulate social and economic progress, and they must be innovative but likely to have a significant impact over the next 3 to 5 years. The steering group continued to reduce the list through virtual meetings (which is also a technology greatly promoted by the epidemic) and finally obtained this 10 emerging technology list.
The pain during acupuncture is mainly due to the needle contacting the nerve endings, and microneedle technology can avoid contact with the nerve endings and therefore does not cause pain. The length of microneedles is between 50 and 2000 microns, which is about the thickness of a piece of A4 paper, and the width is 1 to 100 microns, which is only the width of a human hair. Most microneedles cannot reach the dermal layer of human skin, which is where nerve endings, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and connective tissue are densely packed.
Microneedle technology is divided into two types: injection and patch. In 2020, scientific researchers have launched a skin disease treatment plan based on microneedle technology. A company called Vaxxas is developing a vaccine patch based on microneedle technology that can trigger an enhanced immune response with a lower-than-normal dose of vaccine.
Currently, many scientific research institutions are developing this technology, which uses visible light and catalysts to convert carbon dioxide in exhaust gas into usable common materials, and these outputs will be used to synthesize various products, such as medicines, detergents, and fertilizers. and textiles.
Currently, many scientific research institutions in the United States, the Netherlands and Germany are working hard to develop this very valuable green technology, including the Artificial Photosynthesis Joint Center operated by the California Institute of Technology and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
In some fields, high technology has replaced doctors, but what about patients? For example, virtual patients are used to replace real people in clinical trials of the new coronavirus vaccine. If this technology is successful, the development of new vaccines and treatments will be significantly more efficient and will no longer require months or even years of experimentation.
The basis of virtual patient technology is virtual organs, which use non-invasive high-resolution imaging of actual human organs to obtain anatomical data and input it into complex mathematical models that simulate the organs. Algorithms are used in powerful computer systems to make simulated organs behave like real human organs.
The United States has made some progress in the research and development of computer simulation clinical trials. For example, the US FDA is using computers to evaluate new X-ray photography systems. Real people are no longer involved in this work. At the same time, the agency also released guidance for drug and device trials that include virtual patients.
Spatial computing re-establishes the real world in the digital world by modeling the physical world, and uses the Internet of Things and various sensors to sense various changes in the real world and the movement of objects, thereby allowing the digital world to build the ability to control the real world. .
At present, large companies including Microsoft and Amazon are investing heavily in the research and development of spatial computing technology. This field is regarded as the next hundred billion dollar industry, which is the so-called "window".
Currently, various smart devices are detecting users' health data. For example, iWatch is equipped with a powerful heartbeat sensor, which can effectively record your exercise, sleep, abnormal heartbeat and other data. This is not an isolated case, many smart appliances can do this.
The COVID-19 epidemic has also promoted the development of remote diagnosis technology. Many tests can be completed by patients themselves at home through standardized smart medical equipment, and doctors can use the obtained data to diagnose remotely.
The electric car market is currently extremely hot, and people seem to have failed to notice that electric aircraft have made great progress. Currently, professional companies including Airbus, Ampaire, MagniX and Eviation are developing electric-powered aircraft and are seeking certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration.
In 2019, air travel accounted for 2.5% of global carbon emissions and was growing rapidly. Electric aircraft can reduce fuel costs by up to 90%, maintenance costs by up to 50% and noise by nearly 70%. A single overhaul of an electric aircraft can support nearly 20,000 hours of flight, far better than a jet aircraft.
The process of producing cement releases a large amount of carbon dioxide, so large that it accounts for 8% of total carbon emissions. If it were put forward alone, it would rank third in the ranking of carbon-emitting countries, only after China and the United States.
At present, major American companies have developed alternatives that can significantly reduce the carbon dioxide produced during the production process.
The Argonne National Laboratory in the United States is using various quantum mechanical characteristics to improve the accuracy of sensors. This sensor can even penetrate obstacles, allowing self-driving cars to detect a wider range and improve the safety of self-driving. That's right, once this kind of sensor is commercialized, self-driving cars will be able to "see" what's around the corner in advance.
The traditional method of producing hydrogen is to expose fossil fuels to steam, which is called gray hydrogen; if carbon dioxide is captured and sequestered in the above process, it becomes "blue hydrogen." The most expensive is green hydrogen, which is produced by electrolyzing water, a process with no by-products.
The electrolyzer technology used to produce green hydrogen has improved significantly in recent years, and its cost has dropped by 50% in the past five years. Therefore, this technology is becoming more and more practical. When there is surplus power in the grid, it can be used to produce green hydrogen, thereby storing the previously wasted power in the form of green hydrogen.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch predicts that by 2050, green hydrogen will provide 24% of human energy supply while reducing carbon emissions by 30%. This is a good thing that kills two birds with one stone.
The COVID-19 epidemic has actually promoted the advancement of whole-genome synthesis technology. In the early stages of the epidemic, Chinese scientists uploaded the genetic sequence of the virus to a genetic database. Then, a Swiss scientific research team obtained the virus production blueprint and produced virus samples. This is the so-called whole genome printing.
Before this, most human genome editing was mild, but whole-genome synthesis technology will greatly expand the breadth of cell engineering, allowing it to do a wider range of things. These studies are helpful in developing new drugs and so on.